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Smallbore Rifles Smallbore rifles can be divided into three categories - Free-rifles, Sport-rifles and Standard-rifles. They are made for different users and they have their own advantages. The free rifles is for the 3x40 and 60 prone events and is heavier than the sport rifles that are made for the 3x20 event. The standard rifle is more of a junior or beginners rifle and is often the rifle used by national shooting organizations for their domestic programs and matches. There are many different kinds of accessories for the sport and free rifles as the rules are less stringent than for the air-rifle event. The shooter is allowed to have a special hand rest for standing and has a special kind of butt-plate - a hook that allows for more adjustments. One thing that might seem unusual is that old smallbore rifles have the same or better accuracy than new smallbore rifles. So when picking which rifle to get, a used rifle might actually be both cheaper and better than the new ones sold. So make sure to shop around and try different kinds of rifles. If possible, put the rifle in a vise and test shoot it. Use many different kinds of match ammunition to get a picture of how well it does overall - not just how the best group is for one kind of ammunition. If you don't have a vise - let a very good prone shooter shot it or mount a scope on it and try it sitting at a table with sand bags. Accuracy is the number one priority when buying a smallbore rifle, so don't get tangled down in colors or the surface condition of the stock. You can always repaint a stock, but it will be 400-500 dollars to get a good match barrel put on if the old one is bad. When it comes to Aluminum or Wood stock, there are one important thing to notice. Both wood and aluminum changes dimension with changes in temperature. Aluminum is a metal, and the change will be greater than for wood. So when shooting in changing conditions you might run into some troubles with a aluminum stock. I have been shooting with aluminum stocks since 1997 and I have learned to re-torque the rifle before every match to make sure that there are no tensions due to changing temperatures. The big advantage of the aluminum stocks are that they have great adjustments that wouldn't be possible with a wood stock. And for me the advantages are greater than the disadvantages, but that is something you have to figure out before you make your decision. Different brands and rifles available
www.riflesports.com Updated 11/03/02 |
