HFT Diary - The Rules

Late October saw the country’s finest HFT shots descend on the glorious woodland of Emley Moor, for a double header weekend of top sporting action. I for one, always enjoy this venue, for that classic combination, of top class target courses, and spectacular scenery. As long as we avoid the wet stuff, the Emley woods are just a lovely place to while away a few hours, and although it sounds a much-used cliché, the shooting really is a bonus.

Last hoorah! Final UKAHFT rounds for 2017

UKAHFT National Round 8, Emley Moor sponsored by BASC, Flopover Targets, Aim-Point

This time around, we were treated to sunshine along with very respectable temperatures, and I turned up with an attitude of just being pleased to be there… which definitely seemed to help. Being partnered by two very entertaining chaps also helped, and the combination of a friendly banter, and a reasonable start, set me off in the right frame of mind. A whisk of wind playing with us intermittently, was enough to cause serious trouble for some, and my 54 ex60 ended up highly respectable in these woods, and certainly one of my better scores this season. The class act that is Justin Grice, posted a superb 58 however, along with fellow top shots, Tony Male and Simon Vant. Justin saw them off in style in a shoot-off, and day 1 was for him, safely in the bag.

A feature of these shoots is the raffle at the end of the day, and with all shooters entry cards dropped in the hat, there’s reasonable odds of winning some sort of prize- safely better odds than the National Lottery anyhow! Gordon Smith was one such lucky chap, walking away with the biggest prize on the day- a £500 BASC voucher. Not a bad day’s work for sure!

Results

Open Class: 1st Justin Grice 58ex60, 2nd Tony Male 58, 3rd Simon Vant 58
Junior 9-13: 1st Megan Reed 54
Junior 14-16: 1st Jacob Pantling 55
Ladies: 1st Kathy Thompson 52
Recoiling: 1st Nigel Wood 51
.22 Class: 1st Jim Cavanagh 50
Veteran: 1st Ken Pothecary 54
Top Manufacturers Team: Steyr
Top Club Team: Quarry

UKAHFT National Round 9, Emley Moor, sponsored by Armex, Flop-over Targets, Aim-Point

Come day 2, and much the same conditions, meant we faced similar challenges.

Admittedly, the target course was different, but analyse the results, and it soon becomes clear that many shooters posted very similar results over the two days. Indeed Megan Reed, Jacob Pantling, and Kathy Thompson, all dominated their respective classes, with identical scores for the two days! And I even managed another 54, which sadly, made Emley my best weekend of the year! Plenty to work on then?

Elsewhere, the calm, methodical machine that is Justin Grice, was executing another quality round, and this time, he managed a perfect clear round, keeping him ahead of one of the best shots on the circuit; Dave Ramshead by a point. Congratulations to Justin, superb shooting, and let me just say I’m sad to see you bow out of the sport, albeit on a spectacular high, if the rumours are correct. Elsewhere, congratulations go to Mike Burgess, a great stalwart of HFT, and a worthy winner here of the Veterans class, with an excellent 57ex60.

Armex sponsored this shoot, and top prize of a Walther LGU underlever spring rifle went to Nigel Wood. Lucky fellow!!

Results

Open Class: 1st Justin Grice 60ex60, 2nd Dave Ramshead 59, 3rd Mark Kirby 58
Junior 9-13: 1st Megan Reed 54
Junior 14-16: 1st Jacob Pantling 55
Ladies: 1st Kathy Thompson 52
Recoiling: 1st Lewis Collins 50
.22 Class: 1st Jim Cavanagh 48
Veteran: 1st Mike Burgess 57
Top Manufacturers Team: Steyr
Top Club Team: Oak Leaf

Hft rules OK?

Want to maximise scores in Hunter Field Target? Then number one hint has to be to swat up on the course layout rules. Just learning the course format, as laid out and specified by the UKAHFT organisers, can make a big difference in judging target distances. So many specific kill sizes are specified, and these have to be set out at their own specific distances. Of course, we need to have our trajectory chart at our finger tips, but determining the target distance, then becomes vital.

Unsupported standing and kneeling shots require the target kill zone to be between 35-45mm, and placed between 8-35 yards away; so, when faced with these shots, you know they are no further than 35 yards away. Likewise, the smallest 15mm kill zones can only be placed between 13 yards and 25 yards. All this information really helps, so memorising, or even having the course format printed on a piece of card as a reminder, makes sense. Of course, it does rely on accurately identifying the size of the target on the course, in order to determine a rough idea of the distance, but information i power, as they say, so there is no excuse for us not doing our homework!

Next time out, I’ll be reporting on the end of season ‘Gathering’, and also rounding up the season’s final placings in both the UKAHFT and HFT Masters Series.

For pre-booking application forms and downloads regarding established UKAHFT events (where bookings are possible), and all Shooting into the trees at Emley Compulsory kneeling shots are all part of the sport This is what we are fighting for Emley Moor is one of the most scenic venues Man or machine? Justin Grice won both days at Emley 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