Shooting Class Categories

[BigRuss]

I know this may well open a can of worms but I'm going to ask the questions anyway.

Why are Recoiling shooters and .22PCP shooters always banded together in competitions ?

Surely its a different category class to shoot in ?
I can't be the only springer shooter that thinks it's a tad unjust can i ?

Yes i know there are not many .22 shooters about , but would it not be fairer to keep all Pcp's together and the same with recoilers ?

Do others not agree that it is easier to keep a Pcp steadier on aim and more forgiving than recoiling rifles ?

what would be the case if someone wanted to shoot say a .20 or .25 calibre rifle ?.

I know little old me will probably never get to change anything , but just wanted to ask .

Russ

[Don626]

After shooting my first season in .22 and now shot and experienced recoiling and .22.

They probably put both in the same category for the numbers.

That said I can honestly say shooting both I would say in my experience is that .22 is harder even though it's still a PCP, shot placement is more critical on your ranges and the slightest whisper of a breeze will throw a pellet right off course, drop or lift pellet (depending on angles)

Normally my 45 yard aim point would be -1.1 mildot however at the weekend they where being pushed down to more like 2 mildot at 45yards, my aim points where correct to around 30 yards but they really dropped of more than normal after that. With my aim points I would normally go as high as +2 mildot and as low as -1.1 that's over a 3 mildot spread.

I'm not saying recoiling isn't without its difficulties, but urge as many people as I can to experience .22 if they can. It's most definitely an eye opener.

[simmmo]

Numbers pots cost money.

.20 is in Open class PCP.

Usually people boinging and .22 are just buying an excuse because they can't rangefind or judge the wind worth a shite to be competitive in Open class.

Monkey.

[Lol Moore]

Usually people in Open class are just buying an excuse because they can't rangefind or judge the wind worth a shite to be competitive in 0.22" or Recoil class.

[simmmo]

Usually people in Open class are just buying an excuse because they can't rangefind or judge the wind worth a shite to be competitive in 0.22" or Recoil class.

LOL lots of laughs Moore. I can could shoot a springer usually two points off open. But all the 60s I have had are in Open. Don't see too many 58's in recoiling or .22 because the class is full of no hopers. Get a .177 pcp and come play with the men who can really shoot not pretend in the obscure classes,

Monkey

[Lol Moore]

LOL lots of laughs Moore. I can could shoot a springer usually two points off open. But all the 60s I have had are in Open. Don't see too many 58's in recoiling or .22 because the class is full of no hopers. Get a .177 pcp and come play with the men who can really shoot not pretend in the obscure classes,

Monkey

Simmmmmmmo, for you LOL is lots of love...

[simmmo]

Simmmmmmmo, for you LOL is lots of love...

Better bring some lube or be prepared to be sore on the way home.

Monkey from where North is northern not The North West fluck thats the Midlands.

[Lol Moore]

Better bring some lube or be prepared to be sore on the way home.

Monkey from where North is northern not The North West fluck thats the Midlands.

Now rain, I don't like...but rough, oh yeah

I'll bring some old axle grease with sand in it

[BigRuss]

Ok so if .20 is already counted in open class why not .22 as well ?

[Herp]

Now rain, I don't like...but rough, oh yeah

I'll bring some old axle grease with sand in it

A crusty old pot of Swarfega should suffice

[Rex&Amy]

i have been known to shoot a boinger a few times over the last 3.5 years. But in that time there has been a big increase of the number of people shooting springers. Initially there were not enough competing to justify any more than 1 medal or trophy, it was the same for 22. so they joined them together. However, there has been a big rise in the numbers of boingers which I hope my being such a positive role model is partially responsible for. But it still very much thought of as a second class citizen and not taken seriously. many times I have been robbed of a win on the UKAHFT and Masters where the organisers haven't taken note of what the scores were etc. On the first year of the HFT Masters they combined 22 and recoiling and I was robbed by Nick Hopkins in a shoot off with his 22 steyer against my second hand 97 with his hamster costing more than my gun. He is a great sport and lovely guy but I did voice my displeasure to Ian Bainbridge and suggested that there is no comparison of the two disciplines and they did make a separate category.

On other subsequent big shoots they still just lump us together and I was really gutted to see one comp was a combined HFT and FT, they had all these lovely trophies for 1-3 in so many different gradings and classes and then just one 50p medal for recoiling, I did really vocalise how disgusted I was and they made a point of an equal trophy the following year.

We need to turn up in sufficient numbers and speak up in order to improve things. But also many serious HFT competitors are also taking up boinging at top level and now its becoming more popular and visual so I hope that there may even be more than one bloody medal when you consider that there is 1-5 in open, 1-3 in the other classes but only 1st in recoiling.

[simmmo]

Ok so if .20 is already counted in open class why not .22 as well ?

Look at the results for the RSN shoot it's out of a 100 so the scores equate to percentage of targets knocked down.

I actually believe that the good PCP .22 shooter on a course I would set would be at a distinct disadvantage over a good .177 boinger.

There are 3 glaring points that come to my mind.

Velocity covering 2 trajectory 560ish fps versus 785fps equals a lot of unbelievably accurate range finding being required once we start getting out there so not much advantage there for the .22 psychos.

A lot more time out in the wind, I know it's heavier but it also has a bigger surface area for the wind to act on and it is crawling towards those longer targets so way more drift to plug in to the putting it in the hole equation. Never mind head wind effect pushing it even lower than normal.

Here is the killer your average club 15mm started life probably as 14.5mm, trust me they do, has since been shot a thousand times and has been battered down to 12mm, again they are. You now get some loon come out on a Sunday and try and put a 5.5mm slug through a hole which equates, allowing for splitters that don't go, 6.5mm. In reality a lot of splitters are a lot less than half the pellet so the hole is technically dead centre. Obviously the same principle applies across the varying hole sizes.

35mm in .22 = 29.5 for a half split
35mm in .177 = 30.5 for a half split

I think the ,22 PCP boys should be bleating all you boinger boys have to worry about is a bit of hold sensitivity which you all try to tune out anyway.

Monkey.

[cooper_dan]

Rex - completely agree. Been having this discussion recently with other people. At some UK rounds there have been 5 team trophies and 5 manufacturers trophies plus the 3 open class. Why not do team and manufacturer just at the end of the series. Then the vets, ladies, 22, juniors and recoiling could have 1st and 2nd trophies every round

Cambridge was good last weekend as it was more split like this.

[Lol Moore]

A crusty old pot of Swarfega should suffice

Crusty Swarfega.....my favourite 80's porn star, ohhh, the memories

[Rex&Amy]

Cambridge was good last weekend as it was more split like this.

Hi Dan, thats because Cambridge always pay for another trophy for springers themselves. Historically there are a lot more springer shooters at Cambridge and it seems unfair that so many compete for only 1st place. Obviously there was a poor turnout this round due to weather but normally there are a lot of us there mate. But that is the club that took that on board themselves to do that.

Simmo, I do agree with you but then they should have their own class and compete amongst themselves. Us springer shooters should be competing with our own class like you gay gunners in the open.