Wellington Field Target report

[curan]

Hello all,

Well, I promised a report and a few photos of my visit to Wellington, to the Grenada North range with the Ngaio Rifle Club back on the 11th of May.

Firstly I need to say a big thank you to the club and its members. They made me very welcome, from John the RO, to the various members (Graham, Brendon, Davey, and the others) who let me have a go with their kit, or just took the time to have a chat. And thanks to the ladies who supplied the scones to go with the cuppa (told you I was made welcome….they were good scones!).

I also have to say a big thank you to Adam for getting it all sorted and getting me there and letting him use his gear and mentoring me and for basically doing a fine job of looking after me. Really appreciated. It wouldn't have happened without you mate!

Now, the kit…..

Adam started me off with his HP Steyr, a very nice rifle with all the adjustments you could ever ask for. And it definitely shot well when I did my part. I had a bit of trouble getting a comfortable cheek weld and the right eye relief with it, though and I’m definitely not used to shooting with a fixed 45x scope, so it was a relief when I went “old school” with a springer. Adam’s TX200 was as smooth as butter, and I could wind the variable scope down to 20x, so I started shooting at 24x for positional targets and 20x for offhand. The feel was much like my BSA Hornet, so I was quickly enjoying this rifle, and finding the targets much quicker and more confidently.

Adam's HP Steyr with all the fruit.

Adam with the TX200 - Smoooooooth springer!

I also got to hold an FX with a rather impressive silencer fitted (yeah, there were silencers, and yes, I’m jealous).

I also saw an Edgun bullpup, and the Mac1 in the photo below. The kneeling attachment should help!

Mac1

This is where I should mention that the kneeling and sitting positions for Field Target are not quiet the 3P air positions I am used to. By the time the positions are slightly different, and the target lanes are sloping up or down to around 20 degrees, the positions felt a little like a class in yoga. I definitely found the downhill lanes much more comfortable. Offhand shots were not as bad. When I woke up the next morning, I could identify precisely the muscles that had got the workout. With practice though, I reckon I could really enjoy it.

Looking up a lane. Closest target was offhand at about 22m, furthest was sitting at 50m. All had 20mm kill zones.

Offhand kill zone is inside the red ring on the nearest target. Yellow target is for kneeling.

All in all, it was a great day at the range. I don’t think I embarrassed myself or my country too severely…..I was told I was being watched as to gauge the competition from Australia.
All tongue in cheek, but what a way to get pressure put on a lad! In the end I was knocking over about half of what I aimed at, and first time out, I don’t think I did too badly. For anyone interested, I reckon if you can consistently clip the 9 ring in 10m air, you should able to knock the targets over, as long as you can judge the wind – which is a bigger challenge than it sounds on slopes with intermittent foliage to break it up – and get over the uneven ground to shoot on and across. Sounds easy if you say it fast, doesn’t it!

My missus won’t be reading this, but she deserves thanks too. How many wives would let their husband go shooting for the bulk of the day in the middle of her dream holiday? And on Mother’s Day as well? She’s a keeper.

Life is good!

Cheers, curan.

[curan]

Better show you the silencer on the FX........

.....and the scones!

Scones.jpg

(91.16 KiB) Downloaded 86 times

[stinkitup]

Awesome write up Curan

Field Target has always interested me, might have to make some targets up and pretend on the hunting property.

Looks like a fantastic day out with some impressive kit! And by the looks welcoming NZ weather

Ryan

[curan]

Awesome write up Curan

Field Target has always interested me, might have to make some targets up and pretend on the hunting property.

Looks like a fantastic day out with some impressive kit! And by the looks welcoming NZ weather

Ryan

Thanks Ryan. The offhand targets and some others mostly had about 20 or 25mm kill zones, but they can vary in size. Most likely someone will chime in with the proper sizes for you. I just spotted a typo in the caption of a photo which said "all 20mm". That is wrong, as there was at least one 15mm, and I'm not sure about some which I think where bigger. It didn't matter, they were all challenging!

I have thought of setting up some swingers with discs for placing at varying distances for similar practice. The drop targets are nice, and do work well though. I have a couple of drop targets that Chris L gave to my club for the juniors to have a go at. I'll have to set them up again come the longer summer nights, and the young 'uns can get into them.

It was a nice day on the range, with a breeze that was cold if the sun passed behind a cloud, but otherwise quite pleasant. I really enjoyed the day, and Greyskull (Adam) is a wealth of information on FT and airguns, so we had a really good chinwag going on. It's a bit tragic that my work will not allow me to go back over for the Worlds in September, as it would be a great event to attend, and NZ isn't really that hard to get to, and I'm sure it will be well run. Never mind.

cheers, curan

[greyskull]

Wayne it was a pleasure to help in any way we could, to make your visit as enjoyable as possible.

Of course we all love playing about with our air rifles/toys. All big kids the lot of us......

Despite being on the wrong side of the big ditch, I reckon you are OK.

Just for interest, we don't only shoot FT here, we have been known to dally with Silo as well. I have not done nearly enough in the last few years. I think thats one air rifle discipline you might have the edge on us, but reckon we are a bit ahead in FT.

Silencers make no real difference to us here, and we only really use them to keep our profile low. We can happily ditch them for muzzle brakes, if the location allows. I do hope you are not breaking any local laws with the objectionale material you posted (pic of you holding the FX with Silencer).

We are sad we won't see you again in September, but that is only one occasion. After that has been and gone both NZ and AUS FT shooting bodies really need to settle into organizing a trans Tasman competition in perpetuity. I'll hopefully get a chance to sit down with Chris in September and nut something out. FT/Silo format suits us fine, as a couple of us are itching to come over and do something soonish.


Wayne it was a real pleasure, and I hope you felt at home in my Aussie tank!

All the best
Adam

[Yrrah]

What a great day you two had and what a great report! The pics too have highlighted the lush country and the obvious challenges of the game.
I really hope Adam and his fellows can get a few days with weather like that to showcase their backyard to the world later in the year. ... And they just might spring some surprises on the visitors too!
I must try to have a go at FT before I find it too hard to get up from getting down. ...

Many thanks for this vicarious exposure Wayne; and to Adam and friends who made my countryman so welcome. ... Kind regards, Harry.

[curan]

What a great day you two had and what a great report! The pics too have highlighted the lush country and the obvious challenges of the game.
I really hope Adam and his fellows can get a few days with weather like that to showcase their backyard to the world later in the year. ... And they just might spring some surprises on the visitors too!
I must try to have a go at FT before I find it too hard to get up from getting down. ...

Many thanks for this vicarious exposure Wayne; and to Adam and friends who made my countryman so welcome. ... Kind regards, Harry.

Funny Harry, but your name came up when Adam and I were discussing 50m targets and accuracy requirements. (In only the best context, of course ).

And you're right, getting up from sitting when the ground is sloping upwards has it's challenges!

[curan]

...... I do hope you are not breaking any local laws with the objectionale material you posted (pic of you holding the FX with Silencer)........

The only thing I find objectionable to the photo is that I couldn't take it in my home country! While I won't break any of our laws, I do find our ban on silencers to be silly. Especially in the context of air rifles. I know the Hornet would be a more bystander friendly rifle on the line if I was allowed to fit one. Then again, perhaps I should just be grateful for the liberties we retain.

...... I hope you felt at home in my Aussie tank!......

Felt like a quality bit of engineering excellence to me! As far as cars go, perhaps you should grab a V8 before someone decides to ban them Adam!

I didn't mention the toy I have in the shed. SVLE 5000, an original HSV carby job 5L with the air rush noise under the bonnet when you smack the pedal. It's a 5 speed manual with spur gears. Very unrefined, but damn good fun!

But no fun without a photo I s'pose.......

VN SVLE

cheers!

[Camel]

G'day Curan, thanks for the write up mate, looks like you had an enjoyable time. You certainly are lucky to be allowed away shooting on mothers day, lucky bugger. Some nice looking toys you got to fondle. The range looks challenging, for sure. Spoiled with the weather, the only time I was over there, it rained and blew a gale for the whole three weeks I was there, Un Zud is one place where Im sure most people would really welcome global warming.
Nothing better than a good batch of scones, but one question I must ask, why is there a rubber mallet on the box next to them, surely those Kiwi sheilas know how to cook scones without having to bash them to get them tender enough to eat.

[greyskull]

The rubber mallet is more intended by the Ladies providing the scones for crowd control.

They were tender and sweet. A coffee and scone is a welcome treat after a couple of hours battling the slopes. This is not a typical club, but they make do with what ground they have. As a consequence the firing points are "less than ideal" and don't conform.....no big deal.

Its a fairly barren place (by our standards) windswept and exposed on a hillside above one of Wellington's industrial suburbs. Some of the area is also used by the local paintballer assn.

Wind is the biggest issue here that we battle. Seldom do we get a windless day, often we get a mild day with a 10mph wind, occasionally we have a match in 25mph plus. I definitely have a preferred wind condition, and when that occurs at a match I have an awesome day, but usually I battle the wind trying to read it each lane with mixed success.

Wayne I like big straight sixes. NZ roads suit them better than 8's. Feul prices being what they are here, and the type of roads and number of speed cameras etc etc cruising suits me better, my car just eats the miles, and my last car was a '98 EA Fairlane, before that a Fairmont,...OK I like Fords but have owned a few Holdens too. However you have something special there! Reminds me of an HQ V8 Sandman I drove on a borrow back in the late '80s 5 speed manual.......cruisin!

kind regards
Adam

[curan]

........The rubber mallet is more intended by the Ladies providing the scones for crowd control.

They were tender and sweet...........

The ladies or the scones?

...I did enjoy the scone!

[Camel]

"The rubber mallet is more intended by the Ladies providing the scones for crowd control."

I gather in that case they were pretty good scones if you have to beat the crowd away from them. What sort of jam, home made or shop, we need the really important information, not that boring shooting stuff.

[Yrrah]

[quote

Funny Harry, but your name came up when Adam and I were discussing 50m targets and accuracy requirements. (In only the best context, of course ).

That course is a long way divorced from my shed, table and sandbag!!
And as for ... "getting up from sitting when the ground is sloping upwards has it's challenges![/quote]" ... well even fit sheep find that a challenge when THEIR backs lie downhill Old blokes can be forgiven? ... Kr Harry.

[greyskull]

Oh I don't think it is so far divorced from your shed and sandbags Harry. Before you can shoot an all terrain FT course, you first must master the basics. I say "basics" very much toungue in cheek, as we both know the "basics" can get very complicated if you start to delve too deeply........emerging a couple of years later wiser but no better at stander or kneelers

Technical ability and understanding take you so far, top notch equipment fettled to within a gnat's breath of its life takes you a little bit further, but the final push for top performance in FT is all about pure mental fortitude. If you cannot pull it all together on the day you finish down the scoreboard along with the rest of the field. in FT there are no 8's or 9's for a near miss. Its a X for 1 point or a O for a complete miss. This brutal form of shooting sport is hard on fragile egos, and you are only ever as good as your next match is.

Reading, absorbing and watching your many posts and videos over the last few years has learn'd me a lot. Many thanks. I just work in the girly .177 calibre for FT. Now I used to do a lot (and I mean an awful lot) of pest control work over here with air rifles, and worked in .22 cal, the difference was I had to abandon pcp's and go with custom built gas rams in .22cal because we were running out of air halfway through the hunt. (almost everyshot was successful too). Bet you can guess what we were hunting?

[Yrrah]

Bet you can guess what we were hunting?

Tough little Aussie ex-pats at a guess. When push comes to shove, .22 or better still .25 Polymags will level the playing field.

Adam when you hunker down, just imagine you're an onlooker watching a confident younger guy doing his best. Practise that mental set from now until the day. ... that's the extent of what I can offer ... Best for now, Harry.