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My new HFT Gun...??? BAGA, Bristol, Wisconsin HFT Match... 09/14

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blkbagger

blkbagger

Member
Jun 26, 2019
522
11
IL, United States
My new FX Dreamline Tactical Squirrel HFT Gun arrived Friday afternoon, I drove to Bristol yesterday morning to do some shooting at BAGA and was talked into shooting my first ever HFT Match, I mounted my Hawke Airmax Compact 6-24X50 Scope, did a quick zero at 50 yards... Someone explained the rules to me, I didn't think my rifle was suitable for this type of shooting, all of the other shooters were shooting .177 rifles... Next thing the RO is asking if I was going to shoot in the competition, I explained my Dreamline Tac was .22 and probably shooting way too fast, the RO brought out a chronometer and said if I can dial it down to maybe 800 FPS that I could shoot in the competition, my Dream Tac was shooting about 870 FPS on Max, I turned down the power adjuster to 3 and my speed dropped to 815 FPS, the RO did a quick calculation and said I was ok to shoot the course...

Another shooter set me up with a set of "shooting sticks" and someone else a "bucket" and cushion, I have never used them before, "sticks and bucket" they called it... I was paired up with a gentleman shooting a .177 FX Crown, I was handed a score card and off we went to shoot the course...Having never shot in any type of organized competition and only seeing the HFT course once before I wasn't sure how it was done with some 18 shooters, my shooting partner and I started at "Lane 1" with the other paired shooters starting on the other "lanes"... The course is quite challenging, it's all in a heavily wooded area and the sunlight and shadows make it even more challenging...

I didn't expect to do very well at all having never done this type of shooting... So with a brand new rifle straight out of the box, a quick and dirty zeroing of my scope on some "Shoot N See" targets (I didn't even reset my turrets to zero) my rifle was zeroed for 50 yards and I figured I'd just try to do the best I can... I was there to have some fun and enjoy the company of others for the day... I didn't have "range cards" or any rifle dope for my scope... What's a range card...???

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Some of the targets on the course had target openings as small as 3/8", quite challenging... One was a snake another a mouse... I hit the snake with my first shot, missed the second, my fault...!!! I hit the mouse twice... Yay me... There was one kneeling lane and one offhand lane, I hit one of the kneeling targets and felt lucky to even hit the metal of one of the off hand targets (I never could shoot offhand)...

Anyhoo, I had a great time, the gentleman I was paired with came in 3rd place in our class (Hunter)… I think I cleaned two or three lanes, in the end I was very happy to come in 5th place among some really good shooters... I shot 29 out of 56... Not too shabby for an old blind guy with a broken back...

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It was great fun, I would suggest to anyone give it a try, have some fun and you will meet some great people...

I'm looking into a .177 barrel kit for my FX Crown, I think it will be better suited to this type of shooting... I need to find a "bucket and sticks"... I want to do this again...

I just thought I'd share... Ken


 
Sounds like you had some fun and made some new friends. It's hard to beat those kind of days. I would like to do some competition but have balance problems and brain damage so will not endanger others by doing so. I still have fun at the range shooting from the bench taking all the time in the world to shoot at whatever distance I choose. When there is nobody else around, which is often I shoot 12ga casings at 100 yards and paint cans at 150.
 
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Never say "never"... (My spine is a wreck...) The "bucket and sticks" thing works pretty well, I can't stand on my feet too long and too much walking leaves me in a great deal of pain, this was my first time, there was another disabled gentleman shooting, he had a very cool "cart" to move his gun, gear and even a bottle of air along from lane to lane, others had their "buckets" outfitted to carry what they needed along with them, some had very nice "caddies" to carry their rifle and small bits of kit... There's plenty of time off your feet, keeping score for your shooting partner, etc... Each pair carried along a folding chair from lane to lane... It worked for me...

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I carried a tin of pellets and two magazines with me in my pockets, a bottle of water in my cargo pocket, not the best situation but it got me through the course and I was able to see what others did to manage their gear during the match... I came away with some ideas for next time...

It was great fun, I very much enjoyed a beautiful day in the woods shooting with some very friendly people, everyone was willing to help, share what they knew, they even helped outfit me with the extra gear needed by a first timer like me... I would recommend giving it a try to anyone... After the match there was even a cook out with burgers and Italian sausages on the grill and all the extras... I was happy to put some cash in the donation jar for the food (I was way hungry after the match)...!!! It was a splendid Saturday...!!!

Ken 
 
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It was a great way to spend a beautiful, sunny day in the woods... A nice young lady put all the men to shame in the open class, taking first place with a 52, some impressive shooting for sure... There are some very challenging targets on the course... Definitely "aim small, miss small" shooting... I am certainly going to shoot in HFT again... I hope to do better next time...

Ken 
 
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Great report, AND well done! 



I too have back issues; I'm glad to hear how well you fared. Congrats!



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Thank you, I'm a little sore this AM, but it was worth it to get out of my box and spend a nice day with some nice people, doing something I enjoy so much... The shooting positions for each lane were not too far apart, I was able to walk the course no problem, I think it was very well laid out, this is just a 1st timers opinion though...

There was quite a bit of shooting "downhill" and a few targets up high, it does change the POI...!!! Light and shadows played a role and sometimes I had a lil trouble seeing the actual hole to trip the knockdown, in the class I was shooting we were limited to 16X on our scopes per the rules of this match, we were allowed to crank up the magnification to better find the actual hole and then reduce the magnification for the shots... I have no personal benchmark for competition, from what others have told me I did pretty well, I just know it was challenging and I don't think I made a fool of myself...

;-)

Ken
 
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Hi Ken, congratulations on your first FT mach. Looks like you really enjoyed it and had lots of fun. I bet you can't wait to go to the next one 😉
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Thank you... It was great fun and the perfect day for it...!!! How's this...??? I'll be looking into getting a proper "bucket" and "sticks" later today, I will have the correct gear for next time... The adjustable sticks are great, once I got used to them, the uneven terrain became a non-issue and allowed me to adjust for a stable hold, level with the target... It was much more stable shooting with the "sticks" than I thought it would be… I hope to do better next time...

You bet...!!!

Ken
 
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Yes, I will be shooting another HFT Match, soon I hope... And as I wrote earlier I wanted to get a "bucket and sticks", so I made a trip to a local store that sells a mixed bag of stuff for farm and fleet... I picked up a "bucket" and a cushioned lid for it... I also had some ideas for interior storage organization and after a lil work with a hand drill and pop rivet gun, I fastened a zippered MOLLE pouch to the interior of the bucket, I have a shop "apron" with two pockets I want to secure to the other side, but I want to have the two pockets sewn and divided into four smaller ones... I am thinking about securing a zippered, insulated, lunch bag lower in the bucket to hold an ice pack and couple bottles of water for during a match... I have some ideas...

A couple photos of my new "Bucket"...

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Addictive...??? Why yes, this is an addictive sport and hobby... I love it...

Ken


 
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Maybe add these for more storage and cold water...

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I also ordered a set of "Primos" trigger actuated shooting sticks, they are the same ones I was able to use in my first HFT competition... I liked them very much, they were a little more expensive than some of the other options, but I found them easy to use during my first HFT match and quite well made... Stick with what works...

Ken
 
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Sounds like you had a blast. Reminded me very much of my first time trying out field target. Dunno how or why but the sport attracts some very good people. 

Field target gave me some direction and purpose in my airgunning hobby. I enjoyed shooting prior but it's fun to have a goal to work on every month between matches, whether it's figuring out the range marks for a new scope, perfecting my hold or trigger pull, working up a range card, playing with the physics (trajectories, pellet type/weight/fps), etc, I just enjoy the heck out of it.

Fun times with fun people. 
 
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Ken looks like you are ready for the Monster match in October. Glad you enjoyed your first match, FT is addictive. I got my first dose in 2006 and have been shooting ever since. Work up a good range card and you will be ready. The Monster Match is as much a physical endurance contest as a FT competition.100 plus targets is very demanding mentally, to stay focused for many hours. Hoping you will become a regular, the more the merrier.

KP in WI


 
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Outstanding performance for a first timer. The BAGA club is a great place to shoot. Great guys too. Hop to get back there again.
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Thank you, my dream tac shot very well, it's comfortable for me and fitted for me... I hope I can do better next time... I was disappointed with my shooting at the TO100 this past Sunday, need some more time with my Crown... I do like HFT, it's certainly fun, great people, learn a lot, see a lot of gear I've never seen in person...

I am addicted, I have a rare case of "AirGunosis"...

Ken
 
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