Rewind to the Field Target competition scene in the mid-80’s, and many shooters would have carried around a small piece of shaped wood (walnut was popular) which could be quickly fixed to the underside of the gun during a competition. This would normally be kept in the shooters pocket, and whipped out, mainly to adapt the rifle for the dreaded standing shots.

Once the shot had been taken, it would be removed and placed back into the pocket. Someone joked that it resembled a hamster, and this amusing, if slightly silly name, just stuck.

So what’s the idea behind it? Well whilst it can be great to have a slimline, lightweight rifle, that’s versatile and adaptable, having a shallow forend up front, can be a bit of a disadvantage in certain scenarios. Field Target is a good example, as competitors regularly face targets placed up trees, and down hillsides, and this is the reason specialist match rifles such as the Air Arms XTI-50 come fitted with that spectacular fully adjustable for end assembly, epitomising the natural evolution of an FT rifle.

But it’s not just FT that necessitates such an approach, and the principle holds, that by raising the forend of the gun, the shooter gains the ability to navigate targets placed on a higher plane.

Hunter Field Target shooters are restricted in that the rules state they are not allowed to makes any adjustments to the rifle, for the duration of the competition. And the rules also stipulate that the forend can only be up to a maximum of 150mm (5.9inches) deep, measured from the centre of the barrel and the base of the front stock. This is plenty of allowance in practise, so many shooters take advantage, making the rules work for them.

A key question as always, is what sort of shooting will you be doing? Competition shooters will definitely benefit, as outlined above; although with the trend in FT in particular, for just guns with deeper stocks, encouraged as many shooters now favour an ultra high sightline, the more specialised FT match rifles, as mentioned will often cater for this. A fixed deep forend, or a removable adjustable hamster assembly, is now the order of the day. 

Indeed, handle a gun which has the requisite depth up front, and certain shots will just seem so much easier to tackle. Free standing shots, where it’s just you and the gun, with nothing to rest on, are of course the hardest shots of all, and here, gaining enough height in the aim, especially where the target is slightly elevated, can cause a real strain on the body. 

Adopting the classic target stance, where you stand side on to the target, push the hip forward, elbow of the supporting arm tucked in close into the hip acting as a support, and the raised arm supporting the gun with a fist or raised fingers, is a science and never easy. However, with added depth up front, it’s significantly easi-ER!

So what are the options? Well a custom stock can be the answer, but for a less dramatic solution, an add-on Hamster can work really well. For a half-way house, specialist companies such as Rowen Engineering produce a fully adjustable forend mechanism, that is available with or without the hamster block itself. If compatible, this can be ideal to transform a particular favoured gun to FT use, but with those ‘no-adjustment’ rules for HFT, it can also be overkill. 

For an easier solution, the beautifully made Air Arms Palm Rest Kit, is available, (Range & Country stock this one incidentally). Originally released by Air Arms shortly after they launched their super successful HFT500, the Palm Rest assembly will actually fit onto any gun fitted with a standard, UIT accessory rail. Machined to Air Arms usual high standard, it can totally transform feel and handling thereafter.