For nearly 10 years, dedicated air gun competitors from around the globe have taken part in the Crosman All-American Field Target Championship. This year was no different. In late June, 85 competitors participated in the popular 3-day event. “The Crosman All-American Field Target Championship is one of the must-attend events for Field Target airgunners”, said Mark DeBoard of Velocity Outdoor.

The winner of the All-Around prize for the highest score over all three days in 2019 was Bill Rabbit. Bill topped both the Hunter PCP and Hunter Piston Divisions. That’s Bill (left below) receiving his prize from Mark DeBoard, the Shooting Services Manager of Velocity Outdoor. Greg Shirhall won the Open PCP Division while Paul Porch won the WFTF PCP class.

Big Airgun Event in Upstate New York
The Crosman All-American Field Target Championship (CAAFTC) is the largest field target event in the USA. This very popular airgun event took place June 21-23, 2019 in upstate New York at the Rochester Brooks International Skeet and Trap Club in Rush, New York. This event attracted top Airgunners from across the nation (and some foreign countries). Along with regular Field Target matches, there were specialty side matches, plus a factory tour.

This Video Explains the Basics of Field Target Competition:

The 3-day competition featured multiple shooting matches including the main 2-day rifle event. There were four divisions for competitors: Open, Hunter, WFTF, and Pistol. In addition to the main rifle event, there was a pistol match, the Pyramyd Air Gunslinger match, and the popular Quigley Bucket Match. This Bucket match re-creates a famous scene in the movie Quigley Down Under in which the lead character shoots a bucket at 700 yards. Here the distances are scaled down a wee bit (wink-wink). Competitors, using iron sights only, got 5 shots at a 1.75″ bucket placed at 55 yards.

Tech Talk: Why the Big Side-Wheels on the Scopes?
Field Target rifles shoot pellets propelled by compressed air. These light-weight, low-BC projectiles drop very quickly, with a looping trajectory. In order to hit targets at distances out to 50 yards or so, you have to adjust your scope to compensate for pellet drop. But you can’t set the scope correctly without knowing the precise range to the target.

This is the function of the big wheels on the side of the scope. Field Target Competitors use the parallax adjustment on high-magnification scopes to determine target range. The big wheel allows quick, yet precise parallax adjustment. Markings on the wheel show the shooter the scope settings required for the distance “dialed-in” via the over-size parallax wheel.

The CAAFTC, sanctioned by the American Airgun Field Target Association, is a featured AAFTA Grand Prix event. The 120-shot match had four rifle divisions based on allowable gun and support equipment, along with a Hunter Pistol class. Here are the main air rifle classifications:

Hunter PCP Division – Rifle fires at a maximum 20 foot pounds of energy (FPE), shooter may use a non-attached bipod, non-restrictive clothing, and sitting stool.
Hunter Piston Division – Like Hunter PCP but with piston charging.
Open Division – Maximum 20 FPE rifle, shooter may wear a body harness, no bipod, 6″ max height seat.
World Field Target Federation (WFTF) – Similar to Open but shooters compete according to international standard of maximum 12 FPE for rifles.

The largest field target event in the country comes to upstate New York next weekend. On July 8-10, the Crosman All-American Field Target Championship (CAAFTC) will be held at the Rochester Brooks International Skeet and Trap Club in Rush, New York. 0ver 100 air rifle and air pistol competitors will participate in the event hosted by Crosman Corporation. This event attracts top Airgunners from across the nation (and some foreign countries). Along with regular Field Target matches, there will be specialty side matches, plus a factory tour. The event is free to the public.

The CAAFTC is sanctioned by the American Airgun Field Target Association and is a featured AAFTA Grand Prix event. The 120-shot match has competitive rifle divisions based on allowable gun and support equipment. Here are the main air rifle classifications:

Hunter Division – rifle fires at a maximum 20 foot pounds of energy (FPE), shooter may use a non-attached bipod, non-restrictive clothing, and sitting stool.
Open Division - maximum 20 FPE maximum rifle, shooter may wear a body harness, no bipod, 6″ maximum height seat.
World Field Target Federation (WFTF) – similar to Open but shooters compete according to international standard of maximum 12 fpe for rifles.
Freestyle Division – 20 FPE maximum rifle, no other restrictions. (This is new for 2016).

The pistol competition includes similar divisions based on shooting styles. Both rifle and pistol divisions include sub-classes based on the air rifle powerplant: piston driven or precharged pneumatic.

“If you want to see some of the country’s finest airgun shooters, this is the hottest event of the summer and it’s free for the public,” says Chip Hunnicutt, Marketing Manager for Crosman. “Alongside the world-class shooters, we’ll have enthusiasts simply having a good time and even parents bringing their kids for some good fun outdoors.”

The weekend begins on Friday, July 8th with the PyramydAir Gunslynger match at noon followed by the Quigley Bucket Challenge at 2:00 pm. A facility tour will be available at 1:00 pm at Crosman’s world headquarters located at 7629 Routes 5 & 20 in Bloomfield. The first round of the rifle match begins Saturday at 9:00 am.

Tech Talk: Why the Big Side-Wheels on the Scopes?
Field Target rifles shoot pellets propelled by compressed air. These light-weight, low-BC projectiles drop very quickly, with a looping trajectory. In order to hit targets at distances out to 50 yards or so, you have to adjust your scope to compensate for pellet drop. But you can’t set the scope correctly without knowing the precise range to the target. This is the function of the big wheels on the side of the scope. Field Target Competitors use the parallax adjustment on high-magnification scopes to determine target range. The big wheel allows quick, yet precise parallax adjustment. Markings on the wheel show the shooter the scope settings required for the distance “dialed-in” via the over-size parallax wheel.

At its scenic Bloomfield, New York facility, Crosman hosted the largest regional competition sanctioned by the American Field Target Association (AFTA) and the 2013 edition of the Northeast Regional Field Target Championship (NRFTC). Over one hundred competitors (and three international teams) participated in the two-day rifle match, single day pistol match, and Quigley Bucket Challenge.

The big draw was Team USA as they prepare to attend the World Field Target Federation Championship in Germany in August. Nine members of the 15-member team were on hand including past NRFTC champions Hector Medina, Greg Sauve and Harold Rushton. They were joined by five shooters of Team Venezuela and when a few Canadian participants formed Team Canada, the international side match was on. Scores were based on the team aggregate and after Day 1 it was Team USA (41.33) leading Team Canada (38.83) and Team Venezuela (36.80). Anchored by Rushton, Sauve, and Ray Apelles, Team USA took the weekend with an aggregate score of 88.66. Team Canada finished with 78.66, and Team Venezuela posted a 72.60.

CLICK HERE for complete Team and Individual Match Results.

Quigley Bucket Challenge
Always a favorite pre-event competition, the Quigley Bucket Challenge is a re-creation of the dramatic scene in the film Quigley Down Under in which Tom Selleck’s character must shoot a bucket at 700 yards. Scaled for airguns, this equates to a 1.75″ target placed at 55 yards. Shooters must use a 6.5 ft-lb. rifle using only open / iron / non-magnified sights. The Quigley had 45 shooters try five shots apiece. Just eight hit the bucket and after two over-times, Greg Sauve was the only shooter to repeat the feat, thereby winning the Challenge.

Tech Talk: Why the Big Side-Wheels on the Scopes?
Field Target rifles shoot pellets propelled by compressed air. These light-weight, low-BC projectiles drop very quickly, with a looping trajectory. In order to hit targets at distances out to 50 yards or so, you have to adjust your scope to compensate for pellet drop. But you can’t set the scope correctly without knowing the precise range to the target. This is the function of the big wheels on the side of the scope. Field Target Competitors use the parallax adjustment on high-magnification scopes to determine target range. The big wheel allows quick, yet precise parallax adjustment. Markings on the wheel show the shooter the scope settings required for the distance “dialed-in” via the over-size parallax wheel.

See More Photos at Crosman Flickr.com Photo Archive