Fullbore rifle is long-range target shooting with centrefire rifles. Most events are shot prone at large targets hundreds of metres or yards away. Disciplines include Target Rifle and F Class.
Target Rifle and F Class
Target Rifle (TR) is shot prone. The national rules say TR rifles must be chambered for .308 Winchester or .223 Remington, and telescopic sights may not be used.
F Class is also shot prone, but with a telescopic sight and the rifle supported on a front rest or bipod and a rear bag. A Queensland rifle club describes it as typically shot from 300 yards or metres out to 1000 yards. The national rules set several classes, including F Open, which allows any calibre up to 8mm, F/TR and F Standard.
The national rules also cover Sporter, which is shot prone, and Service rifle, where some matches use sitting, kneeling or standing positions.
Distances
Targets get bigger as the distance grows. The national rules use a third class target for 300 metres or yards, a second class target from 400 metres to 700 yards, and a first class target for long range, from 700 metres to 1000 yards.
On ranges with manual targets, markers in the butts lower each target after a shot and signal its value, and a scorer at the firing point records it. Fullbore scoring also counts hits in the V-bull, a small ring inside the bull, and these Vs separate equal scores. In F Class the centre is worth 6, with an even smaller X in some classes. Reading a score card explains how it works.
Who runs it
The National Rifle Association of Australia publishes the national Standard Shooting Rules for fullbore, and it's one of Shooting Australia's five national member organisations.
How to try it
Some rifle clubs run introductory sessions. The Canberra Rifle Club, for example, offers a session of one stage of 10 shots, usually in F Class, which it says is relatively straightforward compared with Target Rifle. There is no obligation to join or apply for a licence. A Queensland rifle club asks unlicensed visitors to make an appointment for a practice day, where they get one-on-one guidance.
Shooting under supervision at a come-and-try session, and holding your own licence for a centrefire rifle, are covered by different rules in each state and territory. Requirements differ by state; check with the club and your state firearms registry.
Reviewed against: Standard Shooting Rules, version 2.0 (National Rifle Association of Australia), F Class (North Arm Rifle Club), Come and Try (Canberra Rifle Club), North Arm Rifle Club (North Arm Rifle Club), 2025 Annual Report (Shooting Australia)Reviewed Suggest a correction
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