Em, isn't competitive rifle shooting pretty much the definition of an arms race? :)FabioRifleRio wrote:What can be done to develop prone position avoiding an arms race?
Seriously though, let's all be honest with ourselves. The cost of the rifle is not the biggest problem in terms of access to the sport. If you're shooting at a sub-national level (and in many countries at a national level too) then pretty much any rifle designed for ISSF shooting that isn't broken will be accurate enough. Sure, you can buy an expensive rifle if you want but let's not pretend that it's mandatory to remain competitive at the level at which 99% of us shoot at.
On the other hand, if you intend to shoot at a WC/WCH/OG level then the cost of your rifles won't be anywhere near the top of your budget. You'll spend a lot more in travel and ammunition than you ever will on rifles. You might even spend more in clothing, depending on how often you need to replace your suit and how much you spend on your rifle. Even the entry fees might cost more if you shoot the full circuit (5 years of shooting prone & 3P at all 4 World Cups is approximately the cost of a Bleiker). Oh, and if you're good enough to make your national team you probably won't pay list price for the rifle anyway.
If the argument about an arms race is "how do we make it more of a game of skill?" then I don't think it's as big a problem as people might think. Yes, some of the expensive rifles will put some points on your score, but you're looking at small gains not big ones. Your scores won't jump 10 points just because you buy a fancy rifle. The guys shooting 630+ in prone aren't doing it just because they have good guns. They're doing it because they're exceptional shooters.