How to respond to a weird look at the gun range?

I get that “look” too but once they speak to me then their interest peaks when I tell them things like “ I can handgun hunt for Rabbits with my Karl Puncher 25 cal pistol” Yep handgun hunting is available to me now.
Most hardcore air gunners are also powder enthusiasts.
If it’s shoots a projectile most of us are interested. Who wouldn’t like a full auto pellet gun or BB gun. These are other things we can do legally( no hunting though) but still is a ton of fun with a Blackbird shooting 1800 rds a minute from a 400rd hopper.
 
The other thing I have found is that some people may not realize that air rifles in particular have really evolved over the years, and it's not their Daisy Red Ryder BB gun anymore. Some people I have spoken with are shocked at the velocity of some air rifles, and how accurate some of them are. It comes as a pleasant surprise and as others have said, it does pique interest. It may be an opportunity to share that older perceptions of air rifles as toys and such, are not exactly accurate. I recently told a fella that I had an air rifle that, with a PBA .177 pellet, I chronied at 1440 FPS. The cocking power of the break barrel was insane on that thing, but such velocities can be achieved and can be easily great target guns, discreet pest control guns, etc.
 
unicorn gravedigger said:
Everyone love air rifles, go to your range shoot and have fun, soon others will ask where you bought. Trigger and a barrel, string and a spring, scooter or a Harley, nobody cares.
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Yup, I’d venture most of us got started with a bb or pellet rifle as a kid. I know I did, I recently got back my 1st childhood bb gun. I wish my mom had kept a couple of my old bb/pellet pistols as well, one of them was pretty accurate from what I remember.

Fun times, shooting targets in the backyard as a kid.
 
DT741 said:
Simple solution: ignore weird looks and go on with your day. If everybody did that, they’d be a lot less of whatever is happening in this country lately.
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Exactly.
Don`t sweat the small stuff and "weird looks" are small stuff ........
IMHO if your concerned about how people are looking at you maybe your a little too self-conscious about yourself.
 
I have a friend, always wanted a Harley, got a ultraglide, he just didn't like it, he's older, couldn't pick it up, dropped it once on his lawn, had to call his nephew for help. Sold it bought a 400cc Burgman scooter, now he's the happiest guy. He drove by, I'm with my bud, he has neg opinion of scooters, I explain that he is very very happy and why, but my bud doesn't get it. To bad for him. As for guns we need every shooter we can get, as soon as you get your Pal, you join a club of persecuted people, persecuted for no reason, so please we all need to support each other and encourage more to get their Pal. It really changes how folks vote.
 
I have nothing against anyone that chooses any airgun or otherwise. What does kind of tick me off Umarex has taken over some companies such as Pardini, Hammerli and Walther. Tradition older companies that once held thier firearm standards high and conservative looks.
Gone now is that deep German blueing almost black, or parkerized finish on steel.
Now it's eye blinding shiny alloy and plastic.
Oiled finish walnut grips replaced by black polymer. Ghey racing stripes of blue and red on cheap alloys.
Walther P22 is known for slide cracking or worse!
Is because thier cheap bean counters wanted parts interchangeability with some useless gas gun for defense only in some Eurotrash nations.
A Pardini 50 meter pistol used to be something to behold. Now it's multi color crap complete with vodka puke stains from Sochi Olympic Games.

Thx for nothing Umarex. You set the bar very low.
Now your shareholders can afford executive whorehouses in Dubai.
 
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Brutus said:
I have nothing against anyone that chooses any airgun or otherwise. What does kind of tick me off Umarex has taken over some companies such as Pardini, Hammerli and Walther. Tradition older companies that once held thier firearm standards high and conservative looks.
Gone now is that deep German blueing almost black, or parkerized finish on steel.
Now it's eye blinding shiny alloy and plastic.
Oiled finish walnut grips replaced by black polymer. Ghey racing stripes of blue and red on cheap alloys.
Walther P22 is known for slide cracking or worse!
Is because thier cheap bean counters wanted parts interchangeability with some useless gas gun for defense only in some Eurotrash nations.
A Pardini 50 meter pistol used to be something to behold. Now it's multi color crap complete with vodka puke stains from Sochi Olympic Games.

Thx for nothing Umarex. You set the bar very low.
Now your shareholders can afford executive whorehouses in Dubai.
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This is very true about Umarex. I bought a Hammerli 850 Air Magnum years ago. I was on an airgun forum and read Hammerlis are fantastic. So imagine my elation when I got my Hammerli at an incredible price (I won't mention what it was out of embarrassment). Took my Hammerli to my airgun/.22 shooting club back then, and a couple of guys asked me about it. They questioned whether it was a knockoff. I said, nope, it's a real Hammerli. Then a guy gave me a real thorough education on how no, Umarex makes a lot of stuff rebranded and my Beretta FX92 .177 CO2 air pistol is actually a Umarex as well. Incidentally both the "Hammerli" and "Beretta" had numerous quality problems over the years - in fact the "Beretta" is currently having some repair work done on it on the other side of the country.

I don't mind having a legally rebadged "knockoff" that is affordable. And I get it that it won't be the same quality - but I'd say of the other Umarex items I have owned, the quality isn't just average, it's sub-par. If I knew how often it would break, I would have just stuck with boring old Crossmans.
 
My old Walther air rifle was made in 1960.

My pair of LP53s were made in 1955 and 57.

An LP3 was made in 1976.

The Steyr LP5 was made in 2010.

I'm not about to replace any of them any time soon.
 
It's not the same but my single shot Hammerli 22 target pistol was made in 1982. Morini grips are much much newer.

And a refinished Mauser ES350B Championship 22 target rifle circa 1936.
They are not going anywhere but to the range in my grimy paws.
 
I usually bring my pellet rifle as well as the regular firearms to the range when i bring the boys. (they like the easier shooting at the end to relax a little bit, Or when thier sholders star hurting.) I have never gotten a funny look from anybody, even when i put a few pellets threw.
 
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