Contact | News | Calendar | Orientation Process | Practices | Equipment | Safety | Competitions | Projects
Key Leader
Brett Dennis
News and Updates
Calendar
Troubleshooting
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Orientation Process
New Members
Members new to Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports must complete the orientation process by attending an Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom first, followed by one of the orientations for Air Rifle second.
Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom
Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 7, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
–The Zoom links will be emailed to enrolled Shooting Sports members one week before each meeting date.
–Please log in a few minutes around 6:25 p.m.—we will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.
–Members AND parents are required to attend, and we will be taking attendance during the meeting.
–We will alert discipline key leaders about who is ready for new member orientation or practices based on fulfilling the Zoom requirement.
Air Rifle New Member Orientations (attend one)
Saturday, February 8 at 1:00 p.m. at the McKee 4-H Building at The Ranch
(Second date to come)
Returning Members
All returning members are required to attend the mandatory Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom. (Returning members are defined as those who participated in practices for Air Rifle during the previous year.)
Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom
Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 7, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
–The Zoom links will be emailed to enrolled Shooting Sports members one week before each meeting date.
–Please log in a few minutes around 6:25 p.m.—we will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.
–Members AND parents are required to attend, and we will be taking attendance during the meeting.
–We will alert discipline key leaders about who is ready for new member orientation or practices based on fulfilling the Zoom requirement.
Returning members who are adding Air Rifle as a new discipline should attend a new member orientation date before attending Air Rifle practices.
*** Special Note for Returning .22 Rifle Members: Members who participated in the .22 Rifle discipline in the previous year are not required to attend New Member Orientation to add Air Rifle. Air Rifle and .22 Rifle are combined into one orientation.
Practices
Practice Schedule
Practices are held on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall in the McKee Building at The Ranch. Please make sure to check the calendar for specific dates.
Practice Location
Exhibit Hall in the McKee Building at The Ranch
5280 Arena Circle
Loveland, Colorado 80538
Practice Information
A parent, guardian, or designated responsible adult over the age of 18 be present with members at practice.
Everyone in attendance, not just members, must sign in and out of practices. This is how we make sure everyone is accounted for, and how we track your practice attendance.
No electronics on the shooting line.
Stay on the shooting line until the line is closed.
No caffeine before shooting. It hurts concentration and steadiness.
Observe the 4-H Dress Code and safety/discipline rules as listed in the Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports Policies and Procedures.
Follow the 4-H Code of Conduct.
Communication
We use Remind to send alerts about cancellations and other important communications.
Text Messages – Sign up via Remind by texting @4HAIRLC to 81010. Opt out of messages by replying unsubscribe @4HAIRLC to the same number.
Email – Send an email to 4HAIRLC@mail.remind.com. No subject is needed.
App – Available for your Android phone or iPhone. Choose “Join a class” and enter the class code @4HAIRLC.
Please Note: Our Remind account will NOT allow members under the age of 13 to join.
Visit remind.com for details.
Equipment
Important: Key Leader Input
Please consult the key leaders before purchasing equipment. They can offer specific advice before you make an investment.
For full equipment descriptions and information, see the Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Rule Book (Revised 3/3/2023).
Class Descriptions
Shooting positions include prone, standing, kneeling, and sitting. Extended capacity magazines protruding more than 1" below the firearm are prohibited. Suppressors and muzzle brakes are not allowed.
Air Rifle Utility
Sights must be open. No peep-type sights are allowed.
Air Rifle 4P (4-Position 10-Meter Sporter)
Sights must be peep-type aperture, front and rear, no open-type sights. The weight of the rifle with sights may not exceed 7.5 pounds. Shooting gloves are allowed (Larimer County can provide). A sling may be used except when in standing position.
* Please note (July 23, 2024): After much discussion among Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Championship superintendents, it has been determined that the updated version of the Crossman Challenger air rifle model #CH 2021, is not eligible for 4P Air Rifle classes. It does not meet the conventional sporter rifle design that is outlined in the rule book. Potential updates and edits such as the description of eligible air rifles will be reviewed by the Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Advisory Committee this fall and any edits or changes to the rules will be reflected after that time.
Air Rifle 3P (3-Position 10-Meter Precision)
Sights must be peep-type aperture. The weight of the rifle with sights may not exceed 12.2 pounds. Shooting coats/jackets and gloves are mandatory (Larimer County can provide). A sling may be used except in the standing position. Shooting pants and shoes are optional.
Air Rifle Off-Hand (Olympic 10-Meter)
Shooting coats, gloves, pants, and shoes are permitted. Sights must be peep-type aperture. The weight of the rifle with sights may not exceed 12.2 pounds.
| Firearm/Ammunition | Course of Fire | Positions | Required Equipment | Optional Equipment | |
| Utility |
.177 caliber air rifle with open/iron sights. Use wadcutter pellets. | 1 sight-in target page. 4 scoring target pages each with 5 bulls. 1 shot per bull at 25 feet. |
Prone, Standing, Kneeling, Sitting. | Safety glasses, rifle case, clear bore indicator (CBI). | Shooting mat, kneeling roll, pellet tray, binoculars or spotting scope, rifle stand. |
| 4P | .177 caliber air rifle with peep sights. Use wadcutter pellets. | 1 sight-in target page. 4 scoring target pages each with 5 bulls. 1 shot per bull at 10 meters. |
Prone, Standing, Kneeling, Sitting. | Safety glasses, rifle case, clear bore indicator (CBI). | Shooting mat, kneeling roll, pellet tray, sling, shooting glove, binoculars or spotting scope, rifle stand. |
| 3P | .177 caliber air rifle with peep sights. Use wadcutter pellets. | 1 sight-in target page. 3 scoring target pages each with 5 bulls. 1 shot per bull at 10 meters. |
Prone, Standing, Kneeling. | Safety glasses, rifle case, clear bore indicator (CBI), shooting jacket, shooting glove. | Shooting mat, kneeling roll, pellet tray, sling, shooting pants, binoculars or spotting scope, rifle stand. |
| Offhand | .177 caliber air rifle with peep sights. Use wadcutter pellets. | 2 target pages each with 2 sight-in bulls and 10 scoring bulls. 1 shot per scoring bull at 10 meters. | Standing. | Safety glasses, rifle case, clear bore indicator (CBI), shooting jacket, shooting glove. | Pellet tray, binoculars or spotting scope, rifle stand, shooting pants. |
From Page 51 of the Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Rule Book, 4/2024.
For full equipment descriptions and information, see the Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Rule Book (Revised 4/2024).
Safety
Eye protection is required.
County shooting sports waiver must be completed with enrollment and before practices.
Follow all safety rules as listed in the Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports Policies and Procedures.
Anyone at the range can call a cease fire.
Muzzle control is important. Shooters can and will be pulled off the line for endangering themselves or other shooters, and incident reports will be filed with the Extension office.
All firearms must be cased and use a clear bore indicator (CBI).
Observe MAT:
Muzzle – pointed in a safe direction,
Action – open until done loading,
Trigger – finger off of the trigger until firing.
Competitions
County Shoot Requirements
Members compete in two age groups: Juniors = 4-H age 8–13, Seniors = 4-H age 14–18.
Register for the Shooting Sports project and Air Rifle discipline by the March deadline.
Attend a minimum of 4 Larimer County practices.
Rifle members who are doing both Air Rifle and .22 Rifle may meet this requirement by attending two Air Rifle practices and two .22 Rifle practices.
Informational meetings, orientations, safety meetings, and workshops do NOT count as practices.
Members do NOT have to compete at the county shoot to complete the project.
County Shoot Information
Date
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Location
Exhibit Hall, McKee Building at The Ranch
5280 Arena Circle
Loveland, CO 80538
Orion Scoring System
Larimer County Shooting Sports uses the Orion Scoring System for county competitions. This tool greatly streamlines both the scoring process and tabulation of results.
For Air Rifle and Air Pistol, the targets are scanned and scored by the software.
State Shoot Requirements
Place in the top 6 in your chosen classes at the county shoot.
Complete hunter safety and upload a picture of your hunter safety card to 4HOnline or email it to info@lc4hss.org before July 1.
Complete a project and record book, and earn at least a blue or red ribbon at the county fair.
Pay the state shoot registration fee ($20 per participant plus $5 per class, except shotgun which charges $15 per class).
State Shoot Information
Dates
Saturday, August 16–Sunday, August 17, 2025 for Juniors and Seniors
Location
Southwest Motors Event Center
950 South Prairie Avenue
Pueblo, Colorado
Air Rifle is held on the State Fairgrounds on the west side (do not come in from the Beulah Avenue side). If the gate on Prairie Avenue is not open, there will be one Small Avenue (north side of the fairgrounds).
No on-site food, but fast food is nearby.
National Shoot Information
The 2025 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships will be held June 22–27, 2025 in Grand Island, Nebraska at the Heartland Public Shooting Park. 4-H youth from across the country compete in compound archery, recurve archery, air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shotgun, muzzleloading, and outdoor/hunting skills.
Colorado 4-H’s team members are determined based on standings at the 2024 Colorado 4-H State Shooting Sports Championships.
Click here to learn more about the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships.
Projects and Record Books
Visit the Projects page for information that applies to all Shooting Sports disciplines.