Canadian Airgun Forum

You know, I've been in Competition most of my life in one form or another.... raced Morgan sports cars, raced R/C Yachts (and built them) for over 30 years.... and I've done my share of Trap shooting and .22 LR indoor (sporter class).... IMNSHO, there are two ways to start in competition....

You can go out and buy the expensive toys and hope your skills are good enough that you will be able to compete....

OR

You can "run what you brung".... get out there and try it.... find out if you have ANY hope of being competitive if you spend the time to hone your skills and (eventually) move up to better equipment....

I have seen too many people over the years spend a bundle and get nowhere because they haven't got the physiology / psychology / ability to accomplish the level of performance their equipment is remotely capable of.... Most of the time, they get discouraged, and having no excuse other than blaming themselves, they give it up.... (and often their wonderful equipment turns up available at bargain prices)....

I have seen a relative handful of people start with virtually nothing, and literally turn around to be World Champions.... What they have is determination and the ability to analyse.... They can figure out WHY things happen and how to improve on the result.... When it comes to shooting sports, they also happen to have the physiology / psychology to be able to concentrate "body and soul" on the job at hand (putting every shot in the same hole)....

Having said all of that about Competition.... there is another side to this whole thing.... Trying to be the Best YOU can be.... If you are racing something, it's pretty much win or lose.... I guess you could say the same thing about an official FT Match.... There is nothing wrong, however, with trying to improve your skills while enjoying the comraderie of like-minded people.... I used to have a blast going out to the Range every Tuesday evening and shooting 4 position .22 indoor, with a round of Trap in between each one.... Over the years, my skill improved, and eventually I accomplished my goal.... a Dominion Marksman Silver Shield.... and I did it with a 1931 Winchester Model 69 that belonged to my Dad.... This rifle weighed maybe 5 lbs. in a class that allowed 7.5 lbs.... and when I got the opportunity to shoot one do those wonderful Match Rifles, I found it would add about 5 to my Standing score.... That would have been enough to (eventually) allow me to get my Gold Shield (maybe).... I also learned that NO amount of money would make me a Champion in target shooting....

The point is, that over time, my skill improved, and I had a blast doing it.... all with a rifle I already HAD.... So don't be afraid to "run what you brung" and give FT a try.... Those people who might look down at your "equipment" are most likely lacking some equipment of their own....

Bob

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Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

i agree with alot of what you're saying.. I believe that equipment alone doesn't make a good shooter/ athelete.. I believe in real talent, it can carry you far BUT it does help to have good equipment..
I really believe that most of the good shooters would be lost without their expensive setups.. I would love to hand one of the FT guys a cheaper rifle and see how they make out with it at a match.. There is other variables with FT other than shooting like dialing your scope for different ranges, compensating for wind when making shots etc.. You still have to know what you're doing but having good gear makes it a hell of alot easier.

I guess I should have prefaced my comments by stating that I'm talking about starting in the Hunter Class.... where you have to tape over the range scale.... It would also seem pretty obvious that you need "some" kind of a scope that would focus close enough to give you a clear sight picture.... Other than that, almost any kind of rifle "should" be capable of hitting the KZ which is usually over 0.6 Mil-Dot (over 2 MOA) in size.... with the right pellets for that particular gun....

Bear in mind I have NEVER shot FT and likely won't.... but I would agree that at the top level of competition, you wont have a chance without the right equipment.... it's just not how I would recommend you START....

Bob

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Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

Excellent post rsterne !!!!! Good advice for anyone wishing to get started, or as was my case last season, re-acquainted with the sport.

My experience at the beginning of last years FT season was that some guns can be a detriment to your abilities. In my case, it was a Beeman Bearcub carbine. It is a powerful little rifle, excellent for hunting or plinking, but as I found out to my dismay at my first FT shoot in over a decade, using that particular gun was like trying to thread a needle with a wildcat's tail. My score was dismal . But, I enjoyed myself in spite of my score - I managed to hit the face on most all the targets, just not the KZ.

I decided that a rifle with a more sedate firing behavior would be in my best interest. Admittedly, I am more fortunate than many, in having a sizeable selection of airguns to choose from in my collection, and I was able to find a suitable candidate - an FWB 300S, that had seen better days. This gun became the basis of an experiment to see if an old 10M gun could be used for FT with any degree competitiveness. Long story short, after much tinkering and experimentation, this old FWB far exceeded my wildest expectations of it for the balance of the season.

I hope to make further refinements to the FWB over the winter, and have it ready for the 2008 FT season.

I still get a chuckle about this, overheard from one of the participants at the 2007 Canadian Nats:

That "old guy" placed a respectable 4th in spring piston class, in company with some very worthy, and skilled, competitors.

Excellent post Going out and having fun with whatever gun you have is the important thing. Getting together with like minded friends both old and new (and having fun) is far more important than 'winning at any cost'.

I would love to try FT and if I get the chance I will. (using whatever I have)

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