Benchrest
Welcome to the Ashford & District Rifle Club Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest page
No age limit, no size requirement, no gender preference, no language barriers. . . just one big
family of shooters enjoying the spirit of competition and camaraderie.
WHAT IS BENCHREST?
Benchrest shooting is a shooting sport in which very accurate and precise rifles are shot at paper targets. The rifles ride on a front and rear rest, the rests may or may not be joined, depending on the rules of a particular competition. The rests sits on a table or bench, hence the name “benchrest.” The shooter simply sits at the bench, in distinction to other shooting disciplines, where the shooter holds and aims the rifle without the benefit of a rest. The post-Civil War era “double rest” rifles were one early form of “benchrest” rifles.
Benchrest is of particular interest to those people who find difficulty in prone or standing positions and as telescopic sights are permitted those whose eyesight may not be as good as it used to be!
It’s popularity within the club is on the increase and we normally meet on a Thursday during the daytime and also on a Friday evening with the gallery discipline
It can be shot indoors or outside using either Air rifles or .22 Rimfire rifles. The targets are set at a distance of 25 meters for Air rifle and 25 meters and 50 meters for Rimfire rifles. Currently we use NSRA type targets for practice and competition and are investigating the use of other types.
Multiple shots can be taken at the sighting targets but only one shot per scoring target is allowed.
Benchrest shooters are notoriously detail-oriented and constantly trying to further the accuracy potential of the rifle through experimentation.
The club has a full range of equipment for probationary members to use before progressing towards the personalisation of their own equipment.
