New benchresters seek affiliation

M

MemphisJim1

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My club, DeSoto Rifle & Pistol, has authorized me to look into and possibly set up a rimfire benchrest league. So far, I find three national organizations with which we could affiliate. I don't mean to start any kind of "hoo-ha" but ... I'd be very interested in hearing views on, experiences with, etc., about each of them. Many thanks, Jim
 
ARA is the largest of the organizations. It is unlimited competition. The other two groups are set up with three weight classes of guns. They also shoot an unlimited devision. ARA has the closest clubs to Memphis with a club just to the east of Memphis and another club on 65 hyway just south of the AR line in LA. If no one in your club wants to travel it doesn't make much difference but a lot of us think that is part of the fun. Read the rules and look at the target. Decide what you all want to shoot. If it's ARA, I'll see you next year.
 
I suggest you take a good look at IR 50/50. It is under new ownership and they are working hard to get it going.
Don
 
All have advantages and disadvantages so you need to look at the rules and the target. Most likely the winner would be the winner in a match in either organization. The problem I have with IR 50/50 and I guess RBA is the same but I've never familiarized myself with it is this. If you shoot a 250-0x (in other words you managed to break through to the best edge but barely) and another shooter shoots a 249-24X, you win even though the shooter with the 249 outshot you pretty handily. In an extreme case the same targets may score a 1250 (won the IR) and a 2450 or even a 2500 (lost the IR) in ARA. There are also fewer limitations in ARA. Still it depends on what you like.
 
Order a small quantity of each target, shoot em up and then make your decision. Sinclair might have all the different targets available .
 
Probably the single best thing you can do is try and determine how many folks own what type of BR guns that would qualify to shoot what type of discipline and then go from there.
 
FWIW I have run a non-sanctioned rimfire match for the local gang for the past two years. We use the PSL target and rules that I worked up. The guys love it but of the 15 or so shooters up to now I am the only one who travels and shoots the sanctioned matches. If you would like to start out this way I'd be happy to share my rules with you, just pm me and ask for them. After two years the guys are finally making noise about shooting more competitively. I'll be hosting some ARA events at this club in 2011.

The differences are great between the organizations. Me, I like ARA because it is shot only at 50 yards and the rules are very easy to understand, mostly because there aren't many rules. IR50 and RBA are similar, have similar targets, and can be a joy to attend. The rules are numerous and exact with weight classes, targets at both 50 yards and 50 meters, wind flag restrictions etc etc. I love these games too. Shooting sporter class in either IR50 or RBA is a true joy and real challenge.

As has been said, study all the rules, talk to your local shooters and go from there. There is absolutely NO reason you have to limit your club to just one of the games. Many clubs offer both ARA and say IR50 targets, albeit on different days.

When you start getting serious please do talk to the range masters at clubs near you so you can coordinate schedules. Nothing will kill a shoot faster than having all your shooters go to another club on the day you are hosting one. Its great fun, not all that much work to host a small shoot and you get to shoot more targets with less travel. All good. Good luck with and Thank You for wanting to get started. We all wish you success. bob
 
Think of yourself in the match directors position and then look at the rules....or look at the rules and then imagine yourself as match director. Same result......ARA is less responsibility....no extra equipment for weighing guns and no extra inspections. Run what you brung. My 2cents!

John M. Carper
 
Rba

I would encourage you to check in to the RBA, for several reasons.

The Rimfire Benchrest Association is not privately owned, it is made up of members. So, there is not one person who can say "we are going to do this" or "we are going to do that". Rule changes are voted on by the Match Directors. I also like the fact that the target is a little more challenging than some of the others.

There is somewhat of a misconception that RBA is a 3 gun organization, which is absolutely not true. There are more unlimited targets shot each year than 3 gun. In unlimited you shoot any 22lr as long as it is not attached to the bench. No weight restrictions, no rest restrictions, no stock restrictions, and no scope restrictions.

But what I like the most about the RBA is that it is a non profit organization that pays it's members back at the end of the year in money and prizes. Last year there was over $6,000 in cash and prizes given away to the members based on where they finished in the RBA Standings. Prizes include things like barrels, stocks, triggers, cleaning rods, shooting stools and so on. So, if you are going to compete in something as expensive as rimfire benchrest, why not shoot in an association that pays you back.
 
Everytime I send a check to the sanctioning body I find myself thinking "There goes the match winner's payout". The winner actually ends up with 2nd place money and the 2nd place guy gets the 3rd place money and the 3rd place guy gets a pat on the back.
 
So the RBA is a real association and the other so called associations are nothing more than businesses. Does that mean that the RBA is more like the NRA and IBS. I think I would prefer to belong to a real national association. I also like the idea that the RBA gives something back to it's members in the form of cash and prizes.

I guess the others give something back also but I still would sooner support a real national association, rather than a privately owned business.
I assume that there must be enough big bucks in running privately owned clubs being that there's more than a few of them.
I notice that they all seem to only shoot at 50 yds, does any one shoot out to 100 yds. ?.
S S
 
Our group out here in West Texas like to shoot IR 50/50 because it has a simple up and down target. Best edge. There are very few 250s shot. Fewer still targets shot that are 250 with no Xs. We only shoot unlimented with one gun. Try out ARA and 50/50 targets and see what the guys like.

Concho Bill
 
"Try out ARA and 50/50 targets and see what the guys like"

I'm missing something here, why would anyone care or be concerned with the type of target shot at, as long as everyone shoots at the sane type of target and at the same distance it should be fair for everyone.
S S
 
S/S The difference in results can be striking. If you have a particular lot of ammo that drops one down a wee bit once in a while you won't stand a chance with the IR 50 target, but you might just win with the ARA target. The other thing that frosts me is a IR 50 249-24X loses to a 250-0X. That probably cannot happen with an ARA target. Its all in the ammo, at least under ideal conditions or indoors. Don't mis-understand me. I love to shoot both and am not knocking anything. You gotta live by the rules. bob
 
And just exactly how many 250-0X have you seen? They are more rare than the elusive 249-24
 
Don: None and none. Have you ever seen one of either? The point is the 249-24x would be the better target in my opinion yet loses. bob
 
Bob, IMO to end up with a nine instead of a 25th X is a bigger miss than the shooter that is pecking away at the outer edge of the 10 ring.
 
Ray: You help me make my point. That one round of ammo that drops a bit kills the really good shooter with the really good rifle. The same rifle, same shooter not grabbing that one "bad" round shoots the 250. I remain convinced IR50 is an ammo game. The best ammo wins.

If I were King (and no I don't want to be) IR 50 would be scored by adding the score and X counts together ie a 250-23=273 and a 249-24= 273. It ain't gonna happen, nor should it. If it were so, taking this past weekends' indoor nationals the winner would have been in 5th place, and the 6th place finisher would have been first and the 14th place would have moved up to 3rd, 14th place had the 2nd highest X count with 107. I am not proposing we do this!!!!!!!! Just thinking out loud. Someday I'd like to put the top 5 or so shooters on the line, and give them all the same ammo. I'd love to see those target scores. bob
 
Bob, ALL rimfire BR is an ammo game.

There is no one RF target that everybody will like. We shoot the RBA target which I think is a bit too forgiving BUT if you make it less forgiving that would make the top shooters have an even bigger advantage over the less serious guys like me.

Now if you really want to get me going lets discuss why the CF guys are too dumb to make a score class where the thousands of 6mm's out there would have a chance of winning consistently :). NOOOOO, must buy a 30.
 
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