Finally finished unpacking, cleaning rifles and cases from the weekend.
SSAA BPCR Silhouette Nationals at Rankins Springs that I foolishly put my hand up to organise and run…A lot of work but we had a full house of 32 shooters which is all the range can handle for the match. We had shooters from all States except the N.T.
We ran a 40 shot .22 match each morning and a 40 shot BPCR match afterwards. The .22 match is shot on 1/2 scale targets with chickens at 50m, pigs at 100m, turkeys at 150m and the rams at 200m with iron sights. The BPCR is shot on full size targets at 200, 300, 385 and 500m. In all BPCR silhouette, the chickens are shot off-hand , the rest are shot prone or sitting using cross-sticks
Saturday morning in the .22 match I shot a 32/40 (3rd place), with my BSA 1215 Martini, my 17 year old son beat me with a 35 for 1st.
The BPCR match was an “any sight” match, which allows for the use of traditional scopes. I went to the line and laid down only to realise I hadn’t fitted my scope. In a mad panic I jumped up, ran to my ute, grabbed the scope, and rushed back to then fiddle around during the 30 second ready period fitting it up. Sight settings from the last time I used it in 2019 were way off so I soaked up all of the two minutes of sighting time just madly winding the adjustments to get somewhere near the target. (385m turkeys). Not a great start to the match and it didn’t get much better for the rest of it. Trying to sight in during a match isn’t the best way to get a good score. I finished with only 18/40, 4th place in Master grade, not happy. The last time I shot a scoped match I won the S.A State titles with a 31/40.
Sunday morning, the wind was up, the dust was blowing and it look like it was going to be an interesting day. I improved my .22 score with a 33 for equal 1st, my son got a 32 for 3rd. He won the aggregate, I got second.
Now was time for the main match, BPCR Iron-sight National. My off-hand shooting with these rifles has gone to shit with my back issues, holding a 12lb 30" heavy barrelled rifle up just isn’t good at the moment, so zero chickens. I shoot prone for the rest and got 9 pigs, 9 turkeys and 8 rams to finish with a 26. This put me equal first but then down to second on a count back on, you guessed it, chickens.
So, equal high gun, 2nd National and winner of aggregate. (the scope match isn’t counted as not everyone has a scope) Not a bad result considering that running the match took precedent over just concentrating on shooting. Overall a great weekend, no complaints, no protests, everyone pitched in and helped set up and pack up. I managed to get some really good donations for the prize table and every shooter got something. (I missed out on the $400 ice box)
Winners are grinners. Ashlea (who beat me on a countback), Tim (National discipline chairman) Me