 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
 | |
| Sport | Fullbore rifle |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction |  International |
| Membership | 12 full members, 28 affiliated members, 8 observer members |
| Abbreviation | ICFRA |
| Founded | July 2003 (2003-07) |
| Official website | |
| icfra | |
TheInternational Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA) is the international association for thefullbore rifleshooting sports of target rifle ('TR') (called 'Palma' rifle in the US) and F-Class, which arelong range competitions shot at distances between 300 and 900 meters or 300 to 1,000 yards depending on the range.[1] F-Class shooters often shoot concurrently with the world's long-range TR shooters and use the same targets, except that the F-Class target has an extra ring half the diameter of the smallest in use for TR. ICFRA manages the programme of World Championships and other major matches for Fullbore Rifle and seeks to standardize the competition rules for TR and F-Class around the world.[2]
World Long-Range Rifle Team and Individual Championships for both TR and F-Class are hosted every four years alternately two years apart. The winner of the World Long Range TR Team Championship is awarded the Palma trophy.
Starting at the 1999 Palma and IndividualLong Range World Championship inSouth Africa, representatives of 14 countries met and a formed a steering committee to form the foundation of an international organization to become the successor of the Palma Council.[3] ICFRA was formally founded in July 2003, and the management of its world championship events in the Palma match and other target rifle events is vested in its World Championship Committee as the successor to the Palma Council; and management of F-Class World Championships is vested in it F-Class Committee. The Palma match shot in 2003 was the first to have the formal status of world team championship.
The Palma competition dates from 1876, featuring long-range rifle shooting out to 1,000 yards. The first Palma match was contested by teams from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Scotland and Ireland (withmuzzle-loading rifles at that time). The Palma match is the world's second-oldest International Team Match[dubious –discuss], behind only theAmerica's Cup. The matches continued to the late 1920s, and the trophy was eventually lost in Washington DC around the outbreak of WW2. The match was revived in the modern era in 1966 in Canada, and continues between teams from around the world. The bolt-action rifles are to ICFRA TR specification (either.308 Winchester or.223 Remington are allowed) and fire Match Grade ammunition using a 155 or 90 grain bullet respectively using micrometer aperture (iron) sights.[4] The last two of its international long-range target rifle world championships were held in the U.S. in 2015 (won by Great Britain) and in New Zealand in 2019 (won by Australia).[5] Its modern Palma matches require teams of 16 firers (occupying 4 targets), together with 4 target wind coaches, a captain, manager, and main wind coach, plus 2 reserves. Thus, a full strength Palma 'squad' is 25 persons.
F-Class was started in Canada by the late George "Farky" Farquharson after whom the class is named.[6] He is in the DCRA Hall of Fame in the Builder category for those members who have made a truly lasting impact on the Association.[7] In the United States, J.J. Conway is considered the "grandfather of F-Class" in the United States.[8]
Target rifle is a fullbore rifle discipline shot with iron-sighted rifles at ranges from 300 to 1000 yards or metric equivalents.[9] Shooting is conducted prone with the rifle supported with an adjustable sling comprising a cuff for the upper arm and an adjustable strap connected to the rifle's forend.[10] Special shooting jackets are permitted, which can increase the stability of the shooter, reduce movement of the firearm due topulse, help with consistentrecoil management and provide padding for the elbows against the ground. Because of the tension of the sling and the weight of the rifle, it is common to use a padded shooting glove in the support hand for comfort. No bipods or rests are permitted. Minimum trigger pull weight is 500 grams (approximately 1.1 lbs). The total weight of the rifle is unlimited. The rifle must be chambered for either the unmodified.308 Winchester/7.62×51mm or.223 Remington/5.56×45mm cartridge cases. Bullet weight for .308 Win must be less than 156 grains (10 grams) (typically 155 grain bullets are used), and less than 91 grains (5.8 grams) for .223 Rem (typically 80 or 90 grain bullets are used). The type of rear sights used in TR shooting are dubbed "iron sights" or "aperture sights".[11] to distinguish them from telescopic sights or "Riflescopes". The sights move in the vertical and horizontal planes in fixed increments of (typically) 1/4 minutes of angle (MOA); as a rule of thumb, moving the sight by 1 MOA moves the impact of the shots by 1 inch (25 mm) per hundred yards distance of the target from the rifle. Sights with finer increments (1/8 MOA) or coarser (1/2 MOA) are to be found, but are less commonly seen on iron-sighted full bore target rifles. Shooters may use a foresight lens of no greater magnification of +0.5 dioptre (Focal Length 2M) and a single corrective lens or variable dioptre not exceeding 1.5x magnification in the rearsight.The USPalma rifle differs little from thetarget rifle specification except in so far as the trigger pull does not have a minimum weight and the chamber specification is 7.62×51mm NATO and 5.56×45mm NATO. US competitions designated 'Palma' often allow bullets heavier than 155 grain; the world championship Palma match does not. In addition, US competitions often have a section for service rifles of the appropriate calibre and sighting.
F-Class is a rapidly growing variant of fullbore target rifle competition which permits opticaltelescopic sights and shooting rests such as a pedestal rest or abipod at the front of the rifle and a tightly packed sandbag at the rear of the rifle. Competitions are fired at distances from 300 to 1000 yards and, recognising the inherent increase in accuracy of supported rifles, the center of the target has an extra scoring ring which is half the size of the smallest one used in traditional target rifle shooting and each ring scores one point less than it does for target rifle. Competitors can choose to compete in one of the two classes F(Open) or F/TR:
The reason for limiting bullet weights in the fullbore discipline of target rifle is to level the playing field and make the competition about physical and wind reading skills instead of about equipment.[13] Lighter bullets usually have a lowerballistic coefficient and are therefore more susceptible towind drift..308 Winchester/7.62×51mm is limited to a maximum bullet weight of 156 grains (ca. 10 grams), which can be seen as a little bit on the light side for the .308 calibre in long range shooting..223 Rem/5.56×45mm is limited to a maximum bullet weight of 91 grains (ca 5.8 grams), which can be seen as a little on the heavy side for the calibre, thus increasing the long range potential of the otherwise "inferior" .223 calibre compared to the .308. Surprisingly, the little .223 does just a well as a .308, but it is difficult to find a load and a rifle that will shoot competitively, because of the precision there needs to be.
The F-Class Open has no limitations on bullet weight, as long as the calibre is8mm or less. Note that some ICFRA member associations may have additional national competition classes with other calibre and equipment restrictions; notably a maximum calibre of .35" (8.89mm) in the US.
All competitors are allowed to use aspotting scope while shooting. The most important use of the spotting scope is reading the wind by watchingmirage downrange, which is easier with higher magnification. Scopes with powers between 30 and 50× and a lens diameter of 50 mm or larger are commonly used.[10] When shooting atpaper targets, another common use of the spotting scope is to spot for the scoring disks which are placed onto the targets by range personnel to indicate the score of the shot just fired and its location. The use of scoring disks is not necessary when usingelectronic targets.
All competitors may use ashooting mat for padding and insulation against the ground.
The Palma match course of fire consists of three yardages – 800, 900 and 1000 yards or Metric alternatives – with two sighting shots and fifteen shots to count at each. This format is reflected in the courses of fire for the actual Palma match, the TR Individual Long Range World Championship and the 4 F-Class World Championships (F(O) and F/TR, Individual and Team). In the Team Matches the course is fired twice over two successive days: for the Individual TR Championship three times plus a 'final' – an additional 15 shots at 1000 yards for the top 10 scorers to date. F-Class Individual comprises two Palma Courses followed by two shoots of 20 shots at 1000 yards.Domestic Palma championships may consist of two or three Palma courses. Another course of fire commonly used has yardages at 600 yards and 1000 yards, with 15- or 20-shot strings at each distance.
Most ICFRA Members also provide National Championships and lesser events comprising both long range and short range shoots. The pre-eminent competition is HM the King's Prize shot annually atBisley in the UK, with versions being shot in many Commonwealth Countries. For this, following a qualifying shoot, competitors shoot 10 shots at each of 300, 500 and 600 yards, followed by 15 at 900 and 1000 yards for the top 100 scorers after the short ranges. Fullbore target rifle also features in the Commonwealth Games shooting events with both individual and pairs events using the Kings Prize format.
ICFRA competitions can be held in either a short range or long range format (or, typically, both), with distances either in theimperial yards or themetric meters. F-Class shoots at the sametargets as target rifle, but with the extra ring as described above. The scoring is based on points, with the object to place shots as close to the center or "Bull" as possible.[6] While short range is shot at a different target size for each of the distances, long range is shot at the one and same target for all three distances (800, 900 & 1000 yards). The 'bullseye' is the second smallest ring on the relevant target: the smallest ring is used for breaking tied scores and is designated the 'Vee-Bull' (in the US the 'X'): for the two or more equal bullseye-based scores that with the highest number of Vee-bulls is superior. The ICFRA bullseye counts 5 points, the US Palma bullseye 10 points making the maximum scores for 10 shots 50 (10-Vee) (ICFRA) or 100 (10-X) in the US. Thus, 50 with 6 Vees ("50.6") is superior to 49 with 8 Vees ("49.8").
The imperial short range distances are:
The metric short range distances are:
Long range is shot between 700 m to 1000 yds (914.4 m).
| (image missing) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Range Target 700 m-1000 yd | |||||||
| Aiming Mark | 1120 mm | ||||||
| Extra inner ring (F-Class only) | 128 mm | ||||||
| V-Bull | 255 mm | ||||||
| Bull | 510 mm | ||||||
| Inner | 815 mm | ||||||
| Magpie | 1120 mm | ||||||
| Outer | 1830 mm | ||||||
The World Long-Range Rifle Team Championships is hosted every four years, where the winning team is awarded the Palma trophy.[citation needed] Prior to 2003 and the foundation of ICFRA, the Palma match did not confer the title of "world champions" to the winners, but ICFRA has recognised the Individual World Champions since 1992 inclusive. Below is list of previous Palma winners: the full lists of World Champions Team and Individual for TR and F-Class is to be found on the ICFRA Website.[14] In addition there are World Championship Team Matches for Veterans (60 and over), 21-25 Age Group and Under-21. These are multi-range Matches not shot over the Palma course of fire.
The following categories are awarded:
in addition there are special prizes for:-
| Year |  Gold |  Silver |  Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 |  TA Ringer | A St G Tucker | D Coleman | Raton,New Mexico,United States |
| 1995 | TA Ringer |  DC Calvert |  E Pintard | Trentham,New Zealand |
| 1999 |  DV Enslin |  SR Dunstall | Ms N Zinmaster | Bloemfontein,South Africa |
| 2003 | (Miss) SJ Gallacher | J Pugsley | Lt N Ball | Bisley,Great Britain |
| 2007 | DC Luckman |  M Collings | (Mrs) N Zinmaster-Mayo | Connaught,Canada |
| 2011 | R Jeens |  A du Toit | DC Luckman | Brisbane,Australia |
| 2015 | B Emms | N Ball | M Pozzebon | Camp Perry,Ohio,United States |
| 2019 | S Negus | M Bailey | DC Luckman | Trentham,New Zealand |
| 2024 | A Bidgood | G Barnett | JC Underwood | Bloemfontein,South Africa |
| 2028 | Bisley,Great Britain |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | EE Stigant | Bisley,Great Britain | ||
| 2007 | TJ Whitaker | Connaught,Canada | ||
| 2011 | TJ Whitaker | Brisbane,Australia | ||
| 2015 | David Tubb | Camp Perry,Ohio,United States | ||
| 2019 | MI Buchanan | Trentham,New Zealand | ||
| 2024 | J Bailey | Bloemfontein,South Africa | ||
| 2028 | Bisley,Great Britain |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | R Stewart | National Shooting Centre,Bisley,Great Britain | ||
| 2007 | P Seebohm | Connaught,Canada | ||
| 2011 | A du Toit | Brisbane,Australia | ||
| 2015 | Jack Alexander | Camp Perry,Ohio,United States | ||
| 2019 | C Schwebel | Trentham,New Zealand | ||
| 2024 | M Bailey | Bloemfontein,South Africa |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 |  PRD Stock | National Shooting Centre,Bisley,Great Britain | ||
| 2007 | DA Richardson | Connaught,Canada | ||
| 2011 | No championship held | |||
| 2015 | Waylon Burbach | Camp Perry,Ohio,United States | ||
| 2019 | L Rettmer | Trentham,New Zealand | ||
| 2024 | NC Bennett | Bloemfontein,South Africa | ||
| Year | Class | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 |  W Scholze | L Bartholome | R Crone | Connaught,Canada | |
| 2005 | MW Tompkins | L Bartholome | S Ahrens | Bloemfontein,South Africa | |
| 2009 | Open | G Costello | D Parr |  G Taylor | National Shooting Centre,Bisley,Great Britain |
| 2009 | F-TR | R Simmonds | G Barnard | S Pate | National Shooting Centre,Bisley,Great Britain |
| 2013 | Open | K Adams | M Lobert | B Mead | NRA Whittington Center,Raton,New Mexico,United States |
| 2013 | F-TR | N Taylor | R Simmonds | D Buell | NRA Whittington Center,Raton,New Mexico,United States |
| 2017 | Open | R Davies[15] | P Sandie | A Pohl | Connaught, Canada |
| 2017 | Open - U25 |  R Ireland | J West | M Bramley | Connaught, Canada |
| 2017 | F-TR | D Rodgers | K Chou | B Litz | Connaught, Canada |
| 2017 | FTR - U25 | M Fitzpatrick | S McSparron | C McSparron | Connaught, Canada |
| 2023 | Open | B Engelbrecht | J Louw | R Davies | Bloemfontein,South Africa |
| 2023 | F-TR | H Rolfes | J Cilliers | D Labuschagne | Bloemfontein,South Africa |
| 2025 | Open |  | | | National Shooting Centre,Bisley,Great Britain |
| 2025 | F-TR | | | | National Shooting Centre,Bisley,Great Britain |
Mr. Farquharson's greatest legacy in shooting will likely be as the founding father of F-Class, which is the fastest growing long range target shooting sport in the world (and appropriately, is named in his honour).
| Full members |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliated members | ||
| Observer members |
| |
