Welcome to Smallbore Rifle Silhouette by Jerry Webster

       The Equipment      

 The Rifles 

It is not recommended that you go out and buy the best equipment to see if you like Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.  In the beginning, the equipment will not be the biggest problem, it will be your ability to hold on target and pull the trigger smoothly enough to hit it.  It is a very difficult sport and if you decide you do not have the patience it takes, you will not have invested much to try it.  If you have a decent 22 LR just bring it.  You should not feel like you need a new rifle to try this sport. Take it to the range and if you can get a 1-1/2  group or less at 50 yards it is good enough to start with.  

Be sure to see the "Important Information About Scope Mounting" in the Rifle Scope section.

  Bolt Action or Semi-Auto?   

I do not recommend Semi-Auto's for this sport at all.  They definitely are good enough if it is what you have now and want to try out Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.  There are a few people that shoot them (Ruger 10/22) regularly at our local matches.  If it is all you have and you want to try this sport, by all means bring it.  The biggest problem with them is they are not acceptable for accurate target ammunition.  The good target ammunition is wax coated.  That wax gums up the action and it will quit firing.  The good target ammunition is lower velocity.  This is another drawback to getting the action to work properly.  I would not want to be screwing around with the action on my firearm in a timed match such as this.  I know there are some 10/22 fans that would disagree with my opinion and that is fine with me.  Out of the 108 rifles listed in the equipment survey as being used at the 2007 Smallbore Rifle Silhouette National Championship only 2 were Ruger 10/22.  The remainder were all Bolt-Action rifles the most chosen without question (77 of the 108) were Anschutz rifles.

As far as the recommendations on equipment and the prices, I do not claim to be an expert in all firearms and accessories.  I am only speaking about what I am more familiar with.   It should be a good guide to start with.  Do some research before you start buying, especially the more expensive stuff.

   The Rifle Scopes   

As mentioned before you do not need the best equipment in the world to start shooting Smallbore Rifle Silhouette but the rifle scope is an extremely important piece of the equipment.  The scope must be able to adjust reliably to the four different settings required to shoot each animal.  If it doesn't, you may as well shoot from the hip.  You can get away with a 9x scope to start with if that is all you have.  If you have less than 9x it is going to add to the difficulty because of not seeing the targets clearly, if you do not want to invest in anything new, then go ahead and give it a try.    In general the better scopes are the ones with target type adjustments.  These are much easier to adjust in the match.  The average person has a 24x scope.  I use the 36x because I prefer to see more of the targets.  With the extra magnification of the 36x scope comes the magnified movement.  Some people do not like it and that is why some use the lesser powered scopes.  One other thing is the field of view.  With the wider field of view using the lower powered scopes it is easier to see that you are on the correct target.  If you shoot the wrong one, it does not count - been there, done that!  I am scanning regularly to verify my target.

If you are going to try what you have, take it to the range and  test it for how well it will track for you.  On a calm day sight in on the center of a target at about 50 yards and note the scope setting on the elevation adjustment so you can return to it.  Adjust the scope up exactly four  minutes (16 clicks on a 1/4 moa per click scope) and shoot five shots.  Do not worry that it is not centered on the previous point.  It will be shooting about 2 inches high.  You will be checking the grouping pattern not how well it is centered on the target.  Be sure to note the setting on the scope because you will need to come back to it.  Adjust down exactly eight minutes, or four minutes lower than where you started, and shoot another set of five shots.  Again note the position of the setting so you can return to it.   Now randomly adjust to each of the previous three settings and see if it is shooting in the same place it was before.  If your scope is tracking reliably you will be shooting similar groups in each of the 3 places as you adjust to them.   If it does not track well it will not be useful for Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.  That does not mean that your scope is worthless.  For general purposes a scope just needs to adjust to where you want it set and stay there.  It can still be a good enough scope for a squirrel gun.

Budget Rifle Scopes

It is hard to recommend inexpensive scopes.  There are numerous brands of inexpensive scopes and in general, you get what you pay for.  For most purposes an inexpensive scope will work fine on a 22 rimfire rifle if it is only going to be sighted in for one point and not adjusted frequently.  When you are required to make multiple adjustments reliably as in Smallbore Rifle Silhouette it can be a problem.

If you are on a budget   I started with a Bushnell Banner 6x-18x -50mm scope, they run about $135 now.  It worked fine for me.  I drew diagrams of the scope adjustment knobs and marked my settings for each animal on it.  I noted a new model which was a 6x - 24x - 40mm which might be better for two reasons. It has a higher magnification level (which might not be great on full 24x but might be decent at a 20x setting) and the 40mm lens will fit a rifle easier.  I needed risers for the 50mm lens to be able to mount it, the lens was hitting the rifle with the normal mounts.

Quality Rifle Scopes

Again, I am not an expert in optics and have not made it a life study to find out about every scope on the market but the following is what I know to be quality name brands and models of rifle scopes.

Leupold  $500 - $1,000 This is the most popular brand of scope in Rifle Silhouette.  It is 2:1 over the second place Weaver brand.  They make numerous models which are well suited for Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.

Weaver T24 or T36 - $430 I have a Weaver T36 on three Silhouette rifles 2-Smallbore and 1-High Power rifles.  I have a Weaver T24 on a CZ452 American I use for practice.  Each one has worked reliably.  One started having a problem, I sent it back and it was replaced with a new one at no cost.  Needless to say, I like these scopes.  Weaver is the second most popular scope for Rifle Silhouette by far.  Based on 2007 National Championship equipment survey only 13% of all rifle scopes were not Weaver or Leupold.

I am sure that Burris, Nikon, Swarovski and a few others all have some quality optics on some of their more expensive models.   Shop around and get something you have confidence in, that is the most important thing.

Important Scope Mounting Information

You should shim up the rear mount of your rifle scope if you are going to shoot Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.  This will help to center the adjustment capabilities of your scope in the area it will need to be adjusted.  If this is not done, you may not be able to adjust up enough to sight in on the Rams.  I use two layers from the side of an aluminum pop can.  These can be easily cut to size with scissors.  Cut them to nearly the width of your scope mount and they will not show.  One inch in length would be fine.    Place them under the scope tube at the rear mount.

  The Ammunition   

   Extra Magazines   

The rules permit pre-loaded magazines (5 shot maximum) in Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.  That is one of only a few rules different from High-Power Rifle Silhouette.  It is recommended that you have three magazines for your rifle.  This saves time at the firing line getting prepared to fire.

  The Spotting Scopes   

Spotting scopes are important to help see where you hit and where you missed.  If your spotter can tell where the bullets are going, he/she can relay to you if an adjustment needs to be made.  To start with it is not uncommon to see binoculars used.  In the beginning if you have anything, binoculars or spotting scope, it is good enough.  As your ability to hold on target improves your spotter becomes more important.  If you are going to keep shooting a spotting scope can be a good investment.  The tripod is just as important as the scope itself.  If the scope is on a flimsy tripod, it will not be steady.  As in most optics, you get what you pay for.  I chose the low-medium range Burris Landmark 20x-60x -80mm - $190.  It is real good up to 40x or so and starts to lose quality at the higher magnification.   There are numerous high end products from $300 to $3,000.  If you must (or just) settle for something in the $100 range, you will definitely be sacrificing quality.   I am satisfied with the one I have and it works well enough.  There is definitely better quality in the $300 - $500 spotting scope.

  The Shooting Vest  

Shooting vests can be practical for carrying your magazines and notes but can be important to help steady the rifle.  I now use a heavy leather vest.  It provides a solid non-slip resting place for the left elbow that the thin fabric one did not provide.  This is just as important for the rifle butt resting against your shoulder,  not to mention a little cushion when shooting a high power rifle. 

  The Footwear  

Your feet are the base of your standing position.  Obviously if the base is not solid it will not be steady.  I have torn ligaments in my right knee and ankle from a long ago motorcycle crash (the car won!).  I wear shooting boots to help support the ankle.  These are good and can add a little to the average persons stability but are expensive and normally not worth the expense.  What you do not want for shooting Smallbore Rifle Silhouette is soft soled athletic shoes.  Anything with a soft sole will lower the feeling of balance to the feet causing more wobble in the body trying to remain stable.  Picture standing on a thick foam pad and trying to stand in steady hold.  It would be difficult.  It is exactly the same principle in soft soled shoes but just not as extreme.

  The Timers  

Many people have count-down timers to know how much time they have left in the 2-1/2 minute firing sequence.  They are set to count down from 2 minutes and 45 seconds.  They are started when the Range officer calls for the "Ready" or "Listo" command.  There are a wide variety to choose from and not the most expensive investment you will make.

 Just for the information...  We use the "Invisible Clock" which is not recommended for everyone.   It is a bit confusing on getting set properly and, every time the battery runs out, you need to reset it.  The battery does last for a long time, maybe a year ( I have not logged it to know exactly).   The numbers are quite small and hard to read.  It has a vibrate setting which is its only good point.  We have alarm #1 set for 60 seconds remaining, it vibrates for 5 seconds.  We have alarm #2 set for 30 seconds remaining.  Alarm #2 vibrates for 5 seconds pauses for 5 seconds and vibrates again for 5 seconds.  So we know by the end of the last vibration there is only 15 seconds remaining.

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