Dedicated followers of Fashion ...

[Phil Russell]

No, not the Kinks version but just a casual observation made over the past few months. Is there a dedicated rise in the use of Steyr and Anschutz rifles in HFT this year? Just seems that many people are sporting new rifles from these makers .... Is someone offering blisteringly good deals on them?
Cheers, Phil

[Baxterbasics]

No, not the Kinks version but just a casual observation made over the past few months. Is there a dedicated rise in the use of Steyr and Anschutz rifles in HFT this year? Just seems that many people are sporting new rifles from these makers .... Is someone offering blisteringly good deals on them?
Cheers, Phil

I used an Anschutz 2002 for HFT in 2005-people would point at me and make comments like: "We don't agree with using' FT rifles for 'Unter shoots" or "it's cheatin' using' FT rifles for HFT".

How times have changed Phil!

[Baxterbasics]

......and another thing!

I only had the "one" rifle at the time and it cost me less second-hand than the price of a new Daystate MK3 which was the "rifle of choice" then.
I still have it and as it has always been fitted with a Ken Turner custom made silencer, it is actually my hunting rifle. Seriously. All 14 pounds scoped of it!

[BEESA]

Thought the Steyr has been a favourite for some years now in HFT ?
Don

[ian321]

I used an Anschutz 2002 for HFT in 2005-people would point at me and make comments like: "We don't agree with using' FT rifles for 'Unter shoots" or "it's cheatin' using' FT rifles for HFT".

How times have changed Phil!

To be fair, I was on the understanding that when hft was introduced it was so such rifles wouldn’t be used and only “hunting” rifles was to be used
Don’t ask why I thought that because I don’t know, and yes I did have a steyr and a Walther

[gsxrman]

To be fair, I was on the understanding that when hft was introduced it was so such rifles wouldn’t be used and only “hunting” rifles was to be used
Don’t ask why I thought that because I don’t know, and yes I did have a steyr and a Walther

There is no restriction on rifle to be used in each event FT or HFT, just the scope.
Just because people use an FT rifle for HFT does not give them an advantage, the ability to knock down targets gives you an advantage.
Next big FT event you attend, use a hunting rifle with a 10x scope and clear the course, the look on their faces is worth the practice.

[ian321]

There is no restriction on rifle to be used in each event FT or HFT, just the scope.
Just because people use an FT rifle for HFT does not give them an advantage, the ability to knock down targets gives you an advantage.
Next big FT event you attend, use a hunting rifle with a 10x scope and clear the course, the look on their faces is worth the practice.

I know I know hence why I said that me myself had a steyr and a Walther. However I was first under the impression that those type of guns wasn’t to be used, maybe it was printed in a Airgun magazine? There has to be a reason why so many people are talking the same nonsense??

[gsxrman]

I know I know hence why I said that me myself had a steyr and a Walther. However I was first under the impression that those type of guns wasn’t to be used, maybe it was printed in a Airgun magazine? There has to be a reason why so many people are talking the same nonsense??

Sorry my friend no offence intended.
I do believe HFT was meant to be a Hunting Kit discipline but like anything that is competitive, people look for an edge.
If it is not excluded in the rules, people will use it.
Certainly doesn't mean they will be any better for using it though.

[WILBA]

To be fair, I was on the understanding that when hft was introduced it was so such rifles wouldn’t be used and only “hunting” rifles was to be used
Don’t ask why I thought that because I don’t know, and yes I did have a steyr and a Walther

as the name was hunter field target i thought it was only for hunting variant type rifles

[gsxrman]

as the name was hunter field target i thought it was only for hunting variant type rifles

Just like in the field, you can take your FT rig to shoot bunnies.
They wind up just as dead.
It's about the discipline, shooting around trees, under obstacles, over obstacles, contorting yourself into positions to take the shot.
Just like in the field.

[Phil Russell]

Now now gentlemen ... I started this thread as a general observation that I thought more Steyr and Anschutz rifles were appearing in HFT, not as means to resurrect the origins of HFT and the use of 'sporter' rifles. Things move on... it's evolution. And alied to the increase in Steyr and Anschutz I suspect there is a decrease in the BSA Goldstar that was all the rage some time ago ... but not the Ultra, and possibly Daystate have lost out to Steyr / Anschutz now? Not sure on that but possible. Walther still seem relatively uncommon. Air Arms seem forever popular but seemingly, to me, at the top end the HFT500 rather than the FTP900. But in all these comments I stress my sample size is very low.
Maybe people see the top shots using a particular rifle and think they would/should follow suite ...
Cheers, Phil

[Steyr]

I used an Anschutz 2002 for HFT in 2005-people would point at me and make comments like: "We don't agree with using' FT rifles for 'Unter shoots" or "it's cheatin' using' FT rifles for HFT".

How times have changed Phil!

Well they are idiots then. I had a Steyr LG100FT and I hated it for HFT. FT yeah I get it but HFT isnt good with big heavy rigs and freehand shooting for me.

The best gun... now you can sort out stock and reg them is the S200 imho. I love small light guns.

If you want to gerbil it and adj the cheekpeice and butt and ..... then fine. The Bog Standard S200 ... or indeed pretty much any rig ... is very capable nowadays. In the average shooters hands... the spend will make little difference.

If you want to pay more for that extra bit of precision engineering then go ahead. I have seen many expensive rigs blown out of the water by a 'lesser gun' when shot by a person with ability.

Money doesnt make a lot of difference in HFT when the pilot is shit.

FT... yeah.... the scope pays you back if you spend on better precision for the range finding.... but HFT, a 2k scope isnt really going to bring a huge amount to the party

[Lol Moore]

No, not the Kinks version but just a casual observation made over the past few months. Is there a dedicated rise in the use of Steyr and Anschutz rifles in HFT this year? Just seems that many people are sporting new rifles from these makers .... Is someone offering blisteringly good deals on them?
Cheers, Phil

Phil

As you say "a small sample size", here is some data from the worlds where rifle manufacturer is logged in the OPEN section:

https://sites.google.com/site/whfta1...s/2018-results



And the UKAHFT series where they have manufacturer teams as an indication:

https://www.sites.google.com/site/ukahft/results/2018


Admittedly this doesn't show what rifles are used week in week out at the grass roots shoots but down here in deepest darkest Sussex ISP are the latest must have

[Phil Russell]

Phil

As you say "a small sample size", here is some data from the worlds where rifle manufacturer is logged in the OPEN section:

https://sites.google.com/site/whfta1...s/2018-results



And the UKAHFT series where they have manufacturer teams as an indication:

https://www.sites.google.com/site/ukahft/results/2018


Admittedly this doesn't show what rifles are used week in week out at the grass roots shoots but down here in deepest darkest Sussex ISP are the latest must have

Fascinating information, thank you.
Cheers, Phil

[ChrisC]

One major thing with using a dedicated target rifle is the adjustable for fit. HFT has shots up/down, around trees and uneven ground with kill sizes down to 15mm (8mm if you shoot an Emley Extreme). If you have an elevated 15mm kill at say 25 yards and you don't have a good fit then you will miss due to induced parallax error or poor cheek weld. Steyrs/Anschutz and the other target rifles...and ahem, not FT rifles as they were all originally converted 10m rifles, are adjustable in so many ways that they should fit every shooter. Also take into account that amongst the HFT community there are some very knowledgable shooters that can sort out a problem on the spot, worth it's weight in gold if you've just travelled 5 hours to a shoot. Don't get me wrong HFT has seen an 'arms race' in the past 15 years as it's got more popular....it's only to be expected.

BTW....HFT was never intended to be a hunting simulation. The only reason a lot of 'hunter' type rifles were used in the early years is because that's what most of the shooters trying out the sport had. I have 2 Steyrs , one 17 and one 16 years old and i've used a Steyr for HFT for well over a decade now.

Edit - my HFT Steyr has taken so many rooks, squizzers and pigeons that i've lost count.