I recently purchased USFT #19 from Kevin Allen. I wanted a high power Field Target rifle so I could give the PCP division a try next season. When Kevin decided to sell his, I knew it would be a good, proven rifle to compete with.
After having the rifle for a few weeks now, I have had a little time to get acquainted with it. I have shot two Field Target matches and the rifle performed well in both. The first was the week that I picked up the rifle. It was the Louisiana State Field Target Championship match and I tied for first with a 49/52. Ultimately, I ended up in second place after a shoot off. The second match that I shot was a couple of weeks ago in Pulaski, Tennessee. It was just a local Good Ole Boy’s match, but again I tied for first place with a 58/60. During those matches, I made a couple of observations about the rifle.
First, the best thing that I’ve found about the USFT is that the accessories allow the shooter to almost wear the rifle like a glove. I added the new Generation II knee riser and long rail system to my rifle and I have found it to be well worth the money. While shooting the last two matches, I was able to easily transition from steep up hill and tree shots to down hill shots with ease. The thigh rest also provides additional support to the butt of the rifle that allows it to just sit rock solid when in the seated Field Target shooting position. All of these parts work together to allow the rifle to fit the shooter like no other rifle that I have shot before.
Now, even counting all of the accessories that I previously mentioned, the rifle wouldn’t be much without a good barrel. Well, there’s definately no problem there with my rifle. In practice at home, I have noted that the USFT will routinely drive one pellet after another through the same hole at 50 yards. With it shooting Crosman Premier Heavy pellets at 880 fps, the wind isn’t much of a problem either. Over the past few years, I have grown accustomed to shooting lower powered springers and my 12 fpe EV-2. So, this higher power shooting is proving to be a bit of a relief during windy parts of the day. The amount of hold off necessary to hit a field target at 55 yards is negligable when using heavy pellets at the higher velocities.
Overall, I am very pleased with USFT #19. I hope to improve my abilities over the next few months. Shooting this fine rifle sure doesn’t leave much room for excuses! As I have more time with the rifle, I’ll update everyone on my observations.
Take care,
Harold
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