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Usft vs RAW HM/TM1000 ???

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woogie_man

woogie_man

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May 3, 2021
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North Dakota, United States
Have been shooting the usft for a bit and it is a hell of a rifle, but the feeling is something different. I have a small, but growing, collection of Theoben style rifles and I always enjoy them. So it got me thinking.......which would be better? Assuming caliber and fps are the same...would thr usft or an hm1000 be better for field target?

I know the usft is stupid simple to work on, where as the hm1000 is just as simple and I have done it plenty before.

The stock options for the hm1000 are greater.....as there is no stock on the usft.

Just looking for some ideas or anything from people who have shot both....


Thanks guys




Keeping going round and round with rifles...can't seem to keep one around for long.
 
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I've owned and shot both, and there's nothing wrong with either. However, the RAW HM1000 has the ability to use a magazine, which makes it more versatile for hunting, benchrest, etc., where the time between shots has more value. The USFT is a multi-step single only loading procedure. I would love to know which one you are getting the tightest spreads out of, though. Is your USFT regulated? Some are and some are not.
 
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Both are quite storied platforms in field target here in the US.

Your root question is which is better for field target... And that depends on a lot of variables. Most of which can be narrowed down to personal preference, and or prejudices.

If you're the type that feels unregulated is inferior, or that a ninja type reg is inferior to a RAW regulator, better go with the RAW.

If you prioritize forever-reliability over single digit ES, go with a USFT.

If you like being able to feel a peewee or an oversized pellet upon loading the gun.....USFT.

If you like magazines.....RAW.

And that game could go on and on.

Assuming that both specimens of each of the two that you're comparing are equally accurate/precise, than it boils down to personal preference. Chances are though, one of them will have a slight edge in accuracy/precision, relating back to that particular barrel and/or barrel to pellet combination.....in that case the "better" one for field target is the more accurate one. And along those same lines, you might find them capable of similar accuracy/precision, but one gets the nod for fired pellets being more resistant to wind deflection. Ie, one is "better" when the wind if blowing.

I guess I'm saying to look at them as individuals, rather than platforms... And base your assessment of "better" on the actual guns in-hand.
 
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Lewis said:
I've owned and shot both, and there's nothing wrong with either. However, the RAW HM1000 has the ability to use a magazine, which makes it more versatile for hunting, benchrest, etc., where the time between shots has more value. The USFT is a multi-step single only loading procedure. I would love to know which one you are getting the tightest spreads out of, though. Is your USFT regulated? Some are and some are not.
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My USFT is not regulated. I haven't shot a full string from max pressure down. But planning on doing that soon.
 
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woogie_man said:
Have been shooting the usft for a bit and it is a hell of a rifle, but the feeling is something different. I have a small, but growing, collection of Theoben style rifles and I always enjoy them. So it got me thinking.......which would be better? Assuming caliber and fps are the same...would thr usft or an hm1000 be better for field target?

I know the usft is stupid simple to work on, where as the hm1000 is just as simple and I have done it plenty before.

The stock options for the hm1000 are greater.....as there is no stock on the usft.

Just looking for some ideas or anything from people who have shot both....


Thanks guys




Keeping going round and round with rifles...can't seem to keep one around for long.
Click to expand...
You probably can’t go wrong with either one. My personal preference is the RAW as I prefer a cocking lever and SSL’s are available for it with the result being the pellet is always to the same depth. Again a personal preference as far as which one is more accurate, on any given day flip a coin! However if you miss a knockdown it’s probably not either guns fault!🤣
 
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RAW ..... more flexible / adaptable to class of FT or other needs your shooting. Much faster lock time and a whole lot less cumbersome.
Both are old school, and both are sorta different animals from a different era.

Tho IMO the real direct comparison would be the TM/BM series in the appropriate style stock.
Owned and shot both ... Raw TM-1000 stayed, USFT did not.

OPINION and yours may differ if voiced
 
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Motorhead said:
RAW ..... more flexible / adaptable to class of FT or other needs your shooting. Much faster lock time and a whole lot less cumbersome.
Both are old school, and both are sorta different animals from a different era.

Tho IMO the real direct comparison would be the TM/BM series in the appropriate style stock.
Owned and shot both ... Raw TM-1000 stayed, USFT did not.

OPINION and yours may differ if voiced
Click to expand...
As usual I believe Scott to be spot on. To me the swing breach style is A bit more cumbersome to shoot in competition.
 
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For me the RAW is too traditional for my FT shooting style, I would have to modify the hell out of it (essentially build a whole new stock) to get it to work for me. The USFT on the other hand fits my shooting style nearly perfectly. Currently I use a Thomas, which is very similar to the USFTs I have owned.

I can barely get my fingers into the breach to load a RAW (the person who designed it must have really small hands), but then most actions like that don't have enough room for man hands anyways (and dovetail rails in 2025 should be a felony).

For me the RAW has two strikes against it regardless of how it shoots and while I have only had issues with one set up running unregulated USFTs (shooting 22cal at/under 20 ft-lbs before the 3% add rule), they can also be difficult unregulated if set up in warm climates then shot in cold (set up in California in the mid 70's, shoot in Alabama in the low 40's in October), however adding a bottle/reg to a USFT eliminates these issues.

But that's me and my shooting style in Open.

Assuming they both shoot well and close to the same...the most important thing is:

Which one is the most comfortable for your shooting style/division?

If you are shooting Hunter (which most people are these days) the RAW is going to feel/fit better unless you modify the USFT into something less for Open/WFTF and more for Hunter (the canted breach on the USFT can lead to canted shots). LD has been making USFTs into great Hunter rigs but it is a bit of work.
 
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Thanks JW! I am reaching out to a few guys to see if they have an HM1000 rifle that I would be able to handle a little bit.

I know the HM1000X I would never be able to get my fingers in there to load a single round. But looking at the pictures of the HM1000 it looks like the opening is larger, so hoping it would be possible.

A hunting version of the USFT would be fun and probably the best of both worlds honestly. Wish more of them came up on the market.
 
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woogie_man said:
Thanks JW! I am reaching out to a few guys to see if they have an HM1000 rifle that I would be able to handle a little bit.

I know the HM1000X I would never be able to get my fingers in there to load a single round. But looking at the pictures of the HM1000 it looks like the opening is larger, so hoping it would be possible.

A hunting version of the USFT would be fun and probably the best of both worlds honestly. Wish more of them came up on the market.
Click to expand...
The HM X's and HM's have small breech areas for magazines. The TM's have large single load open breeches that you can get your fingers into. You want a TM not an HM sounds like.
 
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I have a USFT #233 (red) , haven't shot a TM1000 or handled one . personally i think my USFT would be a bit more to handle in a FT match . Heavy weight .
Both rifles are very adjustable for comfort and fit . I like the one i own as i am lefty ( switched to lefty from righty "cant" with 4 bolts .) and like the cant of the trigger group , extremely relaxed to hold and use . this leads to easier trigger control ,
 
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