Tawd Vale FT and ARC offer many types of target shooting for club members to take part in at all levels. For those starting out in the sport we offer internal club leagues and for those with their sights set a little higher we also have club members who are world and national champions.
The two main target sports people enjoy at Tawd Vale are:
- Hunter Field Target
- Field Target
Both are different, but sort of the same. The ultimate goal is to hit targets and the targets both sports shoot are the same with some differences in course design. The major differences between the sports are the rules within them.
Field Target (FT) almost has no rules. You can use whatever gun and scope you want, you can use them both to your advantage and adjust them on every lane to suit the target you’re shooting. You can range find with your scope and dial so that you are not guessing range or pellet trajectory. You can shoot sitting so you’re positron is consistent in almost all environments.
Hunter Field Target (HFT) doesn’t really allow that. You can use any scope and gun you like but if you can’t adjust them after you take your first shot meaning any advantage in buying expensive scopes is gone. Adjustable target stocks are allowed in HFT but you’re not allowed to sit, you have to shoot prone and touch a wooden peg which means the position isn’t consistent so you’re stock won’t really fit you for many shots anyway. Courses only have 30 targets, which means unregulated (and cheaper) rifles are more than suitable for the sport.
Field Target is like Formula 1 racing where almost no compromise is made, you’re left to your own devices and the goal is ultimate accuracy. Hunter Field Target is more like Rally driving where you have to wing it a little bit and it’s more about skills of the shooter than what kit they have.
FT and HFT
Both sports are wonderful in their own right and many members shoot both. Tawd Vale offers a club HFT league with a summer and winter season which offers new shooters a relaxed competition environment to test their skills and become used to the sport.
Tawd Vale also host regular Field Target competitions for the NWFTA (the regional body for FT). These are a little more structured than our club competition but they are very welcoming of new shooters. They run a Summer and Winter series which travels around the region and running competitions at different clubs.
If you’re interested in competition shooting Tawd Vale is probably the club for you.