tonykharper
Well-known member
IR 50/50 10 Shot.
IR 50/50 10 Shot has been around about three years now but it is not well known. The purpose of this post is to draw attention to this game and explain how it differs from other rimfire shooting games.
Complete rules for 10 Shot is contained in the IR 50/50 rule book available on the IR50/50.com website.
Rimfire Benchrest (RFBR) has been around for awhile. It was invented to appeal to the accuracy crowd. What has happened since it's introduction has been to separate the rimfire plinkers from benchrest high accuracy competition shooters.
In the early days NBRSA held rimfire benchrest matches for group shooting. These matches were hard to put on because of the requirement a moving backer.
They were fun but did not draw a big crowd.
Rimfire benchrest shooting did not come into its own until Larry Brown invented BR 50. This game required 50 shots at record individual targets in 30 minutes.
BR 50 had rules, some good some bad, but the game became very popular. But not near as popular as the plinker type of games but popular by benchrest standards.
It takes a certain type of individual to shoot benchrest rimfire or centerfire.
Larry Brown advertised BR 50 as the MEANEST GAME IN TOWN. and mean it was. Being mean drew it's own audience as small as it may be.
BR 50 was the first game that I know of that required the worst edge scoring. Meaning, your bullet had to be completely inside the ring to receive the higher score. Breaking the line was scored at the lower value.
This was not the only mean rule. Another was the weight requirements. Rifles weighting under a certain weight received bonus points, heavier guns were penalized points.
You could shoot the highest score and still lose the match depending on the weight of your rifle. When you shoot the highest score and still lose that is mean.
BR 50 died for many reasons. The point I am making here is that BR 50 appealed to many shooters because it was a hard, mean, game not because it was easy.
ARA was born out of the ashes of BR 50. The target was redesigned to include 25 scoring bulls and the time requirement was changed to 20 minutes.
Almost all other rules were deleted. This allowed any rifle, any scope, and any rest. These changes have been very successful.
It has put together a formula that allows shooters to use whatever equipment they can dream up.
One of the best parts of attending the ARA Nationals was walking down the range and looking at all the different rifles and rest shooters had designed and built.
You would go home with all kinds of new ideas to try.
ARA has put together the best combination of minimum rules with an achievable target. Perfect targets are shot indoors and at night at many if not most matches these days.
If you are still reading you must be wondering when I am going to talk about IR 50/50 10 Shot?
Here goes. Wayne Wills, the previous owner of IR 50/50, invented 10 Shot. 10 shot is without doubt the MEANEST GAME IN TOWN. Perhaps the meanest there has ever been.
10 Shot uses the standard IR 50/50 target but it is scored using different rules. 10 Shot is named after the only shot that receives a full 10 points. That shot must be completely inside the 10 ring.
Very hard to do.
This past weekend Piney Hill hosted the IR 50/50 Virginia State, Eastern Regional, and Indoor Nationals 10 Shot tournaments. Only three 10 shots were scored the whole weekend.
That means a 10 Shot happens about 1 in 1375 shots. And those attempts were made by some of the best in the country.
When 10s are so rare it becomes a game of 4s and 6s. You receive 4 points for touching the X ring (dot) or 6 points for removing the entire dot.
Kinda like the Precision Shooting League (PSL) target. But not quite. If you just barely miss the dot on a PSL target you receive 50 points the next lower score.
If you miss the dot on IR 50/50 10 shot target you receive zero, nothing, nodda.
It is entirely possible to shoot an IR 50/50 target, hit all 10s, but no Xs, normal score would be 250, but scored as 10 Shot you would receive not a single point.
Are you getting the idea of just how mean this game is?
But here is the other side. This target requires you to shoot for the center every shot. No gaming the target, no gaming the push. You simply have to shoot your best and you have to stay in the game until the end.
If you make some bad shots, no problem you can make it up with some great shots. You are never out of it until the end.
There is a possibility of 250 points per target. The average score per target is less than 90 points there is plenty of room at the top.
10 Shot is the most demanding RFBR game I know of but it is also the most fun.
Hopefully I havent put you completely off but I have more to share.
10 Shot is also shot in the Sporter class (7.5 lbs rifle, and 6.5 power scopes two piece sand bag rests), both indoors and outdoors. Now buddy that gets sporting.
10 Shot will never be as popular as ARA. But I think many ARA shooters would enjoy the extreme challenge of 10 Shot.
On May 19, 2020 during Triple Crown week there will be the IR 50/50 Virginia State and Mid Atlantic regional 10 shot unlimited tournaments at Kettlefoot.
Sign up for them I think you will enjoy the experience.
TKH
IR 50/50 10 Shot has been around about three years now but it is not well known. The purpose of this post is to draw attention to this game and explain how it differs from other rimfire shooting games.
Complete rules for 10 Shot is contained in the IR 50/50 rule book available on the IR50/50.com website.
Rimfire Benchrest (RFBR) has been around for awhile. It was invented to appeal to the accuracy crowd. What has happened since it's introduction has been to separate the rimfire plinkers from benchrest high accuracy competition shooters.
In the early days NBRSA held rimfire benchrest matches for group shooting. These matches were hard to put on because of the requirement a moving backer.
They were fun but did not draw a big crowd.
Rimfire benchrest shooting did not come into its own until Larry Brown invented BR 50. This game required 50 shots at record individual targets in 30 minutes.
BR 50 had rules, some good some bad, but the game became very popular. But not near as popular as the plinker type of games but popular by benchrest standards.
It takes a certain type of individual to shoot benchrest rimfire or centerfire.
Larry Brown advertised BR 50 as the MEANEST GAME IN TOWN. and mean it was. Being mean drew it's own audience as small as it may be.
BR 50 was the first game that I know of that required the worst edge scoring. Meaning, your bullet had to be completely inside the ring to receive the higher score. Breaking the line was scored at the lower value.
This was not the only mean rule. Another was the weight requirements. Rifles weighting under a certain weight received bonus points, heavier guns were penalized points.
You could shoot the highest score and still lose the match depending on the weight of your rifle. When you shoot the highest score and still lose that is mean.
BR 50 died for many reasons. The point I am making here is that BR 50 appealed to many shooters because it was a hard, mean, game not because it was easy.
ARA was born out of the ashes of BR 50. The target was redesigned to include 25 scoring bulls and the time requirement was changed to 20 minutes.
Almost all other rules were deleted. This allowed any rifle, any scope, and any rest. These changes have been very successful.
It has put together a formula that allows shooters to use whatever equipment they can dream up.
One of the best parts of attending the ARA Nationals was walking down the range and looking at all the different rifles and rest shooters had designed and built.
You would go home with all kinds of new ideas to try.
ARA has put together the best combination of minimum rules with an achievable target. Perfect targets are shot indoors and at night at many if not most matches these days.
If you are still reading you must be wondering when I am going to talk about IR 50/50 10 Shot?
Here goes. Wayne Wills, the previous owner of IR 50/50, invented 10 Shot. 10 shot is without doubt the MEANEST GAME IN TOWN. Perhaps the meanest there has ever been.
10 Shot uses the standard IR 50/50 target but it is scored using different rules. 10 Shot is named after the only shot that receives a full 10 points. That shot must be completely inside the 10 ring.
Very hard to do.
This past weekend Piney Hill hosted the IR 50/50 Virginia State, Eastern Regional, and Indoor Nationals 10 Shot tournaments. Only three 10 shots were scored the whole weekend.
That means a 10 Shot happens about 1 in 1375 shots. And those attempts were made by some of the best in the country.
When 10s are so rare it becomes a game of 4s and 6s. You receive 4 points for touching the X ring (dot) or 6 points for removing the entire dot.
Kinda like the Precision Shooting League (PSL) target. But not quite. If you just barely miss the dot on a PSL target you receive 50 points the next lower score.
If you miss the dot on IR 50/50 10 shot target you receive zero, nothing, nodda.
It is entirely possible to shoot an IR 50/50 target, hit all 10s, but no Xs, normal score would be 250, but scored as 10 Shot you would receive not a single point.
Are you getting the idea of just how mean this game is?
But here is the other side. This target requires you to shoot for the center every shot. No gaming the target, no gaming the push. You simply have to shoot your best and you have to stay in the game until the end.
If you make some bad shots, no problem you can make it up with some great shots. You are never out of it until the end.
There is a possibility of 250 points per target. The average score per target is less than 90 points there is plenty of room at the top.
10 Shot is the most demanding RFBR game I know of but it is also the most fun.
Hopefully I havent put you completely off but I have more to share.
10 Shot is also shot in the Sporter class (7.5 lbs rifle, and 6.5 power scopes two piece sand bag rests), both indoors and outdoors. Now buddy that gets sporting.
10 Shot will never be as popular as ARA. But I think many ARA shooters would enjoy the extreme challenge of 10 Shot.
On May 19, 2020 during Triple Crown week there will be the IR 50/50 Virginia State and Mid Atlantic regional 10 shot unlimited tournaments at Kettlefoot.
Sign up for them I think you will enjoy the experience.
TKH
Last edited: