November 15, 2018
4-H Shooting Sports Sporter and Open Air Pistol
The Sporter and Open Air Pistol classes have been combined into a single Air Pistol match by the 4-H Shooting Sports Advisory and approved by the Department of 4-H Youth Development for the 2019 4-H Spring Qualifiers and State matches. The former, Sporter Class was defined as the .177 caliber Daisy/Avanti 700 series air pistols, while all other .177 caliber air pistols were considered Open Class. Because the Sporter air pistol had an economical advantage for beginners, unfortunately the manufacturer was unable to repair the faulty left-handed grips at a reasonable cost and therefore discontinued the production.
Custom and 3D printed grips were created and available for purchase, although these custom-made grips resulted in the pistols being classified as Open Class. The long-term result, Dairy 717 and 747 pistol construction ended and locating used equipment became difficult to purchase for entering the correct air pistol competitive category.
Therefore, the 2019 4-H Qualifying and State 4-H Shooting Sports Matcher will offer only one Air Pistol match without classes. The Junior and Senior divisions will continue as in the previous years; however, youth must decide on only one air pistol to shoot at the Qualifying and State Match.