IR 50 50 vs RBA What's the Difference

[Slowshot]

I cannot see how IR 50 50 is much different from RBA (which no longer exists). There was the 25 bull target scored best edge with an X if you punched the center dot. So the best possible score was 250/25X. The Xs were used only as tie breakers.

I was never a competitor but I watched a few competitions and have shot many RBA targets as a challenge to myself and in friendly competition with friends. My best ever score on an RBA target was 248/10X . That was shot with an Anschutz 64 Action MPR. with a Weaver T-36 and Eley Match (Black Box) ammunition. More often I have shot decent scores with my CZ 452 and its Don Stith Sporter class stock and cheaper ammo such as SK Standard Plus.

After a five year layoff from shooting (health issues) I have gotten back to the range this winter. I already bought three new rifles including a wonderfully accurate Anschutz 1761 MPR. Going through my gun stuff cabinet, I found an unbroken pack of 100 RBA targets, so with the CZ and the new Anschutz I will be able to keep busy for a while. I confess, at age 76, I am not really interested in any high level stressful competition, such as you all write about here. Here are those two rifles:

​

 

[PWNolan]

Not familiar with RBA rules. So not sure of how RBA differed from IR50 rule-wise. According to my notes on scoring ring sizes the RBA target was smaller overall and therefore a little more difficult.

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

I cannot see how IR 50 50 is much different from RBA (which no longer exists). There was the 25 bull target scored best edge with an X if you punched the center dot. So the best possible score was 250/25X. The Xs were used only as tie breakers.

I was never a competitor but I watched a few competitions and have shot many RBA targets as a challenge to myself and in friendly competition with friends. My best ever score on an RBA target was 248/10X . That was shot with an Anschutz 64 Action MPR. with a Weaver T-36 and Eley Match (Black Box) ammunition. More often I have shot decent scores with my CZ 452 and its Don Stith Sporter class stock and cheaper ammo such as SK Standard Plus.

After a five year layoff from shooting (health issues) I have gotten back to the range this winter. I already bought three new rifles including a wonderfully accurate Anschutz 1761 MPR. Going through my gun stuff cabinet, I found an unbroken pack of 100 RBA targets, so with the CZ and the new Anschutz I will be able to keep busy for a while. I confess, at age 76, I am not really interested in any high level stressful competition, such as you all write about here. Here are those two rifles:

​

My understanding is that RBA is an off shoot of iR50/50 last know sanctioned match information ends about 2012. RBA came about because of constant rule changes made by the original iR50/50 owner. rules are pretty much the same. here in Las Vegas, it was shot as a sanctioned match.
our club has been shooting it as unsanctioned UL for last 6 years.
But now ARA has come, and we are now shooting that as a sanctioned club. so now I get to shoot RFBR twice a month!

Lee

 

[tim]

My understanding is that RBA is an off shoot of iR50/50 last know sanctioned match information ends about 2012. RBA came about because of constant rule changes made by the original iR50/50 owner. rules are pretty much the same. here in Las Vegas, it was shot as a sanctioned match.
our club has been shooting it as unsanctioned UL for last 6 years.
But now ARA has come, and we are now shooting that as a sanctioned club. so now I get to shoot RFBR twice a month!

Lee

Lee,
No not really. RBA was somewhat of a palace revolt as much as anything a few guys trying to do their own deal, drive their own revenue, etc.One of them, a primary ELEY vendor, wanted to become national distributor and potentially tie it togeather.
There were not a ton of rule changes, pretty much the evolution of the Sporter class which went from a factory class to it’s now place as a custom weight/ scope class since Wilbur pretty much figured that was where it was headed and lots of smiths started pushing the envelope until Wilbur finally made the determination.
Wilbur and I talked about a lot of this because of Sporter protests and I had some input here. A few simply wanted to butt heads

 

[ncbenchrest77]

Tim who came up with rba? Do you actually know the man who came up with it? Cause I knew him and shot with him regularly until he died about 5 or 6 years ago. What you said is not what he told me. His name was Dave Burton very nice man and a wealth of knowledge. Just like always spread half truths and bs

 

[tim]

Tim who came up with rba? Do you actually know the man who came up with it? Cause I knew him and shot with him regularly until he died about 5 or 6 years ago. What you said is not what he told me. His name was Dave Burton very nice man and a wealth of knowledge. Just like always spread half truths and bs

Always nice to hear from Sammy, banned everywhere but here, now under a new name, probably the biggest whiner in the history of RFBR…..Mr. “ I’m a top 30 shooter in the USA”
Sammy buddy, if BS were against the law, you’d be serving life. Is there a singe thing I stated incorrect? Too dumb to understand what a few guys mean?
Dave was involved, Collins and Chipper were the primary drivers, and FWIW I knew the players, not “what somebody told me”.
Keep diggin the hole Sammy.

 

[ncbenchrest77]

Always nice to hear from Sammy, banned everywhere but here, now under a new name, probably the biggest whiner in the history of RFBR…..Mr. “ I’m a top 30 shooter in the USA”
Sammy buddy, if BS were against the law, you’d be serving life. Is there a singe thing I stated incorrect? Too dumb to understand what a few guys mean?
Dave was involved, Collins and Chipper were the primary drivers, and FWIW I knew the players, not “what somebody told me”.
Keep diggin the hole Sammy.

Always nice to hear from Sammy, banned everywhere but here, now under a new name, probably the biggest whiner in the history of RFBR…..Mr. “ I’m a top 30 shooter in the USA”
Sammy buddy, if BS were against the law, you’d be serving life. Is there a singe thing I stated incorrect? Too dumb to understand what a few guys mean?
Dave was involved, Collins and Chipper were the primary drivers, and FWIW I knew the players, not “what somebody told me”.
Keep diggin the hole Sammy.

Wrong once again timmy . You forget I know these guys and have shot with them, have you? Did you know Dave Burton personally like I did? It was over milt cook when he owned it timmy. They had a disagreement over scoring and who should do it. See timmy you know half truths like everything. Mr. I've never shot an ara match before. Therefore, I'm the master of it all . Like most times, timmehhh you have nothing to contribute.

 

[tim]

Wrong once again timmy . You forget I know these guys and have shot with them, have you? Did you know Dave Burton personally like I did? It was over milt cook when he owned it timmy. They had a disagreement over scoring and who should do it. See timmy you know half truths like everything. Mr. I've never shot an ara match before. Therefore, I'm the master of it all . Like most times, timmehhh you have nothing to contribute.

What does ARA have to do with anything? You’re actually master of being dumber than a bag of hammers there Mr. top 30.

 

[doclu60]

Always nice to hear from Sammy, banned everywhere but here, now under a new name, probably the biggest whiner in the history of RFBR…..Mr. “ I’m a top 30 shooter in the USA”

Well, he wasn't in 2023 on the ARA Outdoor A-line.........finished 96th....89th in 2022....95th in 2021....58th....2022....101st in 2019....no history in 2018....427th in 2017....no history after 2017. A whole 6 years shooting sanctioned ARA. One thing he does do well is getting kicked off of forums for his unrelenting and inappropriate posting style. I only go to 4 forums and prior to 2023 when he got back on here again, he was booted from all 4 of them. Now THAT'S quite a record!! Still, he trolls along, with no clue how little his audience gives a crap about his ramblings, personal attacks, and abhorrent behavior.

Scott

 

[frey]

Pretty sure RBA was Dave Burton's baby. RBA is/was listed as a non-profit in NC and I believe Dave shows as the owner/contact, but it's been a few years since i last looked for it. Surprisingly, this site is still up and running. RIP Doug Weeter. https://rba.benchrest.net/index.html If you search back through the archives there are scores there back to 2001. No sign of either of the Collins boys until 2002 and crazy Craig doesn't show up until 2003. I used to shoot a lot with Ken Fulghum and I know he was there at the beginning of RBA and I remember him mentioning Dave a lot.

 

[tim]

Pretty sure RBA was Dave Burton's baby. RBA is/was listed as a non-profit in NC and I believe Dave shows as the owner/contact, but it's been a few years since i last looked for it. Surprisingly, this site is still up and running. RIP Doug Weeter. https://rba.benchrest.net/index.html If you search back through the archives there are scores there back to 2001. No sign of either of the Collins boys until 2002 and crazy Craig doesn't show up until 2003. I used to shoot a lot with Ken Fulghum and I know he was there at the beginning of RBA and I remember him mentioning Dave a lot.

Yep,
I realize he was the face of it but the other guys were behind the effort as well, Bob was a pretty good friend at that time, Rod, not so much.
Weeter kept a ton of data alive, have not heard that name in years. A real piece of work….old time plantation guy as I recall, although a military pilot. Shot with him in Fairchance, was a pretty fair sporter shooter, slept in his car the whole time, a real character.
Lots of stuff on the site…thanks. Amazing how many guys now gone.
Was 2014 about the end of it?

 

[frey]

I believe 2014 was the last official year, but it had been on life support for a few years at that time. They were down to just Phil Dorman's range in Green Sea that last year after the Illinois range dropped out the year before.

Weeter was a hoot. He used to sleep on the cleaning table in the back corner at the RR Barn. Just across from the big woodburner.

No doubt Bob brought a lot of attention to the RBA with his Eley arrangement. And you could always count on Craig to be the entertainment.

 

[frey]

A couple differences i remember:
> As mentioned, the scoring rings were slightly smaller, but scored the same as IR
> A 2-gun score was the combined sporter and 10.5lb gun. IR used 10.5 and 13.5 to determine 2-gun.
> RBA was sporter, 10.5lb, and unlimited. No 13.5lb class.
> Typical club matches (that I attended) were 5 targets and included a sporter, 10.5lb, and 3 unlimited targets.
The first unlimited would be used for both the 3-gun score as well as counting towards the unlimited agg.

 

[doclu60]

I believe 2014 was the last official year, but it had been on life support for a few years at that time. They were down to just Phil Dorman's range in Green Sea that last year after the Illinois range dropped out the year before.

frey,
Pretty sure that range in Illinois is the one I run for IR50/50 3-gun now, Chief City Shooters, just north of Pontiac. I know the match director that preceded me shot RBA there and spoke of a couple of records he held with that sanctioning body back then. JD Pflager is his name and he still shoots IR there with us. He was the IR 3-gun National Champion in 2021 and 2022 and even after some health issues is still very competitive. He, as well as Tim, and now you have shared some history on the RFBR game that I truly appreciate. Good stuff! Thanks to you, Tim, and my good friend JD for sharing the past.

Best regards,
Scott

 

[Slowshot]

Thanks for all the information. Sorry if I started a firestorm among Benchrest Central members. I really do like the RBA targets. Here is what I shot yesterday with my recently purchased Anschutz 1761. With plugging, it scores 244/10X. For some unknown reason, if I drop a point or two, the next bullet scores an X.

 

[vicfox]

There is a World event being the WRABF, World Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Federation, and run at Finland next year which has compeditors from around the world shooting 3 categories of rimfies and 3 of air rifle,

We shoot some across Australia and field a teaM and have competed over the years

MY BEST TARGET

 

[ncbenchrest77]

Thank you!

Pretty sure RBA was Dave Burton's baby. RBA is/was listed as a non-profit in NC and I believe Dave shows as the owner/contact, but it's been a few years since i last looked for it. Surprisingly, this site is still up and running. RIP Doug Weeter. https://rba.benchrest.net/index.html If you search back through the archives there are scores there back to 2001. No sign of either of the Collins boys until 2002 and crazy Craig doesn't show up until 2003. I used to shoot a lot with Ken Fulghum and I know he was there at the beginning of RBA and I remember him mentioning Dave a lot.

 

[ncbenchrest77]

Well, he wasn't in 2023 on the ARA Outdoor A-line.........finished 96th....89th in 2022....95th in 2021....58th....2022....101st....no history in 2018....427th in 2017....no history after 2017. A whole 6 years shooting sanctioned ARA. One thing he does do well is getting kicked off of forums for his unrelenting and inappropriate posting style. I only go to 4 forums and prior to 2023 when he got back on here again, he was booted from all 4 of them. Now THAT'S quite a record!! Still, he trolls along, with no clue how little his audience gives a crap about his ramblings, personal attacks, and abhorrent behavior.

Scott

Scott why are you so worried about my record? I don't chase a line ,I'm not a traveler. I shoot against some of the best shooters the east coast has to offer. Phil Dorman Robert oates John hoyer jon mix and some other very good shooters. Finishing in the top half of this sport is an accomplishment. I don't have cash like you assholes to chase ammo so I shoot what I get. You think I give a flying f about who my audience is . People like yall are why this sport is dieing. Anything else you aholes want to say?

 

[Rimfireshooter]

Scott why are you so worried about my record? I don't chase a line ,I'm not a traveler. I shoot against some of the best shooters the east coast has to offer. Phil Dorman Robert oates John hoyer jon mix and some other very good shooters. Finishing in the top half of this sport is an accomplishment. I don't have cash like you assholes to chase ammo so I shoot what I get. You think I give a flying f about who my audience is . People like yall are why this sport is dieing. Anything else you aholes want to say?

Yes, a request to the moderator. Please give Sammy another time-out. Maybe this time a permanent one!

 

[Slowshot]

Would you who are arguing please take your argument somewhere else. You have taken over my thread that was to be entirely informational and turned it into something ugly.