This is not really a match report, a particular shooter or even a shooting rig. Sorry.. This is more about dispelling myths or misunderstandings about shooting HFT and how much fun Field Target can be.
So the point I will be trying to drive home is, you don’t need a $2000 or even a $1000 set up to be successful and have fun. Because fun is what you should strive for in the sport of Field Target. If you are not then,...consider another sport.
Just a few days prior to the FT match at the Pecan Plantation outside Granbury Texas this last weekend, a buddy of mine, Mark Welker, learned a scope he had purchased was not going to arrive until the Friday afternoon, only hours prior to us leaving for the match.
Realizing he was dead in the water, he called Rick Cuccio, a fellow shooter who would be traveling with us explained his predicament and ask if he could use his daughters Staci’s rig to shoot because he just wouldn’t have time to mount a scope and get everything ready. And Rick said “yes”.
Now, Mark does shoot a spring gun in HFT and Staci’s gun is a marauder. And up to this point Mark has not even held Staci’s marauder little lone shot it.
We arrive Saturday morning at the sight in range and Rick hands Mark the gun and the range card. Now Mark is familiar with PCP’s and even owns a Marauder but not one set up for FT.
We do our sight in’s and practice and Mark feels good about the gun.
OK, I don’t have a match report, this not what that is and I only have two pictures and it’s the ones in this post. Sorry I left my phone in the car.
But, the pictures helps tell this story.
Fast forward to the end of the match. Mark took a borrowed gun, he had never shot or even held before the match and did quite well IMHO.
So we now refer to Mark as, “The Man with the Borrowed Gun.” And we gotta give Staci, Rick’s daughter (actually she didn’t know her gun was being borrowed and probably not approved of it) credit for allowing Mark to use It. Also to Rick who we now refer to as “mmm” (Master Marauder Mechanic) for setting up a virtually bone stock used Marauder with pin point accuracy. (Scope was a Hawke Sidewinder and the gun is shooting out of the tin pellets.
So the moral of the story is, quit waiting around for the “best perfect” gun and scope. Look at match reports at what equipment is being used the most. Shy away from those who don’t shoot FT and make left field claims about those fabulous under the radar optics that no one ever uses even in local matches. If they in fact did work, wouldn’t more people use them?
And as for the gun.... The smallest KZ at the furthest distance is 1-1/2”. That’s all you gun needs to be able to shoot. Dime size groups are great but totally unnecessary.
See ya at the next match.
match results
Staci’ gun Mark used
So the point I will be trying to drive home is, you don’t need a $2000 or even a $1000 set up to be successful and have fun. Because fun is what you should strive for in the sport of Field Target. If you are not then,...consider another sport.
Just a few days prior to the FT match at the Pecan Plantation outside Granbury Texas this last weekend, a buddy of mine, Mark Welker, learned a scope he had purchased was not going to arrive until the Friday afternoon, only hours prior to us leaving for the match.
Realizing he was dead in the water, he called Rick Cuccio, a fellow shooter who would be traveling with us explained his predicament and ask if he could use his daughters Staci’s rig to shoot because he just wouldn’t have time to mount a scope and get everything ready. And Rick said “yes”.
Now, Mark does shoot a spring gun in HFT and Staci’s gun is a marauder. And up to this point Mark has not even held Staci’s marauder little lone shot it.
We arrive Saturday morning at the sight in range and Rick hands Mark the gun and the range card. Now Mark is familiar with PCP’s and even owns a Marauder but not one set up for FT.
We do our sight in’s and practice and Mark feels good about the gun.
OK, I don’t have a match report, this not what that is and I only have two pictures and it’s the ones in this post. Sorry I left my phone in the car.
But, the pictures helps tell this story.
Fast forward to the end of the match. Mark took a borrowed gun, he had never shot or even held before the match and did quite well IMHO.
So we now refer to Mark as, “The Man with the Borrowed Gun.” And we gotta give Staci, Rick’s daughter (actually she didn’t know her gun was being borrowed and probably not approved of it) credit for allowing Mark to use It. Also to Rick who we now refer to as “mmm” (Master Marauder Mechanic) for setting up a virtually bone stock used Marauder with pin point accuracy. (Scope was a Hawke Sidewinder and the gun is shooting out of the tin pellets.
So the moral of the story is, quit waiting around for the “best perfect” gun and scope. Look at match reports at what equipment is being used the most. Shy away from those who don’t shoot FT and make left field claims about those fabulous under the radar optics that no one ever uses even in local matches. If they in fact did work, wouldn’t more people use them?
And as for the gun.... The smallest KZ at the furthest distance is 1-1/2”. That’s all you gun needs to be able to shoot. Dime size groups are great but totally unnecessary.
See ya at the next match.
match results
Staci’ gun Mark used