I was chatting with a guy yesterday who had just finished shooting his stock 1903-A3 with sling from prone. I love the old school way, although getting into and out of prone is no picnic for my partially rebuilt lower back.
We got to talking about getting together a military rifle match at our range, which has target positions at 100, 200 and 300. I can't shoot open irons worth diddly these days, but an 03-A3 or a Lee Enfield No. 4 Mark 1 would be good choices for my eyes. Could also try a 1917 Enfield but affordable specimens with perfect bores are tough to find any more.
Just wondering if anyone else here runs one the old warriors in informal competition -- or would you if you had the chance?
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All of the above will work for you. I'll send you a PM.

The 17 doesn't have as fine a peep as the other two. The other two I consider better. I favor the 1903A3

I found this thread on another forum found it very interesting.

https://forums.gunboards.com/s...-%97-the-first-shots

Mike, thanks for the link. I haven't been on Gunboards in a bit.

My local (Las Vegas, NV) club has vintage bolt action and vintage semi-auto rifle matches on separate week end days. The targets are steel set at ranges from 100-400 yards. The rifle club in Boulder City has steel target matches 200 meters to 1100 meters. Rules are simple you can't do anything to enhance accuracy other than what a first echelon maintenance would perform. The draw to these matches is you will be handling and shooting history. When the matches first started, 30% hits got you in the top 10 shooters, now the last first place winner drop one point in 55 shots. These old rifles are still very interesting and accurate.

Tom, wish we had steel available here for a match. We'll have to shoot paper if I can get a match organized.
Thinking 10 shots offhand at 100 and 10 shots any position at 200 - including seated off sticks for the elderly among us who struggle to get in and out of prone. (C'est moi.)
Simple.

I am starting to take names from guys here who might like to shoot a match. I had two airmen from Holloman AFB at the range last Saturday, one shooting a VKT M39 Finn and the other a Mosin Model 1959.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Tom, wish we had steel available here for a match. We'll have to shoot paper if I can get a match organized.
Thinking 10 shots offhand at 100 and 10 shots any position at 200 - including seated off sticks for the elderly among us who struggle to get in and out of prone. (C'est moi.)
Simple.

Sounds like fun to me... but NM is a bit of a haul.

Mike, organize a shoot at a range in the Keystone State. I hate to say it, but many of the shooters will likely be old guys like meinzelf who struggle to get into and out of prone ...

Hi Bill.

I shoot military match rifle competition, including using a certain 6.5 Type 38 Arisaka, as well as a couple of others. It is a hoot to play this game.

Dave

Dave, I found the 6.5 Arisaka very satisfying when I could find one with a great bore. Might have said before, but one of the best-shooting 6.5s I ever owned was an early Italian Fusile 91 Carcano with a very fine bore.

Bill we have a battle rattle match at our gun club every month. But like you say, a whole bunch of old guys so we shoot off the bench.....

We alternate from 100, 200 and 400 yards.

Most use a 1903 variant but we have 1917, Enfield and moisants even sometimes a krag.....

Lots of fun!

During 2014-2019 our rifle club held WWI commemorative matches. The intent was to learn a little bit about history and compete with manually operated rifles from WWI or WWII, prone at 200yd. While there were some really good shooters there, the best part was seeing what everyone brought, from the 1915 Lithgow Enfield (on the ANZAC Day match no less), an original Gewehr 98a, and for the heck of it one fellow's original M1918 BAR. He didn't compete as it wasn't a bolt gun, but something to see.

Here in the UK the Lee Enfield Rifle Association runs such....for Lee-Enfield rifles...using actual genuine courses of fire from the relevant (what in US would be called) "manuals of arms" for that rifle at various times.