Excuse me for not writing in German, but I do not speak the language. I’ve had parts of this thread translated to me, and I’ve been asked to make a comment here. There is a strong possibility I’ve gotten some details wrong.
My name is Thomas Haugland, I am a rifle shooter living in Norway. Some of you might be familiar with a part of me via Youtube or commercial marketing such as the Zeiss longrange advertisement.
It is timely to question how far genuine intellectual freedom and social responsibility are possible on any large scale under the existing economic regime, which is an increasingly monopolized economy.
The arguments offered about my persona are plausible and fit very much with the impression I have of the current state of affairs. However, it is also lacking in fact-checking and thus built on assumptions, not facts. If facts are more interesting than assumptions, I am available for questions via Facebook or YouTube.
The assumed sponsorships are not interesting as by Norwegian law I am taxed close to 50% of retail value on secondary incomes, which in effect puts me in a situation were I will be paying money to run somebody elses errand. It is always more beneficial to me to spend my hours at my no 1 job and simply buy the goods via my company THLR. To superficially address a few questions I was asked to clarify:
- No, I am not sponsored by Minox. I have a custom reticle simply because I gave them just shy of euro 10.000 and a sketch. This reticle has no monetary interests to me, it is just a proof of concept.
- No, I am not sponsored by Blaser. I was pressured into Blaser rifles by good friends who also use them. With time I have found that the construction simply works and is extremely resistant to rust (I live in an incredibly invasive saltwater climate) which makes maintenance easy. However, Blaser is very pleased that I use their rifles (they have told me so in person), and have offered material support several times. I am more interested in lobbying for the production of barrels such as the 300 Norma Magnum which I believe will enhance their product line now they have committed to 338LM.
- No, I don’t do commercialized product placement. However, there is a lot of viewers who are more interested in brand names of the tool instead of the tool itself and it is much easier just to show the brand than answer the same questions again and again. I prefer to talk about how to mate technique with a type of tool. The brand name should be irrelevant.
- Norma Precision AB is currently the only brand name I am in conversation with as they want to supply my ammunition. They see the economic value of shooters shooting more cartridges, I see the safety value of shooters simply being better shots and being aware of what they can or cannot do. In that constellation there is possible to find common ground.
THLR exists to create an economy that channels attention and funds into infrastructure that the benefit of Norwegian longrange shooters. This is done by demonstrating that longrange shooting is a simple skill that is very transferable. We have strong traditions for such shooting in Norway, and the traditional rifle matches (open sights) typically draws 5000-10000 shooters plus audience. The hunter segment of the shooters that just enjoy being skilled with their rifle and want to use their ordinary hunting equipment (and not a match rifle) have not yet been fully recognized as a segment. If you google longrange shooting and compare the US results with what I am doing, you will also find my personal motivation in the contrast.
That was the “fact” part of the argument.
The “opinion” part is not something I can debate. I’m sure the opinions offered are reasonable in the context of the authors perspective, be that shooting technique or jagdpraxis.
For example, from a recreational perspective, I would expect my hunting practice to be considered a malpractice. From my own perspective, the properties I hunt the hunting is not recreational but pest control. We need to remove approximately 400, 700 and 1200-1500 deer per year from the respective properties and with only a handful of hunters available that forces a certain economy in the job execution and in that perspective my side of the argument can also be reasonable.
For some reason the yellow duck also seems to attract a fair amount of hostility. Ok? The reasoning behind the duck is simple – I am old and lazy, I don’t like carrying 18kgs of steel targets in addition to my other equipment. The ducks are 300 grams and can be picked up in my local store.
To disagree on such subjects is perfect, I would not like to see a hunting experience reduced to simple killing. But I would like to see that the average hunter recognizes his potential for damage and is disciplined enough to extend his skillset and work inside it.
So thank you for your time. Sorry if I have been offensive, or missed the mark completely. But at least now you have an invitation to fact-checking which could enhance the quality of the debate when you are discussing my preferred techniques or equipment.
Best regards
Thomas Haugland