News

             The ACT Championships seduced a large segment of our top shooters to abandon the Club Championship shoot in search of a Queens Prize badge. By all accounts results have not been as good as they would have liked with hot difficult conditions, some minor electronic target problems and equipment malfunctions derailing expectations.

             Conditions on the home range were quite pleasant, although a little warm, with a light west north westerly breeze combining with a right mirage to test shooters wind reading ability. The numbers were boosted by new shooter Liam Jennings with a newly purchased Styr 0.308 target rifle, Robert Wallace returning after the birth of his daughter and visitor Allister Kable from the Orange Rifle Club escaping the heat of the Eugowra range.

             Gordon Shepherd chuckled to himself as he jumped about the target in uncharacteristic fashion for a moderate 45.03. John Coghill set about humiliating Shepherd but a string of four inner fours meant he only had a one point lead at the half way mark. Shepherd, stung by the situation, pulled out a much better second stage 49.04 but Coghill was unable to respond, a run of 3 inner fours and a two inner finish left him lamenting the rare chance to catch Shepherd on the hop.

             In F-class Grahame Willis completed a steady shoot but was disappointed with the moderate 55.3 and 56.3 but was able to post a useable championship score. Colin Howell jumped about the target as he compiled a number of inner fours and too few centre bull's eyes in his twin stages of 51.3 and 53.0. Dennis Lavelle stuck to his decision to try the telescope but his effort again showed his lack of familiarity with his equipment. A last shot miss was attributed to using the wrong reticle in his telescopes eyepiece.

             Jennings put a few shots through his new rifle to run the barrel in before sighting on the target. When he did so the result was excellent, with the rifle showing good accuracy and the shooter good control despite using hunting ammunition. He only fired 18 shots but scored 75/108. Wallace brought a mixture of reloads to try in his rifles and found they did not group at all. After changing the rifle and ammunition the result was far better but still not satisfactory.

             Motor racing will delay the start of the second round of the Diggers and G James Cups until 3rd December when we return to the 300 yard mound.

J Coghill TRB 91.05 (10) 100

G Shepherd TRA 94.07 (4) 98

G P Willis FSA 111.6 (6) 97 ½

C Howell FSB 104.3 (11 ¾) 96 ½

A Kable (ORC) 101.1

D Lavelle FSB 95.2

L Jennings FSB 77.0

R Wallace FSB 75.0