Welcome to the Rio Salado Sportsman's Club!

An Arizona Game and Fish Range. Managed by the Rio Salado Sportsman's Club, Inc.

Smallbore Rifle Silhouette Match

Match Director: Brian Hunter

Match Information:

  • Match Date: The Third Saturday of Every Month.
  • Match Time: 9:00am. Practice begins at 7:30-8:00
  • Match cost: $7.00 for Members, $9.00 for Non-Members. Please show up at least 30 minutes before the match starts to register.
  • Anyone not a member of Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club (RSSC) must sign a RSSC Liability Waiver each match. Parents of minors must sign each time for their children even if they have a family membership.
    The RSSC Waiver is at the Registration Window or Download it Here
  • The course of fire: 60 shot match. Fifteen (15) shots (three banks of five) on each set of animals.
  • Legal Cartridge & Caliber: .22 Long Rifle, No Stinger or Hyper velocity ammo!
  • Targets: 1/5 size steel animals, as follows;
  • Chickens at 40 meters
  • Pigs at 60 meters
  • Turkeys at 77 meters
  • Rams at 100 meters

Small Bore Rifle Silhouette

In Smallbore Rifle Silhouette you use a .22 Rimfire to shoot at small metal targets at fairly short distances (out to 100 meters). Your .22 rifle can be a bolt action, lever action, pump, or even a semi-auto like a Ruger 10/22. It is a sport in which the whole family can take part. Here are some of the specifics:

When you show up you need to find the Match Director to sign up. Usually that’s the person in the office trying to do all the pre-match paperwork. Juniors are anyone between 10 and 18. All juniors must have an adult with them, even if the adult does not shoot.

There are two kinds of matches – a 40 round match and a 60 round match. At Rio Salado, we usually shoot a 60 round match. That means 15 shots at the chicken targets, 15 at the pigs, 15 for turkeys, and the rams get the same.  Anyone can enter, and you shoot according to your skill level in classes. You would first shoot in an unclassified class. After your first match you would fall into anything from B, A , AA, AAA and Master, depending on your score in your first match. You shoot standing up, no slings, heavy shooting coats, but scopes are OK and recommended. Basically a match goes something like this: Shooters are called to the line. The command Load/Listo is given. 15 seconds later the command Fire/Fuego is given. (Spanish commands are sometimes used as the sport was invented in Mexico, and it is tradition, but optional) You have 2 ½ minutes to shoot 5 shots – one at each target animal in a row left to right. If you knock the animal over it is a hit, if you miss it, or simply turn it, or rock it, it is a miss. After the 2 ½ minutes are up, the command cease fire is given. Then you rest for about a minute, still standing at the firing position, then the routine is started again. This is done (3) times until you have fired (15) shots at each animal. Then when you are finished with a bank of animals, your rifles are placed safely in the gun racks with OBI (Open Bolt Indicator) in place . The line is considered safe when all rifles are in racks. There is no handling of firearms for any reason during a “cease fire”. You will then be instructed to set up the targets that you knocked down to prepare for the next relay. The match is over  after you have completed (15) shots at each  animal.  In case of ties there is a shoot off. If you want to experience one of the most challenging of all shooting sports, bring yourself, your family, and your friends and a .22 rifle. Please keep in mind we emphasize shooting safety. Eye and Ear protection is mandatory.

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