HFT follow up poll

[Mr.C]

Just started my 1st season. Got convinced to have a go when the Southern Hunters came to my local club.
I'm certainly hooked and to be honest was hooked after the 1st event. As a relative novice I'm still getting comfortable with and used to different kit as I learn more.
I still make novice errors but improving and there's always advice should I ask. I was warned that it's addictive and they weren't wrong.

And in answer to the poll, I didn't think I was good enough

[markyboy]

I have only tried it at my local club as I can only shoot on saturday afternoons work permitting.
I would love to get out and visit other clubs and try my hand at other courses but unfortunately due to having a wife who works nearly the same hours as me we decided that Sundays will be our family day.
I may not be the best shot in the world but I enjoy it so much which is a right bloody pain.

Mark

[Mr.C]

Markyboy you need to get your wife into air rifles.

[markyboy]

Markyboy you need to get your wife into air rifles.

I have tried but she is not interested.

[TonyL]

Excellent original thread and link, Dan.

I had a go at HFT about four years ago at the excellent Lincs HFT club and would recommend anyone to have a go. A great bunch of people, very friendly and helpful.

No-one's there to judge you, just to help you on the way.

The only thing that stops me currently is time and spare dosh. Money is a bit tight at the moment and every time I mentioned going the Mrs said I could drop her and the bin lids off in Lincoln to go shopping or to the cinema as I wasn't to have all the fun! So, instead of it costing me about £12 including fuel, it ended up being more like £60!

I will, however, definitely visit again and would love to be able to go on a regular basis.

Kit "snobbery" was non-existent and I just visited with a 77 and 95, standard stocks, home fettled and 4x32 scopes.

[noz1]

I am amazed that so few people have voted on this subject, but not that the sheer amount of time that this sport takes is leading the poll as the reason for not giving it a go.

[bozzer]

Thanks for putting this up Dan.

I shot it from when it started to a few years back. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't wait for Sunday mornings. I stopped for many reasons. My right eye deteriorated so badly, my knee fell apart and a few other reasons.

I always shot a 77 springer with a Simmons 4-12 scope with 30/30 ret. The whole lot cost originally about £180 second hand. I never missed a target because of kit. I actually knocked quite a lot down.

I must admit I did get a little concerned when the mega kit started coming in. Not out of jealousy. I just worried that courses were getting tougher to test the best and then the best bought better kit to try and steal the odd extra point ... and then course makers made courses even tougher and so on. That's just human nature and has been discussed many times. It was always going to happen. I worried that the front end of the sport would pull so far away from the entry level that people would be put off getting into the sport ... and staying in it long enough to give it a chance. I do think there's a tad of evidence that that has happened a little.

I've looked at the poll results. Only 19 votes so far so not really enough to go on. I can see why a few voted 'I don't like target shooting'. A vast number of air gunners are hunters and that's what they do. I really would say to the hunters that there may be no better way of improving your hunting skills than shooting a year of HFT. That's really not a 'Target shooters are better than hunters' thing.

I also understand people saying they just don't have time. It can be all day on a Sunday if there's a few hours driving and two sessions.

I am seriously absolutely amazed at the ones who have voted ... Don't like the atmosphere or the people.

Anyone reading these threads and thinking of giving HFT a go, or FT, that is absolute b0ll0x. The atmosphere at the comps is brilliant. The people are fantastic. No one is made to feel unwelcome. Everyone will go out of their way to make you welcome. They will let you try their kit. They will show you around. They will advise you. I've been given so much kit for free from people like Chris C and lads from the North West. There isn't a better atmosphere to spend a few hours in on a Sunday morning. So I really don't know where those votes came from.

If you are thinking of giving it a go. Please just go and try it. You really don't need £3000 of kit. As above, I shot for over 10 years with £180 worth of second hand springer and scope. I shot more over 50 scores than under ( mostly club shoots ) and came joint top score in the Worlds Springer class at Kelmarsh one year. The scores don't matter. The friends and memories that I made locally and around the North West and other areas do.

If you do give it a go then please don't be put off if the courses seem beyond you at first and you only score low 30's or even a 20's score. The learning process early on, especially with the help you will get, will be very steep and fast. So within a few shoots you will be finding far more targets easier to knock down and your scores will start to climb, no matter what kit you use, very quickly. When you've reached high 40's it starts to get a bit tougher again and you may wish to upgrade kit or not. That's the beauty of it. It won't ever get too easy, You will keep reaching levels that you then have to work even harder at to get to that next level ... or you may just be happy staying at the level you are on and just work harder at your p1ss taking skills.

Please go and give HFT and FT a try.