My 16 year old has shown interest in wanting to go to the range with me. So we went with my 40 Sigma & my S&W 357 revolver. He shot 40 cal .38 as well as 357 loads. I have to admit he did fairly well.
Here's his target below.

Now he really wants to hone his skills. Since it is impossible to be at the range everyday (like he wants), I thought that a good alternative would be a BB gun.
Would a BB pistol be better for this purpose than an Airsoft, or are they about the same?
I figure he can practice in the yard during the week & we can hit the range twice a month.

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I don't think you will find the accuracy that great in the Air-Soft guns, but I have not shot but one of them. For best accuracy, (which is rewarding to a new shooter) a pellet gun is better. There are hundreds of different makes and models of pellet guns. Try Pyramid Air for one, and Midway for another. There are lots of other sources out there. Keep him interested, and look into a scholastic shooting program in the high school, or 4H group in your area. Competition really helps them learn.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

BB / pellet guns = better accuracy
Airsoft guns = lower collateral damage

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it just needs more voltage

actually airsoft is more commonly used IMHO than bb guns.

try google airsoft gun reviews

Depends on how much money you want to spend. There are .177 cal air pistols which will put them all into one pretty round hole at basement target distance. At the time that I was up to date on this, FWB was probably leader of the pack, and spring-air was the way to go. This has probably changed. Beeman's is probably the first place to check.

For shooting range use, a good .22 is the usual choice.

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Formerly Model520Fan

its a tough call between the two.
I like airsoft for training since the guns mimic their real steel counterparts to the greatest degree possible.
The more the trainer can represent of the real deal, the less there is to get lost in translation.
It would seem that BB guns are starting to close this gap a little and may ultimately marry performance to faithful models which might do better for accuracy training in the basement range.

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it just needs more voltage

If you want to teach him to be a more accurate shooter then a pellet gun is the way to go. It will teach proper holds, sight picture, trigger control, and breathing. Pellet guns are far more accurate than the ones that shoot little round balls from a smooth barrels. Expect to see one hole groups from even a cheap pellet gun like the Crosman 1377.

If you want to teach him the manual of arms then an accurate replica airsoft gun is the way to go. The control set on a replica airsoft gun will be identical to the real thing, That is why some police departments use airsoft guns to train. Expect to find little plastic balls everywhere from and airsoft gun, most are lucky to hit the paper.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I bought an inexpensive 1911 airsoft pistol and after filing off nearly all the rear sight the thing shoots pretty good up to about 15-20 feet or so and makes for very good cheap practice...After reading this thread I'm thinking about a .177 cal pellet pistol for basement practice this winter...I think a couple of 3/4 plywood boards should make a good backstop behind the target...What do y'all think?

If you get a pellet gun, be sure to have a dense, thick backstop. I have an old FWB Model 65 that because of age and wear has probably lost a lot of its zip. It will still shoot half way through a 2 inch thick, hardcover book!

The other posters are absolutely correct; an accurate pistol like that will teach sight picture and trigger squeeze like nothing else. Accept no substitute.

What about one of those BB pistols that have a reciporcating slide and load via a magazine? There was a Walther PPKs clone out a few years back IIRC. I almost bought one to keep the mice outta my basement, but do to the BBs bouncing around I gave up on the idea and picked up an old Crossman 1377 at a local flea market. That things scary accurate!! Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

You might buy a laser cartridge and allow him to practice with the actual firearm that he is going to use at the range.

If you want to duplicate the experience of using a cartridge firearm, take a look at these BB guns: http://smith-wessonforum.com/firearm...-4-2014-a.html

Check out the sites that sell airguns such as Pyramid Air and Airgun Warehouse. The level of authenticity can be pretty high.

You will need some kind of softener over the plywood as the pellets will definitely ricochet.
Maybe something like moving blankets loose draped with a little gap between them and the wood.
Hope someone has a better suggestion. I'll use whatever small cardboard box I can find stuffed with a handful of old periodicals* and crumpled newspaper,


*The word magazine would have confused any number of readers.

My son used an old Benjamin pellet rifle in 22 cal when learning to shoot and it worked very well. As he got older and stronger he could eventually pump it up to max power and it would take small game easily. I still use it to keep squirrels out of my pecans but it is a lost cause.

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

CO2 cartridges are costly, with the pump up type you can vary the power, spring power in pistols is usually weak, it's great in rifles.

The Daisy 717, single shot is cheap and accurate. One stroke. Less then 400 fps but a good teacher for young ones. The next step up is the 747, more adjustments on this one and better barrel. Cheap to re-seal also if ever needed with the directions on the internet. Put my targets at 10 yards on the side of a box. Put an old heavy carpet over a dowel rod. Works great in the basement, Larry

You can buy a metal target holder/pellet trap

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Old Guys Rule!

When growing up I did my inside the city shooting was with BB and pellet guns made by Daisy and Crossman. I have a 45 year old Daisy that I am still one with and have a few BBs in it right now, just in case. BBs worked for me, so that's what I would suggest.

The shell of an old squirrel cage blower, filled with carpet scraps pr old periodicals, worked well for me as a pellet trap.

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de minimus non curat lex

I definitely recommend a pellet pistol. I have a Daisy 777, which was the target pistol of the 717, and 747 series. Shoots FAR better than I do. Pellets and traps are cheap. If you go with a co2 gun like the old Smith and Wesson 78/79 series, co2 cylinders can be bought in bulk on Amazon, or E bay cheap enough. I have a 10 meter range set up in my shop and shoot in here on occasion. Since accurate shooting is a perishable skill, it is nice to keep the skill up when I can't get to the range. 10 meters is a little short for most rifles, they hit the trap with quite a clang...Beware though, airguns can be just as addictive as powder guns... Ask me how I know that...

When I first got into shooting my 177 air guns, I used some homemade bullet traps Then I saw one made by Coleman; just an 8 inch cube of styrofoam. Once you've dug a crater into one side of it with several hundred rounds, you can turn it 90º and use it some more.