What is "Smallbore"?
10 Shot Card
As the term suggests, smallbore describes the type of rifle. The “bore” of the rifle is small, .22 calibre to be precise, or 0.22 of an inch. This is in contrast to a bigbore, or “fullbore” rifle usually in the range of .30 calibre.
Smallbore target shooting is performed over several distances. During the winter season it takes the form of Indoor which is shot over 25yds, or in a few ranges, 20yds.
Below is a typical 25yd indoor target consisting of one central sighting diagram and ten scoring diagrams. A “10 shot” match such as this requires 2 compulsary sighters and a 3rd optional, followed by 10 scoring shots around the card. The perfect score would be 100.10 where a “.1” signifies an inner bull.
.22 Calibre Cartridge
.30 Calibre Cartridge
The summer season brings on Outdoor and is shot predominately over 50m. Small flags are arranged in lanes that serve as indicators to the shooter as to wind direction and strength.
Outdoor Range
Gary Shooting Outdoor
Both of these disciplines have very different target sizes but the sight picture to the shooter remains the same. Unlike hunting rifles where the shooter generally uses a “scope” or “open sights”, smallbore target rifles use what is known as “Aperture Sights”. For an accurate shot with aperture sights the rear “aperture”, “foresight element” and the “target diagram” must be aligned concentrically.
Aperture Sight Picture