Sanchez Wins Rimfire Silhouette Nationals, Sets New Records

Youth triumphed over age and experience at the 2008 NRA Smallbore Silhouette Championships, conducted last week at the at the Ridgway Rifle Club in Ridgway, Pennsylvania.

Mark Pharr (left) with NRA Champion Agustin Sanchez (right)

Agustin Sanchez, a 24-year-old Shooter from Baja, Mexico topped the field in both Hunter Class and Standard Rifle Class. Sanchez was on fire during the match, setting new NRA Match records in both classes. The young ace from Baja tallied an amazing 116 out of 120 in Standard Rifle and 115 out of 120 in the Hunter Rifle. Sanchez was using Lapua’s new Midas+ rimfire ammunition for all of his matches.

Rimfire Silhouette is an extremely challenging sport. All shooting is done offhand from the standing position. Small targets are placed as far as 100 meters. At that distance, the wind has a huge effect on bullet flight. Typically, chicken targets are placed at 40 meters (43.7 yards), javalina targets at 60 meters (65.6 yards), turkey targets at 77 meters (84.2 yards), and ram targets at 100 meters (109.4 yards).

Two classes of rifles are used in Rimfire Silhouette: Standard and Hunter Class. Standard rifles can weigh up to 10 pounds, 2 oz. (with sights) and have no restriction on trigger pull weight. The fore-end shall not exceed 2 1/4″ wide, and 2 1/4″ deep measured from the centerline of the bore. Hunter Class rifles must have a more conventional “sporter-style” stock, typically with a narrow fore-end. A high comb is used to provide a good cheek weld. Hunter Class Rifles are limited to 8.5 pounds (with scope), and the trigger pull weight shall not be less than 2 pounds. No bull barrels are allowed — you must use a conventional tapered hunting barrel. Many top silhouette shooters like Mark Pharr will shoot the lighter Hunter rifle in both classes, as accurized Hunter Class guns can be competitive even against the heavier guns.

Diopter Devices Aid Older Eyes

Those of us over-40 types can use some help when shooting iron sights. As one gets older, your eyes lose the ability to rapidly adjust to different points of focus. In practice, when shooting a rifle, this means the target image may be sharp but the sights are blurry, or vice-versa. Or you may be able to see the target and front sight reasonably well, but the rear sight is a complete blurr. (That is this Editor’s problem when shooting a rifle, such as a Swedish Mauser, with a notched blade rear sight.) Even if you are using a rear peep sight, you may see a blurry rear circle (or two circles if you have astigmatism). Placing a diopter on your shooting glasses can help many people see open sights better, when shooting both handguns and rifles.

Merit Corp. in Schenectady, NY, offers an adjustable metal diopter that attaches to your shooting glasses with a rubber cup. Though primarily intended for pistol shooters, the Merit diopter can also be helpful when shooting rifles with open sights, such as military bolt actions. Priced at $65.00, the Merit device features an iris shutter-style aperture that can be adjusted in diameter.

Merit explains: “The human eye, whether or not prescription glasses are required, cannot focus on both sights and the target at the same time. The eye will constantly shift focus from the sights to the target trying to ensure proper alignment. Unfortunately, as we age, the eye loses the flexibility which allows it to do this; thus, sights and target begin to grow fuzzy. There is a simple way to combat this by increasing your eyes’ depth of field (range of focus). If you look through an aperture or pinhole of the correct size, you will be able to see both sights clearly, and the target will be clearly defined as well.”

In addition to diopters for eyeglasses, Merit produces a variety of adjustable iris sight products for rifles, including the V.I.A. (Variable Iris Aperature) for AR15s. Visit MeritCorporation.com or call (518) 346-1420.

Cheaper Diopter from Lyman
If you can’t afford a Merit adjustable diopter, Lyman offers a similar all-plastic device for under $20.00. The Lyman Hawkeye Shooter’s Diopter Optic Aid mounts directly to your eyeglass lens with a rubber suction cup. The diopter section is made of plastic, and aperture diameter is non-adjustable.

Though it is simple and inexpensive, the Lyman Diopter works for most shooters, provided it is positioned properly. MidwayUSA sells the diopter for $18.99, item # 936878, and Cabela’s offers it for $19.99, item IJ-229094. One MidwayUSA customer reports:

“This thing really works! I have it on my shooting glasses, and it has made a significant improvement in my ability to keep the front sight and target in focus at the same time. If you are older and find that you are having a hard time keeping the target in focus over ‘iron sights’, then this may be the answer to your problem. Mine works equally well for both pistol and rifle, although I do have to change the device’s position on my shooting glasses when changing weapon types.”