For each issue, ORA Director of Competitions, Curtis Bohlman, shares about the various competitions available to participate in along with updates on ORA sponsored events.
In an effort to get some of you ammunition laden gun owners off of the couch (you know who you are), the Sharpshooter features, in less than 750 words, an informational article describing a shooting discipline along with a couple of places in the State where you can enjoy the competition. For most of these articles, I will offer little more than a cursory look at the rules and courses of fire, but enough explanation to hopefully whet your appetite. In my 36 years of competitive shooting, I’ve hardly scratched the surface of what the shooting sports have to offer, so I’ll be relying on a little bit of interweb research and some discussions with “experts” to fill in around the edges of my inexperience. If you happen to know the presented discipline inside and out and notice only an error or two in my writing, I feel like I’ve done well enough!
This issue’s discipline is “Military Bolt Action Bench Rest.” Bolt action military rifles have been in production for nearly 200 years. As technological advancements are made, newer models replace the former and a military surplus results. It is not uncommon for a country to hold on to surplus rifles for militia contingency, but as these rifles age out, they find their way into the hands of sportsmen and enthusiasts. Today, many antiquated military rifles occupy the dark corners of gun safes, all but forgotten.
I have no idea where or when it happened, but someone got the idea that getting together with buddies and shooting these rifles in friendly competition might be fun. Thus, Military Bolt Action Bench Rest was born! All of the marksmanship fundamentals come to bear in this discipline where sights are rough, triggers are heavy, the target is small, and recoil is a reality. It’s a great way to develop skills which easily cross over to hunting and other marksmanship disciplines, on a budget.
As you can imagine there is quite an exhaustive list of rifles that can be used in these matches. Some of the more common ones are the Springfield 1903 and A3O3, M96 Swedish Mauser, and 91/30 Mosin Nagant. Many competitors load their own ammunition at reduced velocity to tame recoil, and enhance accuracy. Some even shoot cast bullets to extend barrel life.
As Military Bolt Action Bench Rest implies, these rifles are shot from a bench, with the support of some kind of a front rest, but can’t be the type that clamp the rifle in place. Other equipment such as spotting scopes, sight black, a rear bag, and even shooting jackets are allowed. Hearing and Eye protection is required. Guns and ammo must be proof tested prior to shooting in the matches as a safety precaution.
There is no national sanctioning authority that I could find but at least several other states shoot these matches. The participating clubs drafted a “Preamble” which provides some details and rules which can be found with a quick internet search.
The agreed upon course of fire is 10 shots for practice and 5 strings of 10 shots for record. The first two strings are shot for group size (smallest wins or course) and the final three strings are shot for score. The target agreed upon is the NRA SR-21 which has a 6.12” aiming black and only a .79” X-ring. This is a demanding target at 100 yards with iron or “open sights”; optical sights are not allowed. At the end of the match there are two winners identified, defined by Smallest Group and Highest Score.
To keep things inexpensive and “fair to all,” rifles may not be highly modified to shoot more accurately, though some modifications like free-floating, paper shims, trigger work, and even some sight modification fits in the “ok” category of gun work. The spirit of competition dictates using “as issued” rifles.
Four clubs in Oklahoma have an annual Inter-club competition, which generally falls in mid October. The clubs are Tri-City Gun Club of Norman, Oil Capitol Rod and Gun Club of Coweta, The Oklahoma City Gun Club of Arcadia, and Stephens County Rifle and Pistol of Duncan. If you like the idea of improving your marksmanship skills on a budget this is a great way to go. Reach out to one of these clubs, contacting their MBABR division. As with most shooting sports, you’ll get plenty of help if you ask.
Curtis Bohlman Competitions Director, Oklahoma Rifle Association
