jackieschmidt
Gold $$ Contributor
All of these so called “attitudes” that we as Short Range Benchrest Shooters seem to possess are mostly a fabrication of the Internet, put forth by shooters who have in the most part never participated in a organized Match. Many are ignorant of the extreme requirements involved in achieving the accuracy and precision that is required to be competitive. If they did have this knowledge, they would understand why rifles with Muzzle Brakes have no business on the line in an organized 100/200/300 yard Group or Score Match.I'm not curious at all. This attitude is exactly why I'm not interested in short range benchrest. Lot of these guys need to look in the mirror to see the problem
I have been shooting competitively since the mid 1990’s. I have been to countless Matches all over. I shoot both Group and Varmint for Score.
I rarely if ever see the attitudes that many of the posters in this thread say exist. In fact, just the opposite is true. The vast majority of Benchrest Shooters will, to the best of their ability, help any shooter that is having problems with everything from equipment, load development, reading flags, to bench manners.
The NBRSA has even set up a Mentors program where experieced shooters will donate their time, in some cases an entire day, to help a new shooter get headed in the right direction. I happen to be a Mentor for Score Shooters in The Gulf Coast Region, my home range being The Tomball Gun Club in Northwest Harris County Texas.
I would like to know some of the Benchrest Matches that you have attended where you were confronted with the “attitude” that you alluded to. I could contact the appropriate Region Director and ask him to address the issue with his Match Directors in his member Clubs.
I do not have a solution to the problem of cost and shooting. From what I know, a top notch F-class or PRS Rifle and everything that goes with it cost just as much as a top notch Benchrest Rifle. True, there are “Factory” offerings that are sold with these Disciplines in mind, Ruger and Savage offer these, while nobody really offers a truly competitive Short Range Group or Score Rifle off the shelf.
Back to the OP’s problem in running his Matches. At Matches I attend, whether a local Club Match or a National Event, the competition is friendly until the Range Officer says “commence fire”. Then nobody is giving any quarter. The competition is always pretty fierce. Most are shooting their exact same equipment at all venues. If you want to be competitive, you better be on your “A” game .
If his Matches are “informal“ now, it won’t take long for things to get serious.
We still consider shooting from a Bench at 300 yards still in the Realm of “Short Range”.
Because of the extreme accuracy requirements that defines Benchrest, you can see why a shooter who is there to do what it takes to win does not appreciate being handicapped by an adjacent shooter who insist on not following the rules and etiquette of the Discipline by using a Rifle with a Muzzle Brake.
I would try not go so far as to call the Brake Shooter’s behavior rude and inconsiderate. I attribute it to ignorance of the requirements of the activity at hand.
If you plan on attending any Match, first check to make sure your equipment falls within the rules of that Discipline and the Match and be willing to to follow what ever mandates the event has.
This is common sense, and common courtesy.