Guide
Your first Field Target competition
Eight steps through a competition day, from entry to handing in the score card. Every statement links to the rule it comes from, so when something is unclear one click takes you to the original.
- 1
Before you enter
Field Target is shot with an air rifle up to 16.3 J, from three positions, at metal targets between 9 and 50 metres. Before entering, check which category and class you belong to and whether your rifle is under the power limit.
You enter through the club. The club is a WFTF member via its regional governing body (RGB), which submits entries to international events.Rule 4.1
Two categories: PCP and Springer. Both are limited to 12 ft·lbs, that is 16.3 J of muzzle energy.Rule 4.2Rule 1.1
Classes: Overall (the main competition, everyone together), Juniors (under 21 on 1 January), Ladies, Veterans (60 or over on 1 January) and the Open class, which shoots seated only and is not eligible for other prizes.Rule 4.3
To shoot internationally you must already have competed in or marshalled a domestic event, where range safety, timing and score-card marking are learned. That is why a club match is the right place to start.Rule 3
Set the rifle under the limit with a margin. The maximum velocity depends on pellet weight, see the table in Annexure A. If your weight falls between two rows, the lighter, stricter one applies.Rule 10
- 2
Rifle and equipment
Equipment rules exist so nobody can buy an advantage. Everything on the rifle when the match starts stays on it until the end.
Any sighting system except laser sights. No range-finding device, built-in or separate. You range with the scope parallax, which is what the sidewheel is for.Rule 1.3
Allowed accessories: one sling, butt hook, spirit level (analogue only), sunshade, scope enhancer, thermometer, wind indicator (non-electronic), inclinometer (analogue), hamster, weights, silencer where the law allows. Nothing is added or removed during the match.Rule 1.4
A thigh rest is prohibited: a stock extension that rests on the leg adds a support point. Adjustable stocks are otherwise allowed.Rule 1.1Rule 8.14
Bean bag: one per shooter, must fit in a 55 × 55 × 15 cm box. Used only as a seat in a freestyle lane, never to support the rifle and never in positional lanes.Rule 1.8
The kneeling roll goes only under the ankle or shin in the kneeling position. The organiser provides a cone-shaped roll in kneeling lanes; you may bring your own.Rule 1.9
Clothing is free as long as it is not a hazard. It may be padded where the stock rests on the arm or knee. Gloves may not have rigid parts extending past the wrist.Rule 1.7
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The day before: practice and chronograph
There is a practice day before the competition. Marshals check your rifle and equipment, and you check your zero and ranging with no pressure.
Mandatory checks on practice day: rifle power on the official chronograph, accessories, bean bag and roll size, pellets. On practice day you may test as many times as you like, without penalty.Rule 5.4Rule 5.5
During the competition every rifle is chronographed daily. The marshal loads the pellet himself. You get at most three readable shots: if the third is still over the limit, you are disqualified for that day. Hence "under the limit with a margin".Rule 5.5
A rifle that passes gets a sticker and the velocity is written on your score card. The Chief Marshal may request a re-check at any time during the day, at random.Rule 5.5
Pellet weights are spot-checked on scales. Only pellets made of lead, lead alloy, zinc or a similar material are allowed.Rule 1.2Rule 5.5
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Safety, no exceptions
This is the one part of the rules where a breach sends you home immediately. It is all common sense, but worth repeating when the adrenaline is up.
The rifle is unloaded except in the act of shooting. A loaded rifle always faces down range. Never, even unloaded, point it at people or animals.Rule 3
When carrying it, the muzzle points down and the bolt is open, or the rifle is in a bag. When resting it in the lane, the muzzle is in front of the firing line and the trigger behind it.Rule 3
One whistle or horn is a ceasefire: stop the timer immediately, discharge a loaded rifle into the ground in front of you across the firing line, then the whole squad raises a hand so the marshal knows it is safe to enter. Do not move towards a target or range-find until the course reopens.Rule 5.7
Two whistles mean start, or course re-open. If your timer was stopped, you get one minute of preparation plus one minute per remaining target.Rule 5.6
No alcohol before or during the competition day until the last shot. No unsupervised children or pets on the range. Spectators do not stand on the firing line.Rule 3
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In the lane
A course has 25 lanes with two targets each. You shoot in a squad of two or three: one shoots, another times and scores. This is where everything you practised happens.
Squads are formed so that shooters from the same club or country are not together. Each squad receives score cards, a timer and a pen before the start.Rule 4.7
You have 3 minutes per lane: 1 to prepare and 2 for two targets. Time starts when you sit, kneel, or bring the scope to your eye when standing. Looking through the scope, ranging, loading and reading the wind all count.Rule 5.8
Muzzle in front of the firing line, trigger behind it. Lane poles are not a support, not even for your feet. While ranging you may not lean on anything: no pole, tree or tripod.Rule 2.9Rule 5.9
Targets are shot in numerical order. If you knock down the wrong one, you score 0 for the target that was due, reset the fallen one and shoot it again when its turn comes.Rule 5.9
Targets sit between 9 and 50 m. A 15 mm hit zone goes out to 20 m at most, 25 mm to 35 m, 40 mm to 50 m. That helps you sanity-check a range when the parallax is unsure.Rule 2.5
After your last shot: reset the targets, reset the timer for the next shooter and leave the lane immediately. When the lane ahead is free, enter without delay; holding up the queue is a warning.Rule 5.8Rule 7.4.1
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Three positions
At most 20% of targets, usually 10 of 50, are shot standing or kneeling, at 40 m or less. The rest is freestyle, and most shooters sit. The wrong position in a positional lane costs penalty points.
Kneeling: exactly three points of contact with the ground, two feet and one knee. The roll only under the rear foot or ankle, and that foot must be visible to the marshal at all times. The leading hand supports the rifle forward of the wrist, unsupported; the hamster may not touch the forearm, not even through a sleeve.Rule 8.6
Standing: two points of contact, feet only. No support of any kind; the leading hand holds the fore-end, trigger guard or hamster. Sling and butt hook may be used to steady the aim.Rule 8.7
Freestyle: any position, including prone. Seated on the bean bag is the standard, because it is the most stable position allowed with legal equipment.Rule 8.8Rule 1.8
Positional lanes are clearly signed at the firing line. If you cannot kneel for medical reasons, tell the Chief Marshal 24 hours in advance: standing may replace kneeling, but there is no substitute for standing.Rule 2.7Rule 4.4
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Scoring and disputed targets
X is a hit, 0 is a miss. Your squad keeps the card, and every correction goes through a marshal. When a target does not fall and you think you hit it, there is an exact procedure.
Only shooters in your squad or a Deputy Marshal handle the score card. A correction not countersigned by a marshal can turn a hit into a 0.Rule 5.10Rule 5.11
A disputed target is challenged immediately after the shot. Under no circumstances touch the reset cord until the marshal arrives. The marshal first checks the cord, inclination, fixing and surroundings, then tests the target at least three times with the official device.Rule 5.12
If the target works, you score 0. If it is faulty, it is replaced and only you re-shoot it. The marshal's decision is final.Rule 5.12
After the match the whole squad signs the card and it goes straight to the officials. A forgotten card is a forgotten result.Rule 5.10
A tie for a prize place is decided by a shoot-off: one round of two targets freestyle, then kneeling, then standing until it is settled.Rule 5.15
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Warnings, penalties, protest
There are three levels: warning, point penalty, disqualification. Most beginner mistakes are warnings, but three warnings become points.
Warning: not following a marshal's instruction, not timing your partner (the whole squad gets it), entering the course during a ceasefire, leaving the competition area without permission (toilets by the course count as the area), rear foot not visible when kneeling, not entering a free lane and causing a queue, leaving your partner alone while shooting.Rule 7.4.1
Point penalty, 1 or 2 points: firing into the ground without your partner's permission (scored as a miss), a prohibited accessory, ranging with a support, seat too high, wrong position in a positional lane, three warnings.Rule 7.4.2Rule 7.3
Disqualification: endangering safety, refusing a chronograph check when asked. The Chief Marshal decides this on the spot.Rule 7.4.3
A protest is made in writing to the Chief Marshal on the same day, at the latest 30 minutes after the end of competition, on the form from the reception desk. The answer comes the same day and is final.Rule 5.18
Arriving late for the start means you do not shoot that day. Come early; chronograph and registration take time.Rule 5.16
Checklist
What to bring
Rifle set under 16.3 J with a margin, checked on a chronograph with the pellet you will shootRule 1.1Rule 10
Enough pellets of one type for 50 targets plus chronograph and sighting-inRule 1.2
Bean bag that fits in 55 × 55 × 15 cmRule 1.8
Kneeling roll if you have your own; the organiser provides a cone-shaped oneRule 1.9
Sling and butt hook, if you use them, already fittedRule 1.4
Range card for your rifle and an inclined-shot card
Clothing for the weather, a mat, water, food for a full day on the courseRule 1.7
Club membership card and ID, entry confirmationRule 4.1