What Is Field Target Shooting?
Welcome to our 'What Is Field Target Shooting?' page. Here, we aim to provide you with an insight into the exhilarating sport of field target shooting. Discover the equipment, rules, and techniques involved in this popular discipline.
Introduction to Field Target Shooting
Field target shooting is a competitive air gun sport where participants use air rifles to shoot at metal targets placed at varying distances in a natural setting. The distances can be between 10 and 55 yards and kill zones are 40, 25 or 15mm in diameter.
It requires precision, focus, and skill to hit the target accurately.
Equipment and Ammunition
To participate in field target shooting, you will need an air rifle, pellets, and shooting accessories. Different types of air rifles and calibers are used in the sport, each with its own advantages. Choosing the right equipment is crucial for achieving success in field target shooting.
We would recommend using a .177 calibre for this discipline as the flatter pellet flight trajectory, makes it more favourable to cover the distances we shoot at.
Equipment doesn't have to be expensive to be effective! We can advise you on what to buy.
Rules and Regulations
Field target shooting follows a set of rules and regulations outlined by the British Field Target Association. This includes the target size maximum distances e.g a 25mm target can only be placed between 10 and 35 yards.
During competitions, shooters are normally shooting against a timer, requiring shooters to shoot two targets on a lane within 3 minutes.
Each target can only be shot at once during a competition, a hit is represented by a cross on the score sheet and a miss is represented by a zero.
On a club day, there are no requirements for timers, we encourage a relaxed atmosphere for all abilities to enjoy the sport with no time constraints.
Targets
We do not shoot at wildlife. The targets we use are metal targets with various shapes and sizes. The aim of the sport is to hit the small kill zone/area in the middle.
If you hit the kill area, the target collapses completely, making it very easy to see when it's been hit. If you miss the target, but hear the sound of metal, it means you are close but more than likely hit the silhouette instead!
If that doesn't take your interest...
We are happy for members to use the practice field to put out their own bench rest targets. We have some benches specifically for bench rest which can be assembled in 5 minutes. The practice range also has numerous knock down/up targets at varying distances. As long as people are enjoying themselves, that's what counts!
Would you like more information?
Air Arms (one of the premier air rifle suppliers in the UK) has a page dedicated for this!