Canadian Airgun Forum

Just wondering, do you have gradings in your FT comps?

Over here we have 4 different grades that can be shot in, AA, A, B and C... AA is the top grade and C is for those that don't score quite so high.

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No we don't, as at this point there are less then 50 people that participate in the sport in Canada - it hasn't caught on yet!

Its worth noting that there are some very good shooters among us though, some dedicated people who have scored very well at international competitions over the years.

Around 50 is a good start, and hopefully the numbers will grow

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My shooting pix :- http://www.freewebs.com/fthftshootingpix/

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I have gone over my list, including anyone who has shot FT, even if they have not participated in the last five years or more or only made it to one match and the number is still under 30. Only about twenty Canadian shooters have competed in the last couple of years. If we get twelve shooters at a match, we are doing well. Many of the twenty might make it to one match per year. Maybe six or seven people make it to all, or maybe miss one in a season.

We are certainly hoping the numbers increase over the next couple of seasons. The interest seems to be there. People just have to dive in and go to a match. It is the only way to see if they are going to like it.

Tim

I am seriously persuing an FT venue for the Ottawa-Gatineau area and should have more information available this summer. The land owner is interested in the sport and with a little work a course should be ready by fall. Having never done this before I need some course design ideas like how long to make the course (distance between stations), acceptable terrain challenges, etc... Do shooters always sit on the ground, stand, use a bench?
I have also ordered an FT target so I can clone the mechanism and build an inventory. Do Canadian rules allow animal shapes or are they moving towards geometric designs? How politically correct are the FT shooters in Canada? Is my bunny silhouette target going to offend?
My fingers are crossed and hopefully this fall there will be a new region represented in FT in Canada.

We sit on the ground (on cushions or bum bags), on platforms that have been built for the purpose, and even elevated platforms in trees. Standing can be done at any station. There are no hard fast rules for distances between lanes, but try and have them spaced so that conversation from one lane to the other is not bothersome. If you have lots of space, 50 feet between positions is great. The longest range shot in FT is 55 yards, but you do not need all lanes to be that distance. We are certainly NOT pc and have lots of bunny, squirrel, crow, groundhog, starling, and rat targets as our fodder. Hope this helps and you get things going.

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Keyrigger
CAFTA Governor

When you are long winded, is that a sign of Wisdom or Old Age?

Threemorewishes, I do not know if it is possible for you, but the best way to learn all the things you need to know is to come to a FT match. You would see a course of fire all set up, the sight in range, score cards, attend a shooter's meeting before the match starts and get to shoot in a match. You could be squadded with one of the match directors who could give a running commentary as the match goes on. The match could be in Port Colborne, my home club, or at the Waterloo Club in Elmira. I am certain, barring anything unforeseen, that I will be at all of those matches and would be happy to squad up with you to explain as we go.

The match in Port would be a freebie, as it would be your first match. Not sure if Waterloo does that.

I have been in contact with the Waterloo match director and he still does not have confirmation on the dates for 2008. I will post them here as soon as they are available.

Tim

wow less than 30 in canada that do this, hmmm now that i am going to start i can actually say im ranked number 30 in the country lol

Im sure there would be alot more but if your not in Ontario you can almost forget it....

Not sure if there is FT in BC but im sure there is.

No formal FT competitions in BC yet, just a lot of interest. Time will tell, but one fellow has already made a trip to Washington State to see and I think, participate in a match. They wouldn't let him watch without shooting the second time round, lol. The difficulty is that there are a number on the mainland and a number on the island and the cost of travel back and forth is only for the rich, famous, or an emergency. WOW.

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Keyrigger
CAFTA Governor

When you are long winded, is that a sign of Wisdom or Old Age?

Hello Mac,
Thanks for the offer. I agree that seeing a match would answer many of my questions. I will push ahead with information I have gleaned from this and many other sites and post the course designs when they are completed. This way the FT community can add their comments to what I have created. If I can organise my time I will try to join you for a match this summer.
Thanks again.
Greg

Threemorewishes,
I am in the Ottawa area and plan to attend a Port Colbourne match this upcoming season. I will glady assist you in organizing and preparing the FT matches/course, though I am a newb too. My suggestion is the stick with the animal shapes as those are readily available and mimic the HFT rules that are being developed. Seems like a reasonable starting point....

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NFA member
CSSA member

A full list of CAFTA (Canadian Field Target) rules will likely be posted as a sticky in the near future. It will answer most of your questions. In the areas that you are not clear, please feel free to ask. 4 or the 6 CAFTA governors are active members here.

I will give you a little information until the full set of rules are posted:

Shooting lanes:
- Are usually cut in a section of bush here in Canada, but other countries have made lanes out in a open fields.

Distances:
- Target are to be placed no less than 10 yards, and no more than 55 yards. Any distance within that range is acceptable. So short lanes are fine.

Shooting position:
- sitting (on ground/on blanket/on cushion up to 6 inches deep/on portable seats without backrest up to 18 inches tall)
- kneeling (some lanes may force kneeling)
- standing (some lanes may force standing)
- prone
- using natural support (down logs, rocks, trees, etc.)

Targets:
- Silhouette that fall when hit and are re-settable from the firing point will be used.
- Silhouettes are generally of a typical air gun quarry, but geometric designs may also be used.

Scoring:
- Scoring will be done on the basis of one (1) point for each “hit” and zero (0) for each “miss”. A hit will be awarded when the target falls.
- For the Hunter Division, two (2) points will be scored for a knockdown, one (1) point for a hit on the target, and a zero (0) for a complete “miss” of the target.

Links to some fine FT targets:
- http://fieldtargets.com/id33.htm
- http://poundedpaddletargets.com/Glossary.htm
- http://www.nockover-targets.co.uk/cordless_targets.html
- http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Gamo%20 ... arget.html

Hope this information helps.

Keep a watch out for the full set of rules, coming soon.