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I’m a newb to FT and need your advice

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Legion air, I’m a bit late to answer your topic but thought I would mention a few things. First of all, I shoot a lot. I hunt a lot but this was my first ever field target match. One guy talking about your scope said you can’t do much there. Let me tell you, 3 to 4 hours was used to set up my scope. Now the better the scope gives you a better chance BUT don’t neglect to set up your scope properly. I rarely use a plumbob but I did this time. Make sure you have a bubble level on your scope & use it. Go thru a check list...I dialed my range before I sat down. Practice on a bucket then you won’t have to change cause they shoot off buckets. I maxed magnification to get parallax then dial back down until comfortable. Take your time because you have 5 minutes but don’t waste time. Even though I believe I had the ranges down the wind or cant comes into play. If possible, get to the range early and walk the course. I took a picture of each station which also showed yardage. You can use mildots when shooting pigeons but it’s better to dial here because pigeons are way more forgiving than the holes you have to shoot through on the silhouettes. Take a picture of your scorecard when finished cause it’s hard to remember your misses. You have 1 free shot you can use when you miss. Use it! Two people in the top 22 did not use it. Next year I want to ask them why? I finished with a score of 28. Position 8 thru 13 had that score. Position 8 was the first 28 score because a mulligan wasn’t used. Position 9-13 was alphabetical. So we could say we tied for 9th place. Here’s another tidbit, there is no pro or sportsman class. All are lumped together. .22 and under is called the sniper class but you are still competing in one class. Take a deep breath and have fun and when you finish you will say I could have done better than that. And maybe next year you will but it was a difficult course. 
 
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Legionair

I'm a little late to this conversation, but the advice you have been receiving is good . You can't go wrong listening to John (SpySir). He's been around for a while.

Do go to several matches, both local and any others you can make. Do go to the AAFTA website and learn the rules pertaining to field target competition. Don't start buying guns and scopes until you have. (Probably too late). You can waste a lot of time and money, if you don't look around at what is being used. You can look at what rifles, scopes and pellets are being used by the better shooters, by simply looking at the results of different matches and save yourself a lot of time. 

John shot with us at the Good Ole Boy's range a few years back and I can't forget what he was able to do with a very inexpensive Benjiman rifle and a fairly cheap scope. But, if you are like most of us and don't have a ton of money to spend on equipment. You might start with a Maurader rifle and an Aeon scope as good as you can get. Just a thought. You are going to have to decide whether a PCP or Piston. Since you are new to airguns, a PCP would be easier to learn on. Then you have to decide what class you want to shoot.

Again, read the match results, go to a few matches if you haven't already and take it slow and easy. It will save you a lot of problems and money.

Hope this helps,

Pat

FireMarshal

P.S. John, I just got back on this forum and was glad to see you here. Hope you are both doing well.






 
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Don't buy a gun yet! There is a guy that hosts FT matches on his property near Hearst Castle, and there is an Airgun Club in Morro bay that holds regular FT matches. You should contact the Scott Hull of the Morro Bay Club first because they also shoot with the guy near the Castle. there ARE other clubs, but I recommend Morra because its the site of this year's upcoming National Field Target Championship event.

Anyhow, come down and visit with them, and see what type equipment they use, and how they use it before buying anything. These are all good guys and most will gladly share a gun with you so you can get a feel for the different kinds. even then, I think its a mistake to buy a fancy new rig right off ... start with a "beginner rig" and shoot a few matches to get the hang of it ... you will make better choices then.

There are several classes you might shoot in, mostly equipment related. An old guy like me, who isnt so nimble and flexible fits in the "Hunter Class" well, since it allows sitting on a stool and aiming with the gun supported by a bipod. Another class is the Western Freestyle class that allows about any sort of equipmet that is safe and not too powerful to be fired from nearly any position.
 
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