We have been thinking about something that Grizz posted. Letting .22 BPCR watchers turn into shooters by letting them shoot their CLA smallbore guns in a 22 BPCR match.

WE like to put on good matches and will want to put on a good match about May or June ( our regional CLA match is in Sept ) so we thought about combining the two disciplines in a match next spring.

Have a two 40 round CLA smallbore matches one day and two .22 BPCR matches the next...but let shooters use their smallbore CLA rifle in the BPCR match if they don't have a .22 BPCR rifle and let them shoot from the same positions as the .22 BPCR folks do.

I think ole Grizz may be onto something good there...Heck, that may show enough interest to start a whole other type match...smallbore Lever long range.

Sounds okay to me, but will most of them be able to reach 200 m with the sights on the average CLA rifle? I'm not sure.

I think they will. We have been experimenting with our Marlin 39s and we have a BLAST shooting them at that range. I forgot to say ALL irons on the .22 BPCR rifles.

Cool! They will struggle with windage for many of those sights, but if it gets them to the range...

What size are the animals for the 22 bpcr?

REALLY SMALL!!!!

I believe they are 1/4 the size of the CLA Rifle targets shot at the same distances. (1/2 as long and 1/2 as tall).

The chickens are so small, sometimes, you can't tell they are even there. And don't think I jest.

the only reason I worry about shooters taking their CLA smallbore to the range for .22bpcr is they may go home too discouraged to try again. By way of comparison, my first fly fishing set up was a 9 ft wet noodle of a rod with 10 wt level line. Nothing could be worse to start a young teenager in flycasting. I gave it up before the summer was over. Had I been handed a half decent rod with a tapered line, it may not have taken 2 more decades before I tried it again. I'd rather loan you mine, than watch you shoot your 39a. The two experiences will be so different as to be unrecognizable.

dhatch wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2017 3:42 pm What size are the animals for the 22 bpcr?

2/5 scale except the chicken and it's about the same size as the 22 chicken.
They are about the same size as small bore CLA shoots, only the distances are 50 meters for the chickens, 100 pigs, 150 turkeys and 200 for the rams.

The size of the targets is scaled to the distance they are compared to the full size targets. ( Regular scoped .22 are 1/5 scale )
Chickens are at 1/4 of the distance, 50 instead of 200, therefore they are 25% of full size.
Pigs are 100/300 therefore 33% of full size, Turkeys 150/385 making them approximately 39% of full size and finally rams, 200/500 making them 40%.

Letting folks use what they've got is a good idea. Let them shoot their rifle and then let them have a go with a correct rifle so they can see what they are capable of. We get people hooked on the .22BPCR that we shoot here "down under" after their first exposure to it. We also allow rifles based on Martini actions, even though they don't have an exposed hammer, purely because they are quite common here.

Here's a link to the 22bpcr forum that explains and has templates for the targets.
http://www.22bpcra.com/forum/?view=thread&id=25

Several different local clubs run what they call an open class match along side the regulation match just to get folks involved. No small number of those that come and shoot open class return later with regulation rifles.

Don
We'll start doing that at our CLA matches as a side match. I asked one of the 22 BPCR guys last year if we could shoot our marlin 39s at a match just for fun and he looked like I had asked if his mother was a good kisser! We bought a gun and jumped right into it...other folks may be too shy so we'll give them a fun opportunity to shoot their 22 lever guns out to 200 meters.

Glen I think you're certainly on a good track with that side match idea.
The biggest problem with getting folks into regulation 22bpcr, is they get turned off when they see what it costs for a regulation rifle, and then the cost of sights usually sends them into a melt down..
Ideally a manufacturer would come up with a regulation rifle, at an entry level price, but so far none of them have shown an interest.

I think Uberti makes a rolling block 22 for about 600 bucks. I have no idea how accurate they are. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a Steven's crack shot / favorite make a dandy kids rifle for 22 bpcr ! I think the sights from a cheaper source can be had. Folks can up-grade IF they wish later. I think the reception is the biggest factor to shooting bpcr by other competitors. We went to our fist match with a factory 1885 with a marbles rear sight. One goober mentioned that he thought it was illegal because it had clicks and later asked if " that thing" can even be adjusted out to 200 yards. We ignore him . There are other competitors that offer advice...but we just shot and giggled each time we hit an animal. FUN is the name of the game if we're at a match.

It is a terribly fun match to shoot.
Last I heard those Uberti rollers were hard to get ahold of. Yes the new Stevens crackshots would work, but they are pretty light , and their triggers aren't real shiny, but would surely get a person started.
I hope you can get your dual match going, it sounds like a very fun time.

Glen,
As you know I am a long time levergun guy and have been in the Black Powder Cartridge game for longer than the levergun. I am a match director for the Rocky Mountain Regional .22 BPCR Championships held the second weekend of June each year for the last 6 years and monthly matches at the Cheyenne Rifle and Pistol Club. Our monthly matches at Cheyenne are in the summer months and the Smithmoor Range in Carpenter Wyoming, about 45 minutes East of Cheyenne hosts the Rocky Mountain Regional and monthly matches in the winter. Yes we shoot all winter long in Wyoming. The Smithmoor range has a heated building we shoot out of, we call it the Shootin' Shed. The monthly matches at Cheyenne and Carpenter encourage people to shoot. We have a separate class and awards for folks shooting rifles that do not qualify as BPCR rifles. Several months ago I had two folks shoot with AR 15 style .22LR rifles. They did pretty well considering the sights. One iron. The other guy used a scope and shot as well as his partner. Several of our regular shooters, including the National Champion in Iron Sights, Jack Odor, times 2 I believe, brings out his grandkids and last match I was please to award both of them with 10 pig pins. At .22 BPCR Nationals we had a large showing of Juniors shooting this year. Many, many more than at Levergun Nationals. Bring on the CLA guns to your .22 BPCR matches but they should be warned that before long they will buying that BPCR in 22 or putting a liner into a 45-70. Having been to all of the National Levergun Championships since day one and seen how well folks shoot I am very surprised that they have not jumped on this new disciple. Actually several have. Grizz not only got bitten but now runs his own matches in CRC. Jim Goodnight and Lee O'Neil, Butch Jarvis are others. You have a wonderful range at OK City and one of the "big Four" .22 BPCR matches is held there. The Tornado Alley .22 BPCR Match. The other three are Nationals at Raton, Midwest Regionals at Tappan, Kansas and the Rocky Mountain Regionals at Carpenter. So, nuff said Glenn......Get er goin".
Dick

Not wanting to correct anyone, however, the .22 BPCR targets are not just down sized to the yardage, they are completely unique to size for this game. I would love that chicken to be 1/4 size! Maybe then I would get more than two or three! LOL

Just ore thing: .22 BPCR is NOT SANCTIONED BY THE NRA IN ANYWAY SHAPE OR FORM EXCEPT WE FOLLOW THE NRA RULES DEFINING THE RIFLE, SHOOTING POSITIONS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. THE .22 BPCRA HAS NOT FELT THE NEED TO REWRITE THE EXISTING RULES FROM THE NRA. The Board of directors for the .22 BPCRA is the final word on policy and procedure for this game. Board members are long time BPCR competitors and well versed on the NRA statutes.