BR-50 International

by Bob Zimmerman Reprinted with permission from US Airgun Magazine

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This new and demanding International shooting sport created by Larry Brown of San Diego, California, is truly the "meanest game in town." When I mentioned writing an article about BR-50 to Mr. Brown, his comment was, "Please do not make BR-50 out to be some new kind of fun." He continued to say, "This game is a real ego buster designed to attract the very best to the game."

Fired from a bench rest position, BR-50 is more than bench rest competition. The game is most popular with precision .22 rim-fire shooters, and many airgun shooters are accepting the challenge. All competitors fire the same target. Centerfire guns shoot at 100 yards, .22 rimfire at 50 yards and airguns at 25 yards.

The shooter is challenged to fire 50 shots in 30 minutes. Each shot is fired at a separate 1 inch circle that is divided into three scoring areas (see the BR-50 target picture). A shot inside the 1/2 inch center scores 100 points. If the shot is in the next ring out, it scores as 50 points. The next ring out scores 25 and a hit outside the 1 inch ring scores -25 points. You can score 10 if your shot straddles the heavy outer ring.

"So what's so mean?", you ask. The scoring is outward. A shot touching the outer edge of a scoring ring gets the lower score. This is more difficult than most scoring systems where the shot is scored at the higher value when it touches a scoring ring. Further, if it looks like it might be out, it is out! Rule 10a: 'Any shot that is so close you Can't tell for certain, even with a scoring device, will be scored to the shooters disadvantage." (see the Rule 10a picture) Very small targets, a ticking clock and the wind add to the challenge.

There are no classifications for shooters, nor shooter handicap systems. If you are not willing to compete heads up with some of the world's best precision bench rest shooters who have invested big bucks in guns and equipment, then forget BR-50.

There is a gun weight handicap system to eliminate any weight advantage, such as 3 inch bull barrels, etc. The benchmark weight is 12 pounds and 1 percent per pound is added or taken away from your score based on the gun's weight.

There are no alibis if your gun malfunctions or your target blows down. If you have problems, you are out of luck for the 50 shot match. Scoring is ruthless. Without knowing whose target they are scoring, a three-judge panel uses disks marked IN on one side and OUT on the other. Without discussion on a questionable shot, each of the judges places his disk on the table and two of the three disks score the shot "in" or "out." There are no "gimme's" and no "benefit of the doubt."

There are levels of competition and a shooter can measure his skill against shooters at the club level and at the tournament level. Your scores are recorded in the HOT-SHEET publication of the BR-50 group, which is published monthly. The international standings show your ranking against approximately 675 shooters. This ranking is based on a formula that rewards the dedicated BR-50 shooter who travels to other than his own club's matches.

A high ranking is based on a combination of factors. Winning matches or placing in the top 10 at a match gives you points called "Champoints." 10 Champoints are awarded for first place, nine points for second place, and so on down to one point for a 10th place finish. The more matches you shoot and the number of times you travel are also factors.

Competitors with the same average score are ranked one higher than the others, based on the most matches won, most events fired, or who traveled to more ranges. You can take pride in a high BR-50 average. However, the highest average will not rank you as the best. To rank at the top of the "G" line, you must be dedicated to the game.

The World Record in the BR-50 game is held by Erich Klemintich. Erich used a Ripley pre-charged air rifle to set the record, firing a score of 4,984.6875 out of a possible 5,000 on March 4,1995 at the Tomball Gun Club in Houston, Texas.

According to Larry Brown, the BR-50 Coordinator, several of the top .22 rimfire shooters switched to airguns in the 1995 season. Only one airgun ranked in the top 50 shooters this year. Even though I held the highest BR-50 average overall in 1994, with 12 events, the 4,237.5655 average only ranked 33rd on the "G" line. The Top Shooter for 1994 maintained an average of 3,858.5984 while firing 95 events at 24 different ranges in several states. Every wind condition and weather condition was encountered. Hats off to the Top Rimfire Shooter, Mr. K.C. Young.

As you can see, firing one or two good targets under ideal conditions will not prove your ability in this game. I will bet that many of the pre-charged airgun shooters are thinking right now of that ideal group of less than 1/4 inch fired last summer, and that any good pre-charged rifle can shoot a 1/2 inch group any day. How quickly we forget that, even on that ideal day, when we were shooting for our best group ever, there were many groups that we discarded when the wind caught that one shot that ruined the group.

BR-50 offers a challenge in precision bench rest shooting. Many clubs conduct events consisting of one to three 50 shot matches. The total pellet cost for each match will probably be less than the first three or four shots fired with the expensive match ammunition used by the rimfire boys. Few clubs give awards. The reward for many is to maintain a high average score or to rank close to the top on the "G" line. Come break a record - your own or someone else's!

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