Field Target

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glen ring
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Field Target

Post by glen ring »

Do any of you guys/gals shoot Field target ? A friend of mine has bought a FT Rifle for the open division and , upon reading about field target especially the Hunter Class, it looks like an interesting sport. I'll be selling My Kimber 22 and Weatherby I purchased to shoot HP and Small bore metallic silhouette as those sports are no longer attractive to me to shoot. Field target Hunter Class looks very attractive, it's practical practice for a small game hunter like me, and I can practice on my place. The organization looks to be pretty much drama free, I can travel almost anywhere with an air rifle and ammo shortages aren't a concern. If you shoot it, I'd like your thoughts and your choice of equipment.
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richard
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Re: Field Target

Post by richard »

Glen,
Well for sure AAFTA and field target are not drama free. We run FT matches at our club in Falls Twsp., PA ( near phila. ). It is lots of work to set up but also lots of fun. It is very different than silhouette which we also run at Falls. We generally get more than twice as many shooters for FT and many are just shooting that. The targets are set at unknown distances from 10 to 55 yds so you need a scope that can range find fairly well. In the hunter division you are only allowed up to 12 power and not permitted to adjust your settings other than to range ( no clicking ). In open division you can use any power scope and adjust it for each shot. WFTF division is similar to open except the guns are limited to 12 fpe. What kind of gun and scope you use naturally depends on what division you want to shoot in. You need a rifle that can shoot into roughly anywhere from a .5" to maybe 1.75" kill zone depending on the distance. You need a scope that will focus down to 10 yds with target turrets or in hunter division you need a scope with mil dots or stadia bars so you can hold over and under on the target as needed. Hunter division scopes can be higher power than 12X BUT must be set at 12X and not moved during the match.
If you can find a match to go to check out the equipment there. It runs from inexpensive Crosman guns up to custom made stuff. I didn't cover all of the rules so check out aafta.org. FT is very different from silhouette but is also fun and challenging. Oh, also check out the field target forum on airguns.net. They have match reports from many clubs which list the equipment used.
If you have any more specific questions let me know. Good luck.
Richard
PS our last match of the year will be 11/20. Directions are on our website, just google Falls Twsp. Rifle and Pistol Assn.
Richard
Ken Green
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Re: Field Target

Post by Ken Green »

Glen: Hunter Class in Field Target is fun to shoot. I used to shoot hunter class with the Bayou Airgun club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At one time, I was shooting both silhouette and hunter class in field target but decided to shoot only silhouette. The Cajun Spring Classic match (held once a year) is a real good two day match to attend. I think it will be held around the 1st weekend of April this year but I am not sure.

Here are some general guidelines to look at when thinking about a rifle and a scope. I do not know the amount that you are willing to spend on a hunter class set up. Example: A Benjamin Marauder with a Hawke scope for some where between $700 to $1000 dollars. Or a Rapid Air Weapon (RAW) TM1000 with a Sightron SIII 10-50X60 FTIR MOA-H reticle for around $3200 dollars. These are just a couple of examples. Both of these and several other air rifle and scope combos will work for hunter class.

I have 2 of the RAW TM1000 rifles. They are made in Minor Hill, Tennessee by Mr. Martin Rutherford. Martin is great to deal with. The TM1000 rifles are very accurate. I did buy the TM1000 with the Sightron SIII scope and I was using it for hunter class. The glass was very clear and bright. I didn't have any problem seeing any target or kill zone. If it as a dark lane and the target was in the shadows and I could not see my reticle, then I just turned on the illuminated reticle and was able to see my reticle. BUT no matter how good that sounds, I found that past 35 or 40 yards, the $1300 Sightron SIII did not range find any better than the Hawke scopes. NOW if I could have set the power up to 24 power or higher, then the Sightron did range find a lot better and is worth the money. I have since sold the Sightron because I no longer shoot hunter class only silhouette. The TM1000 rifle now has a Hawke Airmax 30 in 3-12 power with side focus mounted on it. I am thinking about taking it out to squirrel hunt with after it gets cold enough. I still have to get it sighted in.

Which air rifle do you plan on shooting? Keep in mind if you go with a pcp (precharged pneumatic), you will need an air tank with the regulator and hose assembly. You will also need a place to refill your tank. Check your local Fire Department and dive shops. The air must be filtered and breathable. You can not use a shop compressor due to the moisture in the air. A shop compressor is not capable of producing the high pressure that you need for FT. Do not use medical oxygen. That is bad medicine. [-x

For scopes: I prefer a scope with a side wheel for the parallex adjustment. I would suggest using a scope with a milldot reticle. You will be shooting the matches and range finding with your scope set on 12 power. You can have a scope that has more power but the scope must be set on 12 power or less for hunter class. Trust me, you will want to use 12 power. You can use less but I would not recommend it. You will want your scope to be mechanically and optically center. Shim the scope if needed so you are hitting dead on (or as close as possible) at 30 yards. Normally 30 yards is at the apex of the trajectory (spelling?). That way all of your shots will be shooting low. That is why you want a mil dot reticle. This way you are using hold over for all of your shoots.

Get with your friend and have him show you how to mark the side wheel for all of your yardage markings. I would suggest marking every yard from 10 through 20 and then every 5 yards after that. Once you get past 35 or maybe 40 yards max, just about all scopes (no matter what they cost) will have problems range finding accurately between 40 and 55 yards.

Make a cheat sheet for all of the yardages. That way when you range the kill zone on the target, you can look on the cheat sheet and see which hold over you should use. Example: say you range the target at 10 yards, and the sheet says 10 yards is 3.5 mildots down. Then you put the center of the reticle 3.5 mildots over the kill zone and put the pellet into the kz. In other words, the mildots that are under the center of the reticle, (where the cross hairs meet) go to what would be 3.5 mildots down and put that mark on the kz and send the pellet down range into the kz. Say you range a target and decide it is at 45 yards. The mark for the 45 yards might be 1/2 mildot down. Put the 1/2 mildot mark on the kz and pull the trigger.

But watch out for the wind!!! You might just have to hold to the left or right just a tad. :ymdevil:
glen ring
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Re: Field Target

Post by glen ring »

Ken, Richard

Thank you. I think this is my new sport. I want to shoot a springer because I'm a simple minded person that doesn't want to tote around a tank. I have a 6.5x20 leupold efr scope that I'll send back to leupold and replace the dot with a mil dot reticle. I guess I can keep the scope on 12 for HFT and then crank it up to shoot Silhouette. I have 35 wooded acres and I think I can set up a course here for Me, my grand Son and buds to shoot on and then decide if we want to go to a field target match. I was looking at an HW 97 and TX 200 for possible candidates. They are within my budget and both have a good reputation. Thanks for all your input.
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Ken Green
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Re: Field Target

Post by Ken Green »

Glen: I would suggest going with the TX200. Keep in mind that the TX200 can be hold sensitive. It will probably shoot to one poi for offhand and a different poi if shot using a bipod for hunter class. If you can find a used Bushnell Elite 4200, that is IMO about the best scope to put on a TX200. That is the scope that I have on my TX200 for silhouette.

I don't know if the Leupold can handle the forward (reverse) recoil of a spring gun. You have to use a scope that is built to handle the forward or reverse recoil of a springer. If the scope can not handle the recoil, a springer will "kill" the internals of the scope within a few shots. Leupold scopes are not used in hunter class. I think it is because the range finding ability of the Leupold is not good enough for field target. I would leave the Leupold like it is and use it for your silhouette matches.

Hunter class field target verse silhouette is two totally different games. The same rifle can be used but the same scope can't really be used for both. You would wind up swapping scope going between silhouette and hunter class field target. I would suggest setting up a rifle specifically for hunter class.

I would suggest looking at either the Hawke, Sightron, Optisan viper or a used Bushnell Elite 4200 scope. You will want a scope with a side wheel because the side wheel makes it easier to range find with. The Bushnell is the only scope with an AO that I would even think about using.

You need to attend a couple of Field Target matches and talk to the shooters about their equipment. Plus you will also see how the match is ran. If you ask real nice :)) , someone might even let you shoot the match using their rifle. You never know if someone at a local field target match is looking to sell a rifle, scope or other equipment.
Last edited by Ken Green on Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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dustinflint
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Re: Field Target

Post by dustinflint »

Field Target is pretty cool. It's slower than silhouette and there is a LOT of sitting around but shooting in the woods is kind of interesting if the mosquitoes and red bugs don't carry you off. It's a compete equipment race sport.

Getting a scope that will range-find is crucial. I don't think a Leupold is going to do to the trick.

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glen ring
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Re: Field Target

Post by glen ring »

Richard, Ken..

I looked on the pyramid air page and there's a Hawke 12x with wheel and mil dot. Is that a good scope for HFT ??
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Ken Green
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Re: Field Target

Post by Ken Green »

Glen: What is the specific model of the Hawke scope you looked at?
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ppkny
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Re: Field Target

Post by ppkny »

I tried Air Rifle Field Target a couple years ago for a full season and found that it is challenging with all the adjusting and range finding BUT it's more of a equipment race than regular silhouette. There where many high priced rigs, special clothing attachments, and some rules about gun handling that seemed excessive. Just my opinion. I shot it with both my TX200 and my Benjamin Marauder PCP. And yes a lot of down time for a simple match.
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pbansen
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Re: Field Target

Post by pbansen »

I agree with Ken's comments on the Air Arms TX200 and his suggestion for not using your Leupold for field target. Keep the Leupold set up as you have it for silhouette and get a sidewinder scope for field target. I don't know which Hawke model you're suggesting, but since the Hunter class of field target is a great place to get your feet wet, a TX200 with a modestly priced scope like a Hawke that can handle springer recoil is the way to go. The TX200 is a beautiful rifle and is a very competitive choice for the piston division in field target competition. It is heavy, so a light scope/ring combination is preferable. The Hunter class limits you to a 12x scope (or a variable with a greater maximum magnification, provided you set it at 12 and leave it), so that Hawke might very well be a good selection, because you're not buying (and carrying) more scope than you can use.
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