Yegua Airgun Club Airgunning Definitions

Terms:

AAFTA:

American Airgun Field Target Association.

Air Bottle:

The bulk tank from which pneumatic guns are charged, such as a scuba tank or HPA tank.

Adjustable Objective:

The adjustment on a riflescope that allows the parallax to be adjusted to get the target or quarry in perfect focus. Typically this adjustment is on the front or left side of the riflescope and has distance marking on the adjustment bell or side wheel, respectively.

Bar:

The pressure of one atmosphere, or 14.504 PSI at sea level.

Blow Off a Shot:

Intentional discharge of a pellet, or air with or without a pellet, into the ground by a competitor to clear a pellet, uncock, recycle, or reduce working pressure from an airgun. These must be announced to the scoreer or Marshal beforehand or the shot counts as a miss. A shooter may blow off a shot, after announcing it, when cold line is called to prevent an unsafe situation.

Breech:

The end of the barrel where the pellet is loaded.

Bum Bag:

See Shooter’s Seat.

CO2:

Carbon Dioxide, used by some air pistols/rifles as the propellant.

Cold Line:

Cease-fire and make airguns safe.

Course:

A match course is made up of approximately 6 to 15 shooting lanes with two to three field targets in each shooting lane.

Designated Shots:

A lane may be marked with a designated shooting position such as kneeling or standing. All shots taken in that lane must be taken from the designated shooting position. Also see “Forced Shots.”

DNF:

Did Not Finish.

FAC:

British Fire Arm Certificate. The maximum FAC rating for any air pistol is 6fp (8.13J) or rifle in the UK is 12fp (16.27J). The majority of British and European air pistols and rifles are designed to this limit.

Face Plate:

The front face of a field target, with a kill zone opening, just ahead of the paddle release mechanism.

Forced Shots:

Field targets may be placed within the shooting lane in such a fashion as to force the shooter out of the sitting position and into either a kneeling or standing position to get a clear shot at the Kill Zone. There is no sign designating these shots and the shooter may choose any position that gets them the best shot at the Kill Zone.

Hangy Tank:

A CO2 or compressed air tank which hangs from and below the pistol grip.

Hot Line:

Participant may fire when ready. No one is authorized to be down range. All competitors must remain behind the lane boxes.

HPA Tank:

Typically a fiberglass reinforced high pressure tank with a metal bladder that stores air up from 4,000 to 4,200 PSI, or 260 to 280 bar.

Kill Zone:

The round hole in the faceplate of a field target that allows a pellet to pass through the face plate to strike the paddle.

Lane:

A designated area in which two or three field targets are placed for a match. The number of lanes in a match vary depending on how the course has been set up.

Lane Box:

A designated area from which the competitors shoot. Lane boxes are arranged so the competitor can clearly see the targets while keeping the trigger behind the shooter’s line. Also called a shooter’s box.

Lane Markers:

Markers that define the space in which the shooter is to be physically confined behind while shooting at targets. At Yegua Airgun Club the trigger finger must never be in front of the Lane Markers.

Marshall:

A volunteer that serves at the direction of the Match Director to enforce rules and safety.

Match Director:

The official in charge of a managing a shooting competition; responsible for orientation of Marshals and competitors, and enforcement of club and match rules and regulations.

Match/Safety Meeting:

A time when the Match Director assembles all participants to address specifics of the match, rules, procedures, safety etc.

Open Sights:

Sometimes called iron sights, these are simple metal sights with no magnification.

Paddle:

The area behind the kill zone, that when activated by a pellet strike causes the target to fall.

PCP:

Pre-Charged Pneumatic airgun.

Pellet Spray:

Pellet fragments created when the pellet smashes against the field target face plate or paddle.

PFT:

Pistol Field Target.

Pull String:

See Reset String.

PSI:

Pounds per Square Inch, a measure of air pressure in scuba or HPA tanks.

Red Dot Sights:

An optical sighting device that superimposes a red aiming dot within the sight without projecting a red dot onto the actual target.

Reset:

Bringing a target back to its upright position after it has been knocked over by a shot to the target’s kill zone. Targets are reset by pulling on a string attached to the target that runs to the lane markers.

Reset String:

The string used to reset a filed target after it has been hit and fallen.

ROT:

Republic of Texas Field Target Roundup, a Texas State level field target match held each spring at the Yegua Airgun Club.

Score Keeper:

The person that tallies the match scores. Competitors turn in their signed score cards to the score keeper at the end of the match.

Scorer:

The person in the squad that is keeping score for the current shooter. The scorekeeper duties rotate through the squad as each person takes their turn either shooting or keeping score.

Shotgun Start:

Squads of shooters are assigned to different lanes to begin the match.

Shoot-Off:

A tie breaking contest between tied score competitors, set up and run by the Match Director.

Shooter’s Box:

See Lane Box.

Shooter’s Line:

The line which the pistol trigger must not cross while shooting at the field targets. Usually is the front edge of the Lane Box at the Yegua Airgun Club. Only the Match Director or a Marshal is allowed to cross the shooter’s line during a match, and only when a cold line is called.

Shooter’s Seat:

A seat used while shooting. May not exceed 6 inches high while the shooter is sitting in it. Other rules apply.

Split:

Sometimes called a Split Shot. When a pellet hits the edge of a kill zone causing fragments of the pellet to pass through the kill zone striking the paddle behind the kill zone. Many split shots will mark the paint on the paddle, but either will not have enough energy to make the target fall or the energy from the initial split has locked up the release mechanism.

Springer:

Spring piston pistol in Pistol Field Target competitions, otherwise any spring piston rifle or pistol.

Squad:

A group of several shooters who will shoot together throughout the course of fire from lane to lane of targets.

Tie Breaker:

A process, devised by the Match Director to settle tie scores at the end of a match. Also see Shoot-Off.

Time Limit:

A time limit on a shooter to prepare for and shoot the targets in a lane.

Troyer Pistol Rating:

A difficulty rating assigned a field target or course of fire good for the day of the competition. The Troyer Pistol Rating is based on weather conditions, distances shot, and the size of the kill zone.

Yegua:

Pronounced as YA-wä. Spanish word for a mare (female horse). Yegua Creek runs a few miles south of the Yegua Airgun Club.