designs available, with the main features being deep stocks or adjustable platforms ("hamsters") to rest on the knee while shooting seated, high or adjustable cheek-pieces to suit the large telescopic sights, and often adjustable butts or butt hooks. Many experienced shooters have chosen to use made-to-measure custom stocks for their rifles, and there are a small number of stockers in the UK who compete in FT and have a good understanding of the specific requirements of the sport. Telescopic sights are favored for obvious reasons – it is impossible to see the kill zone of the furthest targets clearly with the naked eye. Another advantage of high-magnification scopes is their ability to act as simple range-finding tools. At very high magnifications, most scopes have very shallow depths of field, and one can accurately focus on a series of targets at known distances and mark the scope for future reference. In competition the focus is on the target and deducing the distance from the marks made on the scope's focus control. Some scopes use side-wheel parallax adjustments to control focus (rather than a camera-like focus ring on the objective bell of the scope), and this allows the use of large diameter wheels to increase the distance between range markings and effectively improve ranging resolution. Physics and technique Pellets from a .177 inch rifle running near the UK legal limit of 16.27 joules (12 ft.lbf) will drop around 11 cm over – more than enough to miss the kill of a target completely – so it becomes necessary to compensate for range by adjusting the elevation of the barrel. Two common methods used are: moving the crosshairs above the center of the target by a lesser or greater degree (hold-over), often using markings on the reticle of the scope for reference, or adjusting a knob (turret) on the scope to drop the crosshairs onto the point of impact for a given range such that the pellet appears to go exactly where you point the gun (windage excepted). Competitors will often carry a small printed table of different ranges with their appropriate drop compensation or calibrate their elevation knob (often using an enlarged knob) – combined with the range-finding ability of the scopes, this allows for very accurate vertical placement of the pellets. Wind presents probably the largest challenge for an FT shooter – while it is not too difficult to hit even