50m Benchrest Rimfire Targets

[SnipeWench]

G'day all,

I've only just started doing 50m rimfire benchrest at Sutherland Shire, and loving it so far! At the same time, I've been travelling out to Malabar, and having a go at F-class standard, shooting at 300m and 800m so far. At Malabar, the guys in the club I've been attending have carried around cards with the target transposed onto an MOA grid. The theory is that you can look at the target, look at the card, and determine how many clicks of the scope you need to adjust your shots by.

Most guys do it by the maths and experience, but I'm a newbie, and need some help to determine how many clicks I need.

So, I sat down with my calculator, Visio, the ISSF rulebook, and the TRA amendments, and came up with the following diagram:



In the diagram, the red lines are 1MOA, and the blue dashed lines are 0.5MOA. As a result, I've discovered that, for this target, and this range, 1/4MOA clicks are a bit coarse!

The first question: Is this target correct? I've created the diagram purely from the maths and the various rulebooks - dunno how close this is to the actual targets, and experience.

The second question: Would it be legal to carry one around during shooting?

- bec

[GJS]

Hi bec

Your target seems to match up with the new 300 yard targets (coming in next year I think)
The targets increase in size "roughly" proportionately every 100 yards till 800.

The second question: Would it be legal to carry one around during shooting?

As long as you dont have any green stuff rolled up in it

Glenn

[SnipeWench]

The target above is for 50m rimfire bench rest (Section A.4.1.4 in the TRA supplement).

To my eye, it looks about right (but, I'm not gonna test by walking it down the corridor here at work, and see whether it matches what I see on the range...). My manager may not like a target pinned to the office door!

- bec

[GJS]

S/he'd like it less pinned to their butt

Glenn

[Tony Z]

Bec, 1/4 minute is 1/4 minute no matter what range you are at. At a 100 yards it is 1/4 inch and at 800 yards it is 2 inches in actual linear span. 2inches at 800 yards or a little more than that for 800 m, is quite a small drift to deal with when you look at the distance covered. Winding for windage is something that is split amongst most shooters. Some wind to the wind drift, whereas others aim of. The aim off method is a little easier in that you don't need to do the maths conversion, nor spend the time doing it, but spend the time watching and concentrating on wind flags and mirage.
Put simply the aim off method is a method of opposites. If you held the crosshairs on the centre of the target and fired and that shot landed out in the 4 ring at say 3 o'clock, the next shot with the same weather conditions can be aimed off at the 4 ring at 9 o'clock. That is you place the cross hairs on the location opposite to where the previous shot struck. This way you just watch wind and mirage and judge their effect and where you need to aim for the next shot to drift into the V Bull. The winding method is very very rarely used in Benchrest competition of any sort and quite frankly it is the best way to wear out a scope and is way too slow when a condition is holding pattern and is even slower when a condition is changeable, especially in fishtail winds.
Of course FClass is different and i have shot it many times, but the principal works in any form of target shooting. The other point with the winding method is that you need to know where you have wound yourself to. This requires a good memory and is something what brings many unstuck when they wind themselves out of the centre bull. A very common thing.
Fullbore shooters cannot aim off or shouldn't because their aperture sights require a centering process to align to the target, but this process of winding to a shot has been handed down by the old stagers. They mean well, but scopes are a completely different thing and sighting can be held to a far greater resolution. With the aim off method, MOA knowledge of any target is not a requirement as you just simply judge the distance from centre, place the crosshair there, wait for what you reckon is the same wind and mirage condition, and fire. Sounds simple, and it is when you have a good wind read.


It is good that you have taken the time to learn about the target and what minute of angle is, and the method of winding should be used to get you somewhere near the centre of the target. Then the aiming off method can be used to drift the shots to where you want them when the winds just pick up or drop off a bit during the course of a match. My advise would be to try both methods and see what works for you. Have fun, and as a last thing, those that have been the most successful in any form of target shooting all have something in common; keep it as simple as possible so that when things go foul, the recovery is far easier.
I have read your posts and you do remind me of what it was once like for me. Now i do not shoot and only have memories of politics and personal battles that have caused rifts amongst people that would otherwise be good friends, and because of it i have sold up and left all these great sports and many great mates. Don't go there.

Tony Z.