MAGAZINE

GB F Class 2012New season startsAPRIL 2012The first competitive GBFCA shoot is in April at Diggle,so whilst everything is fresh in your mind, get stuck inand put all that theory to good use! The first Diggleshoot will be the only short-range shoot of the year somaybe a bit less daunting if you are intending to makeyour debut!When we first started these short-range shoots, wewondered whether it would be of any interest - wethought most people would only travel a distance forlong-range shooting but we certainly under-estimatedthe demand. Last year, at nearly 70 shooters, itproved to be the largest competition outside ofBisley and this year, despite the economic gloom, itis looking to be no different. As I write this, the entryforms have only been out for one week and I alreadyhave 45 paid entries! Certainly looks good for the restof the year.As for the old bone of contention about the weather -just because it’s April doesn’t mean the weather has tobe bad – we’ve had some great ‘T shirt’ shoots in Aprilat Diggle!From Diggle, we go up to Blair Atholl in May. If youhave never been to Blair, you really need to give it ago at least once in your shooting career. The rangeis in a stunning setting but can often prove to be thedownfall of even the best shooters - the wind flags canbe very deceiving plus it is the first shoot of the yearon electronic targets, so at least no butt marking.For those of you who may not be used to electronictargets, it is quite an experience – not waiting for thetarget to be pulled certainly speeds up the detail. Youalso have the added bonus of seeing your shot scored,a few seconds after pulling the trigger, to one decimalplace. Seeing a 4.9 rather than a 5 is certainly veryfrustrating, usually resulting in someone blaming thecalibration of the machine rather than their shooting!In June we are back at Diggle but this time for a longrangeshoot 800 - 1000 yards. With recently extendedfiring-points it means less details which equates to less37