My Favourite Rifles

No change of angle and it passes the bump test.

I used a very fine jewlers rouge impregnated with diamond powder. The two stage trigger pull is present but not as noticeable. All the pressure/contact points are simply very very smooth. I used a digital trigger pull gauge and the trigger enters the first stage right at 28 ounces/ 1lb 12oz. As you pull past the first stage the trigger releases at just under 34 ounces/ 2lb 2oz. Not too light and nothing that would be considered dangerous.

Those of you in the UK and Europe (and probably AU and NZ) may only have targets stands at at 100 and 200 meters.  Most ranges in the US will have targets at 100 and 200 yards (and beyond at some ranges).

Targets are also different, the most common in the US being the NRA Short Range (SR) target for 200 yards, and the SR-1 target reduced for 100 yards.  There are other reduced targets that are more challenging like the MR 31, the NRA Medium Range Target reduced for 100 yards.  You can get all of these targets and more from the American Target Company.

For a strictly fun match on a target that is easy to score well on would be the SR-1 target at 100 yards.  Shoot 10 shots prone, no support under rifle.  Service sights only.  Those who want to shoot scope or off the bench we could have an “unlimited class”.   

A few of us on this forum are competitive by nature, others here are strictly collectors, others are hunters.  To each his own I say.  

I am one who has a interest in old military rifles, and I also enjoy competitive shooting.  What really interests me is competitive shooting with old military rifles.  

It is competition that drives us to improve.  You can do only so much by competing with yourself, but, like playing chess with yourself, it becomes rather lonesome after a while.   I enjoy shooting matches to meet up with people who have similar interests and we learn from each other.  Shooting in matches with a large number of competitors is entirely different than shooting alone against yourself. For me it is anyway...

The thing with an “official” match, it’s not so easy to cheat and we all shoot in practically the same conditions.  We all have good days and not so good days.  I only win matches when I have a good day and my best shooting buds have bad days :-) 

Oh well, I’ll continue to participate in the matches, it’s what makes me tick.  But, I would be honored to meet forum members such as yourself in person and shoot a friendly match.  

It would be a sight to behold to see a firing line of 20 or 30 Lee Enfield shooters.  My “Home Range” can handle 54 shooters on the line at the same time...200, 300 and 600 yards without having to move or even post a target.  All electronic.  

That SR-1 target looks right to me.  If you measure the x, 10 and 9 ring diameters, they should be:  1.35 inches, 3.35 inches and 6.35 inches respectively.  These are the “official” dimensions of the NRA Military Short Roange (reduced to 100 yards) Target. 

The MR-31 (600 yard MR target reduced to 100 yards) is more challenging: 0.75” X ring, 1.75” 10 ring and 2.75” 9 ring.  In modern Service Rifle matches, prone slow fire is shot at 600 yards with a 12 inch diameter 10 ring. Reducing the MR target down to 100 yards results in a 10 ring only 1.75 inches to account for the diameter of a .30 cal bullet.  I know, sounds confusing, but at 600 yards, theoretically, a center to center spacing of 12.30 inches could score a 100 points (a bullet hole touching the score ring counts for the higher value).  So, the 600 yard MR 10 ring reduced at 100 yards is calculated by 12.3/6 - .3 = 1.75.