Bristol, Indiana - Over the past three days, the NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championships have been focusing on prone. For the uninitiated, prone is a fancy word for laying on your belly. Legs out, elbows in, rifle to your cheek with the target downrange.

With almost 200 competitors shuffling through two elongated relays - trading morning shoots for afternoon shoots on odd days - this phase of the Smallbore Championships has seen the leaderboard skip to and fro.

“It’s the nature of any competition,” said Smallbore Match Director Howard “H.Q.” Moody. “For prone, it’s so exact that even the slightest mistake can make the biggest of difference.”


The rifles are .22 caliber rimfires chambered for .22 Short, .22 Long, or .22 Long Rifle cartridges. Though there are no restrictions when it comes to rifle weight or barrel length (sans the light rifle category), there is a 3-pound trigger minimum.

Donned in leather shooter jackets, some with accompanying leather pants while others stick to the spandex, the competitors will fire almost 500 shots before the champion is crowned.

Those on the chase have their work cut out for them as Eric Uptagrafft, an Olympian and 50 meter prone world record holder, stands atop the hill with an 8X lead.

Read more at: NRABlog.com

My wife was a "scorer" at the Pan Am games when they were held at Camp Atterbury near Edinburg/Columbus Indiana in 1987.
I got to meet Lones Wigger,his wife and daughter Deena who was a shooter at that event.

These competitors have some great skills!

It's because of great folks who voluneter like your wife, that the competition is so successful!  Thanks to her and to everyone who helps!