Smallbore
Precision target shooting with rimfire rifles, a classic and affordable path into the core fundamentals of marksmanship and position work.
Smallbore refers to precision target shooting done with rimfire rifles, almost always in .22 Long Rifle, fired at standardized distances on the range. Because the ammunition is cheap and the recoil is mild, it has long served as the entry path into serious marksmanship, letting a shooter fire thousands of rounds while learning position, breathing, and trigger control. Many competitors shoot it over precise iron sights, which forces clean sight alignment without the crutch of magnified optics.
The discipline ranges from informal practice up to demanding sanctioned matches fired with match-grade rifles and ammunition. The fundamentals it teaches transfer directly to centerfire long range, since a shooter who can hold a tight group prone with a rimfire has already built the body mechanics that scale to larger cartridges. For that reason it remains one of the most efficient ways to develop the underlying skill set.