Umarex team Member Eydin Hansen at the bench for the Pyramyd Cup, 2023
The centerpiece of modern airgun competition is benchrest shooting. Why? The most likely explanation for this is the level of precision needed to be competitive and the elimination of as many variables as possible. In theory, the benchrest is simply the static distance from the bench to the target, the weather conditions, the rifle, and, to a lesser extent, the shooter. Why is the shooter mentioned last? Well, with the rifle resting on a bi-pod and back rest, the shooter just has to be able to move the rifle a few degrees vertically and horizontally during the match. All shooters in a match will get the same or nearly the same atmospheric conditions for the match. Benchrest is simple, and it is simply frustrating. Let me explain.
What It Is
In most cases, benchrest shooting competitions are done at 100 yards. Airguns of Arizona Extreme Benchrest competition begins with two rounds at 75 yards. In the 75 and 100 yard competitions airguns up to .30 caliber can be used. There’s also such a thing as 50 yard benchrest that is limited in caliber to .177, .20, and .22 calibers. Pellets are the only ammo that can be used in either competition, at least currently.
Therefore, at its simplest, Benchrest shooting is exactly what it sounds like– shooting from a stabilized position at a known distance at a fixed target. The “card” you shoot will have 25 targets on it. Your job as a shooter is to place one shot in each of these 25 targets. These targets are just a bit over 5 inches in diameter. For you Canadians, this works out to about 130mm. The X ring is 3/16th of an inch, the 10 ring is ½ of an inch. Succeeding rings are all about 3/8ths of an inch as they fan out. The target is scored with the following point values: 10, 9 ,8 ,7 ,6 ,5 ,4 ,3. If a shot breaks the X-ring, the X is noted and tallied to be used as a tie breaker. For example, two shooters having identical point tallies with one card having 4X’s and the other having 5X’s- the 5X card gets the nod.
Count to 25 and Stop
The Author’s 2nd card from Utah Airgun’s Rocky Mountain Airgun Challenge, 2024
When shooting a card the shooter must be careful to not put more than 25 pellets in the scoring area of the target. What this means is that if you have a pellet that completely misses one of the targets and lands on another target on your card, you can still receive the point value for the first shot, and 3 points for the missed shot. However, if there are 26 (or more) holes on the target, you will be penalized 10 points for each shot over 25.
While it seems obvious that you shouldn’t shoot outside of your assigned lane, this is something that you need to be constantly aware of. Know your lane number, the color of your target frame, and double check these things each and every time you come off of the scope. When you are using a high magnification optic you may not be on the same target when you get back behind the scope and not be able to tell if you aren’t careful. This is a disqualification on most ranges. As a shooter, you have 30 minutes to complete the course, so there’s really no reason to be in such a hurry as to shoot in the wrong lane.
It should also be noted that each card will have either 4 or 5 sighter targets on the bottom edge of the target. Above the sighters will be a definitive line that all sighter shots must fall below. These sighter targets can be shot as many times as you want, just make sure that all of those shots are below the line that divides the sighters from the official targets.
Recommendations
A stable shooting position is essential. Also, Enough glass to clearly see your target and note all pellet strikes on your card is crucial for success.
2024 was my ‘rookie’ year to shoot benchrest. In this year what I learned is that, yes, you do want more scope. I selected an optic with a maximum magnification of 16X. I selected this optic based on a rule, real or imaginary, that you need 1X magnification for every 100 yards you are shooting. This might be fine for hunting or tactical use, but I learned that my eyes were strained concentrating on the half-inch center of a target. I would recommend no less than 20X magnification for this competition. As stated above, you can’t be too careful in making sure you are on the correct target. A 20X scope is only showing you a circle of about 7 feet at 100 yards. A 32X scope might only show a circle of about 3 feet in diameter. Again, be sure that what you see through your scope IS your target.
I would next recommend not skimping out on support for your rifle. A strong, reliable bipod is extremely handy for supporting the front of the rifle. The rear of the rifle needs an adjustable, but highly stable means of support. The typical “sporting goods” style rear bag is not flexible enough for making the fine adjustments needed for vertical adjustments through the range needed for the card.
Umarex Team Member Evan Haddick on the bench at Airguns of Arizona’ Extreme Benchrest, 2024. Note the wind indicators placed on the range.
A shooter really needs to learn how to read wind. One thing that becomes apparent when shooting your card is that there might be a vast difference in wind from the bottom of the target where the sighters are, to the top of the card. I leaned on other shooter’s wind flags, how the wind felt on my face, and intuition. When shooting my first few cards I learned that there is no need to hurry, but sometimes you will need to act quickly to take advantage of a lull in the wind gusts. But to that point, there’s 30 minutes to shoot 25 targets. There’s plenty of time to shoot the card. Getting in a hurry when you don’t have to is folly. Take your time and take YOUR shot.
Lastly, I would recommend getting plenty of practice in shooting at this distance and on appropriate size targets. Shoot in adverse conditions. The locations of most of these sanctioned benchrest competitions are in flat, desert, or otherwise windy places. If your shooting lane is cut through dense forest with nary a hint of a breeze, it might be good practice but it won’t be the practice you need to really succeed at the bench. If possible shoot over a chronograph to test a few different pellets for accuracy. Also, be prepared to make adjustments for the elevation and other atmospheric conditions like temperature and humidity.
With all of this in mind you will likely be humbled by this competition. Poor wind calls, pellets that have some unseen defect, bad trigger pulls, sudden nervousness– any number of things can and will send a pellet off into the lower point value regions of your target. What is in the past is in the past. The only shot that matters is the next one.