NYS Sporterifle at a Glance

A light rifle, off-hand competition

NYS Sporterifle is a postal target competition using 22 cal. rimfire rifles. The shooting position is off-hand standing with the target at 50 feet. The sport is designed so that expensive special equipment is not required. It is possible to be competitive with equipment you may already own. There is a maximum weight limit on scope/gun of 7.5 pounds. Slings or other devices that provide artificial support are not allowed.

Matches are held weekly thoughout the season. A match consists of 3 completed targets with 10 shots per target. Shooters are given 10 minutes to complete each target. The target used is the NRA Official 50 ft. Light Rifle Target A-32. The maximum score per target is 100. A perfect match score is 300 (it does happen!).

50+ Teams state-wide

Teams consist of 5 or more members. The top 5 individual scores for each match constitute the team score for that match. Therefore members of lower abilities can participate and not be concerned that they will adversely affect the team results. The inclusion of members of any ability is always beneficial. This is sometimes important to point out to prospective new members.

Currently there are over 50 teams state-wide divided among 7 adult leagues based on team average and 1 league of juniors.

A postal competition

NYS Sporterifle is a postal league. Teams shoot their weekly matches at their own local ranges. The team captain compiles the scores and mails them to the newsletter editor who compares them with the scores of the team with whom you are paired that week to determine winners.

There are shoulder to shoulder end-of-season matches where interested members from all the clubs congregate at one of several centralized hosting club's ranges. Some years we also have a shoulder to shoulder mid-season match. Starting in 1996 there is also a holiday postal shoot-off offering cash prizes and a very generous door prize.

Individual and team awards

There are individual and team awards for both shoot-offs and overall season. The team award is for high team average for each league. The individual awards include: high shooter, high lady, high junior, high senior, high shooter from each classification, most improved shooter and the Monte Smith most improved junior shooter.

A great family sport

NYS Sporterifle is very inexpensive. There is an annual $2.00 'equipment fund' fee which is payable at the competitor's first match. Weekly matches are only $1.00 per competitor per match. There are no fees for junior competitors (ages 12-19).

Juniors can start shooting at age 12 and retain their junior status until age 19 (Juniors turning 19 after September 1 compete for the rest of that season as a junior).

The season

The Sporterifle season runs from about mid-September to about late-February with weeks off for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. The end of the season shoot-off is held in early March. There are two regional banquets held in late March/early April where awards are presented and club business is discussed. Participation in the shoot-offs and banquet is desirable but not a requirement.

INTERESTED?

Does this sound like something in which your club would be interested? If you have 5 or more interested members and a range (indoor pistol ranges are ideal, but some clubs use outdoor ranges) you can start a Sporterifle team. To join NYS Sporterifle, clubs do not need to reside in New York but should be within reasonable driving distance so that participation in state-wide and division-wide events is possible. We are also willing to provide information to clubs remote to NYS that are interested in this format for setting up their own Sporterifle program. For more information or for any comments regarding this page please contact us.