Match Rifle Championships. Peter Maher Wins Tasmanian Queens. Fashion and Fullbore Bullets

Transcription

1 The Official Magazine of the National Rifle Association of Australia Limited May /June 2017 Issue No 128 Match Rifle Championships Peter Maher Wins Tasmanian Queens Fashion and Fullbore Bullets $7.50 F Class - Wildcatting the Lapua Print Post Approved No /00010 ISSN

2 85 th MELBOURNE ARMS & MILITARIA FAIR THE TRADITION CONTINUES AT THE WESTGATE SPORTS & LEISURE COMPLEX CORNER GRIEVE PARADE AND DOHERTYS ROAD, ALTONA NORTH **FREE PARKING AT VENUE ** TRADE EXHIBITION NEW & COLLECTABLES Antique & Modern Sporting Arms; Reloading Equipment; Rifle Scopes/Optics; Collector's & Shooter's Ammunition; Hunting and Outdoor Clothing/Footware, SATURDAY & SUNDAY 1 st & 2 nd JULY 2017 Saturday 9.00am pm, Sunday 9.00am pm $15 entry, children under 16 free with accompanying adult Shooting Accessories; Edged Weapons; Custom Knives, Hunter Collector & Utility knives; Safes & Security equipment Camping Utilities Militaria; Medals; Books & Prints; Accessories & Related memorabilia and more! WIN DOOR PRIZES * Latest bolt action.22lr Rifle/scope package * 5 Rifle Safe Sponsored jointly by your Hosts and Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (Vic) Secure your gun, secure your sport For further information or table bookings contact: Jeff and Jill Pannan Phone: or Fax: blackjck@bigpond.net.au

3 Target AUSTRALIAN RIFLE Tasmanian Queens See page 7 To promote and develop the sport of target shooting in Australia NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED ABN Postal address: P O Box 414, Carina, Qld Office: Belmont Shooting Complex, 1485 Old Cleveland Rd, Belmont, Qld Ph: (07) Fax: (07) executive@nraa.com.au Website: President: Major General John Hartley (Ret d) AO. Chairman: Gordon Duncan Executive Officer: Catherine Berry MEMBERS Australian Capital Territory Full Bore Target Rifle ABN Postal address: P O Box 31, Canberra City, ACT Website: info@canberrarifleclub.org.au Chairman: David McIntosh New South Wales Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: P O Box 386, Maroubra, NSW Ph: (02) Fax (02) info@nswra.org.au. Website: Executive Officer: David McGuigan, President: Dennis McCamley, Chairman: John Baxter. Simply Shooting Wildcatting the Lapua See page 16 Northern Territory Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: P O Box 406, Darwin, NT Ph/Fax: (08) A.H. (08) mail@ntra.org.au Secretary/Treasurer: Frank Baldwin: President/Treasurer: Jeff Chaffey North Queensland Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: PO Box 918, Ravenshoe, Qld nqraoffice@gmail.com Ph: (07) Fax: Administration Officer:, Betta Gianasi President: Robert J Kennedy, Chairman: Bruce Scott Queensland Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: P O Box 38, Carina, Qld Office: Belmont Shooting Complex, 1485 Old Cleveland Road, Belmont, Qld Ph: (07) Fax: (07) qra@qldrifle.com Website: Executive Officer: Peter Doig, President: Rodney Prayle. South Australian Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Office & postal address: Cnr West Terrace & North Terrace, Wingfield, S.A Ph: (08) Fax (08) admin@riflesa.asn.au Website: Executive Officer: Paul Gale, Chairman: Reg Cunningham. Tasmanian Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: PO Box 132, Devonport, Tas Ph: (03) Mobile: tasrifle@iprimus.com.au Secretary: Andrew Cowlrick, President: Gilbert Walker, Chairman: John Collis. Victorian Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: PO Box 5078 Sandhurst East Vic Office: 1 Rifle Range Rd Wellsford Vic 3551 Phone: (03) Fax: (03) vra@vra.asn.au Website: Executive Officer: Brett Thurtell Chairman: Garry Kay. West Australian Rifle Association Incorporated ABN Postal address: P O Box 1559, Wangara W.A Office: Unit 1, 23 Creative Street, Wangara W.A Ph: Fax: admin@wara.asn.au. Executive Officer: Sarah Hoglin, President: Michael Farrell, Chairman: Allan Dods. Website: The NRAA is proudly supported by the Australian Sports Commission Contents Chairman s Message 3 Membership 4 Letters 5 Features Tasmanian Queens 7 Match Rifle 14 Simply Shooting: Wildcatting the 6.5 x 47mm Lapua 16 Fashion & Fullbore Bullets 22 Area Reports Tasmania 25 Queensland 32 New South Wales 40 Victoria 46 South Australia 46 Regulars Shooting Around 48 1

4 NRAA Notice Publisher: The is published bi-monthly by the National Rifle Association of Australia Limited. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor, the Publisher or Member Associations. Contents of are not subject to copyright, unless specified by individual authors, and may be reproduced, by any means, in the interests and betterment of the sport but please give recognition to and the author. Enquiries: All correspondence in respect to editorial matters should be directed to: INFORMATION Daniel Cotterill Laurelle Tunks Editor Deputy Editor PO Box 399 Mawson ACT 2607 Ph: (During business hours) Subscriptions: Those who are not part of a state rifle association but would like to receive a copy of the Australian Target Rifle may subscribe via the National Rifle Association of Australia. Australian subscribers will receive a magazine every two months for one year at a cost of $45 per annum, New Zealand A$50, other A$65. ISSUE DEADLINES The deadlines for acceptance of copy for the next two issues are (ATR 129) May 19 July/August 2017 (ATR 130) July 14 September/October 2017 Printed by CanPrint Communications, 16 Nyrang Street Fyshwick ACT All enquiries in respect to advertising should be directed to the Editor. Commercial Advertising Rates. Black and white: $400 per page or any direct proportion thereof according to size with a minimum of $40 for 1/10 page or smaller. GST included. A 10% discount is applicable to pre-paid full 12 month orders. Full Colour: $1000 per page. Club And Association Advertising: By virtue of recent NRAA Council discussions and a Board decision there will be no further free advertising for clubs and associations from ATR #55 onwards. Advertising rates will be $300 per B&W page or part thereof, ie, $150 per half page and $50 per one sixth page. GST Included. Payment must accompany the ad material otherwise the advertisement will not be run. The NRAA will NOT invoice you. Classifieds: For rates see the Classified section. Make all cheques/mail orders payable to: National Rifle Association of Australia. Note: Advertisements and technical articles in the Australian Target Rifle are published as submitted by advertisers and contributors. The publisher has not checked the veracity of their contents and accepts no responsibility for their comment. Change of Address Change of subscription address details should be sent to your club secretary and state rifle association. The Editor has no mailing lists so please don t send him address information. If your magazine fails to arrive contact your State Rifle Association to check they have your correct address and to claim a spare copy. DEADLINE According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary the definition of "deadline" is, "a time limit for the completion of an activity". No definition that I could find listed "deadline" as a signal to contact the editor and ask how much more time there is to submit copy or book an ad. Ed. Front cover Peter Maher, winner of the Tasmanian Queens. Photograph by Rodney Winwood. 2

5 Chairman's Message I have been resident in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia since December Being here has provided a completely different aspect on life. The first lesson from which we should all take note is the difficulty of locating a current club contact. The Information Bureau initially couldn t find any advice and when they did, it proved well out of date. Fortunately, use of the WARA website proved to be far more informative. Ensure your own area has up to date details. The second lesson came from an assumption that everyone does what is done in my neck of the woods. Rifle shooting in this area is seasonal (rather than basically all year round). When the Kalgoorlie Rifle Range was located, it was obvious why shooting was seasonal due to weather factors. Then lesson three came as the result of a request from a local shooter to assist with the current situation with the range. As has been the case far too often, the Commonwealth has declared the facility surplus to requirements and it is to be put up for sale. At a meeting organised by the club members, a report was made on the current situation. Unfortunately, little has been done locally to garner support for the continued use of the range. The problem has been ongoing for up to seven years. WARA has been criticised for seemingly not doing anything (or enough) to continue the use of the facility. Not quite so, although perhaps they have not promulgated what has been done to the local shooters. Essentially WARA has rejected the requirement to take on the decontamination issue - a huge cost burden. As I see it, the issue is overstated and a common-sense approach should be forthcoming. The range has been used by Defence and rifle clubs for over a century. No doubt there are spent projectiles in the butts and around about, but frankly a spent projectile or rusty charger clip won t cause any harm. Possibly there may be some unexploded ordnance from many decades back but with regular bushfires through the area over the years, the likelihood of live ordnance is negligible. As I see the position, the property could be sold or transferred to the rifle club or WARA or the local council as it is. Much of the land about the city is contaminated through mining; a rifle range would not add to that situation. Ensure your rifle range is free from the spectre of loss or takeover. Don t just rely on someone else to see where you stand. Whilst in WA I attended the Prize Shoot at Esperance. By observation it would seem that suburbia will place pressures on the ownership of the facility. It is a wonderful tract of land and the club has enthusiastic members. The Australian Rifle Team is in South Africa right now with its goal of winning the Australia Match. No doubt detailed reports of the exploits of the team and its individuals will be outlined in the next edition of ATR. Keep shooting, enjoy your sport and please do your bit to promote rifle shooting as a safe, competitive recreation open to all age groups. GR Duncan Chairman NRAA SILVER MOUNTAIN TARGETS The simple and cost effective solution for your club or private range Key features of the Silver Mountain System Easy installation and calibration Very portable and easy to handle Powered by rechargeable batteries Each target operates independently, or meshed Separate repeater creates a Wi-Fi hotspot BYO wireless tablets or smartphones Use your existing target frames No firing line computer/ server needed Why consider Silver Mountain Targets? The most cost-effective solution for clubs and ranges Proven system, developed by shooters and used internationally Over 100 targets operating worldwide 31 targets operating at 13 ranges in New Zealand Canadian, US and European sales to military and shooting ranges Tested extensively under Australian conditions Want a demo at your range? Contact us for more information silvermountaintargets@gmail.com Web: Facebook: Silver Mountain Targets Copyright Silver Mountain Targets 3

6 NRAA George Wittorff is a member of the Board of the NRAA, given the task of addressing membership issues facing the movement at a national level, and developing and investigating strategies that State Associations and local clubs could gainfully use in a concerted effort to attract and retain members. This is number six of a series of articles aimed at achieving that goal. ASAPS - Advancing Shooting as A Positive Sport The recent survey conducted by Shooting Australia showed that 97% of shooters in Australia have an address and that is the preferred method of communication for both Clubs and Shooters. A total of 67% of Clubs have their own website while 35% of Clubs have a Facebook page. It stands to reason that assuming the publicity officer/club official is active, Associations and Clubs should have little difficulty in communicating with existing members, and have the means available to reach potential members via the web. What Clubs in general could do better is to effectively market the sport and their club. It goes without saying that all club members should be involved in informal marketing whenever they can. Clubs should encourage members to tell their friends and family about what happens on the range and what a rifle club can offer. VORTEX GOLDEN EAGLE RIFLESCOPE X 52mm X 52mm ECR- 1 ECR- 1 MOA MOA Reticule Reticule Competitive shooters require a very specific set of features to stay ahead of the competition. The new Golden Eagle is a perfect solution. The 15-60x magnification, fine reticule, and positive and repeatable tracking are perfect for fine tuning that record shot. Plus, its relatively light 29.5 oz weight allows shooters to adhere to strict competition weight limits. As with all Vortex products it also comes with Lifetime Warranty Whether you re interested in F Class, Rimfire, or Bench Rest competitions, this is the scope for you Call for availability and competitive pricing Graham Crowe Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650 Mob Marketing Shooting to the Public The information, suggested strategies and ideas have been gathered from successful practices, experience over the years and research into marketing literature. There is a myriad of ways clubs can advertise and promote their clubs in an effort to attract new members. None of them is guaranteed to work all the time while some of them will prove highly effective in certain circumstances. What is guaranteed, is that if none of them are taken on board, then it s a dead certainty that nothing will happen and membership will at best stay static, but more than likely, continue to slowly decline. Activities and Actions at the Club Level At the formal club level, it should prove useful to appoint a publicity/promotions officer, or small team of members to plan and oversee some simple local marketing strategies. One powerful argument shooting clubs can offer as an attraction is to focus on the fact that activities that involve spending time with friends and families are appealing to people. Our sport lends itself to successfully promoting the social side of shooting and how competing, as part of a team or club, including alongside members of your family can be both satisfying and fun. Age and gender equity is a feature of shooting and should be capitalised on when promoting shooting as a positive sport no matter what the approach being used. How can clubs reach out to potential members? Successful clubs will use the full range of tools that are available to them by using their webpages and social media to raise the profile of their club. Tips and Hints to Promote Your Club Make sure people can find you. Ensure your club is listed in any local directory of sporting clubs and any online club databases. Check with your local Town or City Council to make sure your club s details are included on their online directories. Make the most of signs and banners. Signs can be used for a lot more than just giving directions to your club. They can be an effective way for clubs to communicate important information, such as upcoming events, Come and Try days, and generally communicating to the public. 4

7 Flyers: These are useful to letter box drop or leave bundles in local sports stores, hairdressers etc. If preparing a flyer, think carefully about what you want it to say. Some starting ideas for flyers include: Focus keep to a single, central idea. Visibility make it stand out on the page. Branding do all you can to make your flyer different, while retaining the theme of shooting. Layout make the layout clean, logical and easy to read. Information give the time, location and contact number, plus any other vital information. Avoid too much text; less is best. Use the Media to Increase Your Club s Profile: Country clubs generally have easy access to the local district s press. Sadly, this resource is typically underused, whereas if carefully cultivated, a club s local profile becomes imbedded as part of the community, thus making membership drives much easier and more accessible. Regular press releases offer clubs a cost-effective method of promoting a club or event. Any story that is newsworthy and relevant to the local community, such as a team shoot or Prize Meeting will allow you to promote this at no cost to a large audience. Tips on Press Releases: Each press release should have an arresting title. Focus on firsts e.g., one of your club members is the first to qualify for a state or national team. Avoid jargon. First paragraph: Don t try to set the scene or waffle. Get straight into your story: Summarise who s involved. Tell what happened or is about to happen. Where and when the news took place, or will take place. How events have unfolded so far, and why this is important. The details: Follow up the first paragraph with the details. Make sure you give the journalists all they need and make it as interesting as possible. Keep sentence structure simple; explain complicated terms (possible, central bull, etc). Avoid exaggeration and self-congratulations. Remember the article is for a local audience, so think how the story affects local people. Include photographs where possible, but ensure they are of good quality and conform to the publication s own style. NRAA Follow up press releases with a phone call to the individual ed. Observe journalists busy times of the day and deadlines. Don t: Phone the journalist before you have fully thought through the idea or story you want to discuss. Don t assume journalists will read your . Always follow up with a phone call. Don t talk to journalists on the day before publication give them several days notice prior to publication if it is a weekly newspaper. The above examples and suggestions are guidelines for clubs to try. The sting in the tail however, is that unless someone at the club level takes the initiative and decides to try at least one strategy, then nothing happens. It s not rocket science! Hopefully, some part of this article will cause at least one or two of your club members to take some responsibility to do something to support the club, and so in some small but important way, promote shooting as a positive sport. Why not you? Ref: Shooting Australia Shooter Survey. Skills Alliance: Creating an Active Nation Through Sport When dealing with journalists: Do: press releases to the journalist within the body of your and not as an attachment. Put the press release headline (or summary) in the subject box of the . 5

8 Letters Off the Shoulder Dear Editor, I loved the article by Greg Warrian. I am struggling with my target rifle shooting. I have an eagle eye. I shoot with my distance glasses as well, otherwise the aiming mark on the target is a grey blur. The front sight is fully adjustable but the hole that I look through is like a rugby ball oriented to the 10 o clock (high) to 4 o clock (low). I consider myself as a reasonably good shooter. I won the C Grade first day stage at the last North Shore DRA shoot - written up last month. Some days I shoot very well, like on the first day of the competition. But the next day I shot like shi#. I think it s time that I saw an optometrist that knows target rifle shooting. Do you know anyone on the North Shore of Sydney? Help!!! Cheers, Bruce Bulford Solicitor/Director, Bulford Legal Pty Limited The Publisher reserves the right to accept or to reject any letter submitted for publication, without explanation. The Editor reserves the right to edit screen letters for grammatical correctness and conformity with the style of the journal without consultation. The Editor will consult with authors before making more extensive alterations, such as the cutting of portions of letters. Contributors are advised that material of a defamatory nature will not be published and that, while fair comment and constructive criticism with regard to the running of the NRAA in general are welcome, and to be encouraged, comments of a personal nature or singling out individual officials or members will not be published. Final printed ATR: electronic format from next issue AS you may be aware from announcements in the previous issue, this is the final printed version of. The decision to go from print to an electronic format was made on financial grounds by the State representatives and NRAA Board members at last November s annual meeting. The first electronic version of ATR, the July/August issue, will be available to download from the NRAA website in.pdf format from July 1. This is a well proven platform for electronic magazine publishing and should cause few if any issues. In this format ATR will be freely available to all members via the NRAA website, and also to other interested parties around the country or around the world. As I have previously mentioned this may also broaden our sport s reach into the community, particularly with younger people, and help with both membership and our public profile. While some things are changing others are not. Editorial and pre-production staff remain the same, as do our contact details for those contributing material or booking an advertisement. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Canprint Communications for their efforts over the past 15 years. In that time, they have printed 90 issues of ATR and several team booklets and other smaller publications for the NRAA, all on schedule and to a very high standard. Daniel Cotterill Editor 6

9 By Andrew Cowlrick, photos by Rodney Winwood This 120th Queens Prize Meeting on March 10-13, 2017 launched a revolution for the Association; being the first competition shot on electronic targets in Tasmania. The Association was having extreme difficulty in obtaining markers, particularly for the two normal working days preceding the start of the Queens on the Saturday, so two major changes were made: firstly, a six lane, server controlled, Silver Mountain Electronic Target marking system was purchased and installed; and secondly, the lead-up match, The David Llewellyn, was reduced to four ranges on the Friday. The Association is very much appreciative of the help and assistance given by Aubrey Sonnenberg of Silver Mountain targets in two visits prior to the Queens where he demonstrated the system and then coordinated its installation. Aubrey and Daniel Chisholm from Silver Mountain in Canada were present at the Queens advising and providing invaluable training and assistance. The operation of the target system greatly exceeded our expectations and ensured that this first Queens Prize run using them, was a great success. Given the scarcity of markers the system is going to get a lot of use. Entries for the Queens at 56, were well down on previous years, due mainly it seems to the difficulty of travelling to Tasmania. The Llewellyn Series was shot over the four ranges of 500, 700, 900 and 1,000 yards in very settled and calm conditions. These conditions basically prevailed for the Tasmanian Queens 120th Tasmanian Queens Prize next three days, although on the Monday morning the wind veered coming in from 11 to 1 o clock, making it very tricky. The Association was very pleased that Mr David Llewellyn MHA sponsor of the Llewellyn Series and Campbell Town Rifle Club member was able to present the badges and trophies. Leadup Llewellyn Series Aggregate Target Rifle A Grade 1 Nick Cock Bathurst NSW Peter Maher Lilydale VIC Graham Aitchison Canberra ACT Eric Christie Townsville Marksmen QLD Tony McGuigan Mosman Neutral Bay NSW John Caske Natives QLD Michael Millen Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Christopher Maher Canberra ACT Mark Horsnell Bacchus Marsh VIC Bill Barry Holsworthy NSW Griffo Griffiths Grafton NSW Keirin McCamley Shepparton/Nathalia VIC Wendy McGuigan Mosman Neutral Bay NSW David Phippard Murwillumbah NSW Alan Cronk Murwillumbah QLD Vivian Hunt Central Qld QLD Micheil Sweet Sandford TAS The Winners 7

10 Tasmanian Queens Continued from page 7 B Grade 1 Tony McRae Mount Gambier SA John Reynolds Mosman Neutral Bay NSW John Hope Tas NW TAS Peter Evans Devonport/Latrobe TAS Two shots to go Neville and Barry CLUB INSURANCE C Grade 1 Wayne Pearson Grafton NSW John Cooper Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Peter Hannaford Hornsby RSL No. 385 NSW F Standard A Grade 1 Bob Pedersen Wodonga VIC Rob Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW Phillip Oliver Sandford TAS Neville McKinnell Campbell Town TAS Brendon Hunt Sandford TAS Bruce Johnston Sandford TAS F Standard B Grade 1 Robert Hannaford Whyalla SA Alan Routledge VDC TAS Cedric May Canberra ACT Gerald Upchurch Sandford TAS Is Your Rifle Club and or Association Looking for a Competitive Price on your Club Insurance? If the answer is YES Why not give John Leask a call from QBN Insurance Services who may have the answer. John has developed a policy specifically for rifle clubs and associations using his 30 year experience as a target rifle shooter. To Contact John please call M: john@qbninsurance.com.au QBN INSURANCE SERVICES Insurance Broker for the NRAA Authorised Rep No: PSC Connect Pty Ltd AFS Licence Specialist in Commercial Motor, Heavy Motor/Plant, Rural, Small Business and Aviation Michael Millen receives his winnings 8

11 Tasmanian Queens Bruce Johnston F Open 1 Alan Fraser Rosedale VIC Stephen Clark Launceston VDC TAS Gil Walker Launceston VDC TAS Terry Sheedy Townsville Marksmen QLD FTR 1 Dennis Formiatti Canberra ACT Shane Dowling Canberra ACT Christopher Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW Paul Monaghan Geelong VIC Mike Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW Saturday March 11, the first day of the Queens Badge competition, again dawned fine and mild after some overnight rain, with only very light breezes barely moving the flags. The Monday morning and the final two ranges of 900 and 1,000 yards saw a return to some of the weather normally associated with this time of the year with a brisk southerly. The eventual A Grade Target Rifle winner of the Queens was finally decided by a shootoff, as both Peter Maher and Michael Millen finished on , both dropping only eight points over ten ranges. Peter Maher emerged the winner. The F Class Standard A Queens Aggregate was won by Robert Pedersen (Wodonga) with from Neville McKinnell (Campbell Town, Tas) on The F Class Standard B Queens Aggregate was won by Robert Hannaford (Whyalla) on from Stephen Tamassy (Smithton) on The B Grade Target Rifle Queens Aggregate was won by John Reynolds (Mosman Neutral Bay, NSW) on for the second year in a row, from Anthony Ivankovic (Bacchus Marsh) on The C Grade Target Rifle Queens Aggregate was this year won by Hamish Grogan (The Scots College, Sydney) on also his second consecutive win - followed by Clancy Reynolds also from The Scots College on The F Open competition was won by Alan Fraser (Rosedale, Vic) on followed by Gilbert Walker (Launceston VDC) on Dennis Formiatti (Canberra) won the FTR Queens Aggregate competition with a score of from Shane Dowling also from Canberra on Queens Prize Results Target Rifle A Grade 1 Peter Maher Lilydale VIC Michael Millen Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Mark Horsnell Bacchus Marsh VIC Nick Cock Bathurst NSW Tony McGuigan Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Eric Christie Townsville Marksmen QLD Graham Aitchison Canberra ACT Mark Wilson Canberra ACT John Caske Natives QLD David Phippard Murwillumbah NSW B Grade 1 John Reynolds Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Tony Ivankovic Bacchus Marsh VIC John Hope Tas NW TAS Tony McRae Mount Gambier SA C Grade 1 Hamish Grogan The Scots College NSW Clancy Reynolds The Scots College NSW Axel Melkonian The Scots College NSW Wayne Pearson Grafton NSW Peter Hannaford Hornsby RSL No. 385 NSW

12 Tasmanian Queens Continued from page 9 F Standard A Grade 1 Bob Pedersen Wodonga VIC Neville McKinnell Campbell TAS Rob Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW F Standard B Grade 1 Robert Hannaford Whyalla SA Stephen Tamassy Smithton TAS Gerald Upchurch Sandford TAS Sight and Glare Tube Package 10 Price: A$180+GST Includes: - 1 x Precision Sight (black) Peter and his prizes ONE OFF PRECISION Cooper Tunnels Assembled Precision Sight with Long & Short Glare Tubes * Ring not included - 1 x long (60 mm) glare tube - 1 x short (30 mm) glare tube - 1 x glare tube spacer John Cooper Phone: Mobile/Cell: Facsimile: johncooper@coopertunnels.com Web: Dr Micheil Sweet with the PM Gillies Memorial Trophy - the Ross Motel Trophy, for the Tasmanian competitor with the highest score in the target rifle Queens Aggregate F Open 1 Alan Fraser Rosedale VIC Gil Walker Launceston VDC TAS John Collis Smithton TAS FTR 1 Dennis Formiatti Canberra ACT Shane Dowling Canberra ACT Christopher Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW Over the four and a half days of competition, shooters were treated to an incredible period of fine Tasmanian late summer but generally very warm weather. Grand Aggregate Results Target Rifle A Grade 1 Peter Maher Lilydale VIC Nick Cock Bathurst NSW Michael Millen Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Tony McGuigan Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Mark Horsnell Bacchus Marsh VIC Graham Aitchison Canberra ACT Eric Christie Townsville Marksmen QLD John Caske Natives QLD Christopher Maher Canberra ACT Wendy McGuigan Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Keirin McCamley Shepparton/Nathalia VIC David Phippard Murwillumbah NSW Griffo Griffiths Grafton NSW Vivian Hunt Central Qld QLD

13 Tasmanian Queens F Standard A Grade 1 Bob Pedersen Wodonga VIC Rob Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW Neville McKinnell Campbell Town TAS Phillip Oliver Sandford TAS Brendon Hunt Sandford TAS F Standard B Grade 1 Robert Hannaford Whyalla SA Gerald Upchurch Sandford TAS F Open 1 Alan Fraser Rosedale VIC Gil Walker Launceston VDC TAS Stephen Clark Launceston VDC TAS Terry Sheedy Townsville Marksmen QLD David and Peter 15 Bill Barry Holsworthy NSW Alan Cronk Murwillumbah QLD Micheil Sweet Sandford TAS B Grade 1 John Reynolds Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Tony McRae Mount Gambier SA John Hope Tas NW TAS C Grade 1 Wayne Pearson Grafton NSW Peter Hannaford Hornsby RSL No. 385 NSW John Cooper Mosman Neutral Bay NSW Long distance friends FTR 1 Dennis Formiatti Canberra ACT Shane Dowling Canberra ACT Christopher Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW Paul Monaghan Geelong VIC Mike Halloran Junee Ex-Services NSW CopperHead Bullets On the mound The home of the most accurate Australian custom made Target rifle bullets for supreme accuracy Contact Ken Melgaard Phone ken@copperheadbullets.com 11

14 Electronic Targets Electronic Targets at the Tasmanian Queens Article and photos by Rodney Winwood With our Queens just finished it was time to reflect on one of the biggest changes the Tasmanian Rifle Association have made to our Queens - that being the new electronic target system used for the first time here at the Campbell Town Range. Thanks to Neville McKinnell and the Tasmanian Rifle Association members, we contacted Silver Mountain Targets. And down they came. In no time at all a small group of workers (Stephen Clark; Lucinda, Nolene, Brian Strochnetter; and Andrew, our Secretary) rebuilt the targets. With a quick lesson on how to use them it was Queens time. With Daniel Chisholm from Canada who designed them and Aubrey Sonnenberg (their agent from Sydney) being there for the Queens to help in the setting up and running, we were in safe hands. With all the small hiccups out of the way in the lead up they were a joy to use and see in action. How it looks All the shooters helped each other out in their preparation for shooting. Daniel and Aubrey were on Continued from page 11 Watching the shoot off The Association welcomed to the presentation Mr Henry Foster, the Patron of the Association and whose family owns Merton Vale on which the range is LRP Solutions For all your Long Range Precision Gunsmithing needs. located; who presented the Queens badges. Mr David Llewellyn MHA presented the Stage medallions and Trophies, while Mr Simon Foster the Vice-Patron of the Association presented the Grand Aggregate Badges. The TRA is looking forward to seeing all our old friends and new competitors in March 2018, when hopefully we will be returning to a five-day competition, sixrange lead-up with the ongoing ten-range Queens. Custom Built Rifles Quality Workmanship Borden Actions Maddco Barrels Bartlein Barrels March Scopes Contact: Matt Paroz Ph: matt@lrpsolutions.com.au Australian Distributor for Barnard Actions and Spare Parts For a list of Agents please refer to our website Web: The Prizes 12

15 Electronic Targets hand when needed and before long just about all the shooters had their fingers on the ball. There were no complaints. The targets are a top setup and a great investment for the Tasmanian Rifle Association and to other members who have purchased them. We can t bellyache about the markers anymore. No more challenges, but I guess we ll think of something to whinge about - won t we? Brian at work The targets are looking good From above Aubrey Sonnenberg, Daniel Chisholm and Neville Keeping an eye on the targets Early fog 13

16 Match Rifle Article and photos by Rodney Winwood The 18th Tasmanian Match Championships were held at the Campbell Town Rifle Range on March 4 and 5, 2017 in light winds varying from 3 to 9 o clock. We had 15 shooters from Tassie and round the mainland which was a fair turn out. On day one the 1000 yards was shot first up with Match Rifle. Paul Monaghan VDC was top with 75-10, next was Robert Halloran with 75-07, Match R Reserve, Shaun Wingrove 73-08, and Stephen Clark VDC, was next on In F Class Open, John Collis TAS, was first with 87, next was Terry Sheedy on 84, FTR, had only one shooter Mike Halloran NSW, who scored, 60. Back to the 1100 yard mark in Match Rifle and Peter Maher from Lilydale was top with 73-05, with Philip Bain, Explorer on Match R Reserve, saw Shaun Wingrove on 70-08, then Stephen Clark on In F Open, John Collis again was top with 85 with Terry Sheedy next on 78. In FTR, Mike Halloran recorded 68. At the 1200 yard mark in Match Rifle, Philip Bain was top with 71-05, next was Peter Maher on and in Match R Reserve, Stephen was top with 65-03, then Shaun on In FTR, Mike shot a 54, giving a first day aggregate of 182. In Match Rifle the first day aggregate went to Peter Maher with , then Philip Bain with , Paul Monaghan , Rob Halloran , Shaun Wingrove , Stephen Clark and Chris Halloran In F Open, John Collis was ahead on 250, Terry Sheddy 238, Alan Routredge 214 and Nathan Pearce carded 138. Tasmanian Match Rifle Championships Paul lining up After a good night s sleep we were back the next day for some more punishment. In Match Rifle, at 1000 yards Peter Maher was top with and next was Rob Halloran on In Match R Reserve, Stephen was top with followed by Shaun with In F Open, Terry Sheedy was top with 86, then John on 82 was next. In FTR, Mike Halloran shot a 69, then at 1100 yards 66, and at 1200 yards 90 - giving him 225 for the day and a grand aggregate score of 407. With only 1200 yards to go it was still open to any one at that distance hero to zero in one shot. In Match Rifle, Philip Bain had a good score with 95-04, with Rob Halloran next on In Match R Reserve, Stephen was first on 91-03, Shaun next with F Open saw John ahead with 110, then Terry on 106. The second day aggregate in Match Rifle saw Philip Bain first on , with Peter Maher following on Match R Reserve, saw Stephen top with With the scores all added up, the winner of the Tasmanian Match Rifle Championships was Peter Maher with Next was Philip Bain , Rob Halloran , Paul Monaghan , Stephen Clark , Chris Halloran , Shaun Wingrove and Gil Walker In Match R Reserve, Stephen Clark was the winner with , followed by Shaun Wingrove on The winner in F Open was John Collis with Stephen Clark scoring Gil 14

17 Match Rifle He was followed by Gil Walker on , Philip Bain , Paul Monaghan , Rob Halloran , Chris Halloran and Stephen Clark Terry Sheedy of Townsville MRC took out Long Range F Open with Long Range FTR saw Michael Halloran from Junee Ex-Services, retire after the first range on 21. This was another good win for Peter Maher, and as we know there was more to come, with a win in the Tasmanian Queens Prize. 526, next was Terry Sheedy 509, Alan Routledge 455 and Nathan Pearce 138. Mike Halloran scored 407 in FTR. Well done to Peter with his win. Little did he know it was the start of what would be a week to remember. With a good night s sleep, it was time for one more prize meeting before the Queens - the 2017 Merton Vale 1500 yard Championships. With only 10 for the match, all were keen for some fun way out yonder. With the range shot twice and a 15 shot match with all flags and some extras on the move, it was on. In Match Rifle after the first shoot Peter Maher was top with and Rob Halloran next on In Long Range F Open, Terry Sheedy (the only shooter) scored 47. The one long range FTR shooter was Mike Halloran, who scored 21. One the second shoot Gil Walker came out on top with This was the highest score of the day. Next on was Philip Bain. In Long Range F Open, Terry Sheedy shot a 67. With all the fun over for a while the scores were all tallied and in Match Rifle Open, Peter Maher of Lilydale, Victoria came out the winner with John Collis taking aim Having a break Chris setting up to shoot Match Rifle & Long Range F Class 2017 Event Calendar June Queensland MR & LR F Championships Raglan, Queensland Practice- Friday June 9 October Ultra Long Range Challenge REVISITED! Coonabarabran, NSW Competition over 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1500 yards Practice- Friday October 6 (pm) November Victorian MR & lr F Championships Stawell, Victoria August South Australian MR & LR F Championships Lower Light, Sth Australia November Australian Match Rifle & Long Range & F Class Championships Stawell, Victoria Match Rifle - FTR - F (Open) Individual Comp -Nov State Teams Match Rifle & F Class Nov Discounted entry to the individual competition for all those shooting the National Championships for the first time and one lucky new Match Rifle shooter will get free entry. More information on the above events at or info@matchrifle.org 15

18 Simply Shooting SIMPLY (fullbore) SHOOTING By Spencer Dunstall Wildcatting the 6.5 x 47mm Lapua TANSTAAFL is an acronym that is said to sum up, in eight words, a fundamental economic principle viz., There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch! That saying is supposed to have originated in America in the early 1900 s, when saloon keepers would provide a free lunch for their patrons. The cost of the meal was amortised over the additional drinks that they consequently sold, so patrons ended up paying for the lunch anyway. A fellow named Franklin P Jones expressed a similar view when he wrote, When you get something for nothing you just haven t been billed for it yet. So, what has all this profound moralising got to do with fullbore shooting? Well, maybe not a great deal except that I have recently been able to buck that economic theory, or at least come close. Some years ago, I had purchased a Musgrave rifle in.308w calibre, and subsequently had used the action as the basis for a 6.5 x 47mm Lapua calibre rifle for F Class competition. It was a fine-looking piece, with a Sightron S111, 8-32X 56 telescopic sight and a laminated thumbhole stock from Paul Read of Aussie Rifle Stocks and Accessories. The first ever shoot out of it, when it came back from Griffith gunsmith Darren Bradley, was a 60.7 at Ungarie s 800 yard range. So, it shot as good as it looked. But basically, it did little more than duplicate the ballistic performance of an extremely consistent 6mm Dasher rifle that I already owned. Like the Dasher it is more than competitive at the shorter F Class shooting distances, at 300, 500 and 600 yards or metres, but struggles a bit at the ranges that do most to sort out competitors in major shoots, the 800, 900 and 1000 yard distances. The Dasher launches 105-grain Berger hybrid bullets with a G7 ballistic coefficient of at a muzzle velocity of 2950fps. The 6.5 x 47mm s preferred bullet is a 130- grain Berger VLD with a G7 BC of That bullet s muzzle velocity averages 2920fps when launched from the Musgrave s 32.5-inch barrel. The deflection occasioned by a 10MPH crosswind at 1000 yards shooting distance is quite similar in both rifles for the 6.5 x 47mm and 74.2 for the Dasher, according to the ballistic solver that came with Bryan Litz s book Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting. Of course, that 1000-yard wind drift of the 6.5 X 47mm round could have been further shrunk by loading heavier 140-grain hybrids or VLD s to a muzzle velocity some 2820 fps, but it so happened that in this particular rifle those loads did not group as tightly as did the 130-grain loads. So, in a practical sense, the Dasher Finished case after trimming, neck turning and fire forming and the 6.5 x 47mm were ballistic twins so far as F Class is concerned. The temptation was to have the rifle rechambered for a cartridge that had a bit more oomph, one that would launch a 140-grain After sizing in a.260 Remington FLS die - first step bullet at some 2950fps and a 130- grain bullet at around 3020fps or higher. Calibres such as a.260 Remington came to mind, as did the newer 6.5mm Creedmoor and the venerable 6.5 X 55mm Swede. But I had previously owned rifles in.260 Remington and 6.5 X 55mm Swede and wanted something different. The Creedmoor was an option but its velocity and hence wind performance would be only slightly better than the smaller 6.5 X 47mm. The temptation though, was put to rest by the thought of outlaying still more of my hard-earned for new reloading dies and a supply of cases in whatever calibre was chosen. Having two rifles of similar performance was not the end of the world, after all. Then Graham Mincham suggested a strategy by which a mid-sized 6.5mm calibre rifle could be had without the need to buy new dies and which would use surplus.308w cases that were on hand. A Middleweight Contender Graham suggested that the 6.5 x 47 reamer used to chamber the rifle in the first instance be run a bit further into the barrel. The idea was to create a new chamber that would accommodate a case formed from.308w brass, after a 6.5 x 47mm full length sizing die had been used to resize the neck and change the shoulder angle to 30 degrees. The die would need to be placed in the loading press with some

19 Simply Shooting After.260 Remington die and FLS die is used - second step - a 6.5mm super LR at this stage clearance between the bottom of the die and the top of the shell holder when the ram of the press was fully raised. It turned out that a.260 Remington full-length sizing die was needed as an intermediate step, otherwise the case shoulder crumpled. Fortunately, I had one on hand. The.260 die sized the case neck to the right diameter and the 6.5 X 47mm full length sizing die took care of the shoulder angle. The completed case had the shoulder angle and long neck of the 6.5 X 47mm and the overall length of a.308w case. Three of those cases were formed; the necks turned and together with the barrelled action were handed to Darren Bradley. The cases were needed so that he could set the headspace to suit. When the re-chambered rifle was returned, it was found that a Lapua Palma-based case fire-formed in the new chamber has the same diameter at the shoulder and the same neck length as a 6.5 X 47mm case that had been fired in the original chamber. It would have been a remarkable thing if it hadn t! The base though was larger, given the tapered shape of the reamer used in the re-chamber, and measured about more than the base of that fired 6.5 x 47mm case. Interestingly, the OSA case when fired in the same chamber has a base diameter that is less than the Lapua case. The new 6.5mm case is similar but not exactly identical to that of the wildcat 6.5mm Super LR cartridge, the main difference being that the Super LR case is formed by pushing back the shoulder of a.260 Remington case. Compared to this new.308w-based wildcat, the 6.5 SLR case is about longer overall, with of that in the form of a longer neck. The new 6.5mm has a wee bit less body taper than the 6.5mm SLR as well, measuring at the shoulder, compared to the shoulder diameter inherited from the.260 Remington. Any difference in the ballistic performance of the two wildcats though will be indistinguishable and the performance will be similar to that of a.260 Remington too. But as a round fired in this wildcat chamber would be too large at the shoulder to chamber in a 6.5mm SLR rifle and conversely a 6.5mm SLR round would be too long to be used in this chamber it deserves a different name. More on that later. Initially a hundred cases were formed from new.308w OSA cases that were sitting in the loading cupboard. It was decided to use these in the initial testing. Those thick-walled cases held 51 grains of water when new and 52 grains after firing and re-sizing. But there were some 240 new and once-fired Lapua Palma cases begging to be used, with nary a.308w calibre rifle in the gun safe. The thought of that strong premium quality case with its small rifle primer triggered a change of mind and those superfluous cases were quickly called upon to serve the new cartridge. The work involved in this second round of case forming through two different sizing dies, neck expanding, neck trimming and chamfering case mouths seemed never-ending, and when it did finally conclude there were 240 Fired case newly formed 6.5mm cases waiting to be neck-turned! Blimey! Maybe there really is no such thing as a free lunch! Finally, the necks of all 240 cases were turned to a uniform thickness. That neck has a diameter of with a bullet seated, giving a clearance in the chamber of some 0.003, about perfect for the intended purpose. No cases were lost in the case-forming process. And they really do look lovely. Like a 6.5 X 47mm Lapua on steroids! The use of 6.5 x 47mm dies to size cases fired in the new chamber leaves the last of the case, its base if you like, completely unsized. The case is thus partially sized, more so than it would be if neck sized but not as completely as in normal full-length sizing. Graham Mincham has a solution to that issue too. He has drilled out an old.308w die from the top to a larger diameter, stopping about 4mm or so from the base. This second die can then be used to size the section of the case that is untouched by the 6.5 x 47 die. Thus far that second die has not had to be used as cases chamber and extract smoothly without it, but that may change when the cases have been fired a few more times. So why bother with all this wildcatting effort? Why not a.260 Remington, a factory calibre similar in capacity and performance for which I already owned cases and loading dies? Well it was tempting but that gentle shoulder slope and short neck lacked appeal and the reputation that case had for lengthening in the firing/resizing cycle, whether justified or not, was a turn-off. I figured that the wildcat 6.5mm with its 30 degree shoulder 17

20 18 Simply Shooting Continued from page 17 would be less susceptible to case lengthening and fondly believed that as a 30 degree shoulder was a feature of cartridges that enjoy a reputation for accuracy, then that would flow through to the new calibre too. And it would be something different. So why not? After all, if it didn t work out it would be a simple task to return it to its original 6.5 x 47mm form. Just have machined off the rear end of the barrel and the threaded section extended by the same amount, and voila! A 6.5 x 47mm once more! F Open is full of addictive attractions. Shooting small groups is an obvious one. Achieving high scores, another. But the enjoyment to be had through exploring different calibres gives both of those addictions a real run for their money! Loading cartridges Cases can readily be sized in the 6.5 x 47mm die set up in the press as described earlier. But what of bullet seating? I had two 6.5 x 47 seating dies, one that came with the die set and a Wilson seating die used with an arbor press. The Wilson seater was preferred but the case was now too long. A spacer some thick was made to fit inside the Wilson base, with a hole sufficient to let the case through to contact the base unit while supporting the die body. That set-up worked fine. A search of the Internet indicated that 43 grains of 2209 behind a 142-grain bullet was a reasonable load for the very similar 6.5mm Super LR wildcat and standard practice was to start with a load 10% lower and work up from there. But there was an ace in the hole, so to speak. Graham Mincham and his Quickload program were enlisted to help in the load development task. Graham suggested chronograph and group testing and nominated a series of loads with both AR2208 and AR2209. Those suggested charges were loaded into the formed, unfired OSA cases behind a molycoated 140-grain Berger Hybrid bullet seated to have jump. At the range a couple of lighter What happens if the.260 Remington die is not used fouling loads were fired first to ensure that there were no unforeseen glitches and then it was on with the magnetospeed chronograph and into velocity testing at 100 yards. To cut a long story short the most consistent velocity in those OSA cases was had with 39.0 grains of AR Average velocity was 2898fps and the extreme spread 13fps for five shots. With AR2209 the best load was 42.9 grains for 2950fps and a 22 fps velocity spread. So the velocities were in the hoped-for range. There was no expectation of tight groups from these tests, not with the weight of the magnetospeed chronograph hanging off the barrel and the amount of fire-forming involved with the new cases. Expect nothing and you ll never be disappointed, goes the old saying. A shoot at Cootamundra s 300-yard range followed, sans Magnetospeed, again with new cases. Scores were unacceptably low, indicating that the chronograph had little to do with the previous 100 yard groups. A spot of detective work then ensued to make sure that nothing was amiss with the rifle. There was no fouling to be seen but the barrel was scrubbed out with JB paste anyway. The scope rail screws were checked but were found to be tight. The scope was beyond suspicion but it was decided to have another proven telescopic sight handy when next the rifle was taken to the 100 yard range, just in case. Finally, the bedding was checked. It was decided to load some test ammunition in fire-formed cases to see whether the loose fit of the unfired cases in the new chamber was the cause of the unsatisfactory accuracy to date. These loads with fire-formed OSA cases were used on the next visit to the 100 yards range. Accuracy was vastly improved, even with the same telescopic sight fitted. All four five-shot groups fired with various powder charges gave groups hovering around the 0.50 mark. The best was a 0.40 group fired with 42.6 grains of AR2209 behind a moly-coated 140-grain Sierra Matchking bullet. These groups with hit or miss loads proved the rifle s potential. But three groups fired that day with new cases again left a lot to be desired, thus clearly identifying the cause of the earlier unsatisfactory accuracy. With 240 Lapua Palma-based cases yet to fire-form it was imperative to find a load that gave better results, otherwise fire-forming was obviously going to be a long, tedious and character-building exercise! Fire-forming devours ammunition so it made sense to use up those remnant primers, powder and projectiles left over from earlier reloading days and which were not part of the long-term loading plan for any rifles in the gun safe. There were a few hundred Remington 7 1/2 primers, some RL 17 powder and a couple of hundred 140-grain Sierra Matchkings that fell into that category. These are all top quality components though and perfectly adequate to the fire-forming task or for competition work for that matter. But the trick was to find a load with those components that brought out the best in this rifle. It was reasoned that one way to overcome the effect of the loosefitting unfired cases, one way of making sure that the bullets were lined up with the bore, was to load the ammunition to a COAL that would jam the bullets into the rifling. Graham Mincham s expertise and his Quickload program were again called upon. The load suggested for the larger capacity Lapua cases and RL 17 powder was 43.5 grains with the moly-coated 140 grain SMK. That bullet was jammed into the rifling. Velocities were very much higher with the double-base RL

21 17 powder than with the singlebase ADI powders, yet with a total absence of any signs of unduly high pressure. Most 100-yard, five-shot groups fired with new cases and charges of RL 17 approached 0.50 with a couple a little smaller still. It seemed clear from this testing that acceptable accuracy could be had while fire-forming provided that the bullets were jammed or more into the rifling. Choosing a Name The new cartridge inherits features from both of its parent cases. From the 6.5 x 47mm it gets the long neck, less body taper and a 30 degree shoulder. From the.308w it gets the 51mm case length, greater internal case capacity and the small rifle primer of the Lapua Palma case. Any name should preferably identify the case dimensions so as the calibre is 6.5mm and the case is 51mm long then 6.5 x 51mm just has to be incorporated into whatever name is chosen. Of course the purpose for which the calibre is intended might get a run too. So terms like Long Competition reflect the intention to have a cartridge suitable for 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Or the capacity could get a go with Larger Capacity reflecting the increase over the 6.5 x 47 parent case. Or it could be Lapua Conversion. And it is a Low Cost option for those who already own a 6.5 x 47 and want something a little more potent. So, 6.5 x 51mm LC would seem to be a reasonable name, reflecting all of those considerations. But wait, there s more! As a famous television advertisement used to say. The new case is in some ways, an illegitimate offspring of two popular calibres. There is a word that aptly describes such an offspring but that could hardly be included in its name now, could it? Because nowadays that word is often used as an imprecation, an oath, curse or swear word, something to be avoided in polite company. Except of course in Australia, where it is often used as a term indicating Simply Shooting mateship. As in G day yer old bastard! Nevertheless, there s no way this calibre can be called that, though apparently no-one thinks twice about that word when it is used to describe one type of metal file that is to be found in any hardware store. And that s where the name of the 6.5 x 51mm LC is so flexible. Those last two initials can represent many different things. Even Love Child which of course is what an illegitimate offspring was once called in polite company! Conclusion The cartridge is a low cost method of converting a 6.5 x 47mm rifle into a more powerful calibre, without the cost involved in a full re-chamber and the purchase of a reamer, loading dies and cases. It uses the readily available.308w case as the parent case. Forming those into SUMO 30mm Fixed Height Front Sight Robust fixed height mount Accepts 30mm irises by others Integral spirit level SUMO 30mm Height Adjustable Front Sight 5 moa elevation adjustments Integral spirit level Sumo 30mm Fixed height tunnel (no lens or rings) $ Sumo 30 Height Adjustable tunnel (no lens or rings) $ mm individual rings (most sizes available 2.0 to 9.8mm) $8.50 each 30mm full ring set of 25 (3.0mm to 7.8mm) 1,2 or 3mm annulus $ or +0.5 lens Ziess CR39 Multicoat lens $60.50 FREE DELIVERY ON ORDERS OVER $200! Sumo Prescription Lens Holder Our 2 piece lens holder screws into the 9.5mm thread in the front of your existing rear sight. Have your Optometrist grind a lens to suit. $65.00 plus $10 postage Barnard Scope Rail 20 moa incline 205mm long Picatinny slot spacing 4 high tensile mounting screws Anodised black aluminium $ plus $10 postage Contact Ryan Neilsen Buy online, post a cheque or visit me at Belmont ryan@sumosight.com PO Box 4330, Gumdale QLD 4154 Ph: Visit our website for more products & online specials! Also available through NSWRA Store & Bartlein Barrels NZ 19

22 20 Simply Shooting Continued from page 19 the 6.5 x 51mm involves simple processes of running the.308w case first into a.260 Remington die and then into a 6.5 x 47mm full length die fitted in the press to clear the shell holder by The case will come out of that last die with a overall length and will need trimming to The neck of the new case will include part of once was a case shoulder (where brass is usually thicker) and consequently will need turning to reduce the neck thickness and lessen the likelihood of a doughnut forming at the case neck/shoulder junction. The 6.5 x 51mm LC will drive a 140-grain 6.5mm bullet at 2930 to 2950fps with sane pressures using ADI powders in our long-barrelled target rifles. With double-based powders those velocities can safely be increased to 3000 fps and more, depending on barrel length. According to Brian Litz s ballistic program a 140-grain VLD bullet launched at 2950fps in standard atmospheric conditions will be deflected some 63 by a 10MPH crosswind as it travels to its 1000 yard destination. That deflection falls to around 61.3 at a launch speed of 3000fps. That s the same for all practical purposes, as the 61.5 deflection encountered by a 180-grain VLD launched at 2820fps from a typical.284w calibre rifle. The load of 43.1 x RL17 that has been chosen for case fire-forming has produced groups at 100 yards that were just under 0.5 for five shots, when the molycoated 140- grain SMK projectiles are jammed into the rifling. That seating depth is the key to accuracy with new cases in this rifle. The only five-shot 100-yard group fired to date with fire-formed Lapua cases loaded with 43.5 x RL17 behind the molycoated 140-grain Matchking, measured just 0.29 high by 0.08 wide, close to half of the size of the best groups with unfired cases. It appears that little of the 6.5 x 47mm s legendary accuracy has been sacrificed on the altar of greater bullet speed! There have been limited opportunities to shoot this rifle in club competition, in fact there have only been two club shoots since the rifle was received. But today (19/2/2017) at Ungarie s 600-yard range, a day when wind continually varied in both strength and direction, it returned a score of using unfired cases, with four of those points lost to wind. Below is a summary of the dimensions of a fired case: Summary of 6.5 x 51mm LC Fired Case Dimensions Trim length Maximum length Diameter at shoulder (both makes of brass) Diameter at base (Lapua Palma Brass) Diameter at base (OSA brass) Capacity (Lapua Palma Brass) (grains wt. of water Capacity (OSA brass) (grains wt. of water) Base to neck/shoulder junction Shoulder angle (degrees) Neck Diameter Neck Length This calibre really does seem to be as close to something for nothing as it is possible to get. Yet I still can t help wondering when the bill will arrive! Catch you later. NOTE: THE LOADS REFERRED TO IN THIS ARTICLE WERE SAFE IN MY RIFLE BUT MAY NOT BE SAFE IN YOURS. ALWAYS REDUCE THOSE LOADS BY 10% AND WORK UP FROM THERE. Is Your Club Planning an Event in 2017? Boost your registration numbers by advertising in ATR Magazine For events in July, August, September or October send your event details by May 19. We will help you put an ad together. Contact Laurelle for more information or atr_editorial@nraa.com.au

23 Simply Shooting 308 cartridge What happens if the.260 Remington die is not used After sizing in a.260 Remington FLS die - first step DEAL DEAL DEAL DUE TO PURCHASE OF FULL FACTORY RUN Specifications 42mm Objective Lens Fast European Focusing Rear Parallex Focusing Extended Target Turrets Positive Click Adjustment Quarter Clicks Elevation up 55 MoA down 45 MoA Windage R&L 42.5 MoA Multi Coated Optics OPTIONS: 5 x 42mm Screw Together Sunshades For more products and specials visit our online store 24/7 Mil-Dot LYNXPROFESSIONALRIFLESCOPES Durable matte black finish Excellent eye relief Rugged shockproof, waterproof, dustproof construction 30mm Monotube construction After.260 Remington die and FLS die is used - second step - a 6.5mm super LR at this stage P 16 x 42 Mil Dot Sniper Scope ideal for F Class Standard PO Box 846, Raymond Terrace NSW 2324 Phone: Fax: Website: malcolmgault.lynx@bigpond.com Free delivery Australia-wide Fired case The cases need to go through a series of changes before reaching the finished shape and size ruction 30mm M $ Spec fications Finished case after trimming, neck turning and fire forming Join us at the Greengrass Antique and Modern Arms Fair! May, 2017, Penrith Panthers, Mulgoa Road, Penrith NSW 21

24 Fashion & Fullbore By Spencer Dunstall Fashion seems to have an important role when it comes to deciding what equipment to use. What was once fashionable becomes displaced by the new and a trend is established - one that sees the old gear abandoned and largely forgotten. A decade ago the administrators of the Australian fullbore movement were consumed by the question of whether or not to approve the Australian made HBC 155-grain.30 calibre projectile. A workshop was held by the powers that be and the views of the various State Associations canvassed. The concern at the time was that the proposed projectile would be too superior in performance compared to the then approved bullets. Unrealistic claims of a 30% edge in wind-bucking performance were bandied about. At that time, the Berger 155-grain VLD bullet represented the pinnacle of.30 calibre performance with that weight bullet and the thinking seemed to be that as there was no way that bullet would get approval - then why should the very similar HBC? Fast forward to today s world and both the HBC and the Berger 155-grain VLD have long since received the seal of approval for target rifle and F Standard shooting Fashion and Fullbore Bullets FOR SALE Copies of the autobiography Bone in the Fishcake still available at the introductory rate of $34 all up posted to anywhere in Australia. Born in 1927, the author has had a busy and unusual life that was worth writing about. Over 380 pages Money order or cheque with your particulars, please. Also for Sale one only complete set of Marksman magazine early editions, already tradesman hard bound. Purchase price to be negotiated with genuine enquirer. Contact: Ian Young (02) PO Box 321 WINGHAM NSW 2429 but the Berger VLD, it seems, is no longer fashionable. What seems to excite the minds of today s target rifle aficionados are the newer Berger bullets, the Hybrids and the I cannot help wondering whether that preference was performance based or fashion, driven by a follow the leader mind set. A few months back I became aware that the Queensland Rifle Association store was overstocked with 155-grain Berger VLD projectiles and that sales were slow, despite their attractive $48 per 100 pricing. They were being shunned in favour of the newer, more expensive Berger bullets. So, it was arranged for Griffith Gunsmith and top F Class standard exponent Darren Bradley to test the Berger VLD bullets in his rifle to see whether they could still cut the mustard in today s fullbore shooting world. Darren had been using the Berger fullbore bullets and had gained second placing at both the NSW and ACT Queens with them. As at November 2016 Darren was ranked first in The Australian F Class standard rankings and as such is perfectly placed to assess the performance of F Class equipment. Here is Darren s report to me on the Berger 155-Grain VLD bullet: I loaded three different loads of five rounds using my standard load of 2206H powder and Federal Match primers. The first were seated jammed, the second jumped and the third load jumped. I used Barny my current F Class rifle. Testing was at 100 metres. The jammed loads shot a group size of The jumped loads shot a group size of The jumped loads shot a group size of I loaded 50 rounds jumped and took them with me to Canberra Rifle Club to try them at 800 metres and 900 metres during our State team practice. They performed very well with very good elevation. I made no adjustments to my scope zero against the Berger Match that I usually use. Elevations were identical and the group was slightly better centred in the target at both 800 and 900 metres. I also took these loads to Ungarie and shot them with yourself and Jordan (Hoskinson) and we all agreed that the elevation they produced was outstanding. I can attest to the validity of Darren s final paragraph. Ungarie was having one of its more challenging days and sideways dispersion was the order of the day, even with the supposedly better wind-bucking F Open bullets I was using. Darren s elevation was like a string line drawn across the centre of the 500 yard bull. VLD s and Seating Depth Once upon a time everyone knew that VLD bullets with their secant ogive would not perform unless they were jammed into the rifling. It has long been an argument used against VLD bullets in target shooting as the risk of getting powder granules scattered in the action was too great. Back in 2008, some knowledgeable and experienced shooters were reluctant to believe that the Australian team had found that their similar secant 22

25 ogive HBC bullets had performed best with a jump. That changed with the publication on the Berger website of an article entitled Getting the best Precision and Accuracy from VLD Bullets in your Rifle in which Berger stated that there were a number of bullet seating sweet spots about to wide one of which would best suit a given rifle. The recommendation for target shooters not worried about jamming a bullet was to try seating the bullets to give jammed, then jumped, then jumped and finally jumped; firing six rounds (two lots of three shots) at each setting. For those worried about pulling a bullet during a match the suggested seating depths were jumps of 0.010, 0.050, and Berger advised that one of the settings will outperform the others by a considerable margin. The best setting can then be tweaked in a fine-tuning procedure of small seating depth variations. Darren has obviously hit on or has come close to one sweet spot with his load in his rifle. Ballistic Performance Berger 155-grain VLD bullets have a G7 BC of It compares to a HBC s and a Berger s Those differences are miniscule and are immaterial in the real world, other than from a sales advertising viewpoint. Brian Litz s ballistic solver program that accompanied his book puts the 1000-yard deflection of a Berger 155 grain VLD in a 10MPH crosswind at 93.5, the HBC at 91.7 and the at The choice of bullet would cause the point of impact to differ if the shooter were to make a wind judging error equivalent to a one MPH wind change, but only by a quarter of an inch at most! It is extremely unlikely that such a minute difference would ever have any impact on scores. Summary and Conclusion Berger s 155-grain VLD is still capable of match winning accuracy. Its wind-bucking performance is comparable to any of the 155-grain bullets approved by the NRAA for target rifle and F Standard competition. The old idea that they must be jammed into the rifling no longer applies with all rifles. Berger s website explains how to go about determining the best seating depth. It is logical to assume that the process would work with other makes of bullet with secant ogives, including Australia s own HBC. The Berger 155-grain VLD price is comparable to others in Berger s line-up and at present the QRA Store is selling them at an attractive $48 per 100, well below the price of the other Berger 155-grain bullets. After witnessing Darren s performance with this bullet, Jordan Hoskinson announced his intention to buy Darren confirmed that he too was buying a supply. But I had already bought 1000, being a bargain hunter from way back. (For those who are don t already know, a bargain has been defined as something that is not needed at a price too good to miss). Now all I have to do is to get a rifle to fire them in. Not so easy when one is committed to F Open! Who said life was not meant to be easy? Catch you later. Fashion & Fullbore AGENT FOR WORLD RECORD AWARD WINNING BENCHMARK BARRELS I specialise in custom rifle building for Target Rifle Shooters, Sporting Shooters and Long- Range Hunters. Stocking and manufacturing an extensive range of products and accessories, specialising in custom rifle building; custom rifle parts and glass pillar bedding; manufacture of custom tapered scope rails; V Block bedding systems; pro pod bipods; and barrel tuners. Benchmark Rifle barrels / including rim fire barrels, Rock Creek 5R cut rifled barrels, Defiance Benchrest Actions / varmint actions / Cheytac Long Range, Stiller Actions World Champion Ben Emms and USA Champion Matt Pozzebon Australian Agent for: Masterclass Stocks; Seekins Precision scope rails and Seekins Precision scope rings; and Stallings Machine Rightsights. Supplier and stockist of: Nightforce scopes & accessories, XLR Evolution chassis stocks, Maddco Barrels, MAB Barrels and Omark Rifle Parts, Jewell Triggers, Boyd s laminate stocks, loading dies and Leupold scope rings. Montana extreme bore solvent, Redding and Hornady products. CONTACT GRENFELL ARMOURING SERVICES 26 BELL STREET, BENDIGO, VICTORIA 3550,AUSTRALIA BUSINESS HOURS PH: (03) INTERNATIONAL PH: MOBILE: FAX: (03)

26 National Rifle Association of Australia Limited 46 th National Rifle Championships Belmont Shooting Complex, Queensland ENTRY FORM Office use only: Entry No: Date Rec d: / / Surname:... Given Names:... Preferred Name:.. (This name will appear on score card labels and results) Address: City/Town:... State:..Postcode:... Telephone: Club: NRAA SID (if known): DOB / / Firearms Licence Number:... (You must provide your Firearms Licence Number as it will be preprinted on your score card labels) Current Grade: A B C FO (Please tick ALL that apply) FS-A FS-B F/TR Left Bench Veteran Lady U25 Hand PRESIDENTS: June 2017 ENTRY $150 Day 1: 300, 500, 500, 600 yards Day 2: 800, 900, 1000 yards THE QUEEN S PRIZE: June 2017 ENTRY $170 Day 1: 300, 500, 600, 600 yards Day 2: 500, 600, 800, 900 yards Day 3: 900, 1000 yards KALTENBERG CUP: 25 June 2017 THE MACE MEDAL: 25 June Shots at 1000 Yards TR - Top 20 of The President s and the Queen s carry over FC - Top 4 of The President s and the Queen s carry over 5-day score qualify. GRAND AGGREGATE Grand Aggregate = 5-day score plus Kaltenberg/Mace score. TOTAL FEES PAYABLE: By my signature I confirm I am a financial member of the NRAA and agree to submit evidence of my grading and of my NRAA affiliation and firearms licence for inspection as required by the promoting body. $ $ $ SIGNATURE: INFORMATION MARKING TR& F-Class paid Markers RULES SSRs in force at the time of all competitions shall apply TARGETS The 46 th National Rifle Championships will be conducted using electronic targets. RANGE ACCOMMODATION Enquiries, bookings and payment direct to QRA Ph.: AMMUNITION Purchase from QRA Store. Ph.: CATERING Meals and Refreshments available START 0830 daily start unless advised otherwise PAYMENT DETAILS Make all cheques & postal orders payable to: National Rifle Association of Australia Cash Cheque Money order Charge my: Visa MasterCard Card No: Expiry Date: / Card Holder s Name:.. Signature:... All prices include GST Entry Forms to be forwarded to: NRAA Entries, PO Box 414, Carina, QLD 4152 or entries@nraa.com.au

27 Tasmania / South Australia North West Open Prize Meeting Article and photos by Rodney Winwood The first prize meet for the New Year was held at the Sheffield rifle range on January 28, Numbers were down this year for the event, which consisted of two 500 yards and one 600 yard range after dinner. The weather in the morning was on the cool side but by the second range she started to warm, with a slight breeze from behind the shooters. At the first 500 yard range in target rifle A Grade, veteran shooter John Hope TNWTRC scored 45-02, with Bob and John Peter Evans Target Rifle B Grade winner Micheil Sweet Sandford RC, next with In F Class Standard A Grade, Bob Pedersen of Albury Wodonga (back home for a while) scored 59-05, with Derek Hadfield Devonport, Latrobe next with In target rifle B Grade Peter Evans Devonport, Latrobe was in good form with 48-01, with Peter Hannaford VDC RC next with In F Class Standard B Grade, Stephen Tamassy from Smithton RC was the only shooter in his class: he scored and at the double 500 yard ranges, giving him a two range aggregate score of In F Class Open, Gil Walker VDC RC, scored a strong with Brendon Hunt Sandford RC, second on Back to the second 500 yard range and the wind had picked up slightly in target rifle A Grade. John Hope was top again with with a two range aggregate score of 91-04, next was Micheil Sweet with 45-02, making a two range aggregate Annual Returns Just a reminder that this year s annual returns are due by June 1, New Members SARA would like to welcome Shane Bland to the Phoenix Target Rifle Club; Daniel Kemp, Jade Kearsley and Chris Papageorgiou to the Kapunda Rifle Club; and Aaron Bull to the Whyalla Rifle Club. Second 500 yard shoot 25

28 Tasmania Continued from page 25 score of In F Class Standard A Grade, Bob Pedersen was top again with to compile a two range aggregate score of Derek Hadfield was second with a score of and a two range aggregate score of In target rifle B Grade, VDC shooter Peter Hannaford was first with a score of 47-03, with Peter Evans next with 46-02, giving him a two range aggregate score of 94-03, and Peter Hannaford followed with In F Class Open, Sandford shooter Brendon Hunt was top with a score of and next was Stephen Clark VDC with Brendon won the two range aggregate with a score of ahead of Gil Walker with Then it was time for a lunch break, which was a well laid out barbecue from the three host clubs. The ladies again did a great job feeding everyone. At the last range for the day at 600 yards, the flags were on the move, making the shooters work harder for their scores. In target rifle A Grade, John Hope again was first with and Micheil Sweet next with John took out the Grade with , Micheil was next with In F Class A good day out Presentation to John Hope Hard at work... 26

29 Tasmania On left Bruce Johnston (Sandford RC), on right Justin MacLeod President Sheffield RC Stephen Clark shooting at 500 yards Phillip Oliver Peter Hannaford Micheil Sweet scoring Standard A Grade, Phillip Oliver Sandford RC, was first with 58-05, Bruce Johnston Sandford RC, was next with Bob Pedersen won F Class Standard A Grade, with , also winning The Northwest F Class Standard Perpetual Shield. Next was Phillip Oliver on , Bruce Johnston , and Derek Hadfield In target rifle B Grade, Peter Evans was top with 42-02, next on was Peter Hannaford, then Peter Harris on Peter Evans won his grade and the NWTR Perpetual Shield. F Class Standard B Grade saw shooter Stephen Tamassy score to On left John Hope, on right Justin MacLeod 27

30 Tasmania Continued from page 27 record a win, with an aggregate score of In F Class Open, Darryl Stehbens was in good form with next on was Gil Walker, then Stephen Clark and Brendon Hunt with Darryl won his grade with , Gil followed with , with Brendon and Stephen next in line. A top array of trophies were given out to all the winners, plus one special award presented to John Hope by long time friend Bob Pedersen. This was awarded to John for all his work and dedication to the Sheffield Rifle Club and range in close to 60 years of true dedication for our sport. Many thanks must go to a number of people, as without them no prize meet would work. It was a top effort by all the markers; and the food was top notch as always. We would also like to thank our patrons the Ralph Family for the land which the range is on; Tasmazia; the Sheffield Shed; Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge; Springfield Deer Farm Mole Creek; Lucinda Bed and Breakfast Latrobe; Sheffield Motel Inn Café; Sheffield Hotel; Kentish Council; and Fudge and Good Coffee Sheffield. We also thank the following people for all their assistance: Andrew Cowlick, John Hope, Rod Jarvis, Ed and Jude Stewart; and Martyn and Anne-Maree Temple. Taking aim Time to relax On the 500 yard mound Bob Pedersen at work 28

31 Article and photos by Rodney Winwood On February 18, 2017, the VDC rifle club had some great weather at the Campbell Town rifle range to hold its prize meet. It was nice and sunny with good light and not too hot. With 24 shooters competing from around Tasmania just a couple of weeks out from our Queens Prize, the event consisted of double 500 yards followed by double 600 yard ranges. Only two A Grade shooters competed - Micheil Sweet and John Hope. At the first 500 yards Micheil shot a fine 50-06, with John shooting a In B Grade target rifle, Peter Hannaford, VDC, was top with 46-04, Des Flood next with 45-03, followed by Peter Evans on In F Class Standard, Alan Routledge VDC, was ahead with a fine 59-04, with Bob Pedersen next on In F Open, Campbell Town RC member George Crisp shot a fine 59-05, with Darryl Stehbens from Smithton shooting and John Collis Tasmania Launceston VDC Prize Meeting Micheil Sweet preparing to shoot John Hope Peter Evans The second 500 yards ran on from the first with a gentle breeze going across the range. In A Grade target rifle, Micheil again was in good form with 49-04, with John on Micheil won the double 500 yards with In B Grade target rifle, Des Flood was top with 45-02, next was Peter Evans on and Peter Hannaford with Des won the aggregate with In F Class Standard, Brendon Hunt and Rod Jarvis both fired 59-04, with Stephen Clark next with Stephen Clark won the aggregate 29

32 30 Tasmania Continued from page 29 with In F Class Open, Gil Walker shot 58-03, with Cheryle Dolman on Gil Walker won the aggregate with Again a fine spread of food was put on for all the shooters and markers, with all leaving the club house a couple of kilos better off. Back to the double 600 yards with the wind picking up slightly, made the shooters work a bit harder for their scores. In A Grade target rifle, Micheil was top with with John next with In B Grade target rifle, Peter Hannaford was the winner with 44-01, then Peter Evans with Bob Pedersen was the victor in F Class Standard with 56-03, with Stephen Clark next on In F Class Open, John Collis was top with followed by Stephen Tamassey on With one more 600 yard range to go it was still a close race in most of the grades. A Grade target rifle this time saw John out in front with and Micheil on John won the 600 yard aggregate, with Micheil taking out the grade with ahead of John s total of In B Grade target rifle, Des Flood was top with 42-01, then Peter Evans with Peter Hannaford won the double 600 yards with and also won the grade with Next in line was Peter Evans with and Des Flood on both ranges were on the tricky side at times. In F Class Standard, Ray Halley of Sandford RC, was top with and Alan Routledge next on Bob Pedersen won the double 600 yards with from Stephen Clark on Stephen won his grade with a fine score of from Bob Pedersen on Next followed Alan Routledge , Brendon Hunt , Phillip Oliver , Ray Halley , Neville McKinnell , Rod Jarvis , Robert Armstrong , Martyn Temple , David Dalrymple and Barry Gough F Class Open saw John Collis the winner with 56-03, then Rod Dolman John won the double 600 yards with , from Rod Dolman on John won his grade with a score of from George Crisp F Class Open Winner John Collis All smiles after his win Stephen Clark Martyn Temple lining up

33 Tasmania , Gil Walker , Rod Dolman , Darryl Stehbens , Cheryle Dolman and Stephen Tamassey The VDC Rifle Club again turned on a great prize meet, with some top prizes given out to all the winners. There were some very nice paintings as prizes that were done by the Gough family and again the markers did a fine job. On the Range Rod Dolman Rob Armstrong having a snooze Brendon Hunt Preparing to shoot Barry Gough having a rest Bob Pedersen Bag of goodies 31

34 Queensland By Richard Kenny Mr John (Johnno) Johnstone, member of the University of Queensland Rifle Club, Belmont was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2017 Australia Day Honour s List for his lifetime contribution to the sports of fullbore and 300m target rifle shooting. Mr Johnstone is an accomplished rifleman. In 1984 and 1986 Johnno was chosen to represent Queensland in the State s fullbore team. Later, he would go on to win two Queens (Victoria and North Queensland) and an Australian 300m Championship. In 2000 Johnno was awarded the Australian Sports Medal. Many people in fullbore rifle shooting often fail to appreciate that their sport is very dependent upon not only the small paid staff in the QRA, but also the voluntary efforts of a dedicated few working away behind the scenes. Johnno has been one of them. As a case in point, Johnno was heavily involved with a QRA team (supported by other Site Users) that was instrumental in securing the long-term lease of Belmont Shooting Complex. It was an outcome that not only benefited the sport of fullbore but also the many other sporting disciplines operating at Belmont. To cover all that Johnno has achieved for the shooting sports, is well beyond the limits of this article. Nevertheless, as the following summary shows, today s shooters have much to be grateful for in terms of Johnno s efforts over many years. It also gives us an (albeit brief) insight into why Johnno was awarded an OAM in the 2017 Australia Day Honours. Fullbore rifle shooting has had to face more than its fair share of challenges in the past 20 years. None more so than during Johnno s 11-year term when as President of the QRA Johnno and his team (building on the initial work of the late Arthur Penwarn MBE) steered the QRA through the difficult task of bringing fullbore out Australia Day Honour for Johnno Johnstone QRA historian Bill Casey and President John Johnstone with some trophies.jpg from under the umbrella of Defence, after the Army severed its historical relationship with Australia s civilian rifle clubs. Johnno s strategy (which seems so obvious to everyone today) was to civilianise target rifle shooting and promote the sport as a community based activity. Fortunately, fullbore has remained a Commonwealth Games discipline and (unlike many other sporting disciplines) it is one where men and women compete on an equal basis. In today s political climate participative equality is a strong selling point for fullbore when governments of all persuasions expect sports administrators to develop strategies aimed at increasing female participation. At the same time, Mr Johnstone realised that better resources were the key to QRA s future prosperity, and he set 32

35 about commercialising the management of QRA. Building on its improved financial position Johnno was able to: - Introduce incentives to bring younger people into target rifle shooting within the safe and controlled environment of rifle ranges. - Promoted QRA grants to rifle clubs throughout the State so that they could undertake much needed maintenance and capital works at their home ranges to bring them up to standard. In 1984 Johnno became involved in the 300m discipline because it was an international sport and another avenue by which younger people could be attracted to the target rifle sports. When in 1995 the Australian 300m Association was formally established Mr Johnstone became the Association s inaugural Chair. It is testament to Mr Johnstone s passion and enthusiasm for 300m shooting that Australian teams have since won their share of medals at the 300m championships held in Europe, where national teams are chosen from thousands of competitors. In recent years, Johnno s passions have been recording the history of the QRA; and establishing a Museum at Belmont. The Museum displays Queensland s long and distinguished history of fullbore target rifle shooting, back to when the Kings was shot on the range at Toowong in the 1890 s; then later at Enoggera Army Camp; and since 1964, at Belmont s Duncan Range. Last, Mr Johnstone has played a key role in the introduction of Hexta s electronic target system to Belmont, with 30 electronic targets now firmly established on Duncan Range. For Johnno, it was the realisation of his long-held desire to modernise shooting at Belmont after being exposed to 300m electronic targets 25 years earlier. To conclude, Johnno s contribution to the development and future security of the target rifle and other shooting sports at Belmont, throughout Queensland and nationally is not easily measured and this article has only briefly touched upon a few of his many achievements. Those of us who have been privileged to work alongside Johnno have come to admire not only his tenacity to overcome the most difficult of challenges but also his humility and good humour, which are always present, whatever the demands of the day might bring. Johnno has been supported throughout his working and sporting life by his wife Dr Isobel Johnstone, an accomplished rifle shooter in her UQRC days and, more recently a keen contributor to the management committee of the QRA s museum project. We congratulate Johnno on his award of the Medal of the Order of Australia. Queensland John Johnstone QRA President 33

36 Queensland Article and photos by Gordon Collie North Arm shooter Colin Cole powered through the shimmering heat to win the first rifle shooting competition of the year held at Crows Nest on February 11 and 12. North Arm Top Shot in Crows Nest Heat Crows Nest winner Colin Cole from North Arm Colin missed just one bullseye over three ranges at 500 and 600 metres for an aggregate score of 149 with 18 centres. He beat a top-class field from southern and central Queensland and northern NSW under oppressive conditions with enough fluky breeze to be challenging. Biloela visitor Charles Arrowsmith was a close second at two shots down and also with 18 centre bulls. Natives F Open winner Denis Aarons, North Arm 34 Crows Nest members Ray O Neill and Trevor von Hoff Paul and Margy Kerlin, Clermont

37 Queensland CLERMONT RIFLE CLUB t Rifle Prize M BILLY SING MARKSMAN SHOOT 2017 Open invitation to all licensed shooters and Clubs including The ADF Date: September C Grade winner Gerard Loughran, Gatton competitor Kim O Loghlen, was third, two shots down with 11 centres. Crows Nest member John Gilliland won the B Grade aggregate and Gatton shooter Gerard Loughran the C Grade. There was strong competition in F Class with North Arm s Denis Aarons prevailing in F Open and Dave Hatherell from Gympie winning F Standard. A two-range sweepstakes event on the first day was narrowly won by top local shooter Ashley Bidgood over Colin Cole. Both missed only one bullseye, with Ashley ahead 10 centres to six. Crows Nest results Prize shoot A Grade: Colin Cole, North Arm, , Charles Arrowsmith, Biloela, , Kim O Loghlen, Natives, B Grade: John Gilliland, Crows Nest, , Ryan Biss, Beaudesert, , Scott Robson, North Arm, C Grade: Gerard Loughran, Gatton, , Shane Kao, Darling Downs, 140.5, Josh Turner, Bundaberg, F Open: Denis Aarons, North Arm, 175.7, Gary Towers, Day 1: Start 9am Practise 7:00 8:30 am 2 x 300 Metre 10 shot matches inc. 2 marked sighters, time 6 minutes per 10 shot range 2 x 600 Metre 10 shot matches inc. 2 marked sighters, time 8 minutes per 10 shot range Day 2: Start 9am Practise 7:00 8:30 am 2 x 600 Metre 10 shot matches inc. 2 marked sighters, time 8 minutes per 10 shot range 2 x 700 Metre 10 shot matches inc. 2 marked sighters, time 9 minutes per 10 shot range Billy Sing Marksman Shoot rules as follows: 2 marked sighters fired, board pulled down and patched out, board up, shooter fires 10 shots with board remaining up for the 10 shots, board down, scores and bullet group recorded, board up with bullet placement shown to shooter, board down and patched out. NOTE: One (1) Flag only will be used ½ way down range at each individual shoot, (i.e. 600 metres 1 flag at 300 metres). BILLY SING MARKSMAN SHOOT is a test of shooters ability to read wind and mirage conditions with little as possible flag assistance as per normal long range target shooting. RIFLE CLASSES: Fullbore ( Peepsights only). Service Rifles ( Blade Sights or as manufactured ). Scope Rifle (including F standard, F open, FTR, Field ) Maximum calibre 8mm, NO MUZZLE BRAKES ALLOWED. 1st place badges for each range in each class. Gold, Silver, Bronze Medals in each class for Grand Aggregate. Cost: $85 Meals available at clubhouse, showers and toilets available at clubhouse, camping available from Fri 15th to Mon 18th September, no powered campsites available. Contact : Jan Thornhill Paul Kerlin Noel Byrne Len Solomon clermontrifle@yahoo.com.au Clermont Rifle Club committee reserves the right to alter the program. 35

38 Queensland Continued from page 35 Bundaberg, , Stephen Connolly, Bundaberg, F Standard: David Hatherell, Gympie, , Pud Heironymus, Goondiwindi, , Dick Blocksidge, Albert, Sweepstakes A Grade: Ashley Bidgood, Crows Nest, 99.10, Colin Cole, North Arm, 99.6, Karen Cole, North Arm, B Grade: Dennis Bidgood, Crows Nest, 98.11, John Gilliland, Crows Nest, 97.12, Nikk Ellis, Crows Nest, 96.5 Kev Allen, Gatton and Shan Kao, Darling Downs Lee Robinson, Beaudesert with Lowell Tillack, Goondiwindi Rick Vlietstra with his father in law Nev Smith, a Crows Nest veteran Tim Riddle and Mick Franz, North Arm Ashley Bidgood and Dennis Brown, Crows Nest C Grade: Shane Kao, Darling Downs, 96.4, Josh Turner, Bundaberg, 86.1, Marcus Heironymus, Goondiwindi, F Open: Gary Towers, Bundaberg, 116.6, Andrew McKillop, Bundaberg, 115.9, Dennis Brown, North Arm, F Standard: Henk Doggen, Beaudesert, 116.6, Pud Heironymus, Goondiwindi, 114.5, David Brown, Crows Nest, F Standard B Grade: Paul Kerlin, Clermont, 114.5, Glen Ellis, Crows Nest, 112.7, Ron Bowman, Gatton,

39 Article and photographs by Gordon Collie A possible 30 bullseyes by experienced scope shooter Dave Boreham was the highlight of a successful Gatton Rifle Club prize meeting held on Sunday, March 12. Dave, from North Arm Club on the Sunshine Coast, blitzed the F Open field in the three-range event to score the maximum 180 with 15 shots in the centre bull. A strong field of 50 shooters lined up at 600 yards twice and finished at 500 yards, in conditions which challenged many competitors. In a sign of the growing popularity of scope rifles, the two F Class events outnumbered traditional open sight rifles on the range almost two to one. Queensland North Arm Scope Shooter Blitzes Gatton Gatton F Open winner, Dave Boreham, North Arm The F Standard class which attracted most competitors was shot in two grades, with Henk Doggen from Beaudesert winning the A Grade, finishing four shots down on 176 with 14 centres. Ron Mullingen from Murwillumbah won B Grade. In the target rifle competition, the top score of the day was posted by young Ryan Biss from Beaudesert who won B Grade, finishing just two shots down on 148 with 16 centres. The top A Grade shooter was John Gilliland from Crows Nest on 146 with 14 centres followed by Rob McMaster from Darling Downs and Gatton F Standard winner Henk Doggen Darling Downs shooters Les Pedersen and Glenn Picton 37

40 Queensland Continued from page 37 Fred Hewitt from Muckadilla who were locked on 145 with 9 centres. Gatton results A Grade: John Gilliland, Crows Nest, , equal second place went to Rob McMaster, Darling Downs and Fred Hewitt, Muckadilla, B Grade: Ryan Biss, Beaudesert, , Robert Crawford, , Scott Robson, North Arm, C Grade: Les Pedersen, Darling Downs, , Glenn Picton, Darling Downs, 140.8, Jessica Crawford, Gympie, F Standard A Grade: Henk Doggen, Beaudesert, , Brian Pickles, Natives, , Glenn Rush, Ipswich, F Standard B Grade: Ron Mullingen, Murwillumbah, 168,4, Marty Duffield, Mariners, 166.9, Frog Lowe, Goondiwindi, F Open: Dave Boreham, North Arm, , Mark Fairbairn, Cannon Hill 172.8, Dennis Brown, Crows Nest, Colin Jones, Central and Shaun Connolly, Natives Gatton shooters Kev Allen and Tim Schulz John Gilliland, Crows Nest Mitchell Pyke, Darling Downs Gary Haeusler, Goondiwindi 38

41 Queensland Crawford family from Gympie, Kristine, Jessica, Riley and Bob Beaudesert shooters, Jeremy Hopkinson, Debbie Cain, Ryan Biss and Catherine Jones 39

42 New South Wales By David Jolly, Photos by Cathy McCauley The Central West District Rifle Association held a successful meeting at the Lyndhurst Rifle Range early in January. Understandably for this time of year the conditions were fine and very warm to hot. Disappointingly, numbers were well down on last year. This was mainly attributed to a number of locals and Sydney members competing in New Zealand. Some very impressive scores were recorded throughout the day, however, the strong hot westerly wind ensured that most competitors dropped at least a couple of points during the course of the day. The 36 competitors were evenly distributed through target rifle and F Class. Shooters competed over 500 yards and two stages at 600 yards with ten shots at each. Conditions were relatively benign at the first range. Jim Jeffery at his home range jumped out of the blocks with an excellent in target rifle A Grade. Andrew Sims and Bill Ballantyne were hot on his heels both with In F Standard A Grade, John Kent started strongly with 60.05, with daughter Emma close behind with Target rifle B Grade was a close affair with only one competitor not scoring a possible 50. Andrew Martin was the stand out competitor overall, Josh Gordon Wins Central West DRA A testing westerly with F Standard B Grade saw Garry Livingstone of the Eugowra club take the gold with closely followed by Barry Plowman with F Open saw Spencer Dunstall and Jim Maloy fight it out all day with Jim taking the honours at 500 with Unfortunately, Rod Ballantyne had C Grade target rifle all to himself but began well with F Open winner Spencer Dunstall The first 600 yards saw the conditions deteriorate considerably with only one possible scored over all disciplines and grades. Josh Gordon was that shooter and he recorded in target rifle A Grade to take a one point lead over several other competitors. In F Standard A Grade, David Durrant was a clear winner at the first 600 yards with from John Kent and Malcolm Sharp. Target rifle B Grade saw David Smith take the lead with 49 and 9 centrals to go with his at the first. Aaron Horder was the clear winner in F Standard B Grade at the first 600 with 57.06, and Russell Palmer was one behind on In F Open Spencer Dunstall reversed the tables, outscoring Jim with Conditions remained difficult at the second 600 yard match with still only a scattering of possibles recorded. In target rifle A Grade Les Fraser and Brett McCauley both recorded 50 s but neither could match Josh Gordon s superior centre count to take out the day with even though he dropped two points at this range. In 40

43 F Standard A Grade Ralph Garlic finished best at 600 with but could not hold out the consistent David Durrant with and the aggregate score of Target rifle B Grade was a close affair at the last range with Nickolas Sims and Andrew Martin scoring and respectively. The B Grade title was fought out between Andrew Martin and David Smith however, with both shooters tied on Andrew Martin won the shoot-off convincingly to take out the B Grade win. Russell Palmer won the final range in F Standard B Grade with and the aggregate, with Spencer Dunstall s form continued and he took the honours from Jim Maloy with and the aggregate with Rod Ballantyne was the victor in C Grade with The CWDRA would like to thank all the member clubs for their assistance in securing a fine array of trophies for the competitors; and their hard work in preparing the range and targets; together with feeding the crowd. All their efforts ensured the smooth running of another successful meeting. Target Rifle B Grade winner Andrew Martin New South Wales Ralph Garlic receives his prize F Standard B Grade winner Russell Palmer F Standard A Grade winner David Durrant 41

44 New South Wales Continued from page 41 Aggregate Scores Target Rifle A Grade Josh Gordon , Les Fraser , Jim Jeffery Target Rifle B Grade Andrew Martin , David Smith , Nickolas Sims Target Rifle C Grade Rod Ballantyne F Standard A Grade David Durrant , Ralph Garlic , John Kent F Standard B Grade Russell Palmer , Aaron Horder , Garry Livingstone F Open Spencer Dunstall , Jim Maloy Josh Gordon receiving his winner s hug Les Fraser receives his just rewards Jan Bray hard at work in the office A happy C Grade winner, Rod Ballantyne A very pleased John Kent The picturesque Lyndhurst countryside 42

45 New South Wales NRAA Gosford Open Prize Meeting Article by Anne Smith Photos by Dmitri Kazakov Another successful Prize Meeting was held by the Gosford District Rifle Club in Initially, the un-seasonal wind played havoc with the scores of some of the 77 competitors but as the day progressed the average scores began to climb. All three matches were fired from 500 metres under cover on our Astro-Turf mound. Once again, the Hexta target system proved its worth; providing accurate and faultless results. Ted Boreham did a great job on statistics, monitoring all the scores and cards. Thanks also go to John Slack who entered all the scores on the NRAA Results database. We had a great team working to keep things running efficiently. In the Canteen it was Jill, Kim, Karen, Stuart, Kara and her daughters. On the mound the work was done by Mark, Dale and Darren. We thank Ted on statistics; Gail and Linda on entries; and for ticket sales - Stuart and Linda. Many other members baked and prepared all the excellent cakes and slices. In the leadup, Sarah did a lot of work hunting up sponsors and picking up prizes and banners. As all clubs are aware, these events could not be run without the tireless work of members who helped in preparing the range, the setting-up on Saturday and pack-up on Sunday. A big thank you goes to all the competitors who supported our Open Prize Meeting; many of whom travelled long distances to be there. Thanks also are extended to our sponsors and the many members who made generous donations of cash and prizes which were so important to the success of the event. First place in the aggregate for target rifle A Grade was a tough competition between Father and Son Grasshoppers, Duncan and Alex Davies, with Duncan emerging the winner by a margin of one point and five centres. In third place was Tim Roberts (Gosford). Down Range F Open winner Steve Rigby Target rifle B Grade was won by Andrew Martin (Roseville), with Bob Phillips and Alan Matthews (West Wallsend) in second and third place. Target rifle C Grade was won by Mark Trewhella (Cessnock) with Peter Mitchell and John Maguire (West Wallsend) in second and third place. F Standard A Grade was won by Mariette Rigby (Gosford), second was Dennis Smith (Hornsby RSL) and Dale Hopwood (Gosford) in third place. Third in F Open Matt Paroz 43

46 NRAA New South Wales The North Shore District Rifle Association Invites all District Rifle Association Teams and School Rifle Teams W.S. Josephson Memorial Teams Match Sunday the 23th of July 2017 Hornsby Rifle Range Entry Fee: $60 per team Team Entries for F-Class Open, F-Class Standard & Target Rifle will be accepted All Age / Under-21 / Schools Divisions Current Title Holders: North Shore DRA TR / North Shore DRA F-Std Entries by no later than Sunday the 9th of July 2017 To Enter burnittcj@bigpond.com Post cheques to NSDRA P.O. Box 321 Hornsby NSW 1630 Enquiries: Cathy Burnitt on Match Details: Teams of 6 shooters all off-rifle scores to count Shooting or Non-shooting coaches allowed Aggregate score over 300m, 400m, 500m & 600m distances 2 sighters and 10 counting shots for each shooter at each distance Members of the winning teams will be presented with an exclusive W.S. Josephson Medallion Practise targets available on Saturday afternoon the 22nd July Lunch available on Sunday Accommodation available on the range Continued from page 43 F Standard B Grade was won by Paul Teichert (Hornsby) followed by Declan Heaney and Robert Bartlett (Wingham) in second and third place. F Open was won by Steve Rigby (Rail & Tram), second was Bill Watt (Gosford) and Matt Paroz (Nth Sydney) third. FTR was won by Gary Faulkner (Roseville), second was Alan Seaman (Gosford) and David Avery (Cessnock) third. Top Juniors: Target rifle - Alex Davies, F Standard - Declan Heaney, F Open - Alison Rigby. Top Ladies: Target rifle - Gail Roberts, F Class - Mariette Rigby Top Veterans: Target rifle - Rex Waite, F Class - Dennis Smith Second in F Open Bill Watt F Standard Junior Declan Heaney F Open Top Junior Alison Rigby 44

47 New South Wales NRAA Dennis, Harry and Bob Clive and Grant Ean, Declan, Richard and Alan The North Shore District Rifle Association Open Prize Meeting Great Prizes and now shot over 2 Days November 4 and 5, 2017 Hornsby Rifle Range Saturday: 2+10 shots at 400m & 700m 1pm start entries close at 2:30pm Sunday: 2+10 shots at 300m, 500m & 600m 9am start entries close at 10:30am Separate Club Teams match at 600m Teams of 4 shooters from the 1 club all off-rifle scores to count Shooting coaches allowed - Aggregate 600m shots per shooter Special Masters 600m for the top shooters in Target Rifle, F Open and F Standard Concurrent Pairs Matches on 500m & 600m matches 2-Day Entry Fee: $75 ($60 trophies only) Saturday Only Entry: $35 ($30 trophies only) Sunday Entry Only: $45 ($40 trophies only) Teams Entries: $10 Pairs Entries: $4 Masters Match free entry by qualification Early Bird Discount on these entry fees will be available through the online booking system which will be live in October. Competition Categories: Target Rifle A, B & C Grade, F-Class Open, F-Class Standard A & B Grade, F/TR & Military Bolt All shooting on HEXTA electronic targets except Military Bolt who will have a paid marker on ply targets. Beautiful gold woven cloth badges for the aggregate winners 5 TR-A, 3 TR-B, 2 TR C, 3 F-Open, 4 F-Std A, 4 F-Std B, 2 M-Bolt, 1F/TR Maddco Barrel for top school student TR shooter - donated by $500 Q-Store voucher for runner-up school student TR shooter donated by John Alp Medallions for the winners of each range Ladies, Veterans and Tyro Trophies on offer The NSDRA would like to thank HEX Systems (makers of HEXTA), the Hornsby Range target shooting clubs, The Hornsby 300M ISSF Club, The NSW Firearms Safety & Training, affiliated associations, and other supporters for their sponsorship. BBQ Dinner on Saturday Night - Breakfast and Lunch available on Sunday Showers and Limited Accommodation available on the range Enquiries to the Secretary Cathy e: burnittcj@bigpond.com m: This OPM will be conducted as per the current Standard Shooting Rules as published on 45

48 Victoria Rosedale Open Prize Meeting By Alan Fraser Photos by Jeff Thorpe Once again, a large group of shooters converged on Rosedale for its 2017 two-day Open Prize Meeting. Numbers in target rifle A Grade were up on recent years which is encouraging. F Open competition was strong again, bringing shooters from across the state. Helping with attracting numbers was the Victorian Veterans annual prize meeting held on the Friday; a handicap event over 300, 500 and 600 yards. The weather forecast was for a very warm weekend, and it was correct. On Saturday, there was initially a light easterly which increased throughout the day, causing shooting conditions to become quite tricky, just in time for the hard 700 yard target. In A Grade, Richard Tapps defied the conditions and Carol Hulett is chaired in 46 Notices to VRA Members VRA 2017 Council The VRA hereby calls for nominations for the following Council vacancies: Deputy Chairman Treasurer Councillors (3) Nominations must be on the form provided by the VRA and delivered to the Executive Officer no later than 4:00pm on Monday 21st August Notices of Motion The VRA further advises that the 2017 AGM will be held on Saturday 21st October. Any notices of motion are to be delivered tot he Executive Officer no later than 4:00pm on Monday 21st August so that they can be incorporated into a common mailout with election forms. improved his scores over the course of the day, edging out Peter Maher for the daily aggregate. Carol Hulett won B Grade with a consistent day, and Dale Vanderhurst finished well ahead of the other C Graders. John Eland rarely falters at Rosedale and trounced the big F Class Standard A Grade field, with Noel Osborn prevailing in F Standard B Grade. Marcus Cave had a good day in F Open, as did Paul Murphy in FTR. Then came Rosedale s not-to-bemissed novelty event, the One Shot Wonder. Each shooter fires a single shot at the 1000 yards target. The shot position is measured from the middle of the target, and the target raised with no spotter to help the next shooter. Conditions had deteriorated towards the end of Saturday, and the easterly had squared up and strengthened. The results were collated and back in the clubhouse the Brownlow style countdown began. As expected there were several shooters who finished last equal, because they didn t manage to hit the target. The countdown continued until just four names remained, all of them having hit centre bulls; being Alan Fuge, Albert van Wyk, Morrie Jackman and Bruce Houston. And the winner was Albert van Wyk, Rosedale club s chief raffle salesman. Albert s shot was 98mm from the middle. Last year the closest finishers were all target rifle shooters, this year all F Class. Sunday started with a thick fog which seemed to realise it wasn t welcome and lifted just in time for the start. The flags were hanging straight down or close to it for the whole of the first range, with things starting to get tricky in the second. Heavy mirage was the main challenge throughout the day but also the wind became stronger with rapid changes during the 1000 yards and most shooters were heard to utter exclamations of surprise during their shoots. None of the target rifle A Grade shooters was spared, with Sunday arrival David Brewster faring best and taking the daily aggregate. Carol Hulett had another good day in B Grade, and Richard McRae was streets ahead

49 in C Grade, due in part to achieving the highest target rifle score at 1000 yards. Joe Melbourne took out F Standard A Grade for the day in a very close-run affair, with Noel Osborn winning F Standard B Grade again. Antony Cave dominated F Open dropping only two points for the day, and Don Laughton improved dramatically from Saturday to trounce the FTR field. For the second year in a row, a B Grade shooter has achieved the highest target rifle score for the two-day aggregate. Carol Hulett was chaired in to the skirl of the pipes to start the presentations. Badges were awarded for the twoday aggregate, and in A Grade, number one badge went to Ian Gordon, just edging out recent winners Peter Maher and Richard Tapps. Carol Hulett was a clear winner in B Grade, as was Richard McRae in C Grade. John Eland was the standout performer of the meeting, easily winning F Standard A Grade and taking out several other awards. F Standard B Grade went to Rosedale President Noel Osborn, and Antony Cave was a clear winner in F Open due mainly to an impressive 58 at 1000 yards. In FTR Don Laughton s improved Sunday performance snared him the number one badge. If you left early would you trust this man to collect your trophies? One Shot Wonder 1000 Yards 1. Albert van Wyk 98mm 2.= Morrie Jackman 124mm 2= Bruce Houston 124mm Day 2 Aggregate A Grade David Brewster Fitzroy Caulfield B Grade Carol Hulett Geelong C Grade Richard McRae Warragul Drouin F Standard A Joe Melbourne Nagambie Victoria A study in concentration on the 1000 yard mound Result Summary Day 1 Aggregate A Grade F Standard B Noel Osborn F Open Rosedale Richard Tapps Lilydale Antony Cave Rosedale B Grade Carol Hulett Geelong FTR Don Laughton South Bendigo C Grade Dale Vanderhurst Lilydale Grand Aggregate Badges A Grade F Standard A Grade John Eland Fitzroy Caulfield Ian Gordon Peter Maher Warragul Drouin Lilydale F Standard B Grade 3 Richard Tapps Lilydale Noel Osborn Rosedale B Grade 1 Carol Hulett Geelong F Open 2 Dallas Coote Lang Lang Marcus Cave Rosedale Garry Sherwood Rosedale FTR C Grade Paul Murphy Lilydale Richard McRae Warragul Drouin Dale Vanderhorst Lilydale F Standard A 1 John Eland Fitzroy Caulfield Trevor Rhodes Maryborough Morrie Jackman Shepparton Nathalia F Standard B 1 Noel Osborn Rosedale F Open 1 Antony Cave Rosedale Alan Fraser Rosedale Albert van Wyk Rosedale FTR 1 Don Laughton Lang Lang Paul Murphy Lilydale

50 ACT November ACT Queens 48 Shooting Around NEW SOUTH WALES May 3-7 South Australian Open Champs Queens (Lower Light) 7 Spring Ridge OPM (Spring Ridge) 21 Riverina District Rifle Association OPM (Cootamundra) NQRA Open Championships Queens (Townsville) 21 Cessnock Rifle Club OPM (Cessnock) June NT Open Championships Queens (Darwin) Wingham OPM 2 days (Wingham) Eugowra Pool & OPM (Eugowra) NRAA Championships Queens (Belmont) July 2 West Wallsend OPM (Cessnock) 8-9 DRA Weekend including Country v City C of C, DRA TEAMS (Anzac) Schools practice practice (Anzac) 15 All Schools Teams (Anzac) 23 Josephson Teams (Hornsby) tba Ungarie Sweepstks and prize meeting OPM (Ungarie) August QRA Queens (Belmont) 20 Explorers Rifle Club OPM (Lockhart) Narromine-Dubbo Rifle Club OPM (Narromine-Dubbo) September NSWRA 141st Open Championships Queens (Anzac) October 30-1 Coonabarrabran Rifle Club OPM (Coonabarrabran) Ultra long distance 1000yds yds Event (Coonabarrabran) Eugowra OPM (Eugowra) Cootamundra OPM (Cootamundra) 15 Gosford OPM (Kariong) 22 Bathurst OPM (Bathurst) November 4-5 North Shore DRA 2 day OPM (Hornsby) Aust Match Rifle and Long Range Champs (Stawell) ACT Open Championships Queens (Canberra) Coffs Harbour Rifle Club Field/Rimfire OPM (Dairyville) December Lithgow Rifle Club OPM (Lithgow) Queensland May 3-7 South Australian RA Hunt and Queen s 6-7 Clermont Prize Shoot NQRA Wilson and Queen s Darling Downs DRA PM June 3-4 Bundaberg-Burnett Rifle Club PM Natives Rifle Club PM NRAA President s Match and NRAA Queen s *Darling Downs Rifle Club.303 Fromelles Shoot July 2 Beaudesert Rifle Club PM 8-9 Monto Sweepstake Shoot Central Qld Championships (rescheduled from April) 30 Ipswich & District Rifle Club PM August 12 Brisbane Rifle Club PM 13 MDRA PM QRA Duncan Series QRA Queen s Gemfields Rifle Club PM September 1-3 Goondiwindi Rifle Club PM 2-3 Barcaldine Rifle Club PM NSW RA Lead-up & Queen s Billy Sing Marksman Shoot (Clermont) WA Queens *South Burnett DRA PM - Wondai October 28 North Arm Rifle Club PM 29 Lilley DRA PM November Canberra Queens Darling Downs Rifle Club PM December 9-10 Raglan Christmas Shoot North Queensland May 13 Marian Prize Meeting immediately followed by MDTRA Prize Meeting, 1st stage (Mt Vince, Mackay) 14 MDTRA Prize Meeting, 2nd stage (Mt Vince, Mackay) 16 Townsville Marksmen Prize Meeting (HRSC, Townsville) NQRA Wilson Aggregate, (HRSC, Townsville) NQRA Queens, (HRSC, Townsville) June 25 Mossman and District Prize Meeting (Mossman) July Cairns Prize Meeting (Wangetti Range, Cairns) August 5-6 NQRA Pennants (HRSC, Townsville) September 2 C&IDRA Prize Meeting (Atherton Range) 3 Atherton Prize Meeting (Atherton Range) NQRA Club Teams (HRSC, Townsville) October 1 Ravenshoe/Mt Garnet Prize Meeting (Ravenshoe) SOUTH AUSTRALIA May 1-2 National F Class Teams (Lower Light) 3-4 Hunt (Lower Light) 5-7 Queens (Lower Light) August Match Rifle Champs (Lower Light) September 10 Kapunda OPM (Kapunda) October 15 No. 2 DRA OPM (Mt Barker) November 25 Yunta Christmas Shoot (Yunta) December 3 Match Rifle (Lower Light) Victoria May Stawell OPM (Stawelll) 20 Shoot for Autism - Fitzroy Caulfield RC (Grantville) 27 Pennant reserve June St Arnaud PM (St Arnaud) 24 Pennant Reserve July Warracknabeal PM (Warracknabeal) 29 Pennant Reserve August 5-6 GVDRA & Karramomus PM (Karramomus) 26 Pennant Reserve September 16 Wodonga LR Picnic shoot (Tallangatta) 30 Pennant Reserve October DRA Teams (Wellsford) 14 VRA AGM 28 Pennant Reserve November 25 Victoria Police Rifle Club 379 Centennial OPM (Wellsford) WESTERN AUSTRALIA May 5 Moora Rifle Club PM (Moora) 6-7 Midlands DRA PM (Moora) 21 Perth Fremantle Rifle Club Picnic Shoot (Pinjar) June 3-4 Eastern Goldfields DRA (Kalgoorlie) 11 Triangular Team Shoot (Pinjar) 25 Bindoon Rifle Club PM (Bindoon) July 2 WARA Council Meeting & Annual Meeting of Council (Clubroom Pinjar) 8-9 Carnarvon Rifle Club PM (Carnarvon) Meekatharra Rifle Club PM (Meekatharra) Chapman Valley Rifle Club PM (Chapman Valley) August 4 Geraldton Greenough RC PM (Greenough) 5-6 North West DRA PM (Greenough) 20 Billy Sing Interclub Service Sniper Competition (Pinjar) Metropolitan Prize Meeting (Pinjar) September 9-10 Central Wheat Belt DRA PM (Merredin) Northampton Rifle Club PM (Northampton) 20 WA Veterans Championships (Pinjar) 21 DRA Teams, Ray Miles Teams (Pinjar) Duke of Edinburgh & Queens PMs (Pinjar) 24 WARA Annual General Meeting (Clubroom Pinjar) 25 Queens PM (Pinjar) October 7-8 Dowerin Rifle Club PM (Dowerin) 29 Corrigin Rifle Club PM (Corrigin) November 4-5 Busselton Service Rifle (Coolilup) 12 WARA Council Meeting (Clubroom Pinjar) 26 Boddington Rifle Club PM (Boddington) Tasmania May 13 Palmerston Club Teams (Campbell Town) 27 TRA Long Range Prize Meeting (Campbell Town) Queens Series 2017 May SA Queens May NQRA Queens June National Queens August QRA Queens September NSW Queens September WA Queens November ACT Queens

51 Tasmanian Queens Photographs by Rodney Winwood

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