Hitting the bull's-eye

SHEFFIELD - Some of the top rimfire shooting sports enthusiasts in the country are taking aim on the Shoals.

The North Alabama Shooting Association is staging five championship tournaments this month at its Sheffield range.

The north state championship for the United State Benchrest Rimfire Club's was held at the Sheffield range Oct. 17. The club will host the Fall Deep South Classic sporter match for the Civilian Marksmanship Program. On Oct. 31, the regional and national championships for the U.S. Benchrest Rimfire Club will be staged in Sheffield.

Club president Dwight Pilkilton said the tournaments will attract shooters from across the nation.

"I've been getting calls from people all over the place who are wanting to come to the matches," said Tony Gilmore, match director for the competitions. "We've got people from Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Florida coming to the CMP match. I've had calls from people in Washington state, Utah, New Mexico, North Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Florida who said they are coming to the benchrest math."

While the competitors will use .22-caliber rifles in the competitions, the types of rifles used differ.

In the Civilian Marksmanship Program match, shooters will use basic. .22 rifles. "You can go to Walmart, buy a .22 off the shelf and compete in CMP," Pilkilton said.

The rifles used in the benchrest competitions are much more sophisticated, he said.

Gilmore said some of the benchrest competitors use rifles that cost thousands of dollars. The ammunition they use is designed for competition shooting and can cost $15 for a box of 50.

In benchrest matches, competitors shoot at targets with a 1/10th-of-an-inch bull's eye that are placed 50 yards away. Although the competitors use benchrests to help hold their rifles steady, hitting the tiny bullseye is still very difficult, Gilmore said.

"Competing in CMP is like running a 10k race," Pilkilton said. "Benchrest is like running a marathon."

"Those bull's-eyes look microscopic at the distance we shoot benchrest from," Gilmore said.

Both competitions are family friendly, Pilkilton said.

"We have fathers, mothers and children who compete in the matches," he said. "At the state benchrest championship, a 12-year-old girl from our club, Morgan Keenum, won the unlimited division. She was going up against the adults and won the state championship. We couldn't be more proud of Morgan and what she has accomplished."

Gilmore said rimfire benchrest is the fastest growing shooting sport in America. He said efforts are under way to have rimfire benchrest shooting included in the Olympics.

Pilkilton said the matches being held at North Alabama Shooting Association this month are a good opportunity for anyone interested in shooting sports to learn about the sport and the local club. The shooting range is on 20th Street in Sheffield, west of Tennessee Valley Recycling. There is charge for spectators. Shooting begins at 8 a.m. today and Oct. 31.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.