Some details on our local bolt-action rifle matches:
Bolt Action Match Divisions
(Fourth Sunday, Even numbered Months)
(Rifle must be operated by turn bolt)
(Scoped rifles of 6 power or more are recommended)
OPEN: .223 minimum caliber; 150 minimum power factor; 320 Major power factor; any number and type of sights/optics; may be fed with a detachable magazine; 10 rounds maximum loaded into the magazine; any number of bipods or monopods allowed; shooting sticks allowed (must be carried on the shooter’s person and may not be left behind); may be fitted with a carrying strap or sling; no restrictions on compensators or porting.
TACTICAL: .308 minimum caliber; 340 minimum power factor (scored major); one sighting system only, optic or iron (no substitutions allowed unless proven breakage); may be fed with a detachable magazine; no more than 5 rounds allowed in magazine. In the case of a detachable magazine, the preferred method is to load the rounds through the top of the rifle without detaching the magazine. If the magazine must be detached then the magazine will be removed, reloaded, and reinserted into the rifle. No special accommodation will be made to allow a shooter to recharge the magazine during the course of fire; one bipod or monopod is allowed; no shooting sticks allowed; compensators/flash hiders are limited to maximum 1.25 inch diameter and 3.50 inch length; porting allowed; may be fitted with a carrying strap or sling.
HUNTER: .243 minimum caliber; 296 minimum power factor (in the case of a .243 you’ll need a 100 grain bullet @ 2960 feet per second), (scored major); one sighting system only, optic or iron (no substitutions allowed unless proven breakage); may be fed with a detachable magazine; no more than 5 rounds loaded in magazine; in the case of a detachable magazine, the preferred method is to load the rounds through the top of the rifle without detaching the magazine. If the magazine must be detached then the magazine will be removed, reloaded, and reinserted into the rifle. No special accommodation will be made to allow a shooter to recharge the magazine during the course of fire; no bipods; no shooting sticks allowed; compensators/flash hiders/muzzle fixtures are limited to maximum 1.25 inch diameter and 3.50 inch length; porting allowed; may be fitted with a carrying strap or sling.
Courses of Fire/Scoring
Both the Bolt Action Matches and the Semi-Auto Matches will consist of three courses of fire: Long-Range course, shot on the 425 yard range; Mid-range course, shot on the 300 yard range; Standards, shot on the 200 yard range. A Match will require about 100 rounds to complete.
All scoring will be Comstock (points minus penalties divided by the elapsed time) using the USPSA scoring program. Flash Targets, Strobe Targets, Knockdown Plates and Clay Birds will be scored at 10 points per hit. Missed shots, and No-Shoots are scored as -20 points. Procedurals will depend on the course of fire. Negligent Discharges and Safety Violations will result in an immediate match disqualification.
Standards for the Bolt Action Matches are going to be scored as follows:
-Strings one, two and three (standing; kneeling or squat or sitting; prone unsupported) will use partial USPSA cardboard targets. The value of the hits will depend on the scoring area impacted and the power factor of the rounds used: A equals 5 points; B/C equals 4 points, Major; B/C equals 3 points, Minor, etc.
-Strings four and five (prone with a single support; prone with unlimited support) will be fired on 4” x 4” orange colored diamonds surrounded by a _” black border. A hit in the orange scoring portion of the target will be valued at 10 points. A hit outside the scoring area will result in a 20-point miss penalty. In order for a round to score during these two strings, the entire bullet must impact within the orange scoring area, i.e. the scorer must see orange between the nearest edge of the bullet hole and the black border. A bullet hole that just touches the scoring area is not sufficient for a hit in strings four and five.
Note: Regarding Bolt Action Match Standards.
The Standards for the Bolt Guns will be a little different from our traditional standards. All starting positions will be port arms.
String 1: Five rounds standing; unsupported.
String 2: Five rounds sitting, kneeling or squatting; unsupported
String 3: Five rounds prone; unsupported
String 4: Five rounds prone; may use one support allowed by division
String 5: Five rounds prone; may use any supporting device which is safe and carried on
the shooter’s person. String 5 is designed to allow the shooter the most stable
position possible. He starts standing, port arms, with any of his supporting
gear carried on his body. At the start the shooter is allowed to setup and engage
the target with five rounds. Supporting gear does not have to be attached to the
rifle, it may be attached to the shooter’s body, or in a pocket, or in a backpack.
The supporting equipment cannot be carried in the hands or hung from the arms,
or in any way held which would interfere with a safe start or port arms position.
Of course time begins at the start signal and ends at the last shot fired. The
rationale behind this string is to determine the quickest yet most stable position
possible in the case of a shooter needing to move up and setup. Two examples:
1) someone in the Hunter class wearing a backpack who uses the pack for a rest.
2) someone in the Tactical class with a set of sandbags hung from his belt who
uses the bags for support. The shooter will not be allowed preset his supporting
devices during the Standards.
Flash or Strobe Targets. When you are ROing on a course using these targets, don’t call a hit until you’ve established a hit. Hearing the impact of a bullet on metal does not score a hit. In the case of Flash Targets, you must see the orange of the target indicator in order to score a hit. It is also a benefit to both the shooter and the RO if the shooter will advise the order of his target engagement, i.e. right to left or close to far…etc. Additionally, if the shooter chooses to move on from a target he is not hitting, it is helpful to tell the RO you are moving on.
The shooter should remember that he might see a hit through his scope before the RO. It will take a moment for an impact on a 400 Flash Target with a lightweight, small caliber bullet to get everything in enough motion for the RO to see the scoring flash card.
