August 14th 2022Sunday gunday: Erin Go B – Rimfire Benchest in IrelandRimfire Benchrest is fun and rewarding. It can also be frustrating as it is difficult to source superior ammo. Rimfire benchrest is a great option because you don’t have to load at the range. Rimfire barrels are durable and last a long time. Joe Friedrich, our friend, set an ARA Benchrest Record with a 100,000+ round count barrel. Here’s a great video by the National Rimfire Benchrest Association of Ireland. The production quality is outstanding! This video is a great example of the challenge and fun that comes with rimfire benchrest competition. If you need to clear your mind from all the noise, then use a scope to focus, be disciplined, and look down at the scope. “Comradery is a key trait of our organization… there are no barriers of age, gender, or mobility. It’s just a diverse group of people enjoying a sport together. “The skill is the ability to hit the equivalent height of a pinhead at 50m in any conditions using a.22 round. It’s not easy, especially considering that you must do it 50 times to achieve a maximum score 500 points. 250 sheets are required.
The New National 50 Benchrest League – Back in the USA The National 50 League was launched just a few seasons ago. It has simple rules and allows competition with a wide range of rifles, including Air Rifles. The idea behind the National 50 League was to make competition more accessible and bring more shooters onto the firing line. There are three classes: Pellet, Sportsman, or PRO. The Sportsman Class allows shooters to compete with rimfire shooters. This allows people to compete without having to spend a lot of money on rimfire ammo. Pellets are quite affordable, and air is still free!
The National 50 Benchrest League (N50), is a new shooting experience. We shoot air rifles with pellets, slugs, and.22 LR Rimfires. There are currently sanctioned clubs across the USA that offer competition and good fellowship. There are three classes in N50: Pellet, Sportsman and PRO. The first Pellet Class is for pellet airguns with calibers between.177 and.30. It uses Diabolo-style pellets made by various manufacturers. The Sportsman Slug/Rimfire is the second class. This combined class allows any factory-barreled factory rifle to shoot slugs in calibers between.177-.30 and compete against any factory-barreled factory rimfire that uses a factory-barreled action without attachments to the barrel. This class may also be open to pellet air rifles. The PRO Class is the third and final class. You don’t need to have a magic card that says “Professional” in order to compete. This class allows purpose-built air rifles and what we call “unlimited rimfire rifles” to compete. PRO Class allows three types of loads:.177 slug,.22 slug, and any.22 LR ammunition. Another point is that competitors in N50 are allowed to move up in their class. You aren’t limited to the “lower” division. Pellet Class shooters, for example, can move up to Sportsman or Pro. Factory rimfires can be used in Pro Class. Shooters with less-expensive rifles will be able to shoot more relays and see how they compare with unlimited rigs. It’s all about having a lot of fun. We wanted N50 to be as easy as possible. This meant that air rifles could be combined with rimfire so that people who don’t have factory rimfires can still participate. We didn’t want to have too many classes so we combined the two gun types. We were concerned that the rimfires would outpace the air rifles. However, that was not the case at the Nationals.
Air Rifle on beautifully crafted and plated Pappas Rest. Rules and Course of Fire for the National 50 Benchrest League The official N50 website, National50.org lists N50 rules, classes and fires as well as requirements for membership. There are 16 clubs currently affiliated to the league, with more in the pipeline. General Rules — These are the most notable N50 General Rules applicable to N50 matches. Target Distance: 50 meters
Match Times: 20 minutes per target
Targets: Official targets produced by N50 and distributed by N50
Aggregate Score: Sum of 3 consecutive targets shot on the same day
Scoring: Competitors cannot score their own targets. Hardware is open to all. All 3 classes allow any scope and any trigger. Stocks are not restricted, rifle weights can be unlimited, and stocks can be bedded. The Sportsman Class must keep the factory barrel and action. N50 competitors may use 1-piece rests or 2-piece rests, bags or bipods in any class. Click HERE to download a printable version of the N50 practice goal. After clicking, scroll down the page to see the left and right pages that will print on 8.5×11. paper. The Official N50 11 can also be purchased. x 17? x 17?
