Thread: Long Range Hunting and F-Class Target Shooting.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings @caberslash,
Granted it is much harder to make a living using a rifle but it is also much less expensive to own a rifle. It costs around 7 times more to purchase a T3 than I paid for my M700 ADL in the 1970's. a car is ten times the price and property well north of that. A Tasco 2.5 power scope with rings cost about $100.00 in the 70's. Our problem going forward is likely to be the availability of rifle ranges so it is our interest to support the ranges we still have rather than mourning what has been lost. Some have got this massage but others not so much.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by Jaco Goosen

Back in South Africa we tried to bridge the gap between (TR) or Bisley as its commonly known, by hosting F-Class Hunter days where hunters and LR shooters could use their hunting and PRS rigs to shoot out to 1000m.

The guys went so far as to change the black circle to an animal silouette with the X positioned on the hart.

The hunters grew into it quite quickly and before long they were happy shooting at the normal TR targets.

Its definately a move in the right direction.

The SA Hunters (Basically NZDS) realized hunters found the normal 4P type shoots quite boring and started hosting different dissiplanes, aimed at simulating hunting situations.

I tried to do something simular once I settled in, but the interest is not there yet and some club commitees just cancels you immideately if you try to suggest something other than 4P.


I think the F-class hunter type shoot is a move in the right direction. Shooters interest has changed, forever.

Having experienced some similar issues with a club, which has on the whole been positive in terms of ease of joining and friendly members (not so much with others, would have been easier to join the Freemasons!), I think an 'adapt or die' approach is required.

New members are always required and changes will inevitably come with new blood. The tasks such as cutting grass, putting up signs or marking butts are not difficult, but you need to foster the right atmosphere, otherwise you land up with a situation where the ranges are treated as a 'cheap facility' where volunteers are treated like staff by some. Not good and the club will eventually fold if the volunteers don't feel appreciated and get a good return for their time and effort.

Something I always try to do, is offer or even encourage someone who does not have their own firearm at hand to shoot my rifle and ammunition under supervision, when I know they are safe and have the basic principles in place. This can help them avoid expensive and unnecessary purchases as they get an idea of what different scopes, stocks and triggers feel like.

If old members don't want change, they should leave instead of making the club either exceedingly expensive/difficult to join (whilst 'life or founding members essentially shoot for free) or discourage new members, whether through negative attitude or comments.

On a positive note, I see that there are always young people who take an interest in shooting, but without parental support and guidance, this initial interest is difficult to nurture, so they might have to wait until adulthood for a chance to shoot on their own time, but money can be a big barrier to entry.

Instead of being seen as a 'group that shooting must bend over backwards to appeal to', all visitors or new members should be treated equally and not receive either too much or too little attention from senior members who are looked to for advice and assistance. I think some female members may receive the former and be a bit put off. Likewise if someone does not speak English as their first language, they may have difficulty asking important questions and so there needs to be a fine balance.

In NZ you have the good fortune of access to public land for recreation, where firearms are still allowed (seemingly only under the provision of 'free pest control' to DOC...?).

Would it be considered wrong to set up temporary targets or shoot rocks on DOC land? So long as it was done safely and away from public access tracks to avoid noise pollution?

I think rock shooting when scouting public land before hunting season (in the free parts of the USA) is a great way for hunters to improve their marksmanship and also learn what sort of wind drift they can expect from their projectiles in an area where quarry might be present in the future.

Any notion of lead pollution from the above is pure nonsense, and should be recognised as a line pushed by 'anti-gunners'. Be very weary of the promotion of 'lead free' projectiles as there are going to be (potentially) toxic metals in any type of bullet or projectile, and lead is a core component of primer manufacturing. Anyone encouraging a 'conversion to lead-free' isn't really a rifle shooter.