tonykharper
Well-known member
SOME HISTORY
RFBR grew from centerfire benchrest. There are many differences between RFBR and centerfire benchrest, but far more similarities.
In the early 1980s, the late Larry Brown, who can be considered the father of RFBR, created a shooting game called BR 50.
He made BR 50 a hard game. He liked to call it, “the meanest game in town.”
BR 50 was a score match, rather than a group match. The shooter was required to shoot 50 scoring targets in 30 minutes.
That were a lot of targets, plus the targets were scored differently.
BR 50 targets were “scored worst-edge,” meaning if the bullet touches a lower scoring ring you receive the lower score rather than if the bullet touches a higher ring, you receive the higher score.
The targets were strictly scored. Many times, a bullet is really so close to a scoring ring, and some find it hard to decide if it is in or out.
These targets were reviewed by a team of three scorers that would vote the shot in or out.
They were instructed with this saying: “Ties do not go to the runner. This ain't baseball. When in doubt it is out.”
It was a different time back then and shooters were up for a challenge. Some still are.
BR 50 caught on fast and there were new ranges shooting BR 50 springing up around the country every week.
There were only a few National matches held before the demise of BR 50 which came about for many reasons.
These reasons are beyond the scope of this writing.
CURRENT STATE OF RFBR
As a result of the demise of BR 50, the American Rimfire Association (ARA) was formed by a group of shooters in 1998.
A new target was designed for ARA that changed it to 25 scoring targets (one shot per target at 50 yards, with unlimited sighters) to be shot in 20 minutes. The worst-edge scoring system was kept. ARA is the only RFBR organization that uses the worst-edge scoring.
On an ARA target the 100 ring is .5” in diameter; the “X” is used as a tiebreaker. The bullet has to be inside the ring to receive 100 points, if it breaks the ring it is scored 50 points. 2500 is possible.
Currently there is no membership requirements to shoot sanctioned RFBR matches.
But you do have to sign up to receive a number that identifies you for tracking your points earned.
There has been talk of charging a membership fee but so far none has been implemented.
ARA imposed few rules in the early days — which gave rise to the unlimited class.
With few rules competitors were free to think outside the box use anything they thought was better to pursue the search for maximum rimfire accuracy.
The race was on to find how and what to shoot at these targets for best results. Everything was tried from straight up rail guns to all kinds of contraptions.
ARA today is the largest organization with the most matches and shooters in RFBR.
The recent ARA Nationals, held in Saint Louis, MO. had more than 200 competitors in the two classes, Unlimited, and Factory.
ARA has a Hall of Fame for shooters that reach certain levels of achievement.
ARA is owned and operated by Eley Ammunition Company, UK.
Complete information on ARA can be found at https://www.americanrimfire.com/.
International Rimfire 50/50 (IR 50/50) is another RFBR sanctioning body.
Sometimes you will see “USRA - IR 50/50.” The USRA stands for United States Rimfire Association.
This distinguishes the U.S. association from those in other countries, but it is part of IR 50/50.
IR 50/50 is smaller than ARA but far more complex. It has classes that try to offer something for everyone.
IR 50/50 is the only RFBR game that is contested at both 50 yards and 50 meters.
Each class in IR 50/50 at State or National matches shoot 3 targets (one shot per target) at 50 yards and three more at 50 meters.
The 10 ring is .25” in diameter. Scoring is as follows: If the bullet touches the 10 ring you receive 10 points for the target.
If the bullet also touches the X dot you receive the 10 points plus an X.
At State and National matches there is a Yards Champion, and a Meters Champion.
Only at National matches do you have an overall Champion.
At National matches the six target scores are added together for what is called the 6-gun agg. The shooter with the highest score is the Nationals Champion.
There is a Sporter Class, 3 -Gun Class, Unlimited class, and Factory class. There is also a 10-shot Unlimited class, and a 10-Shot Sporter class. These are extremely difficult matches and not very widely-held matches. The nationals for these matches are held separate from the primary classes of Sporter, 3-Gun, Unlimited and Factory.
IR 50/50 also has its own Hall of Fame
Complete information on IR 50/50 can be found at https://ir5050.com/.
Auto Bench Rest Association (ABRA) was created by Joe Chacon and it also has several classes that shoot RFBR.
There are many ranges around the country offering matches. ABRA has its own target. Which is different from the ARA or IR 50/50 target.
Complete information can be found at: : https://www.abra.guru/.
Other Information: There are and have been other RFBR organizations, they come and go fairly often. ARA, IR 50/50, and ABRA are largest, and are considered mainstream.
RFBR is also shot at many gun clubs around the country, some have their own rules, others follow the rules of the three primary organizations.
These clubs cater to their members and do not offer National recognition for shooting achievements and normally do not have a Hall of Fame.
There are many shooting forums you can visit to learn anything you may wish to know about RFBR but the very best way is to attend a match or two.
You will be impressed by how friendly everyone is and how they are willing to share information.
Get involved, it is a great hobby but can become an obsession.
You will find many guys that shoot RFBR were at one time centerfire bench rest shooters. You may have much in common with the guys you see at the matches.
Centerfire shooters take up RFBR for many reasons. Some want to get away from reloading their ammo, others want to get away from the noise.
Some find ranges closer to home, and some come thinking it will be less expensive, but in fact you can easily spend as much or more shooting rimfire as you would do shooting centerfire.
Whatever their reasons, we are glad to have them. We learn from them and sometimes they learn a little from us.
Centerfire shooters are often surprised by how the wind can push around our little slow moving 40 grain bullets.
RFBR RIFLES
In the beginning, most used factory, Olympic-styled rifles such as Anschutz, Walther, FWB, and Bleiker.
Others went with American-made target rifles such as the Remington 37, 40X, and the Winchester 52's, in all of its versions.
These rifles were often put in benchrest-styled stocks which normally have a 3-inch-wide forearms.
This made these rifles much more stable for shooting off a bench with sandbags rests.
Very quickly, American machine companies saw there was a market for a custom rimfire actions.
One of the first was the late Flash Ebert’s company. He designed and manufactured the first Turbo actions.
The Turbo has been copied by many different companies and improvements have been made.
Today, Di Orio Manufacturing, in Harrisonburg, VA, produces the Turbo in a two lug, (V-1) and three lug (V-3) solid bottom actions.
There is also a Sporter version with an open bottom for a clip/magazine.
There are other companies producing custom rimfire actions that have had varying degrees of success in RFBR.
There are also companies producing semi-custom Benchrest rifles for RFBR that are made to order.
The Development of Rimfire Accuracy:
The search for rimfire accuracy has been undertaken by many very talented people but one stands out for his contributions.
The late William (Bill) Calfee, of Borden IN, has been at the center of many, many improvements to RFBR rifles and pistols.
His rifles and pistols have won more major matches, including World, National, regional, and state matches, and set more RFBR records than any other rifle builder in the world, bar none.
Every RFBR rifle you see winning today will include many of the ideas Bill developed and gave to the shooting community.
He built a series of rifles he called his SPEC rifles; they are highly sought after today.
If you attend an IR 50/50 Sporter match or an IR 50/50 3-gun match you will notice that every winning Sporter will have one of the two-barrel contours Bill invented.
They all will have counter-bored knots on the end of the barrel.
Sporter barrels have unique contours. I'll put a pic below of Tack Driver Junior's barrel.
CLOSING WORDS
In RFBR we have our history, we have our heroes, we have our records — and we still have our rites (i.e., traditions) which we enjoy. Come join us you may find a new hobby you can share with like-minded shooters.
I'm going to put pics on a separate post; click here for the pics: https://www.benchrest.com/forum/threads/rimfire-benchrest-rfbr-cont.106349/
TKH
RFBR grew from centerfire benchrest. There are many differences between RFBR and centerfire benchrest, but far more similarities.
In the early 1980s, the late Larry Brown, who can be considered the father of RFBR, created a shooting game called BR 50.
He made BR 50 a hard game. He liked to call it, “the meanest game in town.”
BR 50 was a score match, rather than a group match. The shooter was required to shoot 50 scoring targets in 30 minutes.
That were a lot of targets, plus the targets were scored differently.
BR 50 targets were “scored worst-edge,” meaning if the bullet touches a lower scoring ring you receive the lower score rather than if the bullet touches a higher ring, you receive the higher score.
The targets were strictly scored. Many times, a bullet is really so close to a scoring ring, and some find it hard to decide if it is in or out.
These targets were reviewed by a team of three scorers that would vote the shot in or out.
They were instructed with this saying: “Ties do not go to the runner. This ain't baseball. When in doubt it is out.”
It was a different time back then and shooters were up for a challenge. Some still are.
BR 50 caught on fast and there were new ranges shooting BR 50 springing up around the country every week.
There were only a few National matches held before the demise of BR 50 which came about for many reasons.
These reasons are beyond the scope of this writing.
CURRENT STATE OF RFBR
As a result of the demise of BR 50, the American Rimfire Association (ARA) was formed by a group of shooters in 1998.
A new target was designed for ARA that changed it to 25 scoring targets (one shot per target at 50 yards, with unlimited sighters) to be shot in 20 minutes. The worst-edge scoring system was kept. ARA is the only RFBR organization that uses the worst-edge scoring.
On an ARA target the 100 ring is .5” in diameter; the “X” is used as a tiebreaker. The bullet has to be inside the ring to receive 100 points, if it breaks the ring it is scored 50 points. 2500 is possible.
Currently there is no membership requirements to shoot sanctioned RFBR matches.
But you do have to sign up to receive a number that identifies you for tracking your points earned.
There has been talk of charging a membership fee but so far none has been implemented.
ARA imposed few rules in the early days — which gave rise to the unlimited class.
With few rules competitors were free to think outside the box use anything they thought was better to pursue the search for maximum rimfire accuracy.
The race was on to find how and what to shoot at these targets for best results. Everything was tried from straight up rail guns to all kinds of contraptions.
ARA today is the largest organization with the most matches and shooters in RFBR.
The recent ARA Nationals, held in Saint Louis, MO. had more than 200 competitors in the two classes, Unlimited, and Factory.
ARA has a Hall of Fame for shooters that reach certain levels of achievement.
ARA is owned and operated by Eley Ammunition Company, UK.
Complete information on ARA can be found at https://www.americanrimfire.com/.
International Rimfire 50/50 (IR 50/50) is another RFBR sanctioning body.
Sometimes you will see “USRA - IR 50/50.” The USRA stands for United States Rimfire Association.
This distinguishes the U.S. association from those in other countries, but it is part of IR 50/50.
IR 50/50 is smaller than ARA but far more complex. It has classes that try to offer something for everyone.
IR 50/50 is the only RFBR game that is contested at both 50 yards and 50 meters.
Each class in IR 50/50 at State or National matches shoot 3 targets (one shot per target) at 50 yards and three more at 50 meters.
The 10 ring is .25” in diameter. Scoring is as follows: If the bullet touches the 10 ring you receive 10 points for the target.
If the bullet also touches the X dot you receive the 10 points plus an X.
At State and National matches there is a Yards Champion, and a Meters Champion.
Only at National matches do you have an overall Champion.
At National matches the six target scores are added together for what is called the 6-gun agg. The shooter with the highest score is the Nationals Champion.
There is a Sporter Class, 3 -Gun Class, Unlimited class, and Factory class. There is also a 10-shot Unlimited class, and a 10-Shot Sporter class. These are extremely difficult matches and not very widely-held matches. The nationals for these matches are held separate from the primary classes of Sporter, 3-Gun, Unlimited and Factory.
IR 50/50 also has its own Hall of Fame
Complete information on IR 50/50 can be found at https://ir5050.com/.
Auto Bench Rest Association (ABRA) was created by Joe Chacon and it also has several classes that shoot RFBR.
There are many ranges around the country offering matches. ABRA has its own target. Which is different from the ARA or IR 50/50 target.
Complete information can be found at: : https://www.abra.guru/.
Other Information: There are and have been other RFBR organizations, they come and go fairly often. ARA, IR 50/50, and ABRA are largest, and are considered mainstream.
RFBR is also shot at many gun clubs around the country, some have their own rules, others follow the rules of the three primary organizations.
These clubs cater to their members and do not offer National recognition for shooting achievements and normally do not have a Hall of Fame.
There are many shooting forums you can visit to learn anything you may wish to know about RFBR but the very best way is to attend a match or two.
You will be impressed by how friendly everyone is and how they are willing to share information.
Get involved, it is a great hobby but can become an obsession.
You will find many guys that shoot RFBR were at one time centerfire bench rest shooters. You may have much in common with the guys you see at the matches.
Centerfire shooters take up RFBR for many reasons. Some want to get away from reloading their ammo, others want to get away from the noise.
Some find ranges closer to home, and some come thinking it will be less expensive, but in fact you can easily spend as much or more shooting rimfire as you would do shooting centerfire.
Whatever their reasons, we are glad to have them. We learn from them and sometimes they learn a little from us.
Centerfire shooters are often surprised by how the wind can push around our little slow moving 40 grain bullets.
RFBR RIFLES
In the beginning, most used factory, Olympic-styled rifles such as Anschutz, Walther, FWB, and Bleiker.
Others went with American-made target rifles such as the Remington 37, 40X, and the Winchester 52's, in all of its versions.
These rifles were often put in benchrest-styled stocks which normally have a 3-inch-wide forearms.
This made these rifles much more stable for shooting off a bench with sandbags rests.
Very quickly, American machine companies saw there was a market for a custom rimfire actions.
One of the first was the late Flash Ebert’s company. He designed and manufactured the first Turbo actions.
The Turbo has been copied by many different companies and improvements have been made.
Today, Di Orio Manufacturing, in Harrisonburg, VA, produces the Turbo in a two lug, (V-1) and three lug (V-3) solid bottom actions.
There is also a Sporter version with an open bottom for a clip/magazine.
There are other companies producing custom rimfire actions that have had varying degrees of success in RFBR.
There are also companies producing semi-custom Benchrest rifles for RFBR that are made to order.
The Development of Rimfire Accuracy:
The search for rimfire accuracy has been undertaken by many very talented people but one stands out for his contributions.
The late William (Bill) Calfee, of Borden IN, has been at the center of many, many improvements to RFBR rifles and pistols.
His rifles and pistols have won more major matches, including World, National, regional, and state matches, and set more RFBR records than any other rifle builder in the world, bar none.
Every RFBR rifle you see winning today will include many of the ideas Bill developed and gave to the shooting community.
He built a series of rifles he called his SPEC rifles; they are highly sought after today.
If you attend an IR 50/50 Sporter match or an IR 50/50 3-gun match you will notice that every winning Sporter will have one of the two-barrel contours Bill invented.
They all will have counter-bored knots on the end of the barrel.
Sporter barrels have unique contours. I'll put a pic below of Tack Driver Junior's barrel.
CLOSING WORDS
In RFBR we have our history, we have our heroes, we have our records — and we still have our rites (i.e., traditions) which we enjoy. Come join us you may find a new hobby you can share with like-minded shooters.
I'm going to put pics on a separate post; click here for the pics: https://www.benchrest.com/forum/threads/rimfire-benchrest-rfbr-cont.106349/
TKH
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