Target size

[1911JAS]

I was reading the CMP rule book and it stated that the center (black) of an official target is 6 min. in size. The range I shoot at is limited to 100 yards. Have any of you used a reduced target size for practice before a match?
Is this an accurate method? My thinking is that if I can group in a 6 inch target then I should be able to group in a 12 inch (200 yard) or 24 inch (400 yard) target, increasing the elevation respectively. Your thoughts would be helpful.

 

[Jim Watson]

Yes.
You will likely do better at short range on a reduced target because there is less wind effect and better visibility. I know I couldn't shoot a 6" group at 600 yards or a 10" group at 1000 when introduced to F-Class with a rifle I knew would shoot under 1" at 100 yards, because I am not experienced in wind judgement.

But it is still valuable practice. And it doesn't have to be with a bigbore, either. A friend of mine practices with .22s at 100 yards so as to save ammo cost and preserve the accuracy of his match rifle barrels.

If you are shooting a common load, the "come-ups" to get on target at longer ranges are well known. If you are shooting an uncommon load, there are plenty of ballistics programs that will get you on paper.

There are targets printed to reduce about any range's target to give the same appearance at shorter range. There are whole matches shot on reduced targets for ranges without 600 yards to work with.

 

[1911JAS]

Thanks Jim for your input.

 

[30Cal]

www.uspalma.com has .pdf files of the official reduced targets.

I think the reduced targets (especially the 600 reduced) are terribly unforgiving! It really seems easier on a calm day at 600yds than it is shooting on a reduced course. The rings are scaled down a bit more than you'd think to account for the fact that the inside edge of the bullet (not the center) is where you score.

Ty

 

[IronLance]

30cal is correct. The MR target used for 600 and the LR target used for 800, 900, 1000 have 1 minute X rings and two minute 10 rings. The MR-31 and/or MR-31C(repair center) have X rings that are about .75 minute at 100 yards.

That being said, however, I have a large supply of MR-31C on 8.5x11 to practice with.

 

[Swampy]

1911 wrote:

I was reading the CMP rule book and it stated that the center (black) of an official target is 6 min. in size. The range I shoot at is limited to 100 yards. Have any of you used a reduced target size for practice before a match?

All NRA and CMP targets have an aiming black (aka "the Bull") which is approx. 6.0 to 6.5 MOA across.

At 200 yds you shoot the SR target. The bull is 13 inches across and has the X-10-9 rings inside the black. The X ring is approx. 3.0 inches or 1.5 MOA

At 300 yds you shoot the SR-3 target. The bull is 18 inches across and has the X-10-9-8 rings inside the black. The X ring is approx. 3.0 inches or 1.0 MOA.

At 600 yds you shoot the MR target. The bull is 36 inches across and has the X-10-9-8-7 rings in the black. The X ring is 6 inches across, or 1.0 MOA.

As you can see, as you go further out in distance, the size of the RINGS get progressively smaller in MOA, but the size of the BLACK stays the same... approx. 6.0 MOA. This gives you the same SIGHT PICTURE no matter what distance or stage you are at in an Across the Course match.

For REDUCED matches at 100 yds, you can get reduced versions of all the targets above.

The SR-1 is a 100 reduced version of the SR (200).
The SR-21 is a 100 reduced version of the SR-3 (300)
The MR-31 is a 100 reduced version of the MR (600)

These all still have an aiming black (bull) of about 6 to 6.5 MOA. The scoring rings have also been reduced to give the same corresponding MOA as their larger counterparts.

Shooting these targets at the shorter range, while not giving you the problems associated with wind, are still very challenging. As somebody stated above, the MR-31, with it's itsy bitsy rings, sometimes seems more of a challenge than actually shooting a full size MR at 600.

Having shot the MR-31 quite a bit in local matches (and practice) I can attest to this myself.....

These targets are available from numerous suppliers.... National Target, Creedmoor Sports, and Champions Choice come immediately to mind.

Best to ya',
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[1911JAS]

Thanks for all your input, it will help.