THE NEED FOR SPEED
Speed-shooting with an air rifle isn’t something that’s seen all that often outside of dedicated time-restricted competitions like turning targets or breakable disc, or on the plinking range where a high volume of fire means a high volume of fun. Nevertheless, shooting a rifle quickly has a definite appeal, especially with a magazine-fed pre-charged pneumatic, and there are some practical benefits beyond the obvious feelgood factor as well.
Historically, the earliest form of speed-shooting with a firearm dates back to the days of the musket, typified by the battles of the Napoleonic wars. Whichever side could produce the largest volume of volley fire at the highest rate would typically emerge the victor, all other factors remaining equal, with the British infantry having the advantage as they formed up in ranks, while the French used columns, giving the British the ability to pour down more fire. Military muskets were notoriously inaccurate, but when fired en masse into a body of men who were standing up rather than taking cover, the results could be devastating.
Speed-shooting – at least in the context that we’re talking about – mainly stems from the use of either lever- or bolt-action repeating rifles, where the ability to employ rapid fire could be used to subdue an enemy while carrying out a flanking manoeuvre rather than
