These days I find Shooting is becoming more a social than purely competitive outing. Having the experience of FT and HFT beginnings whether one is or was harder , you can only shoot that which is set out for you.
Club days at Markyate or the beginnings of the competition circuit soon showed the standard required against the more accomplished shooters, you achieved this or made the numbers up. I don't think the groups were that much better then than now, especially HW77 at 55yds,that is taking into account at practice you were always shooting for pellet on pellet ( sometimes it happens ) but clover leafing seemed to be the norm.
Distance judgement is probably the most crucial element in high scores and probably the first to fail you!
HERX77 .
Fighter against the "Dark Arts" A stranger in an even stranger land.
GC2+Leupold 14.4-34x45
AA400 fac receiver+sidewinder 8.5-34x52
Weihrauch HW77k fiddled with and doing what it wants to +Zeiss 3-9x36.
Weihrauch HW90k
Weihrauch HW97k learning from above,now sporting a Maccarri 77/97 target stock..+Bushnell 3200.Go on shoot one you know you want to
Daystate mk3 RT Delux + bushnell 4200 8-24x 40Does what it should again & again.
Fwb 124 + Optima was good is good!
Webley Vulcan.