This report covers:
- Equipment race?
- What it looks like
- Quiet
- Challenging
- Next
Today we look at the field target matches that were held at the 2024 Pyramyd AIR Cup. This competition was divided into three divisions for both PCP and spring guns. A total of 99 shooters competed. The three divisions are:
Open
• No rifle shall exceed 20 foot pounds at the muzzle.
• Body straps permitted as long as the rifle isn’t supported
• Forced position shots in which body straps not permitted.
• Any sighting system permitted (no restriction on scope power).
• Shoot from seated position except on the forced position shots.
• Bum bag no higher than 6 inches is permitted.
World Field Target Federation (WFTW)
• No rifle shall exceed 12ft/lb muzzle energy.
• All forms of clothing are permissible.
• No harnesses or straps are permitted.
• Elbow pads and knee pads are allowed.
• Butt-hooks are allowed, but not thigh-rests.
• Adjustable rifle stocks are allowed, but no hardware may be added or removed from the gun during the match, except where allowed by the Match Director due to physical limitations of the shooter.
• The Digital Side Wheel (DSW) device is not allowed.
• Any sighting system allowed.
Hunter
• Rifles shall not exceed 20ft/lb of energy measured at the muzzle.
• Forend depth is limited to a maximum of 6 inches, measured from the center of the barrel to the lowest part of the rifle forward of the pistol grip.
• No shooting jackets, harnesses or straps. Clothing worn by the shooter must not restrict body movement.
• Knee pads or other forms of padding or risers placed between the arm, thigh, knee, leg and/or rifle may not exceed 2 inches in thickness.
• Optical sights of any reticle style may be used, but are limited to a maximum of 16 power magnification.
• Variable scopes of greater than 16X must be turned to the 16X or nearest lower factory marking on the scope.
• No Windage or Elevation adjustments allowed during the match.
• Optical sights with parallax adjustment may be adjusted so that the target is in focus. Range
(yardage) markings may be used.
• A rifle sling may be used & must be attached to the rifle at two points, the fore end & butt stock. Slings may be attached & detached during a match. Single point slings are not allowed.
• Adjustable components on the stock, including cheek & knee risers, may not be adjusted during a match. No equipment may be added or removed during a match except for a rifle sling. No butt-hooks or thigh-rests are allowed.
• Only monopods, shooting sticks, or bipods may be used. Any such aids must rest on the ground
and may not be driven or otherwise embedded into the ground or shooting pad, and cannot be
attached to the gun: must release from the gun as the gun is picked up, and must not connect to
the gun with studs or devices that restrict gun movement. A single stop may be used in front or
behind the gun support, but no other anchoring mechanisms are permitted.
Five classes competed. There was no Open piston class. If you want to know who the winners were visit the results on the Hard Air Magazine website.
Tyler addresses the field target competitors before the match.
Equipment race?
In Part Two I said the Benchrest match is an equipment race. So is field target but it took decades to get there instead of years. In the beginning in the 1980s the targets didn’t even have kill zones. You just hit them and they fell over. But they changed and the guns adapted until today you have to be a real marksman or markswoman to win a match at the level of the Pyramyd AIR Cup.
I also said that AEA pellets dominated in both Benchrest and Gunslynger. Well, in field target JSBs were the favorites.
What it looks like
The match consisted of two courses of fire — one blue and one yellow. All shooters shot both courses but on different days. Both courses combined to total 120 shots.
When I walked the path past both courses I was reminded of just how difficult is it to even see these targets, to say nothing of actually hitting them! When I competed a couple decades ago we lifted the reset string to get some idea of where they were.
The path to both field target courses. There was one course on each side of this path. Does this clear things up?
Our own Cloud9, reader Jeff Cloud, prepares for his shot in the WFTF seated position.
A TX200 spring-piston rifle also competes in the WFTF division. Note the sighting card that is referred to for every new target. Let’s see it closer.
This is the information on that sighting card.
One of the forced shooting positions was kneeling.
Offhand was the other forced position.
And the Hunter division shot sitting down and rested. Yes, that is a tripod. I don’t know how it got past the rules.
Quiet
I will mention that a field target match is slightly quieter than a submarine resting on the bottom of the ocean. There should be no sound to distract the shooters. Compared to field target, the game of golf is a clattering cacophony of noise.
Challenging
I will also mention that as easy as these shooters made it look, it’s anything but. This was a top-level competition in which only the best shooters had any hope of winning. The only way BB could have won is if no other shooters showed up. My skill level was eclipsed years ago! The superior equipment that allows these shooters to do their best only reveals BB’s lack of skill.
Next
I will post one more report on the 2024 Cup, but I’m giving you a breather before then. It will be a collection of bits and pieces of things that happened all four days, in no particular order.
“…equipment race.”
BB,
You said my two most dreaded words!
When I shot Field Target, the sport was young; the equipment race phase was just starting; but someone could use their hunting rifle and do OK, and at least have fun.
Also, in my younger days, I was interesting in “practical” competitive pistol shooting.
However, In the world of practical shooting competition, there are two major organizations: the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) and the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA).
To me, the USPSA was an equipment race; and the IDPA only had a few categories (of the eight they have) that were not an equipment race: Stock Service Pistol, Compact Carry Pistol, Revolver, and Back-Up Gun.
Perhaps I’m just too old, but to me anything that is supposed to be “practical shooting” should be using guns that any law enforcement officer or armed citizen would actually carry…concealed…NOT something that is part of a 30-lb belt with a space gun and 27 extra magazines, LOL!
If I was ever to get back into Field Target, it would have to be in the Hunter class, somewhere where I could use an air rifle that I could actually take into the woods.
*shrugs*
Maybe I’m just too much of a minimalist; the great equipment race just doesn’t appeal to me.
Still, as usual, this is a great report as it keeps us (even old curmudgeons like me) informed of what is going on in the various aspects of the sport of airgunning.
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
Thank you for this comment. It states EXACTLY what I was trying to say. Yes, today’s field target shooters are all champion shots, but the game has become less of a hunting simulation and more of an Annie Oakley challenge. The Brits claim field target was never intended to be a hunting simulation, but given the animal targets and the lane settings that are in the woods, that’s how many shooters saw it.
BB
B.B.
You state, “• The Digital Side Wheel (DSW) device is not allowed.”.
What is this? Is this part of the equipment race? Where can I get one?
Thanks,
-Yogi
Yogi,
Yeah — I had to look that one up, too. Here is a place to start.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Digital+Side+Wheel+(DSW)+device+air+rifle&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4aa3bdc4,vid:0zR5GPPiPPw,st:0
BB
£495 for the complete kit.
Just keep shooting, just keep shooting…..
Yogi,
“Where can I get one?” smh! (shaking my head!)
Please, say it isn’t so.
shootski
Tom,
I’m glad that at least there are rules and categories. I’m sad that it still turns into an equipment race. I don’t think it’s going to be possible to subcategorize by going to the actual budget of each competitor. But it would be comforting for me (if I were a competitor) that I placed in a competition due to practice and not by the equipment I used.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
The American NRA tried desperately to limit the cost of a 10-meter target rifle for Juniors. The result? They couldn’t without specifying many things like trigger pull, and so on. And the engineers in various companies kept coming up with things that worked better but violated those “rules.”
But leave things alone and it becomes an equipment race, once again.
In fact, this has been on my mind for two weeks and you just gave me the inspiration I need for tomorrow’s blog! What you said about placing in a competition due to practice and not by the equipment is still the goal.
I will say this and be done with it — all the top shooters are doing exactly what you say — practicing a lot!
BB
I have read that myself elsewhere. The top field target shooters are practicing several hours a day as the top ten-meter people are.
RidgeRunner,
There is a Rule of Thumb that states: To be World Class at anything takes at least 800 hours of dedicated high quality training per year to attain and maintain that level of performance.
shootski
Sounds like a lot of work to me. I think I will just have fun.
This part of the comments section reminded me of something that I hadn’t thought of in years. Many, many, many moons ago, we had to run through a 12-round “combat” course during our department qualifications. Standard issue at the time was the Glock 21 (.45 ACP). The usual type of course: 2 magazines with six round each; run to a barricade, shoot right side and left side, run, take cover, shoot, reload, shoot on the move and so on…
We had a portly sergeant (awesome dude, may he rest in peace) who did cowboy action shooting, and he decided to run through the course with 2 .45 LC six-shooters just for fun.He had one of the slower times, but every single B-27 silhouette target was struck in the X-ring. It was the most accurate shooting of the day.
Practice, practice, practice.
“But it would be comforting for me (if I were a competitor) that I placed in a competition due to practice and not by the equipment I used.”
Siraniko,
You said what I intended to say…only much better and with less words! 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
WARNING! The following is my opinion. Get your own.
I shoot for fun. Any “competition” I may get into will be for fun or it is not going to happen.
Before I had become interested in airguns, benchrest and field target had become an equipment race. I for one was not even going to try to keep up. I am not going to spend thousands of dollars on just the scope.
I was greatly cheered when I heard of the “hunter” class being created in field target, but it soon became an equipment race also. I do not know about out towards the left coast, but in my woods around here, no hunter is going to try to lug around a bipod, much less a cushioned bucket to sit on. 16X scope? Are you kidding me? You would not even be able to see a fuzzy-tailed tree rat, much less shoot it in these woods.
Do not get me wrong, I do have some very nice scopes. Most of them are older UTGs and a few Hawkes. I really like the BugBuster line. It is a shame they are going away.
Even these folks are starting to get outrageous.
What happens when you strip off every little thing there is that does not actually function on an airgun? Why, you charge more for it. This is a real shame as airguns are coming around full circle again, but my wallet tells me I for one cannot buy them anymore.
It really is no wonder that Uncle Xi’s friends are doing so well these days. Only a few elites can afford to purchase what is made elsewhere.
RidgeRunner,
When we’re 90-years-old, I’ll stop by RRHFWA and we’ll shoot some cool old sproingers and bemoan that fact that such things are no longer made…but should be. 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
I would not wait that long if I was you.
Roger that, LOL!
Uncle Xi and friends still have a little work to do in the Quality Control Department.
https://jalopnik.com/watch-this-chinese-rocket-explode-attempting-vertical-l-1851655984
As for airgun competition, FM is happy to compete against himself only, since he knows what the outcome will be every time, thus enabling him to stay focused on the FUN part of it.
FM,
They do still need to work on that some. One of these days they might even figure out how to make a decent trigger. I think their main problem is cost cutting. Wang Po Industries has been copying most stuff, not just airguns, for a long time now. One of these days they might even get it figured out.
FawltyManuel,
Naval Aviators have a catch phrase: Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.
I have observed a few similarly BAD landings; they prove difficult to walk away from.
shootski
As stated by Pilot Officer Prune, more or less.
Here in the UK field target is definitely more about equipment with scopes costing hundreds and rifles in the thousands. Hunter field target is a little more accessible with most people using a 10×32 scope. I recently competed in the National Recoiling Championship with a very modest Walter LGU and Bugbuster scope, and while I only came around halfway in the rankings that was due to me, not the equipment!
We’re not allowed to ‘cheat’ here by adjusting parallax or using any form of support. There is a sticks class for those (including me now) who can’t get up and down from the ground
What if…
Just for FUN there was a Diana 34 [or HW 95, insert a model] production class. Diana sponsored it and you were assigned a new rifle from the assembly line.
RG,
They used to do that with stock car racing. Nice idea, but that ain’t gonna happin.
RR: While I enjoy NASCAR, there’s about NOTHING STOCK about it anymore – other than the name plate patterns and lettering.
The typical race car is rear wheel drive, has a custom welded up chassis and never saw a single production assembly line. The car has about nothing in common with the name plates or stock models (most of which are FWD). Of course, it’s probably good that the racers DON’T have truly “stock” cars as they would be wadded up like a ball of aluminum kitchen foil in an accident on the tracks AND they’d be going a LOT slower – one would need a sleeping bag for such races!
The idea, above, of being issued a completely stock air arm and given some time to zero it in and adjust the trigger (via the screws inside the trigger guard), makes sense, to me, to make real comparisons between makes. That also brings out the real marksmen from the customizers, I think.
I can see an UNLIMITED class of shooting, because that would be the cutting edge of any advancements (whether planned or accidental) in our sport. But, if we want real information on stock pieces like we almost ALL buy and use – and with very little modification – then a stock competition is the way to do that, I think. It would help me know whether the Weirauch underlever that I covet REALLY would be worth the bucks necessary to procure it OR whether the RWS/Diana 460 (I think it is) or the 48 or 54 would be the better bet in terms of dollars vs. performance.
Additionally, a pure stock competition would generate some most useful information about peculiarities in production pieces. For example, a competition of .25 calibers with standard JSB pellets would quickly inform that the Hatsan .25 has a rather significant obesity problem! Its .25 is too damned big – it takes the JSB Exact Mark III, which is also oversized, to make the thing shoot. All the standard H&N and other pellets are ALL too small (meaning that they are actually .25 caliber, not .26 or bigger). What I’m saying is that if there was a .25 STOCK competition, the misery of finding the ONE ROUND, from JSB, that actually works in the thing would have been known from the reading of the description or the reviews on the PA competition and likely it would have bled over to the webpage. (Of course, pellet sizes in the competition would also be subject to acute judgement!)
In fact, if stock competition results were to bleed into the PA comments in the item descriptions and the consumer comments, I’d have avoided a long process of finding out that the Model 135 bore is oversized, that the Mark III .25s are oversized and would have made better choices. I’ll bet that Hatsan might even have taken a bit of notice of the findings and looked into its .25 bores?=========================================================================== In Hatsan’s defense, here (I’m NOT an adversary of them!), the OTHER Hatsan pieces I own in .177 and .22 are SPOT ON and are deadly accurate. That’s true of my Hatsan hand pieces and long guns. Only the .25 is NOT manufactured to produce excellence in target shooting. The bore is too damned big! I wonder if they saw that in print from a major sales company if it might begin a firm look at what’s happening either in the engineering department or on the factory floor? I doubt if Hatsan wants ANY part of a bad product, much less the reputation of such because they seem an otherwise very reputable company with good products.
Ergo, I think that a strictly STOCK competition is a very good idea! Especially and as long as those results of the pieces and pellets shot get referenced in the product description pages. I’d think that any manufacturer who would see a troubling finding might address that in engineering or production in order to maintain the company reputation – a boon for us as consumers!
LFranke,
No, there is nothing stock about a NASCAR racer. Due to the rules, they are all very similar cars though. It often comes down to the skill and luck of the driver and team.
Yes, it would indeed be nice to see the shooters compete with what the “average joe” is going to buy, but that “ain’t gonna happin” any more than NASCAR is going to change over to street legal cars either.
We just have to do our homework, listen to the few we do trust and live with our own mistakes. When it becomes time for me to buy another car, do you think I tune into NASCAR?
Ade C,
I was wondering if you could have a buddy help you get up after each shot.
Don
There’s nothing preventing that in the rules, but many airgunners over here are middle to older aged men who aren’t the fittest people. Sticks class was only introduced officially 2 years ago and it’s proved really popular. For me it’s been like learning to shoot all over again.
The added bonus is not having to grovel around in the mud!
The guy shooting the TX200 is Brad Troyer.
I know because I am part of the field target club he helped found. Brad often shots match scores in the same range as the pcp shooters in the WFTF and open categories. I had never heard of field target nor knew that I would be in the hot bed of field target activity when I moved to Tennessee.
Brent,
Thanks for that. I should have spent more time looking for the names of all the shooters.
BB
BB,
I’m not surprised that you took a picture of Brad. He always looks like he knows what he’s doing because he does know what he’s doing. It’s reflected in his scores 🙂
Brent
Brent,
Apparently I’m the edit feature today.
BB
Brent,
Back when he lived in Florida, Brad started a Field Target club at the Port Malabar range in Palm Bay.
Brad got me an HW97 (for Field Target use) for a good price, then tuned it up for me…super guy!
Yeah, I can’t say enough good things about him. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
Brad tried shooting an HW 97 for a few matches last year, but apparently found out that it doesn’t compare to his highly modified TX 200 mark I. You can see that the picture above.
Brent
“…found out that it doesn’t compare to his highly modified TX 200 mark I.”
Brent,
I understand that completely; Brad recommended the HW97 as a great starter gun for me, and it was.
But his capability is FAR beyond mine; he has the skills to get the most from that highly modified TX. 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
Any time you say “competition” it tends to immediately devolve into a spending race (or a race of to how to interpret the rule book).
Service Rifle matches have been around for a long time and the rules are fairly simple: the rifle that you shoot should be a ‘service rifle.’ But a National Match rifle can be worlds apart (barrel, trigger, sights, weight and (sometimes) even the stock) and the rest of the equipment very expensive.
The people that win matches are, undoubtedly, extremely good. But it’s frustrating for someone trying to get into the sport to feel like they have to drop thousands, if not tens of thousands, to be competitive.
I think that it would be great to have a three position match, at 5 meters, with club issued Daisy 499’s. Street clothes, no external supports, match fees cover ammunition & range use. The best shooter would still be the best, no excuses.
I can dream, can’t I?
Bill
One of the things I like about Cowboy Action is that you can do very well with just basic equipment.
Mike
Horse racing has what are called “claiming races” wherein any animal entered can be claimed by anyone for the price of that race. In the case of horses it is often $3000 or $5000. For Airguns perhaps $500 or $1000.
It would certainly prevent someone from entering equipment costing in excess of whatever the set amount might be. And it would allow the expertise of the shooters to shine.
Ed
tom been trying to contact you haveing trouble with 79g popitvalve jems when co2 loaded could it be the lube im useing freezing or could it be soething else cant get help in australia have renewed all seals holds gas ok yours ted
ted,
Ian McKee is the one to talk to. I’m leaving for a church function soon, but I will contact him later today if he doesn’t see this and respond to you.
BB
Ted see my comment below.
Ted, while you are waiting. Read this report from Ian on resealing the 79G.
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2019/06/smith-wesson-78g-and-79g-target-pistols-part-5/
G’day!