It is common to use scope sights with high magnification and a short depth of field such that an adjustable parallax knob can be used to precisely determine the target distance.

The sport originated by the National Air Rifle and Pistol Association in the United Kingdom in 1980,[1][2] and spread to the USA during the mid-1980s.

The first Field Target World Championship was held in 1991 with athletes from the United States and Great Britain.

Pistols are far less common than rifles in FT, and they are shot in special events designed to accommodate the differences in shooting style.

Pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles are more popular than spring guns as the much lower recoil provides more confidence in aim for most people.

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.

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.

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 55 yards (50 m) – 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).

In stronger winds it is not uncommon to have to aim completely off the faceplate in order to score a hit, and judging the amount of compensation to apply takes a lot of practice and experience.

Although many scopes have mechanical adjustment for horizontal offset, it is primarily used to ensure the rifle is shooting straight ahead in still conditions.

The variable nature of the wind means it is often easier to aim off target (sometimes called "Kentucky windage" in the US) than to try to adjust the calibration of the crosshairs.

At its simplest, a Troyer is the distance to the target in yards divided by the kill zone diameter in inches.

In the United Kingdom rules, competitors aim to shoot the small "kill" zone that forms part of a larger metal faceplate.

On most competition targets, the kill zone forms the end of a short lever that tips the faceplate backwards when successfully hit.

Targets are often placed at about the same height as the shooter, but it is not uncommon for them to appear high up banks or in trees, or down steep slopes.

The majority of shots may be taken in any stance, but the seated position is the most popular due to its stability and often the need to see over logs or long grass that would preclude prone shooting.

The energy limit in Hungary is 7.5 joules (5.5 foot-pounds force), all air rifles above count as a firearm and the owner must have a licence in order to have one.

It was decided to change the policy and keep national and grading competitions within the international FT power limit of 12 ftlbs.

Therefore, the PFTA (Polish Field Target Association) has adopted the British limit of 16.3 joules (12 ft⋅lbf) for competitions.

National (10J), International (16.3J) and full power (45J, formerly unlimited but has been limited due to damages on the targets), the two later classes required a firearms licence.

In the United States, the American Airgun Field Target Association (AAFTA) rules set a maximum rifle power of 20 ft·lbf (27 J) primarily to limit damage to targets — there are no laws limiting airgun power in the United States.

Individual competition rules may impose limits on power and/or other criteria at the discretion of the local match director.

Precision shooting at such small targets lends itself to dialing in elevation adjustments and for the most part when shooting at high power 20 ft⋅lbf (27 J) Kentucky windage a bit less of a factor than with 12 ft⋅lbf (16 J) although time-of-flight is the primary factor for windage and, while the power of guns used may be lower, lighter pellets are also used in such guns and the speed of a pellet at the muzzle is only a bit slower (7.2 grains at 825 ft/s (251 m/s) versus 10.2 grains (0.66 g) 890 ft/s (270 m/s), for example).