Southern Highlands Rifle Club

The target rifle discipline is a long range discipline with the use of traditional open sights.

Description

This is a long standing discipline and is sanctioned by the National Rifle Association of Australia (NRAA). You may know this disciplne under its old name of fullbore.

The NRAA is the governing body for target rifle shooting which is the original long range precision event dating from the late 1800s and involves single shot 7.62mm Nato (.308 Winchester) or 5.56mm (.223 Remington) rifles with peep sights.

Target rifle rules also impose restrictions for weight, ammunition, sights and other equipment used.

Range / Distances

Target rifle and Free Class (see below) are shot at the same distances; 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800 metres and the SHRC competition takes place most Saturday afternoons at the Hill Top Rifle Range. There are also away events - see the club calendar for details.

Divisions

There are three divisions within the target rifle discipline; A, B and C. Grade divisions are used and in some cases handicaps are applied to insure that everyone, where possible, competes on a equal footing.

F Class including F Class Open and F Class Standard, allows for a wider range of calibers, rifle weights and styles and includes the use of telescopic sights.

F Class Open

The F Class Open rifle may be any rifle that may be legally held by the competitor, excluding return-to-battery rigs or similar, and subject to the following conditions:

* An attachment is defined as any external object (other than the competitor, his sling (if any) and his apparel) which recoils (or partially recoils) with the rifle, or which is in any way joined to the rifle for each shot, or which even slightly raises with the rifle when vertically lifting the rifle from its rest(s).

F Class Standard

The F Class Standard division is any bolt action rifle chambered for use with the 7.62mm x 51mm NATO (or .308W), or the 5.56mm x 45mm NATO (or .223 REM) and is approved for all F Standard competitions, subject to the following:

Range & Distances

Free Class and Target rifle are shot at the same distances; 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800 metres and the SHRC competition takes place most Saturday afternoons at the Hill Top Rifle Range. There are also away events - see the club calendar for details.

Field Class Target Shooting involves matches designed around everyday, commercially available firearms.

Field Class

Field Class Target Shooting changes in the Firearms Act 1996 saw the emergence of many new target shooting matches designed around everyday, commercially available firearms. These target shooting activities provide the necessary "good reason" for acquiring and keeping firearms which may otherwise have been difficult to justify.

Field Class first appeared in the early 1990s and is now offered by many rifle clubs which, up to recently, had only shot the traditional Fullbore target match. It is sanctioned by the National Rifle Association of Australia (NRAA).

Field Class is based loosely on the service or military rifle match and is designed around conventional off-the-shelf hunting rifles. Broadly speaking, all that's required is a centrefire rifle with a telescopic sight and a five shot magazine.

The match is shot over three distances but uses the same size target throughout. At 100 metres the shooter stands unsupported. At 200 metres the shooter can choose between sitting or kneeling and at 300 metres the match is shot from the prone position. Apart from a sling, no rests or supporting aids are allowed.

The Field Class match consists of 20 scoring shots at each of the three ranges. Two non-scoring sighting shots are permitted at each range. The match involves firing a number of shots at fixed times. The targets are exposed to the shooters for the series then turned away when the time has expired. Naturally, this match suits rifle ranges with facilities where the targets can be operated manually by people in protected "butts".

The 20 scoring shots of the match are fired in four stages of five shots. The first stage (Forced Application) consists of firing five single shots, each in one 20-second exposure of the target. The second stage (Trainfire) involves firing five shots in one 60-second exposure. The next stage of five shots (Rapid Fire) is fired in one 30-second exposure. The final stage (Snap) is similar to the Forced Application in that a single shots is fired per exposure of the target, however this time the target is exposed for only three seconds for each shot.

The same course of fire is repeated at the other distances. The only thing that changes is the shooter's firing position and the relative size of the targets.

Apart from the obvious benefits of regular practice, the Field Class Target Rifle match also provides an excellent opportunity for the hunter to get to know his equipment better. The matches can expose problems with firearms such as difficulty with chambering rounds or ejecting spent cartridges. Also the rapid cycling of the action under the pressure of a time limit can, and does, expose other problems with shooter and equipment.

Rimfire Class

A more recent off-shoot (excuse the pun) of Field Class is Rimfire Class Target Rifle. This match has exactly the same course of fire as Field Class except the distances are 30 metres standing, 60 metres sitting and 90 metres prone. Smaller targets are used and, as the name implies, only rimfire rifles and ammunition (.22 long rifle or magnum) are allowed. This is a challenging match and provides and excellent opportunity for junior shooters to participate.

The Field Class disciplines provide a variety of distances, calibers, shooting positions and time limits to give the hunter a thorough workout. The sport offers a mixture of slow precision shots as well as fast, almost instinctive, shooting. The Snap match for example, can be likened to the situation where the target is only visible for a fleeting moment and then re-appears briefly as it ducks and weaves behind bushes and other obstacles.

The added pressures of time-limited shooting may also uncover deficiencies in both shooter and equipment. For example, rapid cycling of the action may expose magazine feeding problems. Some of these problems are best sorted out on the rifle range rather than in the heat of the moment during the "real" hunt.

As with any organised shooting sport, there are regulations designed to prevent individuals from having an unfair advantage over others. For the NRAA Field Class match for example, there is a weight restriction of 5kg for centrefire rifles and 3.5kg for rimfires, however there are plans afoot to increase this to 3.8kg to allow for some of the newer and slightly heavier sporters appearing on the market. Rules relating to clothing generally restrict the shooter to normal hunting attire. Target shooting jackets which provide support the shooter are not allowed.

Equipment

Field Class was designed specifically for the hunter. Any trusty centrefire and/or rimfire hunting rifle will generally fill the bill. The lighter hunting style rifle is preferred over rifles with heavier varmint barrels and there are numerous off-the-shelf rifles available in a variety of calibers and styles to choose from. A 6X scope is fine for the rimfire distances and a 9 to 14 power is adequate for centrefire out to 300 metres. A regular cross hair seems to work well on the standard Field Class targets.

Although the sport is intended for commercially available rifles, it does not preclude shooters who want to use custom equipment. Some shooters may want to use rifles specifically developed for other hunting situations or long range target shooting events. Provided the rifle falls within the weight restrictions there is generally no problem with using custom or modified rifles.

The .223 caliber has steadily grown in popularity since it was first introduced as a hunting round in the early 60s. With a wide range of loadings to choose from, the .223 very quickly found its way to the rifle range as a stunningly accurate round for Field Class target shooting. The caliber is mild and quite manageable in terms of recoil - particularly important at the 100 metre standing position.

Scoring

After each shot is fired, the target, which is mounted on a moveable frame, is pulled by the target marker who is positioned under the target protected by an earth wall or "butts". The marker places a spotting disc over the hole to indicate the position of the bullet hole to the shooter. Each time a shot is fired, the previous hole is covered by a patch and the spotting disc is moved to the new bullet hole.