What is Field Target Shooting
Field Target is a safe and challenging international target sport which does not involve shooting any wildlife. The targets are metal silhouettes which fall over when hit in the correct area (hit zone) and which are then re-set for the next shooter by pulling a cord from the firing line.
A field target course typically consists of 30, 40, or 50 targets depending on the specific competition in progress. Each target has a circular hit zone within the silhouette (outer target shape) which may have a diameter of 15mm or 25mm, but the majority will be a "full size" of 40-45mm. When a pellet strikes the hit zone the target will fall back and a hit be recorded by an X on the score card. If the target does not fall back then a miss will be recorded by a 0.
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It is an all-year-round outdoor sport shot from a designated and marked firing line set along the length of the course, which is divided into lanes usually consisting of 2 targets. Both targets are usually of the same silhouette shape and they may be set at angles to the firing line, at varying heights, and are usually attached to trees or ground stakes etc.
The distances at which targets are set will be between 8 and 55 yards and shots will, in most cases, be taken from a sitting position but a proportion of the targets will be designated to be shot from a kneeling or standing position.
There are normally 2, or sometimes 3, shooters per lane who will each have 1 shot at each of the 2 targets. Having completed the lane and re-set the targets, shooters will progress to the next lane until they have completed the course
In addition to practice, experience and perseverance there are key skills which are essential to successful Field Target shooting and they are:-
a) Range Finding - When fired, the pellet has a trajectory to the target and it is important to learn by experimentation how much hold over or under is required at each target distance in order for the pellet to strike the target in the right place. Whist this can be done by estimation it is more usual to use high powered telescopic sights which have such a small depth of field that distances can be judged at the position on a pre-marked side wheel when the image comes into focus.
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