- Last edited:
- Replies: 7
Last edited:
Barbara Pellegrino is a relative newcomer to the airgun scene. She has burst onto the scene with strong finishes in multiple major competitions, including winning the AAFTA GP Championships in both 2024 and 2025.
So how does she do it? Read on to find out in this exclusive HAM interview…
Hard Air Magazine: Barbara, how long have you been shooting airguns and how did you become involved?
Barbara Pellegrino: My first shot ever from an airgun was Nov. 14, 2020. The moment was recorded by these photographs!
My husband Tony was spending a lot of time with this new hobby of airguns. He had found some friends online that he was “pesting” with and when I complained about how much time he was spending doing it, I should have seen the light bulb go off in his head…
He says “You know, I think this is something you might like as well!”
So he set up an air rifle inside the house (we needed to get enough distance and the houses in San Diego were very close together) and opened the door to the garage so I could take a shot through the open door and into the garage.
It was just over 10 Yards and he had set me up for the perfect shot. I pulled the trigger and my eyes lit up with excitement when I saw the perfect little 10X!
I agreed to go to a 25 Meter match in Temecula CA using his airgun. This is me at my first match…
I struggled as it was not something I knew anything about, I didn’t even know how to load a pellet or fill it with air. But I got through the match and promptly bought an airgun that was more user friendly for me. Then off I went!
(Fun fact: I now shoot for the Daystate/BRK Wolfpack and that very first shot I ever took was from a Brocock Bantam. Predicting the future???)
Hard Air Magazine: You, your husband Tony and (at least one) son all shoot airguns. Tell us what makes it such a family thing for the Pellegrinos.
Barbara Pellegrino: Tony was 36 years in law enforcement, so firearms were very familiar to all of us. We would often go shoot as a family and Tony took the boys hunting starting at age 12.
Our older son, Daniel, went into the Marine Corps and our younger son, Matthew, joined ROTC in high school. Both areas allowed them to continue their firearms education, with Matthews being on the varsity air rifle team in ROTC.
Below. Barbara with Tony (right) and Daniel.
When Tony and I discovered the air rifle competition world, the air rifles were not unknown to us, but the community of shooters and competitions were. It felt so natural to slip into this world…
By this time Matthew was through college and had been out of airgunning for sometime. But he followed and is now on the Daystate Wolfpack with me. Daniel can be found learning more about airguns at some of the local matches as well.
This is Matthew (left) and Tony with me at Extreme Benchrest 2025.
Hard Air Magazine: What disciplines do you shoot and which is your favorite?
Barbara Pellegrino: Well Steve, I shoot Benchrest, Extreme Benchrest, Field Target (Hunter PCP) and Extreme Field Target (Hunter PCP). But my favorite is by far is Hunter PCP Field Target!
Below, that’s me shooting FT at the Pyramyd Cup in 2025.
I feel like Field Target is so dependent on the shooter’s skill and abilities, more so than any of the others. There is so much to consider that it keeps my mind occupied the entire shoot.
Also I love that you get teamed up with different people in each Field Target match, so everywhere you go you are either catching up with an old friend or meeting new and interesting people. I literally have met people worldwide because of this sport!!
Hard Air Magazine: What is it that you enjoy most about airgun shooting?
Barbara Pellegrino: I love the accuracy and precision it takes. Yes, equipment failures can be part of it, but when you have that one perfect match that you are so proud of, you can’t help but be filled with joy.
The second part is all of the people I get to meet and the friends I have made through the sport. I love being on a team and there is such camaraderie with it. Below, that’s Tony and I having a great time at the 2025 Pyramyd Cup in 2025.
Hard Air Magazine: Do you find competitions the highlight of your air gunning involvement?
Barbara Pellegrino: Actually, the social aspect is the highlight for me!
I truly love being part of the Daystate Wolfpack where we support each other and chat about what we are accomplishing. I love meeting new people around every corner and sharing ideas for air gunning.
Below, that’s me with fellow Daystate shooter Abdallah Fawas at EBR 2025.
I guess you could say the competitions are a highlight because this is where most of the people come together and cheer each other on. Even if I don’t do well at a competition, I walk away with new knowledge or food for thought that others have given me.
Hard Air Magazine: Tell us about how you practice and the importance you attribute to that?
Barbara Pellegrino: We live in Arizona and it’s the perfect spot for a lot of practice! We have three gun ranges within 40 minutes in any direction. We have two major Airgun clubs that hold enough matches that I can shoot at least once or twice a week (if I was crazy enough to shoot that much).
Plus we are close enough to get to a multitude of AAFTA (American Airgun Field Target Association) grand prix events in various states. We also have benchrest or Extreme Field Target competitions often, there is always something happening near us!
Equal amounts of time go into tuning each air rifle and finding the perfect marriage of scope, speed, pellets, rests, gear etc etc. It’s an endless search for the perfect equipment, but when you find that tune and settle in it’s a joy to practice and compete!
Hard Air Magazine: You are very successful in competitions. How do you prepare mentally for these shoots?
Barbara Pellegrino: I go into it with focus and fun! My aim is to keep it light hearted yet stay focused no matter how I am doing. In the end it is just a game and if you are not having fun then why are you doing it?
I try to take each shot for what it is and if it was a bad shot, shake it off because the next shot is a whole new one.
Also I try to tune out people around me as I focus on each individual shot to make it count. When they are shooting, I allow them to focus and then we cheer (or shake our heads) when we are done.
If it was a bad event for me then I go home and work on whatever held me back. I set new goals if I have had a bad day…
For example going into a multiple day shoot, my goal is to win. If my first day did not go well then I may try to beat my score from the day before. Maybe I’ll have a friendly bet with a friend to compete against them privately.
Point being there is always fun to be had, you just have to find it in each day and each match. Find personal goals you can achieve.
I had one very big competition last year that my scope broke in the middle of it. I had the whole team I was shooting with helping me to just shoot near the target. If I even hit a face plate we cheered. You should be having fun no matter what.
I think I hit 15 out of 50 that day, but we all had smiles!
Hard Air Magazine: Is there an airgun shooting discipline that you have not tried yet, but would like to?
Barbara Pellegrino: I have not tried PRS and really don’t have a desire to.
My body doesn’t like some of the positions and I am not one to argue with it. Also Speed Silhouette…
Well, I had not tried it up until forced by the One Gun Challenge at Extreme Benchrest. I was adamant that I didn’t want to shoot speed because “I didn’t like the adrenalyn of it”, but when I finally did – I actually really liked it!
You would have never convinced me I would have liked speed as much as I do. And this year I made the finals at EBR in Pro Speed! HAHA who would have guessed that!
Below, Barbara placed second in the One Gun Challenge at EBR 2025.
Hard Air Magazine: What’s your favorite airgun, scope and pellet combination – and why?
Barbara Pellegrino: Of course this answer depends on the discipline you are talking about!
Field Target? By far my .177 BRK Ghost Carbine topped with the Athlon Ares ETR 15-60×56 scope! It shoots Daystate RangeMaster 13.4 Grain pellets beautifully. This format fits me well and is key for me in the forced position shots.
In Extreme Field Target you will find me swapping for the .22 BRK Ghost, still topped with the Athlon Ares ETR 15-60×56 scope. This barrel likes the JSB Monster Redesigned 25.4 pellets.
Then we get to Extreme Benchrest and I am tuning my .30 Daystate Blackwolf sporting a Sub MOA barrel and you guessed it, Athlon Ares ETR 15-60×56 scope! The pellet is still to be determined on this one. Lots of work goes into a tune and the best pellet and it’s too early to say.
Hard Air Magazine: What is the key take away about airgunning for you?
Barbara Pellegrino: It’s that you can have fun at any level of air gunning.
You don’t have to go to all the big competitions to have fun. You don’t have to win anything at all to have fun. You literally take what you have, tweak it and tune it to the best of your ability (ask on the forums or call Airguns of Arizona if you need help), then shoot and have fun!
Below, Barbara placed first in the Extreme Field Target Sniper Class at EBR 2025.
If you do make it to the bigger competitions… amazing!! Stop and say hi, that’s the best part about it.
Don’t be afraid to get started and to learn something new. So many people are willing to help you along the way. After all, I knew nothing about airguns just 5 years ago!
Hard Air Magazine: What do you consider your biggest airgunning accomplishment to date?
Barbara Pellegrino: I started shooting Field Target in 2023. I fell in love and committed to it. By 2024 I won the AAFTA GP Championship and repeated that in 2025.
Barbara, thanks for sharing your story with us. I’m sure that many Hard Air Magazine readers will enjoy it. Maybe they will even get inspired to try Field Target themselves!
The post AAFTA GP Champion Barbara Pellegrino Talks To HAM appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.
