New HFT point scoring system.

[rogb]

After last weeks RAGC shoot, I went for a beer with an old mate who expressed interest in coming to the club. I explained it's a realistic virtual hunting scenario, with legitimate quarry silhouettes scattered around the woods which you knock down for points. No blood is lost, only paint chips.
Three score zones.
1. Kill zone, (the round bit) 2 points
2. Wound zone, (what else would you call it)? 1 point
3. Miss zone, (everywhere else) 0 points

Then the penny dropped.

The HFT discipline represents a small game hunting scenario. It is taken seriously by many ( I see those sheriffs with score cards)
If that's what it represents, then we shouldn't be awarding points for wounding, on the contrary, we should be deducting points.

New system.

1. Kill zone, 2 points
2. Wound zone, -1 point (yes, that's a minus)
3. Miss zone 0 points

Now hold up! And calm down.

Pros.

You're gonna take extra care when you take those shots, if you don't knock it down you'll lose points for wounding. You'll get better.
After all, you wouldn't shoot a rabbit up the arse 'cause you couldn't see its head, and then boast about it down the pub, would you! would you?

You may consider missing all together if you can't hit the kill zone. You'll lose less points, our quarry doesn't crawl away and die, and a latter day chivalrous person emerges.

The best bit.
Our sport is monitored,
That minuscule 2 point change will be recognised, see, we can be conscientious, and it would be good for our new shooters.
New legislations go with the times, so should we.

Cons.

Some may have to increase there Ex-Lax dosage.

Others may find there “one size fits all camo thong” too large.

All comments and expletives welcome.
Watch your spelling.

Joe

"their"

As has been stated, it's not hunting, it's target shooting and most HFTers know that.
Learning range-finding and wind-judging, though, from various positions would surely help any hunter.

The rules are different around the country but the main rule set from UKAHFT has been tweaked through the years to reflect the current wishes, technical standards, styles and practices of those who shoot it.

Shooting metal plates with holes = no need to be chivalrous, but nice *&^%$* try.

[Phil Russell]

Interesting thread but: the replies concentrating on the 'simulated hunting' comment are, I believe, missing the key point (no pun intended). The 'simulated hunting' argument is irrelevant; the key issue is whether or not the scoring system should be changed and, as many comments above say, 'don't change what is not broken'.
The system proposed; one that introduces an element of gambling on your shot, is not new and has been used in many side shoot scenarios or what may be also called 'fun shoots' held at various times by various clubs. Yes, they are fun ... as are the variants e.g. score 1 for a prone shot knock down, score 2 for a kneeler knock down, score 3 for a stander knock down. In all cases score 0 for a plate. Yes ... good fun but not really adequate for competition use as too much depends on the tactics used by the shooter. The current HFT scoring format rewards the shooter for being a good shot with all shooters shooting the designated course as set out by the organisers. As it should be.
So ... nice thoughts, but the scoring idea is just for a fun tactical shoot not for the competitive HFT course.
Cheers, Phil

[Rich]

Our club puts on some events now and then with several disciplines to shoot, and your version with a penalty for a faceplate is adopted into what we call Humane HFT. We deliberately portray it as a simulated hunting environment, just for that event.

It's quite a challenge for some regular HFT shooters to decide actually not to take the shot if they are not confident of a knock down.

In the end it's just another take on a target shooting sport.

[PCPShooter]

Our club puts on some events now and then with several disciplines to shoot, and your version with a penalty for a faceplate is adopted into what we call Humane HFT. We deliberately portray it as a simulated hunting environment, just for that event.

It's quite a challenge for some regular HFT shooters to decide actually not to take the shot if they are not confident of a knock down.

In the end it's just another take on a target shooting sport.

Sensible, and Pragmatic

[REDBULL]

"their"

As has been stated, it's not hunting, it's target shooting and most HFTers know that.
Learning range-finding and wind-judging, though, from various positions would surely help any hunter.

The rules are different around the country but the main rule set from UKAHFT has been tweaked through the years to reflect the current wishes, technical standards, styles and practices of those who shoot it.

Shooting metal plates with holes = no need to be chivalrous, but nice *&^%$* try.

HFT rules were set long before UKAHFT appeared. Everybody thinks that ukahft started hft, they didn't.

[Prone Shooter]

HFT rules were set long before UKAHFT appeared. Everybody thinks that ukahft started hft, they didn't.

This is very true

Bob

[rogb]

This is very true

Bob

When was that Nomads film shot? Any idea Bob?

[Prone Shooter]

When was that Nomads film shot? Any idea Bob?

Must have been 1993/4 Rog. I wasn't there but know people that were.

By the way, one of my favourite shoots to attend were yours at LV. That target directly overhead was evil

Bob

[bezzer]

HFT rules were set long before UKAHFT appeared. Everybody thinks that ukahft started hft, they didn't.

Yep but the rules have been tweaked as and when needed, Pete Sparkes et al started proper HFT off, guess who's running UKAHFT and whose rules most clubs run their shoots conform to.

[rogb]

HFT rules were set long before UKAHFT appeared. Everybody thinks that ukahft started hft, they didn't.

Go on then, give us the full history lesson, starting before Total Pest Control which preceded UKAHFT , what were the rules used and series that people shot?

[RobF]

Go on then, give us the full history lesson, starting before Total Pest Control which preceded UKAHFT , what were the rules used and series that people shot?

Quite a lot of airgun history is lost. But CSFTA have been running HFT comps since the mid 90's. Barpc came up with a lot of rules before it spread across the region.

http://www.barpc.org.uk/history.htm

Clubs in the region shoot to both sets of rules. CSFTA in the Winter League, and UKAHFT in the Southern Hunters and national series.

[rogb]

Quite a lot of airgun history is lost. But CSFTA have been running HFT comps since the mid 90's. Barpc came up with a lot of rules before it spread across the region.

http://www.barpc.org.uk/history.htm

Clubs in the region shoot to both sets of rules. CSFTA in the Winter League, and UKAHFT in the Southern Hunters and national series.

Quite so Rob, CSFTA / BARPC Hunter has been around a long time, that is true!

[Prone Shooter]

Quite a lot of airgun history is lost. But CSFTA have been running HFT comps since the mid 90's. Barpc came up with a lot of rules before it spread across the region.

http://www.barpc.org.uk/history.htm

Clubs in the region shoot to both sets of rules. CSFTA in the Winter League, and UKAHFT in the Southern Hunters and national series.

I've got an old flyer somewhere from about 1995 for one of our 1st HFT's which was held alongside an FT during what was then the Nockover Classic shoot, the predecessor to the Easter Bunny Bash.

The initial rules (as per Rob's in the video) were...

No fiddling with gun or scope.
You must touch the peg with part of your body.
No sitting.
Targets no further than 45 yards.

That was it, nice and simple. The rules stayed pretty much the same for a few years and the CSFTA winter HFT used these until around 1999/2000 when John and Josie took on the reigns of running the winter league and tweaked then to take out certain ambiguities such as targets closer than 7 yards and setting kill zone sizes. It was still refreshingly simple and no one cleared any courses back then.

This was mainly due to the course setters designing courses where you had to work for a target. No cleared lanes of foliage, targets in obscure places, the pegs away from line of sight so you had to shoot "off-hand" rather than resting on a peg, in short, pretty rough shooting. We didn't worry about whether you could take your glasses off for one shot but not the next. You were either a good shot or crap. You had a good day you won the prizes, a bad or normal day and you'd laugh it off in the pub afterwards. Most folks had simple rifles and 3-9X scopes. S300's and early Daystates were dominant with a scattering or Prosports and Shamals not forgetting all sorts of springers.

If someone moved off a peg, you'd just kick their boot back on to it with some appropriate comment and not call foul after the shot had been taken and insist the card was marked down.

Everyone could walk the course before shooting and discuss how they might take the shot. Banter was legendary and no one ever died, argued or fell out because of the rules. It was just a bunch of like minded people having a good day out. I'm not saying it's any different today because I no long shoot comps but it may be rose tinted glasses, but I preferred the "old" days.

At BARPC, we still use the old format as much as possible and don't shoot UKAHFT. All targets are between 7-45 yards "apart from those that aren't" to quote Gary C.

Bob