Shooting Disciplines
Target Rifle (TR)
Target Rifle (TR) evolved from Service Rifle shooting in the late ‘60s. Previously the No. 4 service rifle was used either without sights adjustable for windage or with adjustable windage sights. Modern day target rifles are extremely accurate, and have sights that are fully
adjustable for elevation and windage. To “level the playing field” as much as possible without stifling progress, the rifle or all its component parts must be “readily available in quantity”. TR involves prone single shot precision shooting using aperture iron sights at “round bull” targets at distances from 300 to 1000 yards, with each shot carefully scored and analysed. The usual calibre is 7.62mm.
F Class (F-Class)
F (“Farquharson”) Class evolved from Target Rifle (TR) shooting in the late 1990s. F Class may be fired in any calibre up to 8mm. This new variant of TR allows the use of aids such as bipods, telescopic sights etc. Although originally introduced to allow TR shooters with eyesight or other
physical problems to continue to shoot competitively, it has now developed into a new discipline in its own right. F Class shooters compete in their own competitions including a national league, and alongside target rifle events.
Match Rifle (MR)
Match Rifle is similar to Target Rifle, but is usually fired at distances from 1000 to 1200 yards. It has always been regarded as a premier discipline, and long range precision shooting matches were fired in the early 1870s between international teams. Handloaded ammunition is usually used, and the specification for the rifles is more open than for TR, allowing for experimentation and innovation. Telescopic sights and hand rests are permitted, and the shooter may fire prone, or use the “supine” position, lying on his back with his feet pointing towards the target!
Service Rifle (SR)
Service rifle shooting is only open to members of the armed forces and police. SR competitions are based on those fired by the armed forces, and usually involve a physical element, may involve run downs, deliberate, rapid fire and snap shooting, and will often involve firing from a variety of positions including prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. The matches are fired with the current military issue rifle (the SA80 for British Forces or, for overseas competitors, that of their own country).
Civilian Service Rifle (Civ SR)
This has evolved as a discipline for civilian shooters using bolt action rifles to replace the old class when the armed services adopted the self loading rifle in the late 1960s. Courses of Fire are similar to military service rifle competitions and may involve run downs, deliberate, rapid fire and snap shooting, and will often involve firing from a variety of positions including prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. Civ SR is shot in four classes; Historic, Iron Sight, Optic and Practical. A rifle with a magazine capacity of at least 10 shots is advisable.
300 Metre Rifle (300m)
This is the only NRA discipline governed by International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) Rules. It is only fired at 300 metres, but the rifle may be “Standard” or “Free” and in any calibre up to 8mm. Matches may be Prone only, or Prone, Standing and Kneeling (PSK). Firing is from a covered firing point, and a metric target with smaller scoring rings than TR is used.
Sporting Rifle (Sport)
Sporting Rifle may either be fired at 100 yards at static targets or at moving targets. The Running Deer match is fired at 100 metres at a moving target, which traverses a 23m gap in four seconds. One shot (in the Singles event) or two shots (in the Doubles event) are fired on each run of the target. The rifles have telescopic sights and may be in a variety of centre-fire calibres. The Running Boar event is similar to Running Deer, but is fired with a .22” rim fire rifle with the target traversing a 10m gap at 50 metres. There are also indoor 10m Running Target events fired with air rifles. All shooting is from the standing position.
Gallery Rifle (GR)
Gallery Rifles (usually lever or bolt actioned carbines, or self loading .22”) may be centre fire or small bore. Since the banning of cartridge pistol shooting in GB in 1997 many of the traditional pistol competitions have now been adapted for gallery rifle shooting. Gallery rifles use pistol calibre ammunition, and may therefore be used on any range, indoor or outdoor, previously approved for pistols of the appropriate muzzle velocity and muzzle energy.
Muzzle Loading Pistol (MLP) and Muzzle Loading Rifle (MLR)
Muzzle Loading Pistols and rifles are potentially as accurate as their modern counterparts though their rate of fire is much slower. Shooting may be conducted with original period pistols or with modern replicas. MLP matches may be fired under international standard conditions at 25 metres with single shot flintlock or percussion pistols (best 10 shots from 13 fired in 30 minutes) or with percussion revolvers in a range of matches, many under the same conditions as previous cartridge pistol matches. Most ML rifles (other than those using spherical balls) are capable of accurate shooting up to 600 yards and long range specialist rifles in .451” calibre shoot well out to 1000 yards. Smooth bore muskets may be used for matches at 50 metres.
Classic & Historic Arms (Classic)
Classic and Historic shooting has had an amazing growth in popularity in the last few years. The firearms used are “datelined” to ensure that competitors are always competing against other competitors using a similar class of firearm. e.g. Muzzle Loading (before 1874), Vintage (before 1891), Classic (before 1919), Veteran (between 1919 and 1946 incl), Open (before 1946) and Post Historic (after 1946).