Originally Posted by
scutter
Maybe 10 years ago you could get away with shooting a S400 with a basic scope, but that was when we had 40mm kills and 15mm out to 20. Now that we have 25's at 40 and kneelers out to 40 yards, you need higher end kit to compete with the likes of James and Vanty. I don't remember the last time someone won a national with a entry level rifle.
The springer class should be encouraged, this is where people can get into the sport for not a lot of money and compete and win. My set up is a TX200hc, a £50 spring and guide set, then a bit of 2x1 for a hamster and a £10 home made cheek riser.
I've done my time in Open class, I've got my England Team jackets and my top 5 trophies, Springing for me, is not about the pots, it's about having fun and taking on the big boys with their PCP's, but, for those coming into the sport, they have more chance of beating me, then they do of beating the like of James, because the kit is more attainable.
In my opinion, we need more people shooting .22 and springer as the open class is out of some peoples reach.
Define the red bit for me please you need higher end kit to compete forget glass as that is personal and Dop proves time after time that knowing your scope regardless of price is key.
Pretty sure their is an MPR out there that has cleared 16 UKAHFT courses in the hands of a certain top shot. So a slightly uprated 400 hardly a super gun.
I will concede you need a good stock set up and a bog standard S400 probably isn't ideal. A cheap plastic hamster and a shotgun add on cheek piece will get it somewhere close though.
As for a S400 action in the right hands with a good barrel and a pellet it likes is as accurate as anything out there. In the sweet spot mine was better over the chrono than any of my regged guns have been and was certainly more accurate off the bench than my Steyr super gun with Barley Twist barrel I bought to retire it. Flogged the Steyr kept the 400.
Neil has done pretty well over the last few years in the Nationals Clearing Buxted a couple of years back and high in the league table at the momment. How much is his kit a HFT 500 and a Rhino scope? So basically an uprated to side lever 400 with a different barrel and a very small jam jar for a scope with a waste pipe add on. It goes to prove in my mind Its a man with an idea not the gear you need to fear. He puts in a lot of work and reaps the rewards.
Also this game is still young and a lot of people doing it now were doing it in the early days so they have changed their kit and few will buy something cheaper as an upgrade for a hobby they are passionate about so we have gone from 400s to MK3 Daystates, Walthers, EV2s, FTPs, to Steyrs and Annies. The later ones are target guns with mainly fully adjustable target stocks so people can get them to fit their style of shooting and with that comes confidence which transposes into better shooter accuracy not the shooters actual kits accuracy. I am sure if you got the right pellet for most of them with a good barrel and strapped them to a bench there wouldn't be much difference in their accuracy if tested on paper.
Pretty sure we have been shooting 35mm at my club for well over 10yrs and think I have one 40mm target in my shed that I use once in a blue moon. Also can't ever remember 25mm being limited to 20yds as long as I have been setting courses over12years and before that just shooting for say 2 years so 14years they have always been 25yds in the rules I have shot those being UKAHFT for the last 13 years. Can remember 15mms at 8yds though.
Don't get me started on 25mm at 40yds lottery shots. How many club shooters on a still day can hold a 1" group at 40yds? Never mind hold an inside edge.
Monkey
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