Looking for SB bench rest silo matches

[ron]

A club local to me (Boyertown R&G, Pa) holds bench rest 22 rimfire silo matches for which I have a CZ on order.
Are there any other clubs running these sort of matches in Pa, or close to eastern Pa?
Thanks

[Dee]

They shoot every match bench rest on purpose? I don't think you can call that silhouette that is just plinking off a bench. I have heard of seen people allowed to use bags to give it a try mostly kids though. Do they shoot them at 2x the distances or something?


Dee

[nomad]

Ron,
I didn't know there was a club in Boyertown with a silhouette program.
I googled the club site and see that they hold both regular (offhand) and BR competitions.
I can't help you with other ranges but -- assuming that you are a member, or at least familiar with their program -- I have a couple of questions: (They aren't answering their phone right now.)
Do they adhere to normal NRA rules and permit general public (non-member) attendance at matches?
Are the matches NRA sanctioned?
Yards or meters?
The site doesn't seem to show what targets they shoot. Confirm 1/5 scale?
Thanks for any info.

[calixt0]

long way from your neck of the woods but Diablo rod and gun club in Concord, CA offers such matches. When i first inquired as to what the whole silhouette thing is they clarified that they do offer varmint or bench rest not as a sanctioned event but simply to try to get people into the sport. for a beginner hitting those chicken even at 40 meters is quite a challenge. they do use 1/5 scale targets and at the proper distances but again their goal is to get people interested and wanting to try the sport not just keep the rules... as a beginner they say use any gun that wont do target damage (even the 22lr AR's). if the people get into it that much then they can start following the rules (stand up, making sure the their equipment matches the rules etc)

[nomad]

Shaun,

Thanks for the information but, if it's for me, I plan to stick with standing up and accepting the embarrassment at 'regular' matches. lol
I was wondering because I have a nephew who lives near Boyertown and I thought that this might be a good entry level match for him sometime when I'm up there visiting.
FWIW, I once lived in an area where there weren't any (convenient) other choices in comp shooting and I got into regular, CF, 100/200 BR. It didn't take long to realize that you only know how many of the other competitors in a BR match are alive after you start clearing the range -- and some just don't get up off their stools! I decided very quickly to switch to something more active, moved to Texas and, fortunately, found silhouette. This is the game I like most of all the shooting venues.

[ron]

First, I'm an old IMHSA shooter who is sniffing around to get back into the sport after a 17 year lay off.
I sold off much of my handloading stuff and will be satisfied shooting rimfire.
I have found one range near Phila that is still running IMHSA where I will take up again with iron sight handguns.
In looking around, I found the Boyertown club.
They shoot 1/5 size targets at 40m, 60m, 78m and 100m.
At the one match I attended they all shot off sand bags with scoped rifles.....except me with my iron sight pistols who was properly humiliated. 1/5 is beyond my iron sight skills.
They shoot every Wed night.
As to nra rules; I don't know what the rules are or if these matches are recognized by anyone.
Anybody can shoot (no need for membership).
It's informal and a nice group.
So, I ordered a CZ silo and BSA scope and will join in since IMHSA seems to have died.
If it's silhouette I'll shoot out of my truck window if I have to, rather than punch paper.
I was just hoping there were a couple of other clubs that held the same type shooting.
I guess not.

[Dee]

All off the bench all the time. Talk about boring shooting especially at the usual distances. Great for kids or adults new to shooting for a few but really with a good rifle who wouldn't be shooting 40's most every match off a bench rest setup? Isn't that what brought down the pistol shooting when it got to the point you had to shoot a perfect score just to get in the shoot off to win? I know of pistol shooters what would be shooting a match and miss one or two and then just stop shooting since they knew they were out of it already. I tried outdoor air pistol silhouette once, standing with iron sights and shot a Master Score by 1 point. After that the thought of pistol sils has still never re-entered my mind.


Maybe you could make it fun if you played a cash game where every miss costs you money Make it more pressure when you have $5 riding on making each shot

Dee

[nomad]

Ron,

Whyt not look into Cowboy Lever? Iron sights, less expense than 1/5 scale gear and might fit well with an IHMSA background.
Al Foust is up near Williamsport and he could probably help you locate clubs within reasonable driving distance. He posts here as cslcAl IIRC.

[silhouette13]

hi Ron,
welcome back.you will have no aspersions cast from me, shoot, have fun,dont listen to the purist YET! shoot get your feet wet, have fun, the CZ/BSA will serve you fine, you are going to want a better scope at some point.i have found a BSA will not hold repeatability for more than a season maybe two. those who are seeming to knock the bench shooting are passionate about the game.good folks,you will not find better, but shame on them for discouraging you from any introduction shame!

David

and, al foust clscal is a great guy who can absolutely get you going in cowboy rimfire, loads of fun and not a whole lot of tec.

[nomad]

Ooooops, sorry Ron;

I was overlooking your comment about having the CZ on order when I commented about Cowboy.
If I get up that way and can visit the match, maybe we'll meet.

[Dee]

Now now I am not saying to NOT allow this type of shooting as an introduction at all. We do it at our matches when we have kids or totally new adults just trying to shoot for the first time. I just can't imagine a monthly match where it is all bench rest all the time for everyone. I would love to see the match report and scores

The thrill in watching the animal fly is still there from the bench but it doesn't compare to watching it fly when you just broke the perfect shot offhand. I think you need to make some people want to be able to do it offhand by letting them do it from the bench. How hard can it be right I have been averaging 38-40 off the bench


Dee

[ron]

They shoot every wed night and if I ever reach the point where shooting 40's gets boring, I can always stand up and shoot off my hind legs.
I'm not familiar with cowboy shoots. Something I should check out.

[Innocent]

[quoteMaybe you could make it fun if you played a cash game where every miss costs you money][/quote] Dee we do that here in ILSA ... all shot from lawn chairs, and you have to call your shot before shooting it. Animals and different silhouettes set up including Mouse ears for us true blue Florida crackers, that remember this state before the mouse invaded.
Ron, I'm with nomad, you bay want to look into CLA as being closer to the true IMHSA, but also the sb silhouette is fun. Nationals in Ridgway in August with sb starting on the 7th and HP starting on 11th....worth a stop by to see the NRA version.

Mary

[ron]

Mary, the lawn chair shoot sounds like fun. I can see dudes spending $1,500 on high tech chairs. LOL

What, or who is cla? And, who is the sanctioning body for the sb silo nations; so I can google for more info.

Thanks, Ron

[Innocent]

Ron, cla=Cowboy Lever Action, there is a section on steelchickens devoted to CLA. The sb (smallbore) nationals are sanctioned by the NRA, but the host club this year is Ridgway, and they do a great job in hosting the match.
As for the ILSA...the chairs are important but not as important as the magnified hearing protection so you can hear every word that your competitors are making in an attempt to distract you from hitting the target. The heckling is hilarious and all in good fun.

Innocent Mary