He was one of 180 shooters who took part in the local shotgun competition.
– It is very nice that the figure trail has started again. A new generation of cartridges makes it possible, says Ole Gustav Huser.
Nesbuen is a seasoned figure hunting shooter who competed for the top positions in both Norway and Sweden throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Simply explained, figure hunting is a form of competition in which a shotgun is fired at moving steel figures along steel wires, which are released on call. There is a cardboard card in the figures, and the goal is to get ten shots into the cardboard card and thus collect a maximum of ten points per shot. After each shot, the hits must be counted. One hail in the cardboard card gives one point, two hail gives two points, and so on.
A good alternative
Previously, a dispensation was granted for the use of lead shot at figure hunting events, which ended in 2019. Finding alternatives to ammunition has been difficult since in figure hunting steel figures are shot at, which cause ricochets and make the use of, for example, steel shot difficult. After a four-year stay, the Norwegian Hunter and Fishermen’s Association (NJFF) has helped develop a new and relatively affordable cartridge alternative called Bioammo Blu, which was put into use for deer hunting for the first time in 2023.
– It is a new type of cartridge made from a mixture of zinc, tin, aluminum and bismuth which is environmentally friendly. Before, there was also plastic in the intermediate charge, but it is also made of degradable material, explains Huser, who, in addition to being a competitive shooter, works at Magne Landrø AS in Lillestrøm, a cornerstone shop in hunting and the shooting environment which is also a supplier of the new ammunition .
– In the new cartridges, there are 200 less shots than before, and the shot diameter has decreased from size 9 to 6. Bioammo Blu is more of a hunting cartridge and has more recoil than the old competition cartridges, but you just have to accept the criteria that are. The advantage now is that everyone shoots competition with the same cartridges, says Ole Gustav.
He has no doubt that it was good to be back on the figure hunting trail again. In figure hunting, you shoot at 20 different figures which are distributed over a course, and the round takes just under a couple of hours. Price per shot has also been an important topic, the new cartridges cost a guide NOK 15 per shot, but are sold cheaper to shooting teams and fishing associations.
Comeback at Udnes JFF
On Sunday, a week and a half ago, Ole Gustav, thanks to the new cartridges, was able to make a long-awaited comeback at the figure hunting event of Udnes JFF, which is based at the Haga shooting range.
– It was a comeback, but it didn’t go very well. The view has changed and I have to have a different perspective, says Ole Gustav.
Despite the fact that he ended up with 133 out of 200 points and ended up far down on the results list in class A, he is happy to be able to shoot figure hunting events again. The event at Udnes JFF was part of the Landrø Cup.
– I got 2nd place in the hare press with 22 shots and a prize from the team shooting, so all in all I am satisfied, says Ole Gustav.
180 shooters
A total of 180 paying shooters took part in the event for Udnes JFF, and the winner was Joakim Hareton from Aurskog with 193 out of 200 points. The three best nesbows were Lars Kristian Grøndahl from Udnes JFF with 178 points, Bjørn Nordby from Øststranda with 177 points, and Jakob Moen from Udnes JFF with 174 points.
Best local junior was Kai Wiliam Thorbjørnsen from Udnes JFF with 117 points, and best local in older juniors was Martin Kristiansen, also from Udnes JFF, with 128 points. The complete list of results is posted on www.lerdue.net.
In the kiosk, Linnea and Mia Kristine ensured good turnover and extra kroner in the club coffers for Udnes JFF, and outside the shooting house, Kent Idar Vermundsberget had fired up the large grill. The shotgun shooters were happy to be back again at the figure hunting event.
(For the sake of clarity, Raumnes points out that the author of the article also took part in the mentioned figure hunting convention).
