British Air Rifle Championships

[fastnick]

Who are the better shots – FT or HFT shooters? It’s a simple enough question but not one that is easily answered, as these two branches of air rifle shooting are very different kettles of fish.

Sunday 9th July 2017 will see the inaugural British Air Rifle Championships taking place at Maldon & District Air Rifle Club (aka M.A.D.), with competitors shooting both a Field Target course to BFTA rules and an HFT course to UKAHFT rules. The winner will be the shooter with the highest
combined scores from both courses.

It will also give competitors the chance to see who can produce the goods on the day, rather than over a season-long series with the chance to drop their lowest-scoring rounds. Shooters will go head-to-head in a straight fight with the very best in both Field Target and HFT today, with no chance to make up for “an average round on Day 1” or costly errors. There’ll be 3 competitions running on the day – one for HFT, one for FT, as well as the overall championship that will be decided by the best combined score from both of these classes.

That’s not to say that the competition is only for “the elite” in both sports; the day is all about bringing shooters of all abilities from the worlds FT and HFT together, and to enable them to experience both disciplines (if they wish). Whether its FT or HFT that you usually shoot, the day is all about having fun and all safe shooters with sub-12 ft. lbs. guns are welcome.

Entries are limited to 150 shooters, so do download your entry form HERE and send it off nice and early in order to avoid missing out on what will be a unique competition with some top rate sport to be enjoyed.

[fastnick]

When I put up the original post earlier today, time constraints didn't permit me to go into much detail but we have tried to anticipate some of the FAQs that people might have:

What's the format for the day? Those shooters who wish to shoot both the FT and HFT courses will shoot one of them in the morning session, and the other in the afternoon one. Those shooters who wish to take part in just the FT or HFT class will have the choice (on a "first come, first served" basis - i.e. depending when their entry is received) as to whether they shoot in the AM or PM session.

I don’t shoot FT (or HFT) – can I still enter? Most definitely! You are very welcome to shoot in just one of the classes of your choosing (which will also entitle you to a reduced entry fee of £12), though you will be missing out on the chance to try your hand at a different aspect of air rifle shooting that you might just enjoy.

I only want to enter the FT (or HFT) class – what is there for me to win? There are trophies for 1st-3rd paces in both the FT and HFT classes, as well as a very impressive trophy for the overall competition winner with the highest combined score from both classes.

How do I enter, and how much is the entry fee? Just download the entry form HERE and send it off to us with your cheque or postal order. If you wish to enter the Combnined Class and shoot both courses, the entry fee is £20; if you just wish to enter either the FT or HFT class, the entry fee is £12. Please don’t forget to indicate on your entry form which class you are entering!

Do I have to have different 2 guns to shoot both courses? No, you are more than welcome to use the same rifle, provided it complies with the rules and regulations that apply to the discipline that it is being used for. We’re thinking specifically of areas such as the large butt hooks that are permitted in FT, but not in HFT (so you might want to have a set-up that enables you to easily remove it when you are shooting the HFT course), hamster size, scope magnification (the maximum setting allowed in HFT being 12x), and so forth.

I want to use the rifle that I use for HFT on the FT course, but am worried about getting it accurately reset and ready for the HFT course after I have used it in the FT class: If you advise us of this when you send in your entry, we will endeavour (but not guarantee) to ensure that you shoot the HFT course first. Our ability to accommodate shooters who wish to do this is very much dependant on numbers, and will be done on a “first come, first served” basis as entries are received.

We appreciate that this competition is quite a departure from the usual format ,and that the above FAQs do not cover all the queries that you might have. If there is anything else that you wish to know or have clarified, ust ask and we'll do our best to come back to you pronto.

[Charles44]

This sounds like fun!

[fastnick]

My goodness! Some of you chaps are VERY quick off the mark - the first entry forms for the shoot rocked up in today's post

[blackscale]

Could be mine and Simmos!

All on one cheque incase you wondered, thanks Nick XX

[bad shot bob]

Sounds fantastic will there be a recoiling class for us special needs people