HBSA Vintage Service Rifle matches
Vintage Service Rifle league
The Vintage Service Rifle league is a bespoke competition tailored for breechloading black powder rifles.
There are three days of competition covering 100, 200 and 300 yard distances, with courses of fire designed to be ‘in the spirit’ of period musketry practice, albeit adapted for practicality on a modern range and adopting some of the flavour/idiom of contemporary service rifle competition for easy of competitor comprehension.
Eligible participants: HBSA members and members of any other Home Office approved club. All participants must have a valid SCC. Non-members are welcome, but must pay a £5 green fee
ONLINE BOOKING ONLY
Classes
The competition is open only to pre-1891 design breechloading rifles as issued to the military and/or police forces of any nation of the day (eg Martini Henry, Snider, Springfield Trapdoor, Mauser 71(/84), Dreyse, Comblain, Kropatschek, Remington RB, Chassepot/Gras etc). Competitors must use original service rifles, as issued. Competitors are responsible for the safety of their firearm; if in any doubt, it should be submitted for proof before use. Rifles must be used in the single-shot format only, where each round is chambered and extracted manually (ie without the use of internal tubular or external magazines, if applicable).
Shooters must use period-authentic ammunition (black powder only) and only such equipment as would have been available to users of the period (within reason; any disputes will be decided at the sole discretion of the RO on the day, without right of appeal). Competitors may use different rifles for each match, but they can only use one rifle per match.
Targetry
All three match days use the 1879 ‘third class’ target used by the British Army, which has a 12” black circular bullseye at the centre of an outer ring measuring 36” in diameter. The scoring area extends outside the outer ring to the margins of the target frame.
Courses of fire
These change every season, and will be provided to booked competitors in plenty of time before each shooting day. Every match requires a maximum of 25 rounds to be shot over three practices. The competition involves shooting in various positions – standing, kneeling, sitting, prone – against the clock, and sometimes requiring a change or changes of position within the same practice. Accommodation will be made for those who have limited mobility; usually this will mean adopting another position that gives the competitor no material advantage. Example courses of fire below.
General safety
Period military rifles have special features (eg often no safety catch) that require specific procedures for safety. The RO will brief all competitors before each match. Attendance at the pre-shoot safety briefing is mandatory for all shooters.
Challenges
Competitors may challenge any score after it has been communicated to the firing point. Any disputes will be finally decided by the RSO, without right of appeal. Competitors should bring enough ammunition for reshoots, in case these are necessary.
Prizes
There will be individual winners of each match, and an overall League winner at the end of the year.
General
Each match is squadded. We will score or own shooting, taking turns in the butts
Example – Vintage Service Rifle competition: The 100 yards match
Course of fire: 25 rounds to be fired in total (including sighters and warming rounds)
Maximum possible score: 88 (22 x 4)
Stage 1 – 100 yard Snaps
Distance: 100 yards
Position: Standing or kneeling
Rounds: 3 ‘warming/sighting rounds’, individually marked, then 8 scoring shots
Target: 1879 ‘third class’ British Army target
Timing: 4 x 10 second exposures
Scoring: 4 for hits on the centre bullseye, 3 for the outer ring, 2 for anywhere else on the white backing
Procedure
Firers will have two minutes to fire 3 ‘warming rounds’ from any position. These will be individually marked.
Firers will be ordered to adopt the standing alert position. When everyone is ready, they will be given the command ‘watch out, watch out’.
The target will make four exposures of 10 seconds each. Two rounds to be fired per exposure from the standing or kneeling position. Firers are to return to the standing alert position between exposures (for those who choose to kneel). Competitors may chamber live rounds only after any movement, when they are ready to fire. Those who intend to fire their first round from the standing position may load and make ready when ‘watch out, watch out’ is called. Those who intend to kneel must wait until they are in the kneeling position before loading.
Scoring: Scores will be communicated to the firing point and spotting discs shown for 30 seconds.
Stage 2 – 100 yards Kneeling
Distance: 100 yards
Position: Kneeling (but from a standing start)
Rounds: 6 scoringshots
Target:: 1879 ‘third class’ target
Timing: 1 exposure of 60 seconds
Scoring: 4 for hits on the centre bullseye, 3 for the outer ring, 2 for anywhere else on the white backing
Procedure
1. Firers will adopt the standing position
2. When everyone is ready, the command ‘watch out, watch out’ will be given. On appearance of the targets, competitors will adopt the kneeling position, load and open fire
3. Scores will be communicated to the firing point and spotting discs shown for 30 seconds.
Stage 3 – 100 yards Snaps Standing and kneeling/squatting
Distance: 100 yards
Position: Standing and kneeling or squatting
Rounds: 8 scoring shots
Target: 1879 ‘third class’ target
Timing: 4 exposures of 10 seconds
Scoring: 4 for hits on the centre bullseye, 3 for the outer ring, 2 for anywhere else on the white backing
Procedure
Example – Vintage Service Rifle competition: The 300 yards match
Course of fire: 25 rounds to be fired in total (including sighters and warming rounds)
Maximum possible score: 88 (22 x 4)
Stage 1 – 300x Deliberate
Distance: 300 yards
Position: Prone from standing start
Rounds: 3 practice rounds, individually marked, then 8 scoring shots
Target: 1879 ‘third class’ British Army target
Timing: One 70-second exposure
Scoring: 4 for hits on the centre bullseye, 3 for the outer ring, 2 for anywhere else on the white backing
Procedure
1. Firers will have two minutes to fire 3 practice rounds from any position. These will be individually marked.
2. Firers will be ordered to adopt the standing alert position. When everyone is ready, they will be given the command ‘watch out, watch out’.
3. The target will make one exposure of 70 seconds. When targets appear, competitors will adopt the prone position and fire 8 rounds. Competitors may chamber live rounds only after they are in the prone position.
Stage 2 – 300 yards snaps
Distance: 300 yards
Position: Prone
Rounds: 8 scoring shots
Target:: 1879 ‘third class’ target
Timing: One exposure of 15 seconds, then three exposures of 10 seconds each. Four exposures in total.
Scoring: 4 for hits on the centre bullseye, 3 for the outer ring, 2 for anywhere else on the white backing
Procedure
1. Firers will adopt the standing alert position
2. When everyone is ready, the command ‘watch out, watch out’ will be given. On appearance of the targets, competitors will adopt the prone position and fire two rounds at each exposure. Competitors may chamber live rounds only after they are in the prone position.
3. Scores will be communicated to the firing point and spotting discs shown for 30 seconds.
Stage 3 – The ‘agony’ volley fire
Distance: 300 yards
Position: Prone, NO SLINGS PERMITTED
Rounds: 6 individual scoring shots on command
Target: 1879 ‘third class’ target
Timing: 1 exposure of 90 seconds
Scoring: 4 for hits on the centre bullseye, 3 for the outer ring, 2 for anywhere else on the white backing
Procedure
1. Firers will adopt the prone position. They will be ordered to load and make ready. When everyone is ready, the command ‘Prepare to fire’ will be given.
3. Firers will await the command ‘Fire!’ from the RO. On each ‘fire’ command, competitors will engage the target with one round. Commands will be random throughout the 90-second exposure. After each volley, the RO will call: ‘Reload’. Competitors will then shoot at the next ‘fire’ command, and so on. Competitors may only fire in response to commands. Competitors who fire more than 2 seconds after a ‘fire’ command, or who fire absent the specific ‘fire’ command, will be disqualified from the stage.
4. Scores will be communicated to the firing point and spotting discs shown for 30 seconds.