Pyramid Air Gun Range at the NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, 2017

One of the hits at the NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta was the Pyramid Air gun range. It was set up in one of the meeting rooms not far from the NRA exhibit hall. While I was there, empty spaces on the firing line were filled immediately.  There were 10 stations on line and roughly twice as many air guns available as there were shooting stations on line.

There were young, old, male, female, all sorts of shooters on the line. They seemed to exhibit the same expressions: Intense concentration followed by big grins.

A wide variety of air guns were available, from high dollar target guns, to imitation historical guns such as the Mauser 98 and the Colt Single Action.

The targets were reaction targets, spinners, knock overs, items that did not need to have anyone go down range to reset them.

Every shooter had an NRA volunteer/safety officer to coach them and monitor their performance on the line.

Air guns saw an immense increase in interest during the past four years. The .22 rimfire bubble drove up rimfire prices while reducing ammunition availability for many shooters.  Large numbers of shooters discovered the advantages of modern air rifles. They are cheap to shoot, quiet, and can be fired nearly anywhere.  Good quality air rifles are more than adequate for most small game hunting.

Many shooters understood this over the years. But when the cost of a decent air rifle was equivalent to 10,000 rounds of on sale .22 Long Rifle, the advantages are not as significant.

The .22 bubble changed that. When a decent air rifle costs as little as 2,000 rounds of .22 Long Rifle, the equation has shifted toward the air guns.

It makes sense to have a range at the NRA Annual Meeting where people can shoot at targets with real projectiles.

Pyramid air deserves credit for providing the service free of charge.