20yd/25yd benchrest

[lwebster]

The specifications of the front rest are also very different.

[himself]

Hi
Sounds Good. If other counties can enter ,then we would be interested in entering one team at least,Inter club competition can only improve the sport.
Himself

[Powderfinger]

I don't mind what the rules are, John. Sutton will put a team or two together. I assume that you want to confine it to the current Midland league at first but maybe an intercounty competition might be feasible at a later date. Maybe even a shoulder-to-shoulder match one day. Many thanks for proposing this idea. I'll start practising.

[pennineway.fswo]

I don't mind what the rules are, John. Sutton will put a team or two together. I assume that you want to confine it to the current Midland league at first but maybe an intercounty competition might be feasible at a later date. Maybe even a shoulder-to-shoulder match one day. Many thanks for proposing this idea. I'll start practising.

Many thanks Charlie

One of the problems at present is that the NSRA do not take the discipline that seriously and their rules are different to UK22BR
Also county associations have their rules for benchrest that again differ to both NSRA and UK22BR

Some of the county rules have not been carefully thought through

For example Yorkshire allow .22 rimfire to compete against air rifle but they further handicap the poor air rifle shooter by specifying wadcutters only despite all holes being probed with a .22 guage - Why?

Extensive testing of 18 members PCP .177 rifles at our club show that all of these rifles consistently achieve tighter groups with top quality round nosed pellets such as AA/JSB/Daystate rather than the match wadcutters on offer

With quality ammunition the best 3 air rifles in our club (all AA400 Classics) give group sizes at 25 yards that are only 1.5mm - 2mm greater CTC than an Anschutz rimfire target rifle

Our Winter league club shoot (which is over 9 rounds - 20 shots/round) has been won with a AA400 Classic (2nd to 6th places were however .22 rimfire).
So the airgun shooter has a good chance of competing as long as he/she does the hard work of testing different makes and head sizes of pellets.

We have 2 shooters who use recoiling spring air rifles for benchrest. Again Yorkshire league rules state that the top of the front rest must be solid (eg wood)and shooting a springer off a block of wood is not conducive to tight groups

So the proposed rules are to be as fair as possible to everyone and at least consistent with one of the bigger associations (UK22BR)

Rear rests are very cheap to buy or very easy to make at minimal cost. So there is no substantial saving to the shooter in excluding them

The real cost to benchrest is the purchase or manufacture of the tables and the adjustable front rest (if deemed necessary by the shooter).
Again many of our shooters have home made excellent front rests. Height adjustment of the muzzle (between top and bottom rows of diagrams) is achieved by sliding the bottom sloping rear part of the rifle stock along the rear rest.

Thanks again for your input and i will keep you informed of progress

ATB
John

[pennineway.fswo]

Hi
Sounds Good. If other counties can enter ,then we would be interested in entering one team at least,Inter club competition can only improve the sport.
Himself

Thanks mate - i will keep you informed

The letters to all the Midland league clubs went out today
I will start chasing up replies in 2 weeks or so

If this really gets off the ground i may run an open shoot at our club on our new 25 yard indoor range (as suggested by Rockphoon)or perhaps our new 50 metre range(just completed thanks to lottery grant body - Awards for All)
Regards
John

[simmmo]

I think it is a great idea to get some sort of Benchrest League going within the UK however in previous posts it is obvious that there are too many different rules going about.

At Buxted we shoot UKBR22 and find them accommodating towards air rifle shooting.

As the first World Championships took place last year using these rules and the new World rules are currently being drafted (based largely on these) so as to standardise it in the World arena don't you think it would be sensible in an effort to get the sport to grow that the country as a whole adopt the same set of rules. This years nationals will be using these rules.

I appreciate that there are current regional leagues in existence using their own rules. I would love to enter another competition other than the UKBR22 ones that I currently do each month but I would suggest a different target would be the best way to go with a standardising of the rules across the country.

If you want to do benchrest seriously then you can spend a lot of money and time sorting your kit. Front rests can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. If you are shooting different classes you need different bags unless you have an adjustable top. This part of the rules could be a major stumbling block nationally. You must I feel go for the most liberal view so as to encompass most people because what we want is competition. The most competitive shooter at Buxted at the moment is using a bipod.

Equally classes and divisions let like shoot against like equipment and ability wise, so don’t be afraid to have air competing against air and live fire against live fire. I think if you study the UKBR22 scores section you will see that the rimfire scores are on their targets predominantly more consistent. Don’t read this as more accurate because I don’t think there is much in it. But what they have is an advantage in their propulsion at the standard of Tennex and the like is much more easier to control than in an airgun with power curves and fill pressures etc..

Even UKBR22 has daft rules like .177 and .22 competing against each other plugged with calibre specific gauges, still cannot get my head around that one.

I'm sure we could put 3 or 4 teams into such a competition.

Good luck with whatever you achieve.

Andy

[BigAl]

IEqually classes and divisions let like shoot against like equipment and ability wise, so don’t be afraid to have air competing against air and live fire against live fire. I think if you study the UKBR22 scores section you will see that the rimfire scores are on their targets predominantly more consistent. Don’t read this as more accurate because I don’t think there is much in it. But what they have is an advantage in their propulsion at the standard of Tennex and the like is much more easier to control than in an airgun with power curves and fill pressures etc..
Andy

Andy I think that part of the vairablity that you see in the scores for Air gun classes in the UKBR22 is that quite a lot of clubs are actually shooting outdoor. If you compare the scores for the equivalent classes but with the .22LR at 50m the scores are reasonably comparable. Shooting Air at 25 outdoors is as challenging as rim at 50 when you have a breeze to contend with in my opinion.

Al

[simmmo]

Andy I think that part of the vairablity that you see in the scores for Air gun classes in the UKBR22 is that quite a lot of clubs are actually shooting outdoor. If you compare the scores for the equivalent classes but with the .22LR at 50m the scores are reasonably comparable. Shooting Air at 25 outdoors is as challenging as rim at 50 when you have a breeze to contend with in my opinion.

Al

Al

I shoot air rifle outside at 45yds and over all the time with a low mag scope and no parrallax adjustment so I know what the wind can do and it is doubtless challenging as I'm sure any FT shooter will testify to.

The comparison however is based on air rifle and rimfire competeing in the same competition/class/distance. The UKBR22 stats for last season clearly show a disparity whether outside or indoors and I put that down to the repeatability of the ammunition. If you look at the rimfire unlimited it was seperated on 10xs between six people who returned maximums. The top air rifle Unlimited competitor would have finished 40th in that league as it was he placed 24th using his rimfire.

I am saying in my opinion that the two launching systems are not comparable and should for fairness not compete against each other as we do in the UKBR22.

Andy

[Romah]

Even UKBR22 has daft rules like .177 and .22 competing against each other plugged with calibre specific gauges, still cannot get my head around that one.


Andy

Hi Andy, working on this one mate. As said above, world rules are in the proccess of being draughted, when this is completed and agreed the UKBR22 rulebook will be updated.
Cheers,
Robb H

[simmmo]

Hi Andy, working on this one mate. As said above, world rules are in the proccess of being draughted, when this is completed and agreed the UKBR22 rulebook will be updated.
Cheers,
Robb H

Thanks for the update Robb

ATVB

Andy

[Iain D]

Here at Perth City & County Small-Bore Rifle Club we would be interested if you were to open the comp to those outside the midlands

Iain D

[pennineway.fswo]

I think it is a great idea to get some sort of Benchrest League going within the UK however in previous posts it is obvious that there are too many different rules going about.

At Buxted we shoot UKBR22 and find them accommodating towards air rifle shooting.

As the first World Championships took place last year using these rules and the new World rules are currently being drafted (based largely on these) so as to standardise it in the World arena don't you think it would be sensible in an effort to get the sport to grow that the country as a whole adopt the same set of rules. This years nationals will be using these rules.

I appreciate that there are current regional leagues in existence using their own rules. I would love to enter another competition other than the UKBR22 ones that I currently do each month but I would suggest a different target would be the best way to go with a standardising of the rules across the country.

If you want to do benchrest seriously then you can spend a lot of money and time sorting your kit. Front rests can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. If you are shooting different classes you need different bags unless you have an adjustable top. This part of the rules could be a major stumbling block nationally. You must I feel go for the most liberal view so as to encompass most people because what we want is competition. The most competitive shooter at Buxted at the moment is using a bipod.

Equally classes and divisions let like shoot against like equipment and ability wise, so don’t be afraid to have air competing against air and live fire against live fire. I think if you study the UKBR22 scores section you will see that the rimfire scores are on their targets predominantly more consistent. Don’t read this as more accurate because I don’t think there is much in it. But what they have is an advantage in their propulsion at the standard of Tennex and the like is much more easier to control than in an airgun with power curves and fill pressures etc..

Even UKBR22 has daft rules like .177 and .22 competing against each other plugged with calibre specific gauges, still cannot get my head around that one.

I'm sure we could put 3 or 4 teams into such a competition.

Good luck with whatever you achieve.

Andy

hi Andy

Many thanks for your very constructive views

I think you and i are thinking along the same lines and thanks for your proposal to put 3 or 4 teams into this competition

For an open shoot, it would be easy to shoot different classes such as in the UK22BR postals .

However for the postal league some of the Midland clubs have just a handful of members, some use air and some .22 rimfire. So seeding into divisions would probably be based on a team average (as we do for our 11 LSR Divisions) and the team members can use either air or rimfire

Shooting a good air rifle at 25 yards indoors i recorded an average of 99.1 ex 100 using the standard NSRA 25 yd targets over the winter months which is only slightly less than my rimfire 25 yard benchrest average on these cards. However when using the air rifle each pellet had to be selected/treated with care and examined just prior to use,whereas on the rimfire rifle i used just mid-priced club ammo.
I have occasionally shot 100's with even the cheapest 'Club' .22 rounds however putting cheaper pellets in the AA400 would be a complete waste of time and end in tears and frustration.
I have also found to my cost that even slight damage to a pellet can cost you 10 points. Not so with the rimfire bullet.

As said above, it is outdoors where the poor air rifle really struggles against the rimfire rifle even at 25 yards.

I also, like you, am confused by the UK22BR rule of guaging to calibre
and I look forward to any review and revision of the current rules

ATB
John

[ganp]

I also, like you, am confused by the UK22BR rule of guaging to calibre
and I look forward to any review and revision of the current rules

ATB
John

I beleive that UK22BR are planning to guage .177 calibre as .22


Colin.

[simmmo]

Thanks for the attachment John will be ordering the targets soon, I take it the entry forms electronically and the money in the post for the entry fees will suffice.

Andy