Rimfire is hard!

[mm1ut1]

Shot my first (practice) league rimfire match this morning. We shoot at the 50 foot (ten small bulls) targets, then move to 50 yards and shoot 10 times at four bulls with unlimited sighters. All shots are prone.
It is a lot harder than I thought ! I've been shooting service rifle for about seven years and am moving to rimfire because I work weekends and the rimfire matches are during the weekdays.
It is tough ! Takes total concentration and is probably the most unforgiving of the shooting sports I've tried. Those eight ounce triggers are a blessing and a curse. Still, a lot of fun and I look forward to the matches.

 

[sargas23]

Well, heck, if it was easy then it's not challenging you enough, LOL!

Try shooting at the ISSF targets - really hard to hit that little pinprick that represents the 10 ring!

 

[shooterer]

Hi neighbor

What (rifle) are you shooting and where (city)?

Jim
(from WI)

 

[mm1ut1]

Shooting an Anschutz 54 and will be shooting at the Stockbridge club's range. They also have a 100 yard mini-palma monthly match. Any Rimfire/sights allowed.
West Bend also has a monthly rimfire benchrest match. Same day as the 200 yard any rifle/sight day. Might try that, too.
http://www.wbbsc.com/rifle.htm
If you want more info PM me for dates and times.

 

[Howard Roark]

I love SB. It really helps me hold better in highpower. We shoot a SB match after our monthly highpower matches and it has really caught on. We shoot an 800 agg match with a 50 yard, a 50 meter and a Dewar. I'm shooting in the 790's now with an old 1413 that I've highly modified with an adjustable cheekpiece. I also cut the barrel down to 20" and installed a 10" bloop tube and a Right Sight with a .50 diapter. Magnification is a must to shoot well.

 

[sargas23]

You know, Howard, it usually makes me cringe when I see someone chopping up one of these old Anschutz rifles, but from the pics, it looks like you did a very good job on that 1413. Have fun with it!!!

 

[Hoser]

Smallbore is friggin hard.

I shoot at the Olympic Training Center all winter long with Lones Wigger. Its an "Any Any" match but most shoot prone with irons.

50 meters on International Targets is tough. I shot it off bags one match and still was not able to clean it.

 

[Soupy44]

There are things such as less than perfect follow through you can get away with in high power. You can't do that in smallbore. It forces you to REALLY refine your shooting fundamentals. You can't wave it through the ring and pull the trigger in the middle. You HAVE to follow through all the way: keep aiming center for a count of 3 after the shot. Good smooth trigger squeeze. No muscle in position.

The few times I've gone to high power matches, I hear groans of "Oh no, not a smallbore shooter." Not that we smallbore shooters have anything against high power shooters, but you don't hear us groaning about high power shooters. Again, nothing personal.

 

[fineredmist]

Compareing highpower shooting to rimfire shooting is like comparing the Indy 500 to a Grand Pix race, both a difficult to master and both require different techniques. What works in one may not work in the other, highpower shooters deal with recoil and rimfire shooters deal with light slow moving bullets which means you must adjust to what you are shooting. I have found that my highpower bench shootig techniques do not work in rimfire and what works in rimfire does not work in highpower. You must adjust you technique to the type of shooting you are doing. It's as simple as that.

 

[HB]

I think a lot of shooters will agree that if you are a good smallbore shooter you will be able to dominate in a lot of highpower matches. Experience will take a while but eventually wind judgement skills will improve.

I love shooting the Dewer course and it really does come down to who's most patient and has the greatest desire to win. Its easy to shoot 10s on the NRA target but X's are where its at.

HB

 

[shooterer]

Its easy to shoot 10s on the NRA target HB

Maybe for you, but it is harder for some of us:banghead:.

Jim

 

[Howard Roark]

It's true that SB shooters make great highpower shooters, after they learn to read wind at 300 and 600 yards. That doesn't take long. They come in as beasts in the offhand game and that is where matches are won.

The NRA 50 and 100 yard SB targets do offer a generous 10 ring. I'm floating the idea at our 800 agg SB matches to shoot a Dewar course and 50 and a 100 yard metric target.

 

[Sunray]

"...harder than I thought..." You bet. Especially when going from high power shooting to no felt recoil. Different mind set. Same shooting techniques though. Breathing, sight picture and trigger control. Just like when we all tell an FNG to start with a .22.
"...a good smallbore shooter you will...be able to dominate..." Nope. At least, not until you adjust for the increased felt recoil. And like Howard Roark says, reading the wind and mirage.
"...highpower bench..." Nothing else is like benchrest shooting. Not that BR is bad. The rest of us have a great deal to thank BR shooters for. The enormous increase in the quality of bullets, especially 6mm bullets, for one. Thanks.

 

[westerngrizzly]

I came from HP to SB. I had been shooting Hp for a year and got to Master Class. I then switched to SB. I dont think that NRA smallbore is harder than HP. but it is more touchy. But shooting a clean in prone at 5oyrds is quite easy. you just have to do it ALL the time. 100 yrds is a lot harder but I like it more.

I highly recommend the SCATT. It is invaulable.
matt

 

[Hoser]

But shooting a clean in prone at 5oyrds is quite easy.

NRA 50 yard target or an international target? If you can clean a Intl you are the man. One day I would like to get anything above a 590-595.

I agree with you on the SCATT. I have the regular and the Biathlon version.

 

[Slamfire]

It is tough ! Takes total concentration and is probably the most unforgiving of the shooting sports I've tried.

Absolutely.


I found that small bore prone is hard. Your position, trigger pull, followthrough and wind judgment all have to be perfect, or the bullet floats out of the ten ring. The noise and recoil of a centerfire rifle will hide or mask shooting errors. Not so in small bore. They are magnified and painfully obvious.

I am doing it because it is making me a better prone Highpower shooter. Virtually all of the small bore shooters at my range are doing for the same reason.

Tom Whittaker, the 1996 Highpower champion still holds a number of small bore records. I was told by a number of highpower shooters who told me how good small bore was, and I did not believe it until I tried it.

Now I am a believer.

 

[westerngrizzly]

NRA 50 yard target or an international target?
the NRA target. i can clean the ISSF target on the SCATT. but I havent yet in competition