HFT Blog: Leap of faith & Emley

Another busy month, and as I writ a proper heat wave is settling in, so we can safely say Summer has well and truly arrived. As I’ve said before, there’s some sort of HFT event on most weekends now if you want it, so we have to decide which ones we fancy.

UKAHFT national round 3- Emley Moor- Main sponsor- MTC Optics

After Misfits, my next UKAHFT round was to be number three, as I couldn’t make round two at Rivington Rifles, and this meant a trip to good old Emley Moor, where old experienced hand, Trevor Ryan and his team, always put on a brilliant course. A fantastic piece of woodland helps, and this is such a picturesque place to be, that the shooting really is a bonus on top. Sounds a cliché, but here it is true.

The course was to slowly snake around in a full circle, so we had a great challenge all round. To be successful in HFT these days, we really have to stay focussed, calculating distance, thinking about your surroundings, and not getting blasé for a minute. Initially here, there was little to no wind, but with no warning a small breeze could tweak up in an instant. Several big names were reduced to also rans, yet, as is the sport these days, a handful of top competitors still shot out of their skins.

I arrived full of confidence, as a technical change, more of which in a minute, has given me a boost where it matters. OK; I finished on a strong but nowhere 53, but as I’ve often stated, self-analysis of the missed targets is what it’s all about. I missed three discipline (standing/ kneeling) shots, and one target where you get up and instantly think, oh God I can’t believe I aimed there; yes, one of those! Factor those targets in, (I can do something about the disciplines) and I can kid myself that I can still run with the pack. Four shooters held their nerve, overcame the breeze, and finished 58 apiece, which is phenomenal shooting; yet Chris Cundey, enjoying such a rich vein of form at the moment, held his nerve, and took top place. (see results table)

Leap of faith

So, what’s the change? Well, I’ve been a bore at times about contemplating a switch from my treasured old Zeiss Diavari C scope, having a mental battle about the pros and cons. Yet after a couple of dire performances a while back, I just knew it was time to give myself a technical boost. The quality of the Zeiss would never be surpassed, and probably not equalled, and that was the problem, yet getting past that irrelevant fact was the biggest hurdle. For many scopes, whilst clearly not in the same league in terms of build quality, are sufficiently well made to do the job. After a few more illustrious temptations, I’ve finally made the leap of faith, and opted for an old Genesis UL Ultra Lite 3-9x40, which to be honest, I just happened to have hanging around.

It has a pleasingly precise reticle with a floating cross, and a few more precise aim points than I’ve ever had before. No more basic 30/30 for me then, and it has felt like a landmark moment. The Northern Show was my first outing with it, and it is starting to feel good. The glass is good enough, and whilst some of the brightness on long shots is sacrificed, the benefits overall are considerable.

The gun

As for the gun, I’ve come to the conclusion that my long-serving and favourite old Air Arms S400 is as competitive as anything out there. Admittedly, a recent power loss had to be addressed (it’s older than I realised!) so that meant a full rebuild and service by Dave Welham at Airmasters. But now with the S400 now purring along nicely, compete with Airmasters trigger mod, it really does feel like some much-needed stability is starting to creep into my approach. Whatever next! Get those discipline shots to all come right at the same time and; oh, come on, give us a break! (see notable dates for the diary table)

For pre-booking application forms and downloads regarding established UKAHFT events (where bookings are possible), and all the latest information on anything connected with Hunter Field Target shooting, take a look at the following websites: https://sites.google.com/site/ukahft/ and www.shooting-the-breeze.com https:// sites.google.com/site/whfta1/ In addition, details of HFT Masters events can be seen at www.hftmasters. com and www.whfto.com

Results

Open Class: 1st Chris Cundey 58, 2nd Simon Vant 58, 3rd Theresa Reed 58
Juniors 9-13: 1st Myla Parsons-Smith 44
Juniors 14-16: 1st Ethan Pantling 58
Ladies: 1st Karen O’Mara 53
Veteran: 1st Ken Pothecary 54
Recoiling: 1st Gary Chillingworth 53
.22 Class: 1st Jim Cavanagh 38
Club Team Winner: 1st Misfits
Manufacturers Team: 1st Steyr

Notable dates for the diary

Air Arms International Challenge Cup

6th & 7th July 2018

UKAHFT 2018 National Series Planned Shoot Dates

R4 21st July M.A.D., Essex
R5 22nd July M.A.D.
R6 18th August Furnace Mill, Shropshire
R7 19th August Nomads
R8 23rd September Cambridge
R9 21st October Quarry Hunters, Wales

HFT Masters Planned Shoot Dates For 2018

Round 4 28th July Emley Moor
Round 5 29th July Rivington
World HFT Champs. 4th & 5th August Czech Republic- see whfto website below
Round 6 2nd September Venue to be advised
Round 7 28th October M.A.D., Essex
Master Classes Dates T.B.A Pete’s Airgun Farm / M.A.D.