What to do in 2024?

I’m sitting here thinking what I should do in 2024. Shall I stick with the same old HFT? Maybe a bit of field target, benchrest, or even the new PRS (Precision Rifle Shooting)? Shall I shoot .177, .22, Recoil, Open or Sticks? The choice of what and how to shoot is mind boggling. Luckily, because I’m getting old and set in my ways – and let’s be honest, scared of anything new – it will probably still be HFT in .177 and with a springer, but let’s take a look at what’s out there. 

I’ll start with HFT (Hunter Field Target) because this is my passion. I’ve been shooting the UKAHFT series for over 15 years, and it feels like a home away from home. For 2024, the Nationals will be visiting some new venues; Black Cats near Swindon; Bisley, near Woking, and a brand new venue at the Northern Shooting Show near Harrogate. We will also be visiting our favourite haunts; Maldon and District, Misfits, Meon Valley, Furnace Mill and Throckmorton. Check www.ukaft.org for more details. All of these venues are going to be amazing and I have no doubt that 2024 will be a truly stunning year.  

A MATTER OF CLASS 

So, the big question is, what class to shoot? Well, in HFT we have the Open and Recoiling, Veterans, Ladies, Juniors, .22 and Sticks, and there is a big part of me that fancies a change from the boinger.  I often ask myself if I could still hack it in the Open Class, and the answer is probably ‘no’. 

When you look at the big hitters in HFT – like Neil Palmer, Dave Ramshead, Richard Woods, Theressa Reed, and Elliot Compton – these are all people either blessed with huge natural talent, or an insane work ethic, and can take the time to practise, practise, practise. There have been many years when the Nationals have come down to a single target, and even though the thought of grabbing a XTI-50 and taking on the best of the best is appealing, I know that I just don’t have the time or the talent to do it. 

Neil Palmer has been shooting his Daystate Grand Prix with amazing consistency, and I am really happy to see Daystate making inroads into HFT again. The Grand Prix and the Red Wolf are insanely accurate rifles and in the hands of a top shooter like Neil, they are taking on the might of Steyr who have been so dominant in the world of HFT for the last 10 years.  

Neil is one of those shooters who gets very technical about his shooting, and when he arrives at a competition, he’s always well prepared and formidable, so in 2024, I believe he will be the first shooter to win the WHFTA World Championships twice. It has just been announced that the 2024 HFT World Championships will be held at Borders Wood on the 7th and 8th of September. Head over to www.whfta.org for more details. 

I do like the idea of sticks. I am having a few issues with my knees and Brocock has loaned me an amazing BRK Ghost, which I’ve been shooting at my home range, and it’s stunningly accurate. I have to admit, when it’s wet and cold, the thought of not having to get up and down from a muddy mat is very appealing, but shooting from sticks is very hard and not for the reason you might think. 

STICKS AND CALIBRE 

My biggest issue in shooting is rangefinding. Since the pandemic, my eyesight has taken a big hit. As a train driver, I have vision that’s very good at picking out things half a mile away, but not so good at accurately gauging the difference between 35 and 40 yards. So, to help me range targets, I use the ‘head bob’ method of rangefinding – you lock on to your target and then move your head up and down, and watch how far the crosshairs move. With sticks. though, is you can’t hold the gun still enough for this to work, so I would have to find a whole new way of ranging distance. I think sticks are in my future, but I need to work on my rangefinding first. 

What about calibre? Well, many years ago you would look at the .22 class and you would expect them to be well behind the Open on scores, and probably behind most spring gun shooters, but since shooters like Dan Measures and Ed Tandi have entered the class, the scores have crept up and up. There are now shooters in .22 using Steyrs. At the weekend, I shot at Meon Vally with Mark Stephenson and he was shooting an HFT-500 in .22, with JSB Jumbo RS, and as these are 13 grains in weight, this is not that much heavier than .177 heavies – and they fly almost as flat. 

I’M AFTER THE HAT-TRICK 

In 2024, I will most probably be springing with my beloved TX, but I have decided to revert to my old home-made stock, and drop the Green Machine. The Tac2, by Lucas Parsley, looks amazing, but I don’t think it fits me particularly well. However, my old Frankinstock might be made from Kydex, sawn up umbrella shafts and 3D printed parts, but it fits like a glove and with the Vortex Viper scope, I can rangefind to a good degree of accuracy. 

I am thinking of changing to shooting ‘up the peg’ as opposed to ‘from the deck’ because this may give me a more consistent hold, but I will say it here, ‘I’m back, baby’, and my plan is to win, the Southern Hunters, Worlds and UKAHFT for 2024, so watch me crash and burn! 

FT, BENCHREST AND PRS 

If you are not an HFT shooter, then the BFTA will be hosting their GP season, travelling the UK, shooting field target. Local clubs like Springfield will be hosing regular FT shoots, and if my hips will allow it, I might even give it a go. 

The benchrest boys will be in action, and I would strongly recommend that you check out the YouTube and Facebook pages of AirAbilty where Matthew Gleaves will tell you everything you’ll ever need to know about benchrest. Even though Air Ability is about the inclusivity of disabled shooters – Matthew is in a wheelchair – he smashes the living daylights out of almost every able-bodied shooter around him. 

Finally, if you are feeling fit and like the idea of shooting a sub-12 ft.lbs. air rifle out to 100 metres from the bonnets of cars, and lying underneath tractor tyres, Precision Rifle Shooting is going to be big in 2024. Based at Brook Valley, this new series – the Air Rifle League of Great Britain – is a blast. Contestants shoot 10 shots in two minutes from 25 to 100 metres, and have to move between each shot. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s so much fun! 

So, that’s our 2024 sorted, and we will be covering it all in Airgun World and on ‘Life at the Range’ on YouTube. See you out there.