Accuracy Matters

Mark Camoccio reveals how correct gun fitting can improve your marksmanship

- Mark Camoccio

Fundamentally, it is all about control and guiding our airgun pellet to arrive at exactly the right place on the target. In order to achieve this, every aspect of the rifle needs to be in tune, and one essential area is how the rifle sits in the shoulder.

CONSISTENCY

It might be something of a cliché, but the gun needs to become almost an extension of the body, and for this to happen, the area at the butt end becomes vital. Conventional butt pads are all very well, but in the interests of maximising positional advantage, many competition shooters have found that they need more versatility, and the butt hook is fast becoming a popular solution. Indeed, turn up to an outdoor airgun competition, be that field target or HFT, and you’ll soon notice that the trend for butt hooks has really taken off.

ADJUSTABILITY

Usually made from aluminium, many of the better designs of butt hook consist of a number of interchangeable sections that all bolt together. The design often allows for the butt section to be moved up or down, on a riser bar, and each section can be slackened off in turn, adjusted to suit the shooter’s body, and then tightened as necessary with an Allen key. The result can be a butt assembly that follows the contours of the shoulder. The sports of FT and HFT are all about challenging the shooter’s technical approach, and different regulations dictate play in these demanding disciplines. So, it’s interesting to see how the rules influence the user’s choice of kit.

FIELD TARGET