Welcome to Smallbore Rifle Silhouette
Match Director: Dave
Kuchler
Match Information:
- Match Date: The Saturday before the third (3rd) Sunday.
- Match Time: 9:30 am
- Match cost: $5.00
- The course of fire: 60 shot match. Fifteen (15) shots (three banks of five) on each set of animals.
- Legal Cartridge & Caliber: .22 Long Rifle, No Stinger or Hyper velocity ammo!
- Targets: 1/5 size steel animals, as follows;
- Chickens at 40 meters
- Pigs at 60 meters
- Turkeys at 77 meters
- Rams at 100 meters
Small Bore Rifle Silhouette
What is Small Bore Rifle Silhouette? In Small bore Rifle Silhouette you use a.22 rimfire to shoot at small metal targets at fairly short distances (out to 100 meters). Your .22 rifle can be a bolt action, lever action, pump, or even a semi-auto like a Ruger 10/22. It is a sport in which the whole family can take part. Here are some of the specifics:
When you show up you find the Match Director to sign up. Usually that’s the person in the office trying to do all the prematch paperwork. After you sign up (your first match is free if you are a brand new shooter to the sport, otherwise the current match fee is $5 for adults and $3 for juniors. Juniors are anyone between 10 and 18. All juniors must have an adult with them, even if the adult does not shoot).
There are two kinds of matches - a 40 round match and a 60 round match. At Rio Salado, we usually shoot a 60 round match. That means 15 shots at the chicken targets, 15 at the pigs, 15 for turkeys, and the rams get the same. We do this 5 at a time, with a short rest between each five shots. The targets are in meters and are located as follows: Chickens 40 meters; pigs 60; turkeys 77 and rams 100 meters. For small bore you shoot a .22 rimfire (no hi velocity ammo). Anyone can enter, and you shoot according to your skill level in classes. You would first shoot in an unclassified class. After your first match you would fall into anything from B, A , AA, AAA and Master, depending on your score in your first match. You shoot standing up, no slings, heavy shooting coats, but scopes are o.k. and recommended.
Small Bore Matches are the Saturday before the third Sunday at 9:30 AM. Practice and sighting in usually starts about an hour earlier. Typically there are modest cash prizes for winners in each class and for the overall match winner (juniors are not eligible for cash prizes). In case of ties there is a shoot off. Basically a match goes something like this. Shooters are called to the line. The command Load/listo is given. 15 seconds later the command fire/fuego is given. (Spanish commands are sometimes used as the sport was invented in Mexico, and it is tradition, but optional) You have 2 ½ minutes to shoot 5 shots - one at each target animal in a row left to right. If you knock the animal over it is a hit, if you miss it, or simply turn it, or rock it, it is a miss. After the 2 ½ minutes are up, the command cease fire is given. Then you rest for about a minute, still standing at the firing position, then the routine is started again. It is done twice in each bank or set of target animals for a 40 round match, and 3 times for a 60 . Then when you are finished with a bank of animals, you go on to the next bank. Shooters take turns in relays if there are enough. Between relays shooters walk out to set up the targets they knocked over.
If it is your first time you are usually paired with an experienced shooter. Its a lot of fun, so bring yourself, your family, and your friends and a .22 rifle. Please keep in mind we emphasize shooting safety. Eye and Ear Protection is mandatory.