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Field target is an outdoor airgun field shooting shooting sport. Competitions are usually fired at steel target placed between . There are two classes; Piston for spring-piston air guns, and PCP for pre-charged pneumatic air guns. In sanctioned competitions, the same competition rule set is used around most of the world. A small match can consist of 40 to 60 rounds, while the world championship consists of 150 rounds. It is common to use telescopic sight with high magnification and a short depth of field such that an adjustable parallax knob can be used to precisely determine the target distance. The target kill zones have three standardised sizes, which are 15 mm (placed between 12 and 23 m), 25 mm (placed between 7 and 37 m) or 40 mm (placed between 7 and 42 m).
In the UK, 0.177 inch (4.5 mm) caliber rifles are the most popular, as the higher velocity (relative to a .22" rifle of the same power) of the pellets means they fly with a flatter trajectory over the distances involved. One downside is that .177" pellets are very light and can be affected more by light than the heavier pellets of a .22" (5.6 mm) rifle, in cases where .177 pellets and .22 pellets are traveling at the same initial muzzle velocity.
Pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles are more popular than spring guns as the much lower recoil provides more confidence in aim for most people. There are some FT shooters who compete at very high levels with spring guns, and a well-engineered gun, shot with some skill will be no less accurate than a PCP. There are some "dedicated" FT designs available, with the main features being deep stocks or adjustable platforms ("hamsters") to rest on the knee while shooting seated, high or adjustable cheek-pieces to suit the large telescopic sights, and often adjustable butts or butt hooks. Many experienced shooters have chosen to use made-to-measure custom stocks for their rifles, and there are a small number of stockers in the UK who compete in FT and have a good understanding of the specific requirements of the sport.
are favored for obvious reasons – it is impossible to see the kill zone of the furthest targets clearly with the naked eye. Another advantage of high-magnification scopes is their ability to act as simple range-finding tools. At very high magnifications, most scopes have very shallow depths of field, and one can accurately focus on a series of targets at known distances and mark the scope for future reference. In competition the focus is on the target and deducing the distance from the marks made on the scope's focus control. Some scopes use side-wheel parallax adjustments to control focus (rather than a camera-like focus ring on the objective bell of the scope), and this allows the use of large diameter wheels to increase the distance between range markings and effectively improve ranging resolution.
Wind presents probably the largest challenge for an FT shooter – while it is not too difficult to hit even the furthest targets on a perfectly still day with a little practice, mastering shooting in wind can take many years. Pellets can be blown sideways by even a light breeze. At longer distances this can start to cause misses, as the pellet will often be blown onto the faceplate if aimed centrally. In stronger winds it is not uncommon to have to aim completely off the faceplate in order to score a hit, and judging the amount of compensation to apply takes a lot of practice and experience. Head and tail winds can also have an effect on the trajectory of the pellets, causing them to hit high or low. It is common to fit a "windicator" to the barrel of the rifle – a piece of light cord with a feather on the end will provide a good indicator of general direction in light winds when it may not be entirely obvious, but it does not indicate what the wind will be doing on the way to the target. Competitors may choose to lift the reset cord of a target off the ground to get a feel for this wind – it will arc gently in a steady crosswind, and may even reveal changes in wind direction caused by nearby trees and foliage. Although many scopes have mechanical adjustment for horizontal offset, it is primarily used to ensure the rifle is shooting straight ahead in still conditions. The variable nature of the wind means it is often easier to aim off target (sometimes called "Kentucky windage" in the US) than to try to adjust the calibration of the crosshairs.
One measure of the difficulty of a field target shot is the Troyer (named after Brad Troyer). At its simplest, a Troyer is the distance to the target in yards divided by the kill zone diameter in inches. (This can be adjusted to meters/millimeters by multiplying by 2.32.) Thus, if a target is at 45 yds and the kill zone is 2 in, the difficulty is 45/2 or 22.5T. In practice, there are additional multipliers for various conditions such as targets over 45 yards, wind, "extremely" dark or bright conditions, standing or kneeling positions, and uphill or downhill shots. A typical course has a difficulty averaging about 25T with a spread of difficulties from as low as 10T to as high as 60T. A well-designed course can be used for all field target classes although the PCP shooters will typically outscore the piston shooters.
Targets are shot from open "gates" in a firing line, and are divided into "lanes" of two targets each. Many competitions impose a time restriction of two minutes to shoot both targets after a competitor first looks through his or her sights.
Targets may be placed at any distance between 10 yards (9 m) and 55 yards (50.3 m) from the firing line. Targets are often placed at about the same height as the shooter, but it is not uncommon for them to appear high up banks or in trees, or down steep slopes.
The hit or "kill" zone of a target is always circular, and nominally 40 mm in diameter, although "reducer" targets as small as 25 mm diameter may be employed for seated shots up to 35 yards (32 m).15 mm kill zones at close range are also becoming popular. The targets are painted with the kill a contrasting color to aid visibility, although the paint is quickly removed by hits during competitions, making it harder to distinguish.
The majority of shots may be taken in any stance, but the seated position is the most popular due to its stability and often the need to see over logs or long grass that would preclude prone shooting. Most competitors carry a small beanbag or cushion to sit on while shooting and they are often used as a protective rest for guns while competitors wait their turn to shoot.
In competition, 20% of the lanes are designated as compulsory standing or kneeling, and there must be as even a split as possible between the two. Most competitions have 40 targets arranged in 20 lanes, so it is usual to have 2 standing lanes and 2 kneeling lanes. Grand Prix events have 25 lanes, so there are 2 lanes of one position and 3 of the other. Standing or kneeling targets must be no more than 45 yards (41 m) from the firing line.
Points are scored with 1 for a hit (resulting in the faceplate falling), and 0 for a miss (whether it strikes the surrounding faceplate, misses it, or "splits" on the edge of the kill but fails to down the target). The highest score of a competition forms the benchmark for all the other scores – they are calculated as a percentage of this score rather than the total number of targets.
Members of the British Field Target Association (BFTA) are graded according to their performance every six months. The average percentage score over this period determines which of the four grades is given – (in ascending order of skill) C, B, A and AA. Prizes at shoots are awarded by grade
However, in order to comply with the World Field Target Federation rules (as well as to limit damage to the targets), Field Target in the Netherlands is shot with rifles with a maximum muzzle energy of 16.3 Joule (12 ft-lbs).
The general guideline is that the power of an Air Rifle used in a Field Target match must not damage the targets. All Field Target competition is "open class", and competitors participate in their own official "International" class, as do spring/piston air rifle competitors. Maximum/minimum distances are 10 m to 50 m. Membership of NZAFTA; the RGB to WFTF, consists of eight member clubs Nationally.
However, in order to comply with the World Field Target Federation rules (as well as to limit damage to the targets), Field Target in Norway (NFTAC events) are restricted to rifles producing a maximum muzzle energy of 16.3 Joule (12 ft-lbs).
In the US, kill zone diameters vary from a minimum of 0.375 inches (9.525 mm), to a typical kill zone diameter at distance of 1-1/2 inches (3.81 cm). Occasionally, kill zones to the maximum allowed 2 inches (5.08 cm) are used. The ranges of the targets must be between 10 yards (9.1 m) and 55 yards (50.3 m), and they are arranged in lanes of 1 to 3 targets. Kneeling and standing shots are also the norm at every match but not as large a percentage of the match as in the UK. Hunter class has also started with a very strong following.
Precision shooting at such small targets lends itself to dialing in elevation adjustments and for the most part when shooting at high power Kentucky windage a bit less of a factor than with although time-of-flight is the primary factor for windage and, while the power of guns used may be lower, lighter pellets are also used in such guns and the speed of a pellet at the muzzle is only a bit slower (7.2 grains at versus , for example). Hence, windage is a similar problem for those shooting at either power in most instances.
In recent years, a pistol version of Field Target has taken hold in the U.S. Limited to 12 ft·lbf (16 J), this game uses the same targets as the rifle game. A pistol game is shot at shorter ranges, from 10 yards (9.1 m) and 35 yards (32.004 m), at target kill zones from .5 inch (12.7 mm) to 2 inches (5.08 cm) in diameter.
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