Bullseye Shooting at F.R.P.C.
Introduction

1. Bullseye shooting is characterized by a having a set course-of-fire, fired at standardized paper
targets and shot under standard conditions. For a number of reasons, this discipline should be the first
stop on a shooter’s journey towards excellence in marksmanship.

2. This is the discipline where shooters learn the essential skills of holding, aiming and firing
which must be mastered before any level of accuracy can be achieved. It is also an excellent vehicle
for learning safe firearms’ handling skills. While it is often a stepping stone to other disciplines,
Bullseye shooting can be a lifelong pursuit in it’s own right.

3. In Bullseye shooting, the focus is on precision. Having a numerical score lets the shooter see
exactly how much progress is being made and confirms those changes to techniques that either are (or
are not) helping.

4. FRPC has outstanding facilities for a wide range of Bullseye disciplines. At present (spring
2024), the number of members participating is small but very enthusiastic.
Rifle

5. .22 Calibre Rifle. This is a perfect place to start! Ammunition and rifles are inexpensive and
widely available. Outdoor range requirements are minimal and the indoor range is perfect for the
winter months. All of the skills necessary for accurate shooting can be learned with a .22.

a. 3-Position Rifle. This involves shooting from three positions (prone, kneeling &
standing). A full course consists of 60 scoring shots, 20 from each position. At FRPC this is
fired at 50 yards outdoors and 20 yards indoors. It is an excellent test of shooting ability and a
perfect practice for hunting. As an encouragement, there is a progressive Awards Program
through which shooters can be recognized for their achievements.

b. Tactical/Precision Rifle. This is a fledgling discipline at FRPC. It involves shooting
from different distances, using different positions/supports and using a variety of targets.
“Running and gunning” is NOT involved and the type of rifle and sights used varies widely. It
is an ideal discipline for both an informal competition with friends and for honing hunting
skills.

6. Centre-Fire Rifle. This form of shooting consists of both Prone and 3-Position shooting from
300 yards. The facilities at FRPC are only suitable for the Prone Match.
a. Prone. This is fired with any centre-fire calibre rifle (usually with non-optical sights) at
a large bullseye target at 300 yards. Normally only a half-course is fired (30 rounds). After
shooters have “tweaked” their rifle/ammo from a rest, they can take on this additional challenge
of firing from the prone position without any support other than their own elbows. While a
half-course is a test of a shooter’s staminia, a single 10-round string is a great informal
competition and an eexcellent confirmation of readiness for the big-game hunting season.
Handgun

7. Under current restrictions, handgun shooting is problematic for a new shooter. However, all is
not lost as many of the Club’s members have handguns that are perfectly suitable for Bullseye shooting
and they are often willing to allow other members to use them. For those members with extra handgun,
who are shooting on a regular basis, it is no trouble to simply put another firearm in the gun box and
bring it along as a loaner. All you have to do is ask.

8. Handguns are difficult to shoot accurately, especially with one hand. The short barrel result in a
short sight radius which makes precise aiming a challenge. To be safe, a short barrelled firearm
requires the highest level of muzzle control and attention to your surroundings. These limitations make
handgun shooting a great platform to develop safe handling procedures and basic marksmanship skills.

9. .22 Calibre Handgun. This is where handgun shooting should start! Ammunition is
inexpensive, recoil is light, accuracy is high and there are lots of suitable target .22 pistols around. A
revolver can be used but will have to be fired in double-action for some of the matches.

a. Standard Pistol. In this discipline, a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol is used to fire 5-
shot strings under three different time limits – slow fire (150 seconds), timed fire (20 seconds)
and rapid fire (10 seconds). It is fired from a standing, unsupported position using one hand.
This is the place to start your handgun shooting journey!

b. Rapid Fire Pistol. This also uses a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol but with very short
time limits and at five different targets. Each string consists of five shots, one at each target.
The time limits for each string starts at 8 seconds, drops to 6 seconds and finishes at 4 seconds.
It is one of the few Bullseye disciplines that is actually fun to watch! Again, it is fired onehanded from a standing, unsupported position.

c. Free Pistol. The “free” part of this discipline is that there are almost no restrictions on
the handgun. They are single-shot, have custom fitted grips, long barrels (sight radius of 12
inches is common) and VERY light triggers (often under one ounce). They can be as accurate
as many rifles and require considerable skill to shoot well.
10. Centre-Fire Handgun. This is usually fired with .32, .38 or 9 mm semi-automatic pistols,
however, a revolver is perfectly suitable for all stages of the match. There is more recoil to contend
with than wirth .22s but the cost of shooting can be quite low for those that reload their own
ammunition.

a. Centre-Fire Match. There are two stages to this match – precision and rapid fire. In the
precision stage, one shot is fired at a time with an opportunity to rest the arm and eyes between
shots. In rapid fire, there is only one shot at a time but you have only three seconds to raise the
handgun, sight and release the trigger. A full match is 60 rounds – 30 in precision and 30 in
rapid fire. It requires a fair bit of staminia to raise the pistol 60 times and shoot accurately.
Airgun

11. Handgun and Rifle. At present there are very few members shooting this discipline. This is
unfortunate as the facilities are suitable (indoor range), ammunition is very inexpensive and suitable
firearms can also be inexpensive. There are very few restriction on the purchase of airguns and it is
still an Olympic event. What could be better!
Shotgun

12. Bird-Shot, Buck-Shot & Slugs. No, this is not really a Bullseye discipline. However, the FRPC
facilities are perfect for doing precise patterning of shotguns with birdshot. Knowing that the centre of
your pattern is three inches high and an inch left can be very useful for trap shooting and upland game
hunting. In addition, knowing the exact amount of drop to be expected with buck-shot or slugs can be
the difference between venison in the freezer or a wounded deer that becomes coyote food. This can
only be determined by careful “Bullseye-like” shooting at paper targets. Unless you have actually put
the rounds down-range and evaluated the target, you are only guessing!