Beeman R7 for HFT??

[chiro972b]

So my wife has decided she likes shooting air rifles! I love it. She also likes a smaller gun and was enjoying my Disco but the trigger on that is so horrible (even with the two screw mod) that I would like to get her something else. She doesn't want to ever hunt but would like to try field target. Would the 6-7 fpe of the R7 be enough to be accurate and drop the targets at 50 yards?

If so, I'll start saving my pennies for one.

[Bullit]

That's getting really low in fpe for FT targets at 35-55yds, to me.  But she'll probably whip us all with her consistency,,, so why not?

[Tpatner412]

I have seen a 10 meter match gun (FWB 601) used in FT.  That is a 6 FPE gun.  I watched a man shoot in the mid 40's with one.  So say a 45/60.  That's darn good.  Judging the wind will be tough and even if you hit a 55 yard target, it's likely it won't fall.  And with shooting HFT, not sure if there will be enough mil dots to compensate for the drop of a gun like that.

Let us know how she does

[Calmark]

I've also had thoughts of using my R7 just for some fun doing Hunter Field Target.  I think they are capable, though have their limitations.  It can be done, though there are more powerful springers that will likely make it easier to obtain a high score.

Here is a picture of a group just over 1/2" I shot last week with 5 pellets at 50 yards.  It was while rested on my hand sitting at a table, but shows R7s can reach out to that range.



One key to having enough energy left at far ranges to knock over the target is enough power.  I have a Vortek spring kit in mine and get 690 fps with AA Falcon pellets.  These are the same as the JSB 7.33 grain pellets.  That's 7.75 foot pounds of energy and I think the extra power over a stock R7 (5-6 fpe) really helps to reach out to longer ranges, along with the relatively flat-shooting 7.33 grain JSBs.  At 50-55 yards, the limits of most HFT ranges, I have a drop of 4-6", which isn't enough to make hold over too extreme.

That all said, this was me shooting while fairly comfortable at the time and most of my groups are generally 2-3 times that size from my wobbling or wind.  The rifle is capable if the shooter is, especially at the shorter distances, like under 35 yards. But strong wind is going to make the relatively low velocity, combined with a fairly light-weight pellet, make it very hard to judge the effects of the wind to consistently hit the kill zone at far ranges.

While it may not be the "best" springer to shoot HFT, I say have your wife give the R7 a try.  I would highly reccomend a Vortek spring kit to help increase the velocity as well.  Get the R7 first and upgrade to the Vortek later on as budget allows. 

Happy shooting! 

 

[Motorhead]

HFT where dropping some steel is the game ... An R7 is a tad weak for that chore IMO.

But then again, with such a low recoil your "Wife" certainly will be able in seeing her Hits be it ... Paddle or Plate.
So as the dates mature at the local FT field, just a matter of of time before the wink in her eye is for MORE GUN 

[Calmark]

I forgot to say when I shoot my R7 at 50 yards, I'm using a 7 power scope.  Its a Gerholdt & Reuss 2-7x32 with a duplex reticle.  With a scope with the maximum allowed 12x, it might help to tighten up groups somewhat.  I plan to put out a Gamo squirrel field target soon and see how well my R7 will knock it down with its 7.75 fpe.  Time to put the R7 to the real test.  I've been practicing a little at that range so that squirrel might be in trouble! 

[Tpatner412]

With my HW30, I can knock the Gamo squirrels down at 25 yards without a problem.  I know the heavier duty targets will not go down past 45 or so with guns running at those velocities.  That is the reason the German low power class (I believe it's around a 7 FPE limit) go out to 35 yards max with targets.  Pretty sure that's how they do it over there.  Kinda like we have a high power (20 FPE) and World class (12 FPE) here

[Calmark]

I just went out and tested my Vorteked R7 vs. one of those Gamo squirrels at 50 yards to see how it would do.  I'm accustomed to shooting it at 30 yards and it falls every time at that short range.  It was a bit breezy and I was cheating by shooting from a table on my deck, but I knocked it down 5 times in 6 shots.  I actually saw the miss bounce off to the left of the killzone.  I was using the largest size killzone, which I think is 1-1/2" and was firing the JSB RS 7.3 grain pellets. 

So, this proves its possible to knock down the targets in HFT with a hotter than usual shooting R7 at least.  An R7 could get you started in FT, but to me, the 40+ yard shots are going to be tough with the lower power, even if there is still enough energy left to knock the target over.  The larger Beeman R9/HW95 which has quite a bit more power would probably be a better choice overall.  The trade off of course is a larger, heavier rifle that takes more cocking effort.

I still say get the R7, as its a ton of fun to target shoot and plink with and has high inherent accuracy.  It is also capable, though perhaps not ideal, for a starter HFT rifle.  Later if you and your wife decide to get more serious about FT, you can consider upgrading to something more suitable to the sport.

[eeler1]

I carry an R-7 as my spare HFT rifle, in case the HW77 goes belly up on me.  And I shot my first FT match at the easton club in Sacramento using an FWB300, which is even lower powered.  For the longer shots, it was almost like a mortar shell, lobbing the lead at the target.  But when you do knock down a 50 yarder with it, which I did a few times, it is very satisfying.  Like a golfer hitting a hole in one.

I agree with the poster who suggested to let her try it.  She will eventually get frustrated with the longer shots and want to upgrade.  James Brinkley's kids are like 10-14 years old, and shoot the S200, a pre-charged gun, do pretty well with them too.  Might be an affordable alternative if you volunteer to pump air in it.

[02stampede]

Here is a picture of a group just over 1/2" I shot last week with 5 pellets at 50 yards.  It was while rested on my hand sitting at a table, but shows R7s can reach out to that range.

That is an impressive group for 50 yards with a spring gun!

[Scotchmo]

I shot a gun in Hunter FT that was initially shooting 7.5fpe. It was fun. I knocked down a few targets at 50+ yards but it was rare. Wind was the biggest problem. Like others have said, the heavier targets may also need more power at the longer distances. The Gamo targets would usually go down if hit in the KZ even at 50 yards.

When starting out, you can afford to give up some of those farther targets if a smooth shooting, low power gun makes it easier to hit the close ones. It is a game of percentages. Work on your offhand and close targets and you can still shoot a decent score even with a low powered rifle. Learn to range the targets accurately because that is half the game and especially important if you want to hit a long one with 7fpe.

My pellet preference for low powered FT rifles is the AA Falcon 7.33g.

My scope preference is the UTG/Leapers 3-12x44 SWAT. The short version fits nicely on small rifles.

[Calmark]

[/quote]

That is an impressive group for 50 yards with a spring gun!
[/quote]

Thanks!  That's my best one so far and I have some others that are close.  I'm trying to hit 1 MOA, which is 1/2" or under at that range and I'm getting close.  I polished the barrel crown last week and I think that helped just a bit.  Now, I just need to get consistent about shrinking my groups to that size and I'm in business. 

[Calmark]

Well, I just had to go out and try it again with my HW30S in .177 which is temporarily wearing my Simmons 6-21x44mm mildot scope (I never have enough scopes!).  I had it set at about 10x.  Its shooting the JSB RS 7.33 grain pellets at 630 fps for about 6.5 ftlbs of energy.  It has a Maccari spring and is more docile shooting than my Vortek R7. 

After figuring out just over 4 mildots was the holdover, I shot the same Gamo squirrel FT at 50 yards.  Winds have picked up to about 10 mph with gusts up to 15-20 mph.  I had a few misses early on, but the 5 hits to the paddle knocked it over every time.  So, with 6.5 fpe, it is doable to knock down targets at 50 yards with an R7/HW30, but I do notice the extra few inches of drop make it a little tougher to lob into the kill zone.  I also imagine a smaller killzone under 1" in size would really make it tough too.  But hey, in the end you mostly compete against yourself in FT, so if you are like me and enjoy the challenge, then grab whatever you have and give it a try. 

[chiro972b]

Thanks for the replies. I was only thinking of knockdown power, but hadn't considered the adapting she'll have to do. More to consider. Unfortunately business is not doing too well ATM so it's gonna have to wait.