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TARGET SHOOTER MAGAZINE

August 2012 Issue

pistol DUPLEX shooting CONTRA


TARGET SHOTGUN

Shooting News

An affordable F/TR rifle

The Armscor revolver

Zeiss Victory Diavari review

GB F Class - We go to Bisley

SMALL BORE - AIMING OFF

NOW Read WORLdWIde BY OVeR 10,000 dedICaTed ReadeRS IN OVeR

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The Choice of Champions

Welcome to the new look August 2012 edition of Target Shooter Magazine

March SCOPES
Tactical Turrets

This scope has the largest zoom ratio of any FFP scope ever made,additionalfeature is the 0.05 Mil centre dot, this was designed not to obscure the target on higher magnification.
A feature of First Focal Plane (FFP) design, also known as Front Focal Plane, is the reticle scale value does not change over the entire zoom range of the rifle scope. Also the POA does not change over the entire zoom range. This simplifies use of the reticle for ranging and holdover in conjunction with ballistic charts.

Webitorial August 2012


Im typing this on the night of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. Yes, Im looking forward to the Games but, for me and many British shooters, it is something of a bitter pill to swallow. That great Olympic sport of pistol shooting is of course denied to us yet shooters from one-hundred plus competing nations are free to enjoy pistol shooting in our capital city. The other bitter pill is that of legacy. For shooters, there is none! How can that be? Legacy is a major part of the Olympic Charter yet LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) has simply ignored any legacy for shooting. We get nothing! After the Games, the temporary ranges will be dismantled and the site will revert to a green field. That said, we at Target Shooter wish all Olympic shooting competitors an enjoyable and successful games and especially our GB rifle shooters considering the oppression under which shooting takes place in Great Britain, they thoroughly deserve it! Finally the Target Shooter app! Twelve months or so ago, we decided that the modern way to read an on-line magazine like Target Shooter was via an Apple app. The app was a great and expensive - learning curve, which faltered abruptly a couple of issues ago! From our loyal app subscribers, we naturally had a flurry of e-mails.. Im a subscriber whats happened to the app? Well there is good news, the app is being rewritten and the magazine is moving over onto Apples Newsstand. We hope that this month will see the migration to the new app. Existing subscribers and readers of the magazine will automatically be notified and their subscriptions and purchases will move over. Thank you all for your support it is much appreciated.
1 Click 0.05 Mil Turrets

NEW
Side Focus 10 yards ~ Infinity

The Choice of Champions


Push Button Illumination

March FX 5 - 40 x 56. The worlds most powerful first focal plane scope...

For UK & EU: marchscopes.co.uk - Call 01293 606901 or info@marchscopes.co.uk For Australia & NZ: BRT Shooters Supply - PO Box 1124 - Springwood - 4127 Queensland, Australia. Phone. 07-3808 4862 - www.marchscopes.com.au

Editor - Vince Bottomley vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk Advertising and Office Manager - Yvonne Wilcock. yvonne@targetshooter.co.uk Compiled, Designed & Web Production by Steve Thornton. www.thorntonconnect.com Contributors - Vince Bottomley - Laurie Holland - Ken Hall - Don Brooke - Chris Parkin Tony Saunders - Rob Hunter- George Coleman - George Granycome Ken Hall - Liz Woodhall - David Thompson - Mike Davenport Back Page Photography by Steve Thornton - ThorntonConnect.com Disclaimer

Vince, Yvonne & Steve


Vince Bottomley - vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk Yvonne Wilcock - yvonne@targetshooter.co.uk Steve Thornton - steve@stevethornton.co.uk

The website www.targetshooteronline.com is part of Target Shooter magazine with all contents of both electronic media copyrighted. No reproduction is permitted unless written authorisation is provided. Information, prices and data is believed to be correct at the time of posting on the internet which is on or around the 1st of each month. Advertisements that are firearm related are from companies or individuals that Target Shooter magazine believes are licensed to hold such firearms and accepts no responsibility if companies or individuals are not so licensed. Letters and photographs submitted by members of the public to Target Shooter magazine will be accepted on the basis that the writer has agreed to publication unless otherwise stated. Target Shooter magazine has no control over the content or ownership of photographs submitted. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers and relate to specific circumstances within each article. These are the opinions and experiences of writers using specific equipment, firearms, components and data under controlled conditions. Information contained in the online magazine or on the website is intended to be used as a guide only and in specific circumstances caution should be used. Target Shooter Magazine does not except any responsibility for individuals attempting to recreate such testing using any information, data or other materials in its electronic pages. Publishers of Target Shooter magazine. 3

Contents
disciplines.

Page 6

July 2012 Issue

Contents Continued & More...


Page 62 Historic Arms - The 5.5mm Velo Dog. Dad, what is a Velo Dog cartridge, is it the one that Sherlock Holmes shot the Hound of the Baskervilles with? No, my long suffering father replied, That would have probably been a 44 Webley Bulldog. - which is a far more appropriate cartridge for that job, in more ways than one!

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS - AN UPDATE (Part 1) by Laurie Holland. Almost unnoticed here in the UK, a revolution in competition rifle design has been quietly under way on the other side of the Atlantic a move to inline designs even in the most traditional of long-range

Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 NP 2DD Zero-Stop Scope - by Chris Parkin. Among serious precision shooters, Nightforce scopes are pretty much the benchmark and Target Shooter has reviewed them many times. Chris Parkin checks out how their latest model measures up.

Page 22 Page 96 The SVI Infinity European Open Handgun Championship 2012 by David Thompson. As the IPSC European Handgun Championship and World Shoot XVII take place in 2013 and 2014 respectively, the bigger matches being held in the European IPSC area in 2012 gave European competitors the opportunity to meet up and compete together.

The 11th Police & Military Sniper World Cup Budapest Hungary June 2012 by Rob Hunter. After a couple of years away from shooting in the major international sniper comps held throughout Europe, I was fortunate to once again receive an invitation to attend the premier shooting event in the military/police sniper calendar - The Sniper World Cup. Page 76 Page 30 THE LONG VIEW. GB F CLASS ROUND 3. DIGGLE RANGES. A Tale of Two Climates. We were back at Diggle for the second of the seasons three visits to this venue but, unlike Aprils short-range shoot, this was an entirely long-range meeting and encompassed some significant and in my view, beneficial changes from previous THE HANDLOADING BENCH: POWDER UPDATE - Pt 1 by Laurie Holland. I plan to spend an issue or three on propellant developments, notably recent budget TR140 and Elcho 17 introductions; look at longestablished Vihtavuori N150, which I increasingly see as a powder for all seasons; cover a not too well known but comprehensive range of European manufactured powders that has just received a couple of potentially useful additions. The last mentioned has actually been around for many years but, recent name and nomenclature changes havent helped increase what was already a rather low profile. Page 46 Page 82 Shooting the McQueen - By Chris Parkin. When I am asked what is my favourite target shoot, my response is usually a quick one-word answer - McQueen. But what is the McQueen? History- The McQueen competition has an interesting history which I came upon by chance when reading an interesting sniper treatise, simply entitled Sniping in France by one Major Hesketh Pritchard, which documents the eventual adoption of sniping by the British Army in World War 1. League rounds held at Diggle.

Regulars
& more
LATEST NEWS Page 64 FROM THE BENCH Page 20 QUIGLEY NEWS Page 67 TARGET SHOTGUN Page 92 BROOKSIE Page 42 IWA - Rifles Page 68 DISABLED NEWS Page 72 MYSTIC BIPOD Page 64

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition, Hodonice, Czech Republic.
by Laurie Holland

The inline layout is a key attribute of tube and chassis stocks. Note the bore axis is directly in line with the buttplate mid-point.

EXTREME suitably describes just about everything for this match, with 30 stages, 532 minimum round count with the top IPSC shooters across all

Having dominated IPSC Open Division for so many years Eric Grauffel is now competing in Production Division with his Tanfoglio and won this division at the EEO.

divisions but, at least this years event there was no extreme weather event!

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

Organised by the Hell squad - Moravian IPSC Club and the Czech Republic IPSC Region, the Ceska Zbrojovka 2012 Extreme European Open ( EEO ) was a huge event. The match organisers took on the mighty task of running a 30 stage competition for the 514 competitors who started the match, with a minimum round count of 532 rounds. A competition this size required a larger than normal group of match officials. This event was organised under the guidance of Match Director Lubor Novk ( CZE ), with Assistant Match Director MilanTrkulja ( CZE ). The Range Master was Zoran Stamenkovic ( SER ) who was assisted in this task by area Range Masters Stephanie Kieninger (SUI), Kurt Kreuzer ( AUT ) and Johann Kurz ( GER ). Wieslav Geno Sioda (POL), Jan Stanek, Vaclav Zvonar, Lukas Blahuta and Vitezslav Kubac, from the Czech Republic, looked after the stats. The competition was supported by an excellent match web site, which you can view at www.extremeeuroopen.eu

One of Russias top Lady Production competitors, Svetlana Nikolaeva finished in third place at the EEO.

Always a crowd-pleasing spectacle, a large number of spectators gathered to watch.


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The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson Competitors came from all over Europe, both the established IPSC regions and the newly emerging IPSC regions in Eastern Europe. As well as the competitors from European countries, in which Israel and Russia are included, competitors from other countries around the world also participated in the match. competitors at the EEO would have had the experience of using the Geco Match Ammunition in Rhodes at WS XVI. As well as providing the official match ammunition Geco also had a stand displaying their products, which was staffed by their Technical Services Department. The range officers and match officials registered for the event on Saturday 2nd June and the event started on Sunday with a three day Pre Match for all the range officers and match officials. Competitors based themselves around Znojmo and arrived in the town on Wednesday to register for the match. Wednesday was a day off for the ROs and associated staff; to steel themselves no doubt for the three days ahead! The Main Match started on the Thursday morning of 7th June and consisted of 30 stages, shot ten per day over three half days. The competitors were grouped into 54 squads of up to 10 shooters, which shot for half a day alternating between mornings and afternoons; 7.30 am to 12.45 pm and 1.30 pm until 7.00 pm. The way the match was organised meant that 27 squads shot in the morning and another 27 squads shot in the afternoon. Each stage was run by a range officer and / or an International Range Officers Association ( I.R.O.A. ) official. Although the competitors spent half a day at the range for three days, the ROs were there for the whole day, every day. All the range officers put in a lot of effort to keep everything running smoothly and on time and with minimal delays.

Shooting with a Dan Wesson M1911 in .40 S&W calibre Angus Hobdell, who now runs the CZ-USA Custom Shop, took first place in Classic Division.

Outside of continental Europe, competitors travelled from as far away as America, South Africa and South America to participate in this match. The international attendance from a total of 38 nations helped to add to the atmosphere of what was a big event outside of Level 4 Continental and Level 5 World Shoot IPSC competitions.

Geco Match Ammunition


Most European countries and other countries from around the Globe were represented at the 2012 Extreme European Open. This meant that many competitors flew to this competition. As the minimum round count for this match was 532 rounds, this exceeded the 5 Kilogram maximum weight of ammunition that you can carry on a flight. The solution to this was for the organisers to provide official match ammunition for the EEO. As Geco provided the official match ammunition for the 2011 IPSC World Shoot XVI in Rhodes, the organisers of the EEO also asked Geco ( www.geco-ammunition.com ) to provide their IPSC Match Ammunition for this event as well. Many of the

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The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson In Open Division Frances Emile Obriot won with a 3.3% margin. Always coming near the top place this was a great achievement for Emile, so congratulations to him! Saul Kirsch and Petr Pijacek came in second and third place. In Ladies Open Division Lenka Horejsi, Katerina Sustrova and Martina Sera from the Czech Republic took first, second and third place. In Standard Division STI European Team member JC Jamie Diaz took the top spot from CZ Team member Petr Znamenacek and Hungarys Gyorgy Batki, by less than 3%. In Production Division Eric Grauffel chalked up another win over Spains Eduardo De Cobo and Serbias Ljubisa Momcilovic. In Ladies Production the current IPSC Lady Production World Champion Maria Gushchina from Russia came in first place. In second and third place with virtually identical scores were Frances Laetitia Daguenel and Russias Svetlana Nikolaeva. This division was the most popular at the Extreme Euro Open. It continues to grow in popularity at matches, due to the fact that the cost to purchase the equipment to take part is lower. As well as being the perfect entry level into IPSC matches, Production Division at the top level is also as competitive as any other Division. In Revolver Division the Czech Republic took two of the top three places. Zdenek Nemecek was in first place, with Austrias Reiter Gerald in second and Milan Kolar in third place. At the previous CZ EEO events there was a category for the M1911 single stack pistol and this is now a proper IPSC Division. Using a 40 S&W calibre Dan Wesson M1911 pistol, Angus Hobdell from the USA took first place, with Finlands Esa Marjoniemi and Denis Altuna, from France, were second and third. The prize-giving took place on Sunday afternoon and in the morning before this there was a steel plate man v man shoot off for the top placed finalists in each division. Always a crowd-pleasing spectacle, a large number of spectators gathered to watch. Have a look at the competition web site for a full set of results. Continued on page 17...
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The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

Match Statistics
With the popularity of practical pistol competition in Europe on the increase, this translated into all five IPSC Competition Divisions being well represented at the EEO. This also spread into the various categories of lady, junior, senior and super senior. Production and Standard Division were the most popular with 197 and 141 competitors respectively. Open Division had a total of 120 shooters in this category. The number of competitors in Production Division has steadily increased so that it now equalling or exceeding Open and Standard Divisions in popularity. This is borne out in other major matches around Europe. Revolver Division continues to have its devotees with 14 entries. A new IPSC Division this year is Classic Division, in which you use a M1911 single stack pistol, in which 18 competitors took part. A total of 494 competitors completed the competition. The 30 stages were grouped into three areas and consisted of 15 short stages of up to 12 rounds; five medium stages of up to 21 rounds and 10 long stages between 22 and 32 rounds for a minimum round count of 570 rounds for the match. As well as static full sized and partial versions, the IPSC Classic targets consisted of moving, bobbing, rise and fall and swinging versions placed between two and 30 metres from the competitors. All but two of the 30 stages included different forms of reactive targets. All of the stages offered different degrees of challenges, with different ways to complete the stage. With lots of small steel plates, many swingers, movers and a couple of longer range poppers and paper targets, difficult targets were combined with run and gun targets in most stages. Included again this year were a number of rise and fall paper targets, which still left a small portion of the shoot target visible in its lowered position, thus miss penalties still applied. Results

This is a Sphinx and there are many like it, but this one is Christines!
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The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

Russias Maria Gushchina, current Ladies World Champion in Production Division, also finished in first place in Ladies Production with her 9mm Tanfoglio at the EEO. Competing in Production Division Serbias Snezanna Subasic reloads her 9mm CZ Shadow.

Anastasia Chernenko, a member of the winning Russian Ladies Production Team at the 2011 IPSC World Shoot, blasts through a stage at the EEO, with her Grand Power X Calibur 9mm pistol. From France STI European Team member Emile Obriot took first place in Open Division with his STI Grandmaster competition pistol in .38 Super calibre.

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The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The Czech Extreme European Open accommodated the 494 shooters who completed the match, with 07.30 am starts and approaching 7.00 pm finishes. The match worked due to the pre planning and organisation and the dedication of the range officials and range staff. Even with this years rain showers, congratulations are due to Hell Squad - Moravian IPSC Club and the Czech Republic IPSC Region, IROA the match sponsors Ceska Zbrojovka ( www.czub.com ) for giving all the competitors three action packed days and a thoroughly enjoyable match. Well done to all the competitors who battled on despite the rain on day three. A BIG thank you is due to all those who worked at this match. They kept the match on the rails despite the conditions of heat and damp that we all had to cope with. Take a look at the competition web site www. extremeeuroopen.eu for the match results of EEO 2012. The details of EEO2013 will also be announced on this web site. Euro Challange 2012 The organisers of the EEO have also announced a match that they will be running in September this year. The details are below.

From the USA Frank Garcia was finished in place in Production Division. Frank will host the 2014 IPSC World Shoot at his Universal Shooting Academy in Florida.

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The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

The 2012 Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
by David Thompson

II. LIMIT EURO CHALLENGE 2012


Date: September 29-30th 2012 Level: III. Stages: 18 Rounds: 350 Prematch capacity: 50 competitors Main match capacity: 360 competitors Registration fee: 90,- Euro ; ( Juniors 45,- Euro ) Divisions: Open, Standard, Production, Revolver, Classic Categories: Regular, Lady, Junior, Senior, Supersenior Web Site: http://www.hellsquad.eu/index.php/iieuro-challenge-2012 Shooting Range: Hodonice, Czech Republic

Geco supplied their official IPSC match ammunition for the EEO. This ammunition was developed by Geco for the 2012 IPSC World Shoot in Rhodes, Greece.

Switzerlands Christine Burkhalter charges through a stage with her 9mm Sphinx Production 3000.
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FROM THE BENCH

cont...

Competitions
Our comps at the end of June were just too late for the July edition of Target Shooter so back to a month ago then when for once, the weather was dry if a little on the cold side for summer!
Our 100 yard shoot didnt produce any surprises with an on-form Jeanette Whitney taking her third victory of the year and Gary Stewart taking Sporter Class with his Walker Rifles 22BR. Jeanette also shot smallest group of the day but the real hero was Darrel Evans, shooting a 0.18 inch group with his Accuracy International rifle chambered in 6.5x47. Awesome!

Lentons were just about unstoppable sharing an ex-Russ Gall 7mmWSM they shot eight groups between them the smallest a 5.625 and the largest just over ten inches. That was good enough for first and second places in Light Gun. In Factory Sporter, thirteen shooters had a great battle but it came down to Peter Regan and his Sako 338 Lapua Magnum versus three lady shooters two with 308s and one with a 223. Jacquie Armitage, shooting the 223 in her first ever 1000 yard benchrest competition shot a great nine-inch group which was only bested by Toni Youngs seven with her 308 Remmy. In the end, Rachel Sullivan was best of the ladies on agg., taking second spot to Peter.

Factory Sporter small-group went to Toni Young with her 308 Remington

Results:
Heavy Varmint. (av. Of five, 5-shot groups)
1st - Jeanette Whitney - 6PPC Stolle - 0.2398 in. 2nd - Bruce Lenton - 6PPC Stolle - 0.297 3rd - Vince Bottomley - 6PPC TGP BAT - 0.3112 Small group - Jeanette Whitney - 0.149 inches

Results:
Light Gun (av. Of four 5-shot groups)
1st - Bruce Lenton - 7mmWSM RGR Lawton - 7.812 2nd - Tony Lenton - 7mmWSM RGR Lawton 3rd - Mal Roberts - 6.5-284 BAT Small group - Bruce Lenton - 5.625 inches I was anxious to give them a go but of course changing bullets isnt like changing your shirt it usually takes a bit of experimentation with load and seating depth to get them working properly. I didnt really have the time to do any testing so I kept the load the same and adjusted the Wilson seater so that the bullet was about 7 or 8 thou. into the lands exactly as Im shooting the G&C bullets. Well, my first group in warm-up was a 0.47 but I put that down to the clean barrel. Match 1 was even worse - an horrendous 0.48 in.! Its almost impossible to shoot a group that big with a 6PPC benchgun and I began to question my sanity in swapping bullets and without testing, shooting them in a competition! But, it was too late to back out now and I convinced myself that the error was down to my poor wind-reading rather than the bullets and thankfully, I was right my next four groups were in the twos giving me an agg. For the four groups of 0.269 inches not bad considering the conditions and even with the 0.48in. it got me third place so I couldnt really complain. Getting hand-made custom bullets out of America is difficult now and Alpin Bullets are a possible alternative to the British made G&C if you are a European benchrest shooter. Alpin also make a couple of other bullets that might be worth trying a 168 grain flatbase 30cal., and a 62gn. flat-base 224. Have a look at the website www.alpinbullets.com

Sporter Class
1st - Gary Stewart - 22BR Walker BAT - 0.3972 inches 2nd - Andy Woolley - 6PPC Sako - 0.4416 3rd - Darrel Evans - 6.5x47 Acc. Int. - 0.52 Small group - Darrel Evans - 0.18 inches The following day, we had a massive turn-out for our 1000 yard benchrest shoot and, although far from a perfect day, we saw plenty of single-figure groups. The

Factory Sporter
1st - Peter Regan - Sako 338 Lap.Mag. - 12.218in. 2nd - Rachel Sullivan - Tikka 6.5x55 - 1 3.531 3rd - Jacquie Armitage Tikka 223 - 14.656 Small group - Toni Young - 7.375 inches

New Stuff Alpin Bullets


Of course, Alpin Bullets arent exactly new theyve been around for a good few years but proprietor Karl got in touch with me and sent my a 100 of his latest 66 grain flat-base benchrest bullets.

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Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin

Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope.


By Chris Parkin

Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin

Mount up
The scope, when viewed in isolation, is of normal proportion but when sat side by side with another, it starts to boast its dimensions. When you mount it to a rifle it needs careful thought and selection of accessories to achieve the desired mounting height to clear that 80mm diameter objective bell. Moving rearward, the increasingly common one-piece 34mm aluminium body-tube is no longer a mounting problem with many rings now available in various specifications. Centrally, the saddle enlarges to 35mm and here we find all the controls - a standard windage dial under a cap on the right side, a parallax turret on the left also containing the illumination control and then, on top, the new ASV elevation turret.

Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope


by Chris Parkin

Twenty years ago, a 50mm objective lens scope would be considered large but now it is virtually the accepted norm. Low-light shooters will often go to a 56mm objective in an attempt to gather those important last few minutes of available daylight or to help select targets shaded in poor light. Zeiss have now offered an even larger 72mm objective lens but, when you hold your hand up and propose something this unusual, it has to deliver stunning optics to offset the added bulk.

109 clicks with the turret cap removed to zero but on 68 with it on.

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Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin

be simply turned on and off. The No. 60 reticle is fitted within the second focal plane and is a fine crosshair broadening at 3, 6 and 9 oclock, similar to a German 7. Only a tiny central dot is illuminated.

Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin

All click values are clearly marked in 1cm at 100m increments, corresponding precisely to the more ballistic nomenclature of 0.1 miliradian. The parallax adjusts smoothly from 50m to infinity and shows no signs of backlash, it is marked with distance increments but these are in small text and most users will simply adjust this dial whilst looking through the glass anyway. The illumination dial clicks outwards to turn on the internal fireworks and rotates silently, without detents, in both directions to increase or decrease intensity; there are no numbers, as again, you will be looking through the scope when selecting your required brightness. To turn off, simply click the dial back into the parallax drum, your setting is maintained so can

ASV or Absehenschnellverstellung!
The new Zeiss ASV elevation turret is offered to the burgeoning market for those wanting quick

Even compared to its 56mm little brother, the 72mm is huge, all that low light ability comes at a price,
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adjustability of the point of impact on a hunting rifle. It is not what I would term a truly ballistic turret for one very good reason - it only offers 6.8 milrad. from zero stop to full stop. It is difficult not to surmise the general design of the scope favours hunting rather than target shooting and this amount of adjustment from zero will get something like a 300 Winchester Magnum from 0 to 930 yards in one rotation, with no chance of getting `lost`. A ballistic calculation program is offered by Zeiss, allowing the user to enter their specific rifles data and zero distance. A selection of decals are included

with the scope that can then be applied to the turret to exactly correspond to chosen range increments. Hunting ethics aside, this seems a clear, simple solution to the requirements of those wanting to engage targets at 2, 3 or 400 yards. The offshoot to having limited travel in a single rotation is that the distance markings are well separated so wont be confused. Moving rearwards, the zoom ring is clearly marked with sure grip provided by the machined knurling of the aluminium ring. The eyepiece tapers into a fast focus adjustment dial accommodating eyesight from +2 to 3 diopter. A slim rubber eyecup sits at the back to finish things off safely although eye-relief is perfect at 90mm. Along with full instructions on the turrets and all scope features, a spare battery is included along with rubberised elastic scope caps.

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Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin

Built for field use?


It seems ridiculous to doubt the quality of lenses from Zeiss. They are at the pinnacle of worldwide optical technology in many fields but, how about our type of `field conditions`? Well, the FL designation acknowledges the latest light-transmission coatings with reduced chromatic aberration along with Lotutec external lens coatings which `pearl` water droplets allowing them to run off without diminishing visibility. The scope is nitrogen filled and waterproof to 400 mbar pressures with a working temperature range of -20 to +50 degrees.

Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin


Zeroing was no problem at 100 yards and all dialled click corrections at long ranges proved accurate. After zeroing was completed with the ASV turret removed, I re-fitted it on its zero stop and liked the slight lift to turn characteristics of the knob, preventing any accidental movement but, smooth with positive clicks and no overrun. Return to zero was spot on. shouted at but the large exit pupil was the highlight for me, more forgiving of uncomfortable shooting/ head positions (dont forget parallax correction at high magnification!) and quite simply, `easy on the eye`. I found the reticle a good combination of fine/precise in daylight on small targets, yet the central illuminated dot was enough to draw my eye for evening forays into the fields on vermin and under the lamp. The size of the scope is a downside but you dont get any freebies with physics and as a long-range or low-light scope, its an excellent choice. Nobody makes a scope for all disciplines but many hunters need a scope that will serve both their field requirements and target work equally well and this could be a fine choice if ranges are within the 800900 yard mark. There is always a design compromise between mechanical adjustability, internal optical component sizes and main tube diameter on any scope

Oh Im Tempted!
In field use, I took it out for an early evening plink at balloons, clay pigeons and firebird targets and I was able to happily aim and dial clicks onto targets deliberately positioned to test the optics as light fell way beyond the needs of a normal daytime target shoot. I carried on doing so 15 minutes longer than my shooting buddy with an identical scope but the 56mm objective model. Image quality, colour definition and edge-to-edge clarity were excellent, even with an easily disruptive sun descending very close to our line of sight. It had to provide the low-light ability the 72mm objective

Would you boast 72mm?


I loved the No.60 reticle, precise for daylight but illuminated centrally for low light.

As the primary use of the scope was a little uncertain, I used it on a 300 Winchester Magnum for long-range target work and a 243 Winchester for a bit of vermin control and lamping at dusk and beyond. I twigged one of this scopes finest attributes before reading the advertising blurb - even at full magnification, the exit pupil is huge. At 3mm diameter it is 30% larger than even its `small` 56mm brother.

On Steel, if you cant see it you cant shoot it, never mind dial in. Rusty or not, this plate was easily acquired.

Picking out small steel plates at intermediate range but on disruptive backgrounds demands quality glass.
Tipanis Rest
Zeiss no.60 reticle.

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Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin


and, on a technical level, Zeiss have made hard choices here. At the cost of producing a pure long-range target or tactical scope, they have made a superb low-light, long-range hunting optic. It is good enough to have tempted me and for the informal target shooting hunter, a fantastic compromise.

Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope. By Chris Parkin

Pros
Dare I say the finest glass I have ever used? Low light/dusk capability. Field of view and exit pupil. The finest example of a cross-discipline scope I have come across.

Cons
Size and price will not suit all. Limited elevation travel. No turret options.

Overall
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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

The long View


by Laurie Holland News from the GB F-Class Association
Photography - Steve Thornton
Photography by Steve Thornton

GB F Class Association League round 4 took us south for the first of the two annual visits to the National Shooting centre, Bisley for a full weekend of shooting with five matches, three 2+15s and two 2+20s for an HPS of 425.85v. It bridged the exact mid-point of the calendar year; Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July.

A regular column whereby Les Holgate keeps us up to date with the activities of the GBFCA and the world of F Class shooting in general. Most of the GBFCA shoots are contested at 1000 yards but we have the Diggle Short Range shoot and an ultra-long range event at Bisley.

mid 90s & many vs at 1000 yds..

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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

Superbly planned and run by Mik Maksimovic, as are all Bisley rounds, entries were up again on previous years with 70 warm bodies turning up and submitting score cards, split 37 to 33 in favour of Open class. As always, Bisleys proximity to the continent and the

allure of 1100 and 1200 yard stages attracted a fair few entries from our European friends - especially Germany and Spain, split across the classes. Dmytro Hrymalyuk from Ukraine who did so well in the 2011 European Championship meeting at Bisley was another long distance and welcome Open entrant. Being the Long-Range Meeting, 1000 yards was the shortest match distance and the stage programme was 1000, 1100, and 1200 on Saturday, the first two with 2/15 to count, and the really tough one requiring 20 rounds. Sunday had two 1000 yarders, a 15 and 20 in that order.

F Class at 1200 yards..


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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

A number of top Open GBFCA League contenders were absent for this round Grant Taylor whod led the championship race after Round 3; fellow Scot Paul Sandie, also well up overall and Gordon Waugh. Also absent were Peter Hobson and John Carmichael, although they appeared on Saturday to participate socially. Nearly all F/TR league championship contenders were present, if not correct, although last years winner George Barnard was a notable absentee (waiting a rifle build, somebody said). Steve Rigby, Keith Snow, and Ian Dixon were other F/TR regulars who didnt make it.

But first a weather report. Johnny Foreigner always reckons we Brits are weather obsessed, probably a pointer to the sad empty lives we lead in our little country. (Actually, looking at viewing figures for The X factor, Britains Got Talent and similar on the telly, theres a good argument that many British citizens do lead sad, pointless lives!) There are good reasons for our meteorological obsession of course - the British weather being so variable. Met Office forecasting is such too that it reminds me of Eric Morecambes response to LSO conductor Andre Previn about a disastrous rendering of the opening bars of Griegs Piano Concerto in a famous comedy sketch: Im playing all the right notes. ..... But not necessarily in the right order! The weekend forecast was not good cool to cold, wet spells and, worst of all especially if like

GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

me you hate Bisleys highly variable WSW to SW wind condition that runs from 7 to 8 oclock on Stickledown wind speeds in the mid teens, gusting to the high twenties in miles per hour. Saturday was expected to be decidedly iffy but, things should improve markedly on Sunday morning..... it said. We got all of the threatened conditions and a few more but, as with Morecambes piano recital, not in the predicted sequence. Actually, the wind didnt seem as bad as predicted and running my corrected wind values through Bryan Litzs ballistic program says it maxed out at 18 mph in the Saturday matches and 14 or 15 mph on Sunday, assuming it ran from a constant 8 oclock direction (which it didnt). Actually, Id arrived at Bisley Camp late Thursday afternoon in near heatwave conditions but Friday morning was decidedly cold for the penultimate day of June and, regularly occurring black storm clouds

F Class open winner Liam fenlon at 1200 yards..

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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

produced poor light conditions as well as a pot-luck situation for being soaked by heavy showers as people got down to shoot. Friday morning? Yes, Mik had booked Stickledown for a 1000 yard morning practice and 1200 yard in the afternoon for those willing to pay a bit on top of the regular entry fee. With 1200 yd shooting on offer, around half the entry turned up to get a zero if nothing else.

My corrected wind values for Match 1 show the lowest peak figure of the five matches, a mere 9-MOA left. I should say there were no worries about any of the usual Bisley summer fishtailing winds in this weekends sport, good solid left values appearing throughout, the issue being gusts, angle changes and let-offs. I recorded a 3-MOA overall range and well over half of the shots had a to 1-MOA change from their predecessors. John Cross always seems to excel in these conditions and did so yet again taking the stage with an excellent 69.5v, well ahead of Paul Crosbie and Russell Simmonds, both on 64s but Paul getting the runner-up medal by two Vs to one. Only nine shooters broke 60, and several top shots were in the low to mid 50s (ex 75 of course). By the time we shot again, now 2/15 at 1100 yards, it was late morning, the cloud was breaking up and temperatures were noticeably higher. The wind started

pretty well as at 1000 but, my plot shows a steady rise throughout the match peaking at 11-MOA left. With the extra 100 yards and the 308 Win. cartridge, scores naturally fell in the absence of any great improvement in wind conditions and Paul Harkins and Carlos Bustamantes 59.1v scores were good enough for equal first - Paul getting 1st on count-back. Paul Crosbie and Richard Jones were a shade behind sharing 58.2v and Match 1 winner John Cross put in 57.2v. Less than half the field broke 50, my 52.0v producing 13th equal place at the tail of a fair size bunch of 52s to 54s. Lots of people were watching Steve Donaldsons scores closely to see if his adoption of the 230gn Berger Hybrid at a goodly MV gave him any advantage but, his 6th equal place on 54.2v alongside Bisleys own Heather Webb and fellow Altcar 101 RC worthy Tony Donnachie didnt provide any answers one way or the other. Its 1200 yards that separates the ballistics and windreading sheep from the goats of course, especially in F/ TR. I challenge any 308 Win. shooter to say he or she didnt start this 20 round stage with some trepidation, especially as the wind hadnt eased - strengthened if

GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

anything. My wind plot peaked with sighter #2s 17MOA left but that was two-MOA higher than anything produced by the other 21 shots, so may have been a freak, a flier, or a mirage effect. Mirage? Yes, the sun was out - on and off now and my Sightrons power setting was down at 16 or 18x, partly to see what was happening on adjacent targets, partly to reduce intermittent mirage distortion. It was hot too when the sun appeared and I took care to keep the open ammo box under a towel to reduce temperature changes. The main F/TR group was in the second detail (of three) and we followed the mixed lot, the top Open shooters behind us in the final detail of the day. Naturally, a number of shooters in details 2 and 3 now sat behind the firing line looking at the targets through binoculars and spotting scopes trying to suss out what the wind was up to and the word soon went round that ones and twos were widespread and the odd miss too - even amongst Open competitors.

Saturday F/TR
The day started as a re-run of Friday, cold windy and damp, although you had to be unlucky in your allocated detail to be rained on fortunately, the many rain-laden clouds that passed over mostly missed, or just skirted, the ranges. ,The main body of F/TR League contenders kicked the proceedings off at 08.30 sharp, so Ill stick with this groups fortunes for now.

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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

Lacey and Steve (230-grain) Donaldson followed our two stars in that order with 68.1v down to 65.2v. Only a third of the field broke 60, my 60.1v last in for 11th place.

This was information Id rather have done without to be honest! To my surprise, I enjoyed this match much more than any other of the five, perhaps because Im a fair weather shooter. I cant say the wind was any easier, only a few pairs of shots having similar corrected values and with far more big changes occurring between shots in the one to two-MOA bracket. As we came off the line, the buzz was for a lot of 50s and some low 60s (out of 100 now), then the word spread like wildfire amongst the F/TR group: One of the Spaniards has shot a 70! This was Jose Manuel Arburua with exactly that, no Vs .... but before we could take that in, Paul Crosbie got up and handed a card in totalling 75.1v. The phrase sick as a parrot could definitely be applied to some, looking upon their stricken expressions. Adam Bagnall, Irelands David

Saturday Open
The main group, including the top league contenders, were last out at 1000 in Match 1 drawing relay 3 probably an advantage as the weather improved after its miserable start. Well maybe not .... stage winner Liam Fenlons 71.6v was only a couple ahead of John Crosss winning F/TR result and the only competitor to break the 70 mark. Joan Martorell and Andy Massingham shared 69s, Joan getting the 2nd place medal with five Vs to three. Around half the field bettered 65 but, more than a few top shooters surprised us with scores in the low 60s showing things were still very difficult.

Dress back to 1100 yards and its that nice Mr Fenlon again, taking the medal on 69.4v. However, it was all change for the next few places, Peter Hunt and David Kent improving from mid place positions in Match 1 with their 68.3v and 65.2v, and Ian Chapman moving up even further, his 64.4v a couple of points up on the shorter distance and catapulting him from 29th to 4th match place!

GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

So, Liam went into the crucial 1200 yard twenty shot stage with a solid lead, a big plus for him as Ian Chapman and David Kent now tied on 82.1v, Ian getting the 1st place medal on count-back and Lee Tomlinson was just behind with his 81.2v. Liam was well down with 73.2v in the 16th match slot. The benefits of the high MV, high BC sevens fairly showed up in this stage over us 308 Win. F/TR types, more than

I noticed two competitors in one block of four targets shake their heads and make an obviously unhappy comment to their partners as their targets reappeared
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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

While the top Open guys had either honed their wind reading skills over the preceding matches or had better conditions 24 hours on, things went the other way in F/TR. Steve Donaldson and his 230gn Hybrids finally pulled through for a stage win on 64.1v Top ten positions at the end of day one were: and Paul Harkins had his second really good result Open F/TR of the weekend in 2nd . 1. Liam Fenlon 213.12v Paul Crosbie 197.5v on 63.3v. Leader Paul . 2. David Kent 213.5v John Cross 187.7v Crosbie was in 5th place . 3. Lee Tomlinson 208.7v Adam Bagnall 182.4v with 61.1v but his closest . 4. Ian Chapman 208.7v Jose Manuel Arburua 179.2v challenger, John Cross . 5. Peter Hunt 207.9v Steve Donaldson 178.6v was further behind on . 6. Gary Costello 207.8v Stuart Anselm 177.4v 59.2v, so Paul went into . 7. Darren Stewart 207.7v Russell Simmonds 176.2v the final match with a 12 . 8. Barry Dowset 205.6v David Lacey 174.2v point lead. Whilst nine . 9. Mik Maksimovich 205.4v Paul Harkins 172.2v F/TR competitors had . 10. Tony Marsh 203.6v Enrique Cabrera 170.4v achieved or bettered 60 on the Saturday morning nearly every one of those big 100 round MTM ammo 2/15 thousand yarder, only six managed it this time boxes that Open shooters prefer sitting open in full around, so something had obviously got worse. sun with the lids back that couldnt help as it was Match 5 (2/20 at 1000) saw another good set of results really warm by now.) in Open. Lee Tomlinson taking the stage on 97.6v and So, still close at the top in Open with 10 points across Joan Martorell had her second great 1000 yard result 10 places and 165 points to be fought for on day two. with 96.4v. Lee must have wondered if this result Conversely, Paul Crosbie had the sort of mid-point lead would give him the overall win, an outside possibility that people pray for, a full 10 ahead of John Cross. but needing Liam to have a poor match down in the 80s but the other trio battling for the overall lead were Winter Returns only a few places and points behind, scoring 91 (Liam and Ian) and 90 (David), so no change at the very top. Things would improve on Sunday, the Met people had It did let Lee overtake David though for 2nd overall. said so! Sadly not, as it started out cold, damp, duller and windier than on the previous day and just got plain worse as the morning went on. As Open were Conditions deteriorated rapidly now and heavy rain with poor light came in half way through the main F/TR groups relay. Maybe its because the Altcar guys mostly shoot heavies, or maybe (my preferred view) that theyre Scousers and simply dont notice

half the field bettering 70. Thats not to say it was easy by any means and any rifle with a barrel past its best, or suffering from any problem at all simply wont produce a decent score at this distance. I walked past the main Open detail as they shot and noticed two competitors in one block of four targets shake their heads and make an obviously unhappy comment to their partners as their targets reappeared, inconsistent elevations being a problem for some. (I also noticed

first to shoot now, lets start with this class in Match 4. Scores rose significantly over their Saturday Match 1 equivalents, Des Parr taking it with a great 73.5v (ex 75) holding off event organiser Mik Maksimovic on 72.3v. Liam Fenlon stayed at the top on third with 71.7v and crucially drew three points clear of David Kent who was down in 11th with 68.5v. Liam was also ahead of his other main threats, Lee Tomlinson and Ian Chapman, in Lees case well ahead.

wind, rain and poor visibility as its like that nine days out of ten in Merseyside, the top four places went to members of this happy band: John Cross, Jason Scrivens, Mick Longbottom and Adam Bagnall in that order scoring 84.2v down to 82.1v. Seriously though, ten out of ten to these guys for staying in the bubble as it had turned very nasty, very quickly! Paul Crosbie didnt allow himself to be affected either and stayed right on their tail with 5th equal place (alongside Irelands David Lacey) and 80.2v, so his huge lead was only slightly dented. Incidentally, Paul is another heavy bullet shooter, using the new 200gn Berger Hybrid to dominate this round the first successful use of .30 Hybrids that Ive seen here to date, although good results are being reported by some US F/TR competitors.

GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

While the top Open guys had either honed their wind reading skills over the preceding matches or had better conditions 24 hours on, things went the other way in F/TR.

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GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

By now, the weather was going badly downhill, and what had been a really tightly run event time-wise throughout, finished off in the same vein with the fastest prize-giving ceremony Ive ever seen in a league round! Maybe not much like summer a lot of the time but a classic GB F Class League round.

With four league rounds now completed, we can start to see how championship placings are settling out. The top half dozen and their points (20 for 1st place in a round; 19 for 2nd and so on) in each class are listed on next page... Round 5 will be at Diggle on 12/13th August with four 1000 yard matches. Check out the GBFCA website for more information - www.gbfclass.co.uk

. . . . . . . . .

Open
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Liam Fenlon 375.23v Lee Tomlinson 372.17v David Kent 371.12v Ian Chapman 369.14v Barry Dowset 366.13v Gary Costello 365.11v Joan Martorell 364.13v Darren Stewart 362.12v Dan Brough 361.12v David Lloyd 360.18v

F/TR
Paul Crosbie John Cross Adam Bagnall Steve Donaldson Stuart Anselm Russell Simmonds David Lacey Paul Harkins Jose Manuel Arburua Enrique Cabrera 338.8v 330.13v 322.7v 320.8v 318.6v 313.5v 312.7v 309.8v 303.1v 301.8v

GB F Class 4th Round


June/July 2012

Bisley Ranges UK

Here are the final top-ten positions and scores (HPS: 425.85v).

Note though that only the best four results out of seven league rounds are counted and those who now have four results in can only improve their totals modestly, while those with three have the opportunity to add a large chunk of points. This applies to Grant Taylor, David Kent and Paul Sandie in Open and Paul Crosbie in F/TR. (The number of League rounds entered to date is shown in brackets after the points total.)

. . . . .

Open
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Gary Costello Grant Taylor Lee Tomlinson David Kent Mark Daish Paul Sandie 62 (4) 57 (3) 56 (4) 51 (3) 49 (4) 45 (3)

F/TR
Adam Bagnall Russell Simmonds John Cross Stuart Anselm Steve Donaldson Paul Crosbie 74 (4) 61 (4) 60 (4) 58 (4) 57 (4) 57 (3)

Paul Crosbie F/TR Class winner (left) & Liam Fenlon winner of the F Open class photographed at the presentations.. main photo.
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This SMALLBORE Business

This SMALLBORE Business


I actually shot my way into the Montreal Games team when the final series of the trials saw us shooting into the teeth of a southerly wind change. I won that tryout because I was the only shooter on the firing line that was using steel rings. The others could not see!! One shooter actually came to me and asked How the hell did you shoot a 198 final string in that shit out there? I just answered with two words... Steel ring. He walked away casting serious aspersions on my ancestry! Me? Why?

This Smallbore Business


by Don Brooke

Aiming off - as opposed to shading the aim.


In this series of articles, in which I have tried to introduce the readers to a very fast method of wind combat, we have now reached the point where the shots will fall well outside of the ten-rings due to the heavier wind velocity out there.
This is a much different kettle of fish and shooters need to be well aware of what their parameters are in terms of aiming. This can ONLY come from experimenting and training to see the total extent of the displacement of the shot relative to the fore sight ring they can actually determine is accurately sighted.

Fig 1 - In this illustration, note the top flag which is perhaps your mean condition that produces a ten ring shot. The bottom flag shows a heavy velocity increase, which is fought by shading the aim towards ten oclock, as the foresight ring suggests. This actually shows the extent of the parameters of your aim, as the aiming mark almost touches the inside edge of the ring. (See Text) It is important that the shooter knows exactly how far this aim will displace the shot.

So, how far can you shade with the ringsize you are working with?
OK, in my case, where I use a 3.9mm steel, fine annulus ring on a 28 inch barrel, I prefer to use the maximum shade of just touching the inside of the ring with the edge of the aiming mark, in my quest to aim around the clock face as a training exercise. You do need to find out what your maximum shade brings in terms of results for the shade. This is imperative because you need to establish your personal parameters of the extent of your visual acuity. Not all of us have the visual acuity of a healthy teenager and how I have wished I could have the eyesight I had when I was a youngster, let me tell you... A lot of my friends tell me they are not comfy getting outside of the ring, just as I am. I know that if my sight picture is just barely touching the inside edge of the ring I will shoot a hole in the outer edge of the 7 ring on a 50m ISSF target. (See figure 1.) The aiming picture you see here in the illustration where the aiming mark is just skimming the inside edge of my 3.9 metal ring, is enough for me to shoot a 7.9 or an 8. (Please note the decimal point here - 7.9).

I can hear you thinking now - Wow! Aiming outside the ring? I can also tell you when aiming outside the ring... It doesnt work! (See a later example in this article.) I do think it works quite well if your choice of foresight is a post. Raymond Debevec, the 3x40 world record holder on 1186 points uses a post and that is unique among the top shooters in the world. A lot depends on the actual size of the ring-foresight you are using and this matter is a totally personal choice. Whatever you are comfortable with is my thought on the matter. I can tell you the foresightring size that I used right through my learning period of shading the aim and, I warn you that no coach can actually see what your aiming picture is, as well as your thought processes connected with your skills. I have never been able to see what anyone else thinks - just the results... I have always used steel, cut metal rings up front, as I dislike the perspex coloured foresights that are so prevalent amongst shooters. Why is this? Because I can still see through the metal rings if you suddenly find you are shooting in a slight or sometimes heavy rain squall that is blown into the foresight tunnel.

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This SMALLBORE Business


Another reason why I do not use the perspex coloured rings sights is that you can often get spatter or the shattering of light as it comes past the inner edge of the foresight ring. This then becomes an indefinite aim because although you may have a direction of aim, you cannot tell the more accurate divisions within the band of the scoring rings. The effect of light shatter from the inside of the ring can displace a shot severely when

So, when you are learning the parameters of aiming off, by continual experiments, find out exactly what value the shot will be when the image of your fore sight just touches the very edge of the inside of the ring. Follow the shot through carefully but it is really important to find out exactly where that shot will impact on the target. You really do need to shoot fiveshot groups, just to see if you can reproduce this wide aim and, have the five shots as close as you can get them on the target...

I actually experimented with two sessions of training with aiming on the outside of the ring, i.e. between the ring and the hood of the front sight! (See fig 3) You will be astounded when you have a go at this aiming sequence... You can also see the red diamond in the illustration which indicates just how far off the middle the aim is! Now obviously, to produce tens in winds that are really serious velocity out there, you need to click on the rear sight to establish a home wind zero according to the value on the target. Then you can learn to finely judge the wind velocity according to the motion of the wind flags as you learn to read them well enough to stay inside the ten-ring by shading the aim to counteract the wind velocity, or direction changes.

This SMALLBORE Business

This is actually the only way to be able to see the difference in shot placement on the target and so define the parameters of your aiming.
Obviously if you touch the edge of the ring and produce a wide 8 on the target, then having a slightly less wide aim will produce the nine-ring you are looking for, and this then gives you the details of aiming that produces the ten-ring. (See fig 2 diagram) The diagram will show you a number of degrees to aim well off the ten-ring and, you need to associate the value of the illustrated wind flags. I think it is crucial to determine the parameters of aiming off because once you reach the ten-ring the aiming then becomes a shading system rather then aiming off to a wider degree. Remember, even a 6mm shaded aim will not lose the ten-ring at the target, yet many would simply not release a shot that looks like that in the foresight ring. However once you do determine how far a wider aiming system will place your shot on target, then your wind reading skills come into play and it is time to experiment with what score the regular wider aim will produce when the wind out there starts to affect the shot placement.

I have seen a shooter get up out of position and change the foresight ring so the aiming can be more precise in terms of reading the wind direction or velocity. He resumed quite well and shot a tight 9 for his first shot and, when I asked him later why he had done this, he told me he was not comfortable with aiming so wide in the ring, even after establishing a wind zero value on the rear sight. He did get hold of the new aim quite quickly, as he finished out with tight tens for his last six shots, using a bigger ring.

He also did not need to establish a new zero, as his fore sight picture took care of the problem.
I may also add that there was not one iota of a chance that his shot release was fired on the opposite wind direction as he knew the shot loss would be severe when you take into consideration the offset rear sight zero added a bucket load of clicks to a misread. I mentioned in another of the prior articles the instance where a shooter fired a 2, remember? The shooter concerned just did not release a shot in an opposite wind read that his zero allowed.

Fig 2 - In this illustration, note the difference in the closeness of the aiming mark to the foresight ring. Here the parameters of your aim will determine a significant amount in understanding the wind velocity. These are usually sorted out within the sighter shots. The aim on the left produces an 8.5 while the right diagram lands a 9.2. So, an aim less than the right diagram will produce the ten ring shot, and the shooter learns to read the increase of the velocity of the flags accordingly. Both these illustrations are on the border of shading the aim and aiming off, due to the distance from the edge of the foresight ring.

you think your shot should run in the 9 ring according to your aim. You can get quite a surprise when the shot lands in the wide eight and can result in confusion, plus lack of confidence in your aiming ability.

I do not know of any short cuts in small bore, just hard, systematic, WORK!
Fig 3 - This is an example of severe aiming off, rather than shading. It is extremely difficult to get an accurate read of the aim off because the aiming mark is well outside of the ring, and actually touches the foresight tunnel! The shooter should understand just where the actual aim is registering, indicated by the red coloured diamond as the exact centre of the foresight ring. An aim thus indicated would be well into the white outside of the black aiming mark even to the point of missing the scoring rings. If the shooter is faced with this problem, it is earnestly recommended that the rear sight is altered to at least allow an aim within the ring.

It follows on then, that you should carefully examine the fore-sight ring system you are learning to shoot with.
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We are just starting to get into the real guts of wind combat methods now and believe me it does get very interesting...

Brooksie.

53

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

The 1500 scales unit which can be removed from the dispenser.

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

The Howa 1500 Varmint set up and ready to go.

Heres the final part of Lauries article it should have appeared last month but an early deadline meant that we had to hold it over and, some of you e-mailed asking where it had got to! Well, better late than never... Ed.

When I last reported on this project in the June issue of Target Shooter, Id got the rebarrelled 223 Rem. Savage Model 12 LRPV (Long Range Precision Varmint) rifle up and running and saw mixed results in its first match. This had shown the inch-tube diameter 24X44 scope to be barely fit for purpose, so a Fox 8-32x50 (Chinese ZOS) 30mm budget job was snitched from another rifle, whose needs had lower priority and stuck onto the Savage. Its mounts were unsuitable for the Ken Farrell Picatinny rail on the rifle, so that was an additional outlay and, I always prefer QD types to let me store scopes separately from rifles when not in use.
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AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland After using steel Leupold QRW (Quick-Release, Weaver) lever-rings for many years, Ive recently adopted six-screw Burris Xtreme Tactical rings made from aircraft grade aluminium alloy very good quality, lighter than the Leupolds (a crucial issue on my custom long-range F/TR rifles) and cheaper. Optics Warehouse UK sells them online for 51.01 + P&P. They do need a 13mm socket for the securing nuts though I nicked a T-bar and suitable fixture from one of those cheap mini socket sets that are almost given away in cereal packets and carry it in the rifles dragbag pocket. The rifles only use since my last report was a 100 yard bench session used to mount the scope and sight it in. Yet again, I marvelled at how pleasant it is to shoot 223Rem. with 90 grain bullets in a fairly heavy rifle. Two sighting-in shots after bore-sighting and my shortrange match load of 23.9gn Vihtavuori N150 and the Berger 90gn LRBT (remember, super long chamber throat in use here for 2.7 inch cartridge OAL, so dont try this load combination in your factory Remmy 700) effortlessly produced 0.35in. and 0.25in. five-round groups, the latter nearly obliterating the aiming mark.

Go on admit it! Well, youre wrong, its black finished wood laminate and was only available in small numbers for a short time.
However... a (not unexpected) issue did arise. The Farrell rail is zero-taper (the rifle had originally been used as a short-range only bench number) and whilst Id retained enough elevation adjustment on the first (24x44) scope after sighting-in, this didnt apply to the Fox / ZOS - only 15-16-MOA now available. This would take me to 600 yards barely but there would be hardly any windage adjustment available with the elevation adjuster at the end of its travel. Its one of these little understood facts that the two adjustments are linked thanks to the tube within a tube ideally we want elevation set in the middle of its adjustment range at the key shooting distance so the internal erector tube that contains the reticle has the full width of the external tube available for side to side (windage) movement.

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

90gn Berger BT / N150 groups (on the left) from the Savage LRPV affordable F/TR rifle after re-sighting.

Burris 30mm Xtreme Tactical mounts seen here on a Sightron Series III 8-32X56 riflescope. 56 57

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland No real problem, just acquire a suitable replacement Picatinny rail with 20-MOA worth of inbuilt taper (ie higher at the rear) and Ill have around 30 MOA of usable elevation adjustment available. As the Berger Bullets/Litz G7 ballistics program says that 800 yards needs 25 MOA additional elevation on a 100 yard zero with this bullet and MV combination, that more than covers any likely competition use. I had another bit of luck now in my efforts to keep costs down, as Savage expert Stuart Anselm (Osprey Rifles) had just such a rail recovered in a rifle rebuild and would do a no-charge swap for the Farrell to assist (again) in this project. So the 223 Savage is temporarily hors de combat until the replacement rail is collected and re-sighting takes place no immediate hurry with my current load development and competition shooting efforts concentrated on the GB F Class Association League series and getting a long-range .308W rifle sorted for it.

Pennine Shooting Sports Association has a raft of 300600 yard F Class matches in the Diggle competition calendar coming up though from late August through to the year end and, who knows, I might even be tempted to use this rifle in PSSAs famous 500 yard Fly Shoot on 26th August if the wind speed forecast is reasonable. And ... I now have the 308 Win. Howa 1500 to play with as well.

specifications) out to 1000 yards, or as Paul Crosbie proved at Bisley in June, to 1200 yards. Ill cover two possible approaches to a budget F/TR gun with 308Win. rifles: a former Paramount TR rifle to come later in the year and the factory heavy-barrel sporter approach as described here. In my case, I found a good second-hand Howa 1500 Stainless Varmint Supreme Thumbhole in the members For Sale section of the UKVarminting forum. Originally advertised at 650 and reduced to 600 after a couple of weeks. The seller was a really nice and knowledgeable guy in Cumbria, an avid fox controller whod worked up some effective long-range loads for this purpose but whod decided that 6.5X47 Lapua is the way to go in this activity. The rifle had a bedding job done by top F-Class shooter and no mean gunsmith Andy Massingham, and came with a 20MOA taper Third Eye Tactical Picatinny rail and set of expensive 30mm Ken Farrell rings so, all I needed to get started was a suitable riflescope and bi-pod. As to the last named, Ive decided to use my two (different height) locking Versa-Pods initially, so ordered an additional Universal Mounting

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland Adaptor (for curved section forend / sling swivel stud attachment) from the UK importer Beechwood Sport through the companys online retail sales facility. The adaptor is semi-permanently mounted on the rifle and Ill swap bi-pod assemblies between it and the aforementioned .223 Savage LRPV as required. If these folders turn out to be sub-optimal on this rifle - thanks to the heavier recoiling 308Win. cartridge, Ill consider a Dolphin Trakker or one of the new Mystic Precision FTR MPOD, or similar wide-set model but hope to avoid that expense. With the Fox 8-32x50 scope again in stock at Fox Firearms UK and costing 105 (not 115 as I erroneously reported in a past issue), I was up and running with a club F/TR rifle for under 750 but that excludes the bi-pod, mat and rear bag which I already owned. Nevertheless, a complete beginner starting from scratch would be on the range for under 1000 - well below my target maximum budget.

.308 Winchester
Much as I love the little 223 Rem cartridge, especially when the rifle has been set up for 90gn Bergers, Im the first to admit its not everybodys cup of tea just too much work and expertise needed in handloading it for a start. No, definitely not a tyros best choice in a first club F Class rifle! So, that leaves the 308 Winchester, which has a bunch of stuff going for it a better choice of good second-hand rifles; huge range of high quality ammunition components; easier to get it to perform well; competent (subject to barrel length and

A new 105 Fox 8-32X50 about to be installed on the Howa prior to sighting-in on the bench.

The top quality Ken Farrell CNC-machined steel rings mounting the Fox scope on a 20-MOA Third Eye rail. There is only just enough elevation adjustment available despite the taper.

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AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

issue and by golly, I needed a lot of it in my only season of national League rounds with the FN! I hoped things would work out similarly here, better preferably, in terms of the available free adjustment but it has actually turned out to be less, almost right on 30MOA available after sighting-in. With the bullets Im likely to use and MVs severely constrained by the Howas 22 inch barrel, 800 yards is probablyon, but not 900 or 1000. This is a commonly encountered problem and if you plan to use a factory sporter and budget scope, you may find you need a rail with an even steeper taper, or a 20-MOA rail plus the clever Burris Signature Zee mount system with a set of offset plastic inserts inside the rings that can give you another 10-MOA or more, or maybe end up buying a more expensive scope with a larger adjustment range.

Elevation (Again)
Before describing the rifle and look at what it can - or cannot - do, lets stick with scopes for a little longer. If the scope is mounted on a parallel (to the bore) notaper rail, it should logically need the elevation adjuster to be set somewhere around the mid-travel point to get a 100 yard zero. So, if your scope has 50-MOA of total elevation adjustment, there should only be 25 MOA available for longer ranges after sighting-in - give or take 5-MOA. It rarely works out like that - once youve put it into mounts and bolted the assembly onto the action, a 10-MOA variance not unusual hence only 16MOA actually available out of the Fox 8-32 55 MOA range on the Savage with a no-taper rail. The Howa had come with a 20 MOA taper rail already installed so, there shouldnt be a problem out to around 1000 yards - depending on the handloads bullet weight, BC and MV. However, I knew from past experience with this same scope model on a 24 inch barrel FN SPR rifle with a factory fitted Badger Ordnance 20-MOA rail, that this might be wishful thinking. I only just had enough elevation adjustment in this instance to get me onto a 1000 yard target with a 175gn Sierra MK load but remember the windage

In the event, Im not unduly bothered as I never intended to use the 22 inch barrel Howa beyond 800 yards thats what the Paramount Target Rifle with its 30 inch Krieger barrel is for. There is at least one cash-strapped PSSA member I know of in this same pickle - he uses a second-hand 308Win. Remington 700 PSS with this scope for F/TR and now wants to try his hand in the clubs longer range (800-1000 yard) comps. As I said in an earlier part of this project series, if were going to break our self-imposed 1,750 overall budget anywhere, Id recommend blowing it on the optics. In fact, we could afford to buy a superb Sightron 8-32x56 LRMOA target scope with its 72-MOA elevation adjustment range if the full budget were available in this instance, given the modest initial rifle price.

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

seems to be a feature of Howa as I vaguely remember reading somewhere that 1500 series rifles are exported to the USA as barrelled actions and stocked up by the US distributor, Legacy Sports International (LSI) of Reno, Nevada. LSI offers US retailers and importers in other countries (Highland Outdoors in the UK), the rifles fitted out in a choice of specifications, stocks and prices (basic synthetic, Hogue Overmolded synthetic, walnut, laminated, Axiom, Bell & Carlson in sporter, varmint and tactical guises). The Howa Machinery Company Ltd. is one of those huge Japanese manufacturing conglomerates with expertise in designing and producing a vast range of diverse products from doors and windows to heavy industrial plant. One division is a longstanding firearms manufacturer that made many of the WW2 Imperial Japanese Armys Arisaka service rifles, Gene Stoners AR-18/180 under license, and the Japan Ground Defence Forces Type 64 and currently issued Type 89 assault rifles in more recent times, alongside sporting models. If you buy a Mossberg, S&W, or Inter-Arms M1500 rifle, its a rebadged customer-stocked Howa just like the Weatherby.

Land of the Rising Sun


While the Fox/ZOS scope comes from that new Far Eastern industrial behemoth China, Howa rifles originate in the original oriental industrial superpower, Japan. The Howa factory contracted to produce Roy Weatherbys top-dollar 9-lug Mark V big game rifles for a quarter century until 1995 and, I believe that Weatherbys bread and butter Vanguard model is still made there - a rebadged Howa 1500 barrelled action in a Weatherby specified stock. This (customer stocking)

So, the rifle can perform off the bench and Ive got some promising looking handloads already with a lot more load development to come.
The Howa 1500 Varmint set up and ready to go.

The thumbhole stock is comfortable and provides a generous length of pull.

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AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland Returning to my rifle and its stock, youve looked at the photographs already havent you we all do this first and youll have thought black plastic stock? Go on admit it! Well, youre wrong, its black finished wood laminate and was only available in small numbers for a short time. And a very nice, comfortable model it is too, allowing a high degree of rifle control on the firing line. mix of Sako L series and Remy 700 features, more Sako than Remington in the fundamentals but with many desirable M700 features incorporated. An example here is the adoption of the Remy 700 action top profile and scope mount screw spacing. Underneath and inside, youll find Sakos flat receiver bottom and integral recoil lug, and that companys lovely strong side-mounted extractor on the bolt instead of Remingtons oversized circlip. The bolt is also smaller diameter than Remingtons giving a heavier gauge receiver body, although I dont know how that compares to the older Sako models its allegedly based on. The barrel has a typical factory rifle varmint heavy profile, one wed have regarded as massively heavy not too many years back but we now think of as just heavy enough for target use. Its 1.17 inch diameter at the reinforce with a sharp taper just ahead of the chamber then a gradual taper to 0.830in. at the muzzle, some 22 inches ahead. The muzzle section has been turned down and threaded for a sound moderator, an accessory that was included in the 600 price, a large Jackson Rifles Reflex T8. While a near essential for the rifles previous foxing role, a moddy doesnt figure in my shooting, but I put a few rounds through it on the

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

Remy 700 Clone?


The current M1500 Stainless Varmint Supreme Thumbhole is available in nutmeg (golden brown) or pepper (grey-brown) finishes and is priced at a recommended 915 new. Even if you cant negotiate a discount, thats a lot cheaper than equivalent Remington 700 laminate stock/stainless models. The M700 is the model that most people naturally compare the Howa against. In fact, Ive often heard it described as a 700 manufactured the way that Remmies should be, but arent! Famed Japanese quality control and small tolerance manufacturing aside, this isnt a completely accurate description, as the action apparently incorporates a

Howa 1500 bolt above a short-action Remington 700 equivalent.

A nice wide and, by sporter standards, long ventilated forend. Its not plastic, rather laminated wood.

100yd covered benchrest range and was impressed by the noise and recoil reduction. After only five or six shots though, hot air rising from the can started to affect the sight picture, the main disadvantage of these devices in target shooting. The current Howa equivalent to this model has a 24 inch barrel, so I was surprised with and a little disappointed at 22 inches. It may have started out longer of course and chopped down when threaded for the moderator it certainly has a nicely machined recessed crown on it. That length is no downside for grouping ability but rather velocities, as Id expect to lose 250-300 fps over an out and out Target Rifle with 30 inch barrel, all other things equal. In the event, MVs have done better than expected with one of two exceptions and I suspect this is down

to some nicely controlled chamber and bore internal dimensions. For instance, measuring fired cases using callipers and a Hornady L-N-L comparator body plus #D headspace gauge gives near identical readings to cases from my two custom built long-range F/TR rifles with their match spec chambers very handy too in that I dont have to readjust my Redding FL sizer and Forster Bushing-Bump dies for a new shoulder position. The rear end of the case-body, just above the solid web, does expand a bit more in the Howas chamber, but less than in other 308Win. factory rifles Ive owned over the years. So, Id happily full-length resize brass from my long-range rifles to use in the Howa, which Ive been doing with Norma and Lapua examples getting a bit long in the tooth after half a dozen firings, but not the other way round.

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Part 3 by Laurie Holland I always try to put a few factory rounds through any rifle Im working on in order to get MV and group benchmarks. One of the pluses in buying a heavybarrel 308Win. for many shooters in the past was the ability to use milspec 7.62mm ammo, either surplus or recent manufacture RG or suchlike for cheap shooting. My past experience with such ammunition in American manufactured 308 sporters has been uniformly poor, if nothing else because of case to chamber and bullet to bore mismatches. When I say poor, I mean two-inch or larger 100 yard groups and low MVs. I had nine surplus 1980s vintage German DAG 147gn 7.62X51mm left over from some previous review or other and 2004 headstamp Radway Green 155gn so-called Bisley Match to try. (I say socalled as this ammunition was barely categorised as match quality, and to make things worse, 04 was a bad year according to my TR shooting friends.) To my surprise, the nine DAGs went into exactly an inch, not F/TR competent but fine for anybody shooting in a club day on the old 2-MOA five-ring NRA target. The first group of RG 155s in a DAG fouled barrel produced a so-so 1.4 inch group, but settled down into 0.6in. with a second. MVs were 2,739 fps and 2,737 fps respectively for the two cartridge lots, the latter very close to that obtained from the same 04

RG production lot in the aforementioned FN Special Police Rifle with a 24 inch barrel. I also bought some of todays NRA sourced RWS 155gn (Sierra MatchKing bullet) ammunition, a true matchquality round and shot three 5-round groups starting with a clean barrel. Putting the initial fouling-shot to one side, group sizes were 0.4, 0.7, and 0.3-inche - good enough to be competitive in short-range F/TR matches, although a low MV and the original 155gn SMKs modest BC would see it struggle against the more efficient modern bullets and 3000 fps MVs in tough wind conditions at 600 yards and certainly at greater distances in almost any condition. The light was going when I shot the RWS groups and the chronograph only functioned intermittently so the 2600 fps recorded average for five shots may be inaccurate its about 100 fps lower than expected. So, the rifle can perform off the bench and Ive got some promising looking handloads already with a lot more load development to come. Ill cover handloading a short-range 1-12 twist factory rifle when I next report on the Howa but will say that Im trying to approach this task in the same spirit as the rest of the project. Throw in the fact that super-high BCs give you much less benefit at 200-600 yards than at 800-1000 too. So, Ive avoided using expensive state of the art Bergers at nearly 0.50 per bullet and with a couple

of exceptions - one being the new Berger 175gn OTM Tactical (for longer range use) - I am sticking to those favourites of yesteryear 155, 168, 175, 180, 190 and 200gn (yes, a 1-12 twist pitch stabilises this bullet) Sierras; 185gn Lapua D46 FMJBT (step-tail boat-tail design) and various others from my components store. Berger OTM Tactical aside, the other modern bullet being loaded is the Australian 155gn HBC, a well designed and made and very high BC design, but which retails for a bargain 28/100 (Fox Firearms). Many cases are, as mentioned, hand me down Lapua and Norma examples from my other rifles but much better and likely to be the Howas mainstay are once-fired RWS cases from the NRA ammo. Once-fired brass recovered after large matches can be a disappointing investment having been fired in lots of different rifles but this brass comes from a friend who shoots it in a pair of Norman Clark built Barnard TR rifles and, if you have experience of how Norman builds competition rifles, youll know they all have minimum dimension chambers, so no worries about stretched or excessively expanded examples here. At 10 per 100, thats cheap brass, especially given its exceptional quality and consistency and, staying with the budget theme, TR140 and Viht N150 provide fuel for the boiler room, the latter bought in a 3.5Kg tub to get unit costs down. Im also trying reasonably priced single-base Lovex (Czech) SO62 and SO65 extruded powders in this rifle.
The EZ Pull trigger assist device it works!

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

Eh? Whats that? Oh, you want to know what the weird looking bit of kit attached to the trigger guard is. Ah yes, I nearly forgot to mention that. Alongside the Reflex moderator, 100 Lapua cases, Lee Deluxe threepiece die set, some ammunition, cleaning rod and nearly 500 Pro-shot patches that were included with the rifle, I got a pre-fitted EZ Pull trigger assist. Its a second trigger, in effect a lever that operates against a lever (trigger blade). Nicely made, its not tat in any way and uses a roller bearing to press on the rifles original trigger. It is claimed to reduce the pull weight by 50% although the laws of mechanics say that this reduction is paid for by additional movement of course, or trigger creep to use the proper jargon. That wont stay on there long I thought to myself as I inspected the rifle prior to purchase but its still in situ some few months later and, glory be, I like it! The companys website is http://www.ezpulltriggerassist. com and the US price $39.95 + $3.20 shipping and handling but the only UK source Ive found through Google is Midway.co.uk which wants 48.50 for one, a steep increase! The rifles previous owner didnt know anything about it either as hed bought the rifle himself second-hand.

Extractors. Left: Remy 700 with expensively gunsmith fitted Sako extractor; centre: you get it free with the Howa; right: standard Remmy 700 (.223 Rem bolt-face).

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Part 3 by Laurie Holland

AN AFFORDABLE F/TR RIFLE


Part 3 by Laurie Holland

Its back to many old favourites plus a couple of newcomers in handloading for the Howa. Left to right: 155gn HBC and 175gn Berger OTM Tactical (both new); 168, 190, 200gn Sierra MKs; 185gn Lapua D46 FMJBT Match (all ancient).

7.62X51mm Military ammo performed better than expected.

The NRAs RWS 155gn match ammunition gave outstanding results at 100 yards.

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Photo by Steve Thornton

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The

Rear Sight Extra


by Ray Cockayne

Centra Duplex

The

Centra Duplex
Anyway the lens hood is screwed into the rear sight from the front, it shares the same thread as the aperture sight. Its then locked in place using the large Allen key, which will just reach lengthways inside the tube of the lens hood. Then having slackened the small Allen bolt on the Duplex, it is slid into position on the lens hood. Before locking it in place, its axis needs to be aligned with the adjustment axis of the sight, once done, the Allen bolt is nipped tight. Next, the ring sight is screwed to the front of the Duplex. Once mounted on your rifle you then need to adjust the ring using the little knobs on the Duplex so that it is centred on the foresight. I have since found that the

I admit when we do have instructions to hand most men prefer to do the job without them..
Duplex can be slid forward and backward about 10mm on the mount, which makes the ring appear larger or smaller. Getting down in position, if you have your cheek piece precisely in the correct position then when you look through your rear sight the new ring will be centred in the iris but, if like me, the cheek piece is out then you will be forced to adjust it. Ive been shooting for nearly 20 years and I was quite surprised to realise how much my cheek piece was out. Once you have the cheek piece set every time you sight to shoot you should be looking dead centre, so the theory goes but, in practice, our bodies being made of squishy stuff, move. ,Its very surprising how much we change from shoot to shoot and during a shoot. ,Throughout all the Duplex ensures that your eye is correctly centred. ,I also felt that it helps in maintaining a consistent cheek pressure on the rifle. At my club, Leicester Rifle and Pistol club (Ive given them a plug because this is the Disabled Shooting Year and the facilities for disabled people there are very good), I used a bench rest to take a couple of photographs through my rear sight (very difficult) which show the sight picture you get one is close to dead centre the other is slightly off to one side. As you can see, any error in alignment and the view around the larger duplex ring is very evident. In practice its very easy to see and make very small adjustments to position so that my eye is dead centre, eliminating any error that may creep in. Having used the Duplex over a number of shoots Im very pleased with the results, it wont be removed anytime soon that is a fact.

The

Rear Sight Extra


by Ray Cockayne

Centra Duplex

Rear Sight Extra


by Ray Cockayne
The Centra Duplex rear sight attachment is relatively new to the market, I first came across it when my friend returned from an International competition in Germany sporting one on his rifle. For those of you who have not seen one, it adds an extra sight-ring forward of the rear sight. When set up it clearly shows if you have your eye in correct alignment with the rear aperture. Within a week or so of seeing my friends, I noticed that both Intershoot www.intershoot.co.uk and Edinkillie www.edinkillie.co.uk have them on their web sites - I ordered one. As my friends rifle has the same sight base and a similar 22mm foresight I ordered the same sight ring, which was the largest available, together with the Lens Hood 2 to fit my Anschutz 7002 canting rear sight. Just days later it arrived, opening the packaging revealed the three main parts plus two Allen keys and, as is normal for most items from Germany, no instructions. It doesnt take a genius to work out how to put it together but it really would make the process a little easier. I admit when we do have instructions to hand most men prefer to do the job without them, initially but, have to revert to them once weve made a complete bog of it.

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Please see the website for updates to this schedule as it is possible that there could be late changes. I would like to wish the British Teams the best of luck as they compete against the best IPSC Shotgun shooters in the world including exceptional shooters such as Jerry Miculek (USA), Paolo Zambai (Italy), Igor Jankovic (Serbia) and Kurt Miller (USA) to name but a few. For those who havent seen some of these guys in action, have a look on YOUTUBE at this compilation of stages shot by the Serbian IPSC shooter Igor Jankovic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUcwsxtPITo Igor deservedly won the 2009 European Shotgun Championships in Czech Republic (Modified Division) with his smooth and consistent technique and fast loading. He shoots a Benelli M2 modified with an extension tube that brings the overall gun length to just under the maximum of 1320mm. His ammunition belt is a plastic Prodec clip belt from which he tends to load two rounds at a time, and he favours the method of turning the gun over to load the rounds into the receiver before bringing it back into his shoulder.

The First IPSC Shotgun World Shoot Debrecen Hungary


From 17th September 2012 30th September 2012. Main Match Days: 24th Sept to 30th Sept.
Website: http://shotgunworld-hungary.com As August arrives, dare I say that we have at last managed to squeeze a little sunshine back into our shooting lives? How many matches have been cancelled or at the very least, severely affected by the weather throughout June and July!?! I know that rain is something every UK shooter lives with and accepts as part and parcel of the sport, but jeesh! Moving swiftly on... On the IPSC scene, we are now very much closer to the first IPSC Shotgun World Shoot which is being held in Debrecen in Hungary. A lot of excitement building up as the UKPSA official team selection has finally reached conclusion, with the announcement that there are to be four teams including a Ladies team. They are listed on next page. The match is the first ever Level 5 world shoot and will consist of 30 stages, with birdshot, buckshot and solid slug. Maximum rounds on any single stage will be 28 according to the official website. There are (so far) 381 registered competitors, although a total of 425 competitors have requested a slot for the match from 23 countries. Sellier and Bellot are the official match ammunition sponsors. The official match details are as listed on next poge. Shooting will take place over six days, with an additional shoot-off day.

17-Sep 17-Sep 18-Sep 18-Sep 19-Sep 20-Sep 21-Sep 21-Sep 21-Sep 22-Sep 22-Sep 22-Sep 22-Sep 23-Sep 23-Sep 23-Sep 24-Sep 25-Sep 26-Sep 27-Sep 28-Sep 29-Sep 30-Sep 30-Sep

Monday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Friday Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Sunday Sunday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Sunday

9:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 15:00 9:00 - 15:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 17:00 20:00 - 22:00 9:00 - 14:00 9:00 - 14:00 16:00 - 19:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 8:00 - 17:00 9:00 - 13:00 16:00 - 20:00

Pre Match Registration Pre Match Equipment check Pre Match Registration Pre Match Equipment check Pre Match Pre Match Pre Match Main Match Registration Main Match Equipment check Pre Match Main Match Registration Main Match Equipment check RO Party Main Match Registration Main Match Equipment check Opening Ceremony Main Match Main Match Main Match Main Match Main Match Main Match Shot off Awarding Ceremony

Hotel Shooting Range LATEST NEWS... Hotel Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range Hotel Shooting Range Shooting Range Hotel Shooting Range Hotel Hotel Shooting Range University of Debrecen Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range Shooting Range University Cultural Ctr

Standard Division Modified Division Team Manager: Rob Adam Team Manager: Rupert Stanley
Mike Darby Barry Sullivan Jim Starley Dan Boswell Colin Alden James Harris Pete Starley Kevin Strowger

Modified Division
1st James Harris 100% 2nd Keith Wilson 90% 3rd Rupert Stanley 87.37%

British Open Level 3 IPSC Shotgun Match Results.


The British Open was held at Border Guns in Shropshire over the weekend of 7th / 8th July. I missed the match this year as I was walking the Pennine Way with my wife. A good shoot was has by all over the weekend shooting the 12 Stages consisting of 128 rounds of Birdshot. Match results are listed on next page. Thanks to Martin and Jo, Sophie and George at Border Guns and everyone who ROd and helped over the match. Thanks too to the match build crew.

Standard Division
1st Jim Starley 100% 2nd Mike Darby 99.41% 3rd Barry Sullivan 99.25%

Standard Manual Team Manager: TBA


Iain Guy Brad Fox Geoff Smith

Ladies Division Team Manager: Andy Duffy


Vanessa Duffy Sharon Strowger Josie Adam

Open Division
1st Mike Scarlett 100% 2nd Nicholas Hockley 96.92% 3rd Gavin Rose 88.48%

Standard Manual Division (Pump)

ENTRY FORM S.L.R.C. RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIPS 7th OCT 2012. Click (here) to download your entry form.

1st Iain Guy 100% 2nd Martin Davies 92.81% 3rd Ken Trail 80.19%

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Anzac Rifle Range, Sidney Australia


MUST be displayed and then returned to the RCO after the rifle is cleared. Over the last few issues we have tried to support the campaign to keep the famous Australian Anzac Rifle Range from closure. To be honest, things looked grim for the Range and the future was to be decided in court in the case of the New South Wales Rifle Association v the Commonwealth Government. For once justice prevailed and the good guys won! The Court found in favour of the NSWRA against the Government and the range will stay open. Please see the link to NSWRA for further information. http://www.nswra.org.au/ Also the link to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper article for today at http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/courtshoots-down-plan-to-shift-rifle-range-and-create-apark-20120720-22fgh.html As well as the Australian newspaper at the following http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breakingnews/national-park-halted-over-shooters-rights/storyfn3dxiwe-1226431011877

LATEST NEWS...

COMPETITIONS 200 to 206 - PRONE


Course of fire: 20 shots plus unlimited sighters in 20 minutes using the NSRA 50m 6 bull target (two of which may be used for sighting). Shot prone with the use of any suitable sling of contemporary material. 200 201 202 205 206 EXTENDED PERIOD .22 - ANY ACTION OPEN HISTORIC .22 MARTINI ACTION OPEN HISTORIC .22 ANY ACTION CLASSIC MINIATURE - TARGET SIGHTS OPEN MILITARY MINIATURE

CLASSIC AND VETERAN RIFLE COMPETITIONS


Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th August 2012
Entries for these competitions may be made in advance on the entry form or, subject to range availability, on the range on the day of shooting. The fundamental principle is spirit of the original. A basic rifle without significant alteration so that the firer is the controlling factor. (Certain minor modifications to rifles and sights are permitted to encourage participation.) The NSRA Historic Matches are divided into three timelined periods for rifles in miniature calibre (not necessarily Rimfire) as follows:

yard and six 50 yard firing points for either prone or benchrest shooting, has been built. Full disabled facilities were incorporated to ensure ease of access to all shooters at a club whose presence in Northamptonshire has encouraged a doubling of membership numbers in the last ten years. Catering for air rifles & pistols, small bore rifles, gallery rifles, shotguns and full bore rifles, the clubs committee hope that these new enlarged and improved facilities will encourage another generation of potential marksmen to join, learning the safe and responsible use of firearms. The opening ceremony, including the first shots fired, took place on June 9th in the presence of club members, representatives of Barnwell Parish Council, Oundle Town Council, Sport England and the Northamptonshire & Cambridgeshire Tactical Firearms Units. Following a brief address by the chairman, the range was formally opened by the clubs President, Mr David Belcher who a generation ago built the clubs indoor range at the Drill Hall in Oundle. Contact www.orpc.org.uk

COMPETITIONS 210 TO 214 - OFFHAND


(STANDING UNSUPPORTED) Course of fire- Two series each of best 10 of 12 shots in 20 minutes. Position- Standing unsupported, no slings or specialised footwear or clothing that gives support to the body. Trigger weight- Minimum 2 lbs except where a set trigger is permitted. 210 211 212 213 214 STANDING SPORTING RIFLE OPEN SIGHTS STANDING MILITARY TRAINER STANDING STANDARD .22 RIFLE STANDING SPORTING RIFLE ANY SIGHTS MATCH (SCHTZEN) RIFLE)

CLASSIC: pre-1919 design OPEN: pre-1946 design EXTENDED PERIOD: Generally pre-1960 designs
approved at Registration THOSE ENTERED FOR THE NSRA MEETING WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PAY THE REGISTRATION FEE.

New Facilities for Oundle Rifle & Pistol Club by Chris Parkin
It can be easy to think of shooting as a sport always forced onto the back foot and regarded as declining but Oundle Rifle & Pistol club have set aside those thoughts by securing over 50,000 from Sport England to improve their range facilities at Barnwell.

NEW FOR 2012: Following tests last year we


have reduced the number of PRONE Matches and INTRODUCED a NEW SHOOTING POSITION Standing Supported. Based on 19th Century tradition, still shot is some countries, the firer is provided with a STEPPED support on which the foreend or barrel may be rested. BOTH HANDS MUST be behind the support point and the firer may NOT touch the support point or hold the rifle onto it. With the express permission of the CRO the firer may provide his/her own support.

COMPETITIONS 220 TO 224 STANDING SUPPORTED. As for Standing Unsupported but with
use of a rest position at chest height
220 221 222 223 224 STANDING SUPPORTED SPORTING RIFLE OPEN SIGHTS STANDING SUPPORTED MILITARY TRAINER STANDING SUPPORTED STANDARD .22 RIFLE STANDING SUPPORTED SPORTING RIFLE ANY SIGHTS STANDING SUPPORTED MATCH (SCHTZEN) RIFLE)

RIFLES. Loading from the magazine of a repeating


rifle is permitted with the EXPRESS permission of the R.C.O. who will issue a Magazine used tag. This
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STAFFING FOR THESE MATCHES IS PROVIDED BY VOLUNTEERS, IF YOU CAN SPARE A HALF DAY OVER THE WEEKEND TO HELP IN ANY CAPACITY PLEASE CONTACT RICHARD COLLINS 07802 831073 or email richard.collins@hotmail.co.uk

Combining the architectural design, construction skills and professions of several club members, an entirely new purpose built structure, housing eight 100
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Swab Its A new barrel cleaning product.


Having topped the leaderboard in both disciplines, Scott Spavins said shooting is a vital skill for a gamekeeper, but getting involved in the sporting side of it has been really interesting. You get outside, you get competitive and you have great fun with your mates! He might be a little late for the London Olympics, but when asked whether he would continue in the shooting sports Scott revealed that he hopes to coach shooting professionally. I had a bit of a head start on the rest of the guys, I have been working at Barbury Shooting School for a few months now and I really hope to coach when I finish college. But the prone shooting was totally new to me, honest! When I was over at the Shot Show in January, I came across a nice couple marketing Swab It bore cleaning tips. You know how it is at the Shot Show 1600 booths to visit in four days thats 400 per day, 50 per hour or less than a minute at each one! We exchanged pleasantries and I tucked a couple of samples in my pocket and though no more about Swab Its until I got home. I chucked the samples in my cleaning box and didnt even open the plastic bags for a week or two. To be honest, I thought that the Swab Its were just that a sort of cotton swab, a bigger version of a cotton-bud. I couldnt see it being that effective or economical compared to my usual Pro Shot patches. How for example, would I clean a Swab It or is it just a one use thing then chuck it away? Eventually, I tore open the packet. To my surprise, they are not cotton they are foam or sponge, if you prefer. I havent even tried them for powder-fouling removal as I usually rely on a Pro Shot bronze brush but, they are absolutely fabulous for de-coppering! If you use an ammonia-based copper solvent like Sweets for example, then you will know that the solution works much better if you can oxygenate it the oxygen acts as a catalyst which speeds up the effectiveness of the solvent. Being foam/sponge, the Swab Its are absolutely ideal! Just soak the Swab It with a few drops of your favorite

LATEST NEWS...
copper solvent and stroke it through the bore a few times and you will see the muzzle start to foam. Leave it for 10 or 15 minutes then push out the copper with a tight-fitting cotton patch. Repeat until you stop

Lackham Gamekeepers Get in the Olympic Spirit

Second year gamekeeping students have finished off their two years at Lackham by trying their hand at two Olympic sports, clay pigeon shooting and small bore rifle shooting.
Having completed their Extended Diplomas Countryside Management (Gamekeeping and Fisheries), the students first travelled to Barbury Shooting School for some clay pigeon shooting. All of the students had shot game with shotguns before, and under the expert tuition of Barburys Huw Stephens the students the students performed very well. Jamie Drewett and Scott Spavins were particularly clinical, both hitting over 80% of their clays. The following week the students found themselves at Patterdown Range with Chippenham Rifle and Pistol Club, having a go at 50m prone rifle shooting. Most of the students had handled sporting rifles before, but none were ready for the arcane art of Olympic rifle shooting. Trussed up in leather shooting jackets and strapped to open sighted match rifles the team were certainly out of their comfort zone. Despite this some took to the discipline like ducks to water, with Deidre McMurray, Piers Powis and the ever-accurate Scott Spavins printing some very impressive groups.

Extended Diploma Countryside Management (Game and Fisheries) Year 2 students at Barbury Shooting School

bringing out blue then simply wash the Swab It in clean water and its as good as new Im still using the same one six months later! They come in several sizes but they are versatile, so a 6mm for example will happily de-copper a 223 or even a 6.5mm. What are they like for removing powder fouling? Cant say Ive only used mine for copper and now I never use anything else. They will shortly be available from Fox Firearms in the UK and have a look at the Swab It website at www.swab-its.com They make lots of other cleaning tips and swabs and, if you live in the USA or Canada they offer free shipping.

Extended Diploma Countryside Management (Game and Fisheries) Year 2 students at Patterdown Range

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THE INAUGURAL NRA MILITARY ADAPTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 by Olaf Jones, NRA
Disabled Shooting Representative It had been on the cards for a while and, on the 4th of July this year the realisation of a dream became a reality; a fullbore shooting competition for those with disabilities. And only for shooters with disabilities! This inaugural military adaptive shooting competition was hosted by the National Rifle Association at the world famous ranges at Bisley in Surrey. For those of you who are familiar with fullbore target shooting sports, an introduction to the home of British shooting at Bisley would be prosaic at best. For those who are not, then the Victorian architecture and period charm of the camp and surroundings imbue a long-lasting fascination of bygone days and hardfought Commonwealth shooting competitions and international championships. The fullbore adaptive shoot, possibly the first of its kind in the world, was devised to provide a shooting competition for military veterans and for those men and women still undergoing rehabilitation, to offer anyone with any disability the chance to take part in competitive target shooting on equal terms. The rifles used in the competition were military types, as most service personnel are familiar with them. Colt AR15 derivatives in 5.56mm (223 Remington) and the Desert Tactical Bullpup sniper rifle in 7.62mm (308 Winchester). The competition was a game of two halves in that there was a McQueen sniper snap-shooting element and the Adaptive Match with three elements, comprising a deliberate precision shoot, a snap shoot,
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and a rapid shoot. The total aggregate score, as well as the McQueen and Adaptive elements, comprising the prize pool. The whole competition was fired from 100 yards on Short Siberia range using benches, so that the competition was fair to all firers regardless of disability. Each entrant was also given a unique medal to commemorate the inaugural event. There were 31 competitors, 14 of whom were veterans, the remainder currently undergoing rehabilitation at either Headley Court or Tidworth House. It was hoped that there would be a greater number of entries but a delay in the advertising was the probable cause of the reduced number. It is hoped that next years event will be at full capacity. The real heroes of the piece though were the NRA staff and volunteer helpers who made the day run smoothly and helped to ensure the entire experience was not only a very memorable one but also an extremely good natured and enjoyable one. Their professionalism and many years of organisational experience was evident in the slick and glitch-free running of the whole event during the day. Virtually the entire infrastructure on Short Siberia range has had to be upgraded to accommodate the shooters. From access road preparation to electrical turning-target installation, manufacturing new McQueen castles and shooting benches, to providing wheelchair accessible firing-points over terrain that was not only waterlogged, gravelled and muddy but was also undulating and at different levels. The installation of sectional track/walkway must have also been a costly consideration. The competition was very well contested and the aggregate scores towards the top of the lists were pretty close, with only a few points separating the prize winners from the rest. Refer to the results tables for confirmation of the scores. The prizes were awarded by Dr. Robin Pizer, the Chairman of the National Rifle Association and, those who won the individual stages of the McQueen and Adaptive Competitions were

awarded further prizes by Lieutenant General Page at the main AOSC prize giving ceremony. The overall Adaptive Match aggregate trophy was won by a young Gurkha soldier with no legs! As an added attraction, participants were offered a go at rabbit clay targets. This was intended to be a fun shoot, but needless to say competitive instincts took over and an informal match was set up. This adaptive competition was the first of what will now become an annual event. It has broken the mould in that people with disabilities no longer have to fear that they are segregated or discriminated against because of an impairment. Here is a sporting competition where they can all compete against each other. The NRA is now also firmly committed to increasing the range of fully inclusive and fully integrated competitions in all fullbore shooting disciplines. It will take time of course but it will be worth the wait.

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

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Disabled Shooting continued...

None of them think of bidding for funds to cover the cost of training range officers, coaches and helpers; for computers and peripherals that will facilitate the organisation of shooting for disabled participants; or for taster days and the construction of websites that will promote what they are doing and attract more people with disabilities into the sport. The important message that the DSP is now trying to get out there is that funding is available for almost anything that will help disabled or less-able people to take part in this sport. Successive governments have, even before being prompted by Londons successful Olympic and Paralympic bid, had a policy of encouraging disabled participation in sport generally. Where funding is concerned, this is just about the biggest box you can tick. Its extremely encouraging to find that there is a very high success rate for such bids the usual reasons for refusal are failure to apply to the right body, or poor preparation of the application. Grants are not the only option for funding. Sponsorship, even in the current economic climate, can still be found after all, its a form of advertising that also enhances the reputation of the sponsor. Fundraising is an option that many people dread, imagining an endless succession of coffee mornings and sponsored shoots but it doesnt need to be like that nowadays. Ideas for local fundraising have become more innovative, interesting and fun. There has also been the realisation that having raised an initial amount, instead of just leaving it sitting in the bank, it can be used as seed-corn to run a big event that will raise a lot of money in one hit. All these possibilities and options can be bewildering for the clubs committee members getting to grips with what they need to accomplish. Fortunately, there is a lot of (free) help and advice available. The first port of call should be to the local County Sport Partnership (CSP), contactable via the county council. CSPs can and will help to work out what can be funded, to decide what sort of funding is most suitable, to choose a funding body to apply to, and to make the application.

Advice is also available from national governing bodies and from specialist bodies like the Disabled Shooting Project. Having spent a lot of time advising over the telephone or in e-mails, the DSP has now added a new Funding section to its website www.disabledshooting.org.uk. This contains guidance on many aspects of the subject, and links to a large number of funding bodies, as well as news of new schemes and developments. If your club is wondering how to find the money for repairs, refurbishment, development, equipment, training, etc., and can show that it caters for disabled shooters, or wants to do so, then the money tap is there it just needs to be turned on!

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Please have a browse: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ disabledshootingproject. Then please spread the word about this latest addition to the DSPs resources wherever and however you can.

Infopack on website
Our information pack, launched a couple of months ago, is now available via the DSP website: http:// www.disabilityshooting.org.uk/more-information/ downloads/category/12-promotional-material. html . The arrangements for accessing it are not yet perfect I hope we can make them slicker before too long.

Disabled Shooting International Project. Funds for Clubs


By Liz Woodall, Co-ordinator, Disabled Shooting Project.

Over the last month the Disabled Shooting Project has been consulted by several clubs about plans for development in order to provide or improve facilities for disabled shooters. The schemes being worked on are very varied in nature and extent. Some only wish to provide range equipment that will cost a few hundred pounds; others are putting together plans for major building works and the installation of sophisticated electronic targetry. What they all have in common is the need for funds to cover the cost and, thats one of the main things they have been seeking advice about. Its surprising and a tad depressing, that many of the people, clubs and other organisations that seek DSP advice are not aware of just how much funding is available to them and the wide range of things it can be used for. Most know they can apply for grants to improve wheelchair access (level car parks, install ramps, widen doorways) and provide disabled toilets. Some are aware that they can get financial support for major projects. Only a handful think of applying for grant funding for things like benchrest tables, traffic light visual range command systems, or red dot sights all of which make the sport more accessible for people with disabilities.

DSP on Flickr: disabledshootingproject


A photograph album has been set up on Flickr, illustrating and explaining many aspects of disabled target shooting. The hope is that it will encourage disabled people into the sport when they see how it is done, particularly by shooters with disabilities similar to their own. More images will be added as they become available; I am very keen to include as many different disability+discipline combinations as possible. Photographs of helpful pieces of equipment, disabledfriendly facilities, etc. will also be added. Obviously any contributions of suitable photographs will be most welcome. If you are able to submit any please remember to make sure that everyone featured in them agrees to their use on the internet, and let me know if names are to be withheld. Some background information is always very helpful.

QR code
We now have a QR code square which creates a direct link to our website when scanned with a smart phone. It has been added to our leaflets and posters. A copy is attached in the hope that you will be able to add it to any documents you produce in connection with disabled target shooting. In addition to all the above, there is a lot more information and news going on to our main website www.disabledshooting.org.uk, and were using Facebook and Twitter to publicise all sorts of things relating to the projects work. No-one can say we arent doing our level best to get our message out there! Liz Woodall DSP Co-ordinator DSP Mobile: 07527 579686

More information:
Disabled Shooting Project: www.disabledshooting.org.uk International Paralympic Committee, Shooting: www.ipc-shooting.org International Blind Sport Federation, Shooting: www.ibsa.es/eng/deportes/shooting/presentacion International Shooting Competition, Hannover: www.i-s-c-h.de Clay Target Grand Prix, Lonato: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFKzJ7ZfQzM British Blind Sport: www.britishblindsport.org.uk International Blind Sport Association (Shooting): NSRA: www.nsra.co.uk

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QUIGLEY SHOOTING ASSOCIATION NEWS

QUIGLEY SHOOTING ASSOCIATION


by Ken Hall

QUIGLEY SHOOTING ASSOCIATION NEWS

1000 Yard Billy Dixon Shoot

1000 Yard Billy Dixon Shoot


by George Granycome

14TH July 2012


On a cool and dry (for once) July morning it was just possible to discern the outline of Quanah Parkers leading scouts, as they attempted to assess the marksmanship capabilities of the band of intrepid defenders gathered at the small outpost 1000 yards away known as Adobe Walls. (Well, Diggle Ranges bunkhouse actually!) As almost all black powder cartridge shooters and many long range shooters will already know, in the year of 1874, 28 men and one woman are all that inhabited the few buildings in the Texas panhandle, known as Adobe Walls. Among them are several buffalo hunters including Bat Masterson and a certain Billy Dixon, who was so proficient that it was claimed it took 15 skinners to keep up with him. Chief Quanah Parker, son of a Comanche war chief and a captured white woman, Cynthia Ann Parker, was waging war on the white man in response to the theft of his tribes land and had been persuaded by a medicine man, whose magic made them immune to the white mans bullets, to attack Adobe Walls.

14TH July 2012

On the second day of the siege, a group of Indians appeared on a distant bluff - presumably to plan their next attack. Feeling more than a little miffed by now, Billy Dixon borrowed a big fifty rifle (probably a Sharps .50/90) and let loose a shot. Seconds later (probably about six seconds!) a figure was seen to fall from his horse, causing obvious consternation to the Indians as they promptly withdrew, stopping only to pick up their fallen comrade. Four days later, reinforcements arrived in the shape of the US Army and, when it was deemed safe to do so, the distance was measured from Billys position to the bluff where the Indian was seen to fall - a total of 1538 yards! Billy later enlisted as scout with the US Army and went on to fight in many Indian battles and was awarded the

Yup 1000 yards is a long way. The 500 grain bullet will take four seconds to get there!

James Harris and the shotgun stages

On the morning of June 27th the men were awakened around 2am by the cracking of a collapsing ridge pole and so fortunately Long range black powder cartridge rifle is a fascinating discipline this is an original rifle were well awake as the Indian built by Scottish gunsmith Alexander Henry (of Martini Henry fame) and authentic to the Billy Dixon era. attack was launched. After some fierce fighting, during which the defenders suffered Congressional Medal of Honour for his actions. For the four dead, the Indians withdrew to a safe distance and rest of his life, Billy Dixon never claimed the shot was for the next four days continued to sporadically attack anything other than a lucky one. On his retirement he the outpost. built himself a home at Adobe Walls and was buried
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QUIGLEY SHOOTING ASSOCIATION NEWS

up the valley, the usual difficulty was expected. Though everyone managed to score hits on the backer, only three firers hit the mounted figure. Clive Taylor, shooting his Sharps 45/90 scored a single hit on the figure to take third place, Carole Silver with her Sharps 45/70 scored two hits on the figure, one on the horse and three hits on the backer to take runner-up but (deadeye) James Barnard took the trophy by scoring two hits on the figure, two hits on the horse and two hits on the backer.

Think you know all about reloading? Ever paper-patched a bullet? What about powder compression?

there after his death in 1913. The Quigley Shooting Association runs an annual competition based on Billys famous shot, using modern replica firearms of the period, fitted with open iron sights and fuelled only with black powder. The competition consists of two stages. Stage 1 being two sighters and ten shots to count at a standard Bisley bullseye target (small enough itself at 1000 yards) to get the range and sight setting. Stage 2 consists of another two sighters and then ten to count on a two-thirds scale silhouette of a mounted Indian figure. Traditional crossed-stick rests are the only permitted aid, no optic sights allowed. The winner is determined by the number of hits on the Indian, followed by hits on the horse, one point being awarded for shots which miss the silhouette but land on the six-foot square backer. For the first time in four years we were blessed with a clear bright day following weeks of cold and rain. With the infamous Diggle breeze snaking

The shoot was thoroughly enjoyed by all and, any BPCR fans reading this report wishing to take part in future competitions will be made very welcome. Questions and comments please to khall6548@aol.com
The happy band of Billy Dixon shooters winner James Barnard is in the centre with Carole Silver and Clive Taylor either side

Contact us today to see what we can do for you and make your products work to their full potential, in a way that is the future of magazines and advertising. With over 10,000 readers a month, in the UK and around the world.

Email Yvonne Wilcock at admin@targetshooter.co.uk

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The Armscor 38 Special


with a twist!
By Vince Bottomley

OK, if you happen to be the citizen of a civilized country then this article may not be for you other than to alert you to as what can happen to subjects of a supposedly civilized country ruled by politicians who lack the confidence and moral fiber to do the right thing in times of crisis.
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The Armscor 38 Special with a twist!


by Vince Bottomley

The Armscor 38 Special with a twist!


Hamiltons diabolical plan worked a treat. The Government fell for it and banned pistols from the hands of all but the criminal fraternity. The result? The murder rate from those using illegally held guns increased and has continued to do so. In other words, the ban achieved nothing except to deprive 57,000 law-abiding British subjects of a sport an Olympic sport - they loved. If you are not a GB subject and you are still reading this you may rightly wonder where Im going with this. Well, to ban something, you have to define it carefully. Our law-makers decided that any easily concealable firearm - i.e. having a barrel less than 300mm (12 inches) long and an overall length of less than 600mm (24 inches) would be illegal under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. Pistols - as we knew them would be re-classified as section 5 weapons the same category as a machine-gun. However, there were exceptions. Pistols of some historical interest or other significance could be reclassified as section 7 of the Firearms Act. This section in itself is complicated and beyond the scope of this article but, another more relevant (to this article) exception to the ban was the muzzle-loading pistol and the (yet to be invented) long-barrel revolver. A long-barrel revolver is one having a barrel of such a length that the overall length of the whole pistol exceeds 600mm (24 inches) in other words, a barrel about 18 inches in length or, more creatively, the barrel is kept at the minimum 300mm (12 inches) and any shortfall is made up with a steel extension welded to the butt. These curious firearms have now spawned a discipline all of their own and long-barrel revolver competition has an enthusiastic following in Great Britain! Overseas readers are no doubt by now sniggering at our ludicrous law-makers and attempting to visualize what one of these monstrosities is like to shoot! Is a long-barrel revolver any less capable of misuse than a shot-barrel one? Only to a British politician!

by Vince Bottomley

Yes, Im talking about Great Britain but not, in this case, the United Kingdom. You see, in 1997 (see 1997 Firearms Amendment Act), British subjects lost the right to own a centrefire or rimfire pistol. However, the residents of Northern Ireland did not. Neither did the Manx people, occupying the tiny province known as the Isle of Man.

We lost the right to own pistols following the diabolical actions of one man Thomas Hamilton who deliberately killed 16 school-children and one of their teachers. Why? Who knows? But his previous behavior had caused his fellow shooters to reject him and he knew exactly how to exact his revenge. He didnt murder 16 school children because he had any grudge against them but, he well knew how the government would react after all, we had the 1988 Hungerford massacre and the governments kneejerk reaction (of banning semiautomatic rifles larger than 22 rimfire) still fresh in our minds.
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Five shots (there are two shots in the six-ring) at 20 yards, shot double action - not bad! I placed the fixed sights on the bottom of the black.

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The Armscor 38 Special with a twist!


by Vince Bottomley
The loaded cylinder is now slipped into the frame and were ready to shoot.

Another exemption to the pistol ban was the muzzleloading revolver. These replicas of ancient nineteenth century pistols are shot with cap and ball and black powder by those shooters with an historical interest in such things. They usually have a barrel less than 12 inches long and their overall length is nowhere near 24 inches but, they are legal! I should hope so I doubt that one has ever been used in a crime not for the last century anyway! The modern-day replicas tend to be of limited power, inaccurate, slow to reload and rather messy to shoot!

When the pistol ban was enacted in the 1997 Firearms Act, it wasnt just shooters who lost out in fact, we were generally adequately compensated for the value of our pistols and reloading equipment etc. though no compensation was offered for the loss of our sport. However, the main victims were those involved in the gun-trade be it range owners, gunshops or gunsmiths. Ranges closed, businesses folded, lives were ruined. One of the worst hit was Alan Westlake. Alan was something of a legend in British pistol shooting and I cant think of anyone who suffered more from this senseless legislation. Alan had to hand in all his stock of pistols and parts and tooling to make them - effectively handing over to the Government all his working capital. They then waited for a year before they even commenced to look at his compensation claim, thus denying him the capital to start another business to support his family. They then refused to pay for any parts that were not completely finished and ready for sale or for any tooling and, were still arguing five years later when Alan asked for everything that had not been paid for to be returned to him. Thankfully, Alan recovered and bounced back, with the Britarms 22 rimfire pistol in long pistol format in 2004. He then spent nearly a year arguing with the Home Office about its legality before being able to sell any. Next was a single-shot muzzle-loading fullbore target pistol. It shot target bullets, it was accurate, it could be loaded with nitro powder but, it didnt catch on. Alan looked elsewhere. OK, the muzzle-loading pistol didnt have to use black powder. It didnt have to look like Sam Colts nineteenth century invention. It didnt need to use lead balls.

The Armscor 38 Special with a twist!


by Vince Bottomley
I tried various bullets - including the copper-jacket but the wadcutters seemed to work best.

The Lovex powder is similar to Bullseye - I just followed the load in the manual.

To take advantage of the exemptions to our ludicrous laws, one cannot simply buy a revolver, swap the barrel for a 12 inch one and weld the requisite bit of metal to the butt. Oh no it must be manufactured from the ground up as a legal 24 inch long revolver. Then, the gunsmith may weld on the butt extension and then and only then cut the barrel down to 12 inches. In other words, the revolver must never fall below the minimum (24 inch) length. The 22 Browning Buckmark rifle has become something of a favorite with rimfire shooters as it is easily converted to a long-barrel pistol. The stock lends itself to easy extension before chopping the barrel.
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Its no Smith & Wesson but it works!

What if?
What if we took a modern revolver, threw away the cylinder, made a new one, on similar lines to the old cap and ball revolvers but using modern primers instead of percussion caps and nitro powder instead of black and bullets instead of ball? It would be legal and it would surely shoot like a modern revolver.
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The Armscor 38 Special with a twist!


by Vince Bottomley
Alan did just that using the Taurus long-barreled revolvers. Externally, they looked identical to the revolvers taken from us in 1997. Loaded with nitro powder and wadcutter bullets they shot equally as well but, would there be a market or had Britons given up on ever shooting a revolver again? I suppose the answer is yes to both questions. Some would pay and do anything to shoot a revolver again, so Alan had found a small niche market for his GB legal Taurus. But, the obstacle of cost was still a problem for many. The cost of buying the long-barreled revolver, throwing away the cylinder, making and fitting a new cylinder took the price beyond the reach of many enthusiasts especially when the sport and its popular disciplines like Police Pistol, Bianchi and the 1500 had all but died or been taken over by the Gallery Rifle guys with their long-barrel revolvers and lever-action rifles. In order to get the price down, Alan did try to get Taurus to supply him with revolvers without cylinders but, they refused - the market was just not big enough. A thousands words later and we have reached the point of this article Alans latest offering the Armscor 38 muzzle loading revolver. Here it is in all its nostalgic glory. This little revolver has brought a smile to the face of everyone who has seen it usually followed by Is that legal? Yes, it is entirely legal specifically manufactured to comply with the British law in every respect. The Armscor 38 MLR is made by Armscor especially for Alan and is based on their 38 Special revolver and modified, in manufacture, to his design and so supplied complete, legal and ready to shoot. So, who are Armscor? Armscor are a Phillipinesbased arms manufacturing company who have some interesting product lines take a look at their website www.armscor.com.ph They make a wide range of arms including some very nice 1911 pistols, shotguns,
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rimfires and of course, revolvers. The one we are featuring here is based on their M200 model. But, whereas Taurus would only supply the complete pistol leaving Alan to make and fit a new cylinder Armscor are happy to supply the complete converted pistol as a muzzle-loader. This means that Alan can sell these for an amazing 495! He also does a target version with heavy barrel and sight-rib for a little bit more, if you want to do some serious competition work. However, I suspect many of us will just enjoy the feel of shooting a revolver again like shaking hands with an old friend! OK, OK, I know, this is still a muzzle-loader can I live with a muzzle-loading pistol? Lets find out what its like to shoot the Westlake Armscor. Included with the pistol is a very simple little loadingtool for pressing the bullet into the cylinder. Shotgun primers are used to fire the powder charge and these simply press in with light finger-pressure. After firing, they are easily ejected - in exactly the same way as we used to eject fired cases. Depending on the level of accuracy you wish to achieve, you have the choice of carefully weighing your powder-charge or, as I did, using one of those little yellow Lee powder scoops. The whole process of recharging the cylinder takes but a couple of minutes on the firing-point. And, because we are using nitro powder no need for lube so no mess! Initially, I thought of trying some copper-jacketed bullets but they were very hard to seat and the cylinder is much happier with lead and I did most of my shooting with some swaged lead wadcutters which Brian Fox of Fox Firearms kindly supplied. These are a dry-lubed 148gn bullet and work well in the little Armscor. They can be pressed into the cylinder about half-way using finger pressure, then finished off with the press. I did start off using Bullseye, as it was the only powder fast enough for a pistol that I had in stock (I normally

use it for fire-forming rifle brass without bullets) but then Westlander www.westlander.co.uk came to the rescue with a tub of Lovex SO11 a new pistol powder made in the Czech Republic now being imported by Westlander in addition to their normal range of Accurate Arms powders. Westlander were able to supply a loading booklet for these new powders, which encompassed both pistol and rifle and I soon found a nice target load of around 3.5 grains and enjoyed a great afternoon pistol shooting again! Oh its lovely to see those clean wadcutter holes in a target again! With its four-inch barrel and basic sights, this is no target pistol but it is quite accurate and I was surprised at my efforts. I was never a great pistol shot but I was well happy with the results and it felt oh so good to be doing this again! I do hope these little pistols catch-on and we can see some sort of return to the sport we lost. With a long-barrel revolver or a long-barrel 22 rimfire semi-auto like the Tunnel 1911 another anomaly arises - you cant let anyone else have a go! What? This is down to a strange omission in the Firearms Act, which is interpreted as a prohibition by police forces though personally, I doubt that that was the intention of the Act as of course long-barrel revolvers and the like didnt even exist when the Act was drafted. The same law applies to a section 1 shotgun though thankfully not to a muzzle-loading pistol so another plus for the Armscor at 495, they are cheap enough for your club to get one and see if the interest is there.

The Armscor 38 Special with a twist!


by Vince Bottomley
First, pop in the shotgun primers, then scoop in your powder a funnel helps. Be careful not to doublecharge!

The bullets will half-seat by hand then finish off with the supplied press

Yes, the little Armscor is a different animal to your beautiful stainless Smith & Wesson you begrudgingly surrendered but, if you are willing to pay the price, Alan will be pleased to talk to you about something special like a heavy target barrel and sight-rib but meanwhile, lets get shooting these Armscors, lets get some revolver comps. up and running, lets start tuning triggers and making custom bits and pieces again. Get the holster catalogue out and start choosing your leather pistols are back!
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UKPSA NEWS

THE UKPSA MOURNE MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE GRADED PRACTICAL PISTOL COMPETITION


By David Thompson

UKPSA NEWS

THE UKPSA MOURNE MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE GRADED PRACTICAL PISTOL COMPETITION


By David Thompson

The UKPSAs Handgun Commission organised their second graded IPSC practical pistol competition in a series of graded matches held at the Ulster Small Arms Shooting Club range in Kilkeel, County Down, in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains. The Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. The highest of these is Slieve Donard at 850 metres (2,790 ft). The Mournes is an area of outstanding natural beauty and has been proposed as the first national park in Northern Ireland. Each year the Mournes are visited by many tourists, hill walkers, cyclists and rock climbers. The Mourne Wall is among the more famous features in the Mournes. It is a 22 mile or 35 kilometer dry stone wall that crosses fifteen summits, constructed to define the boundaries of the 8900 acres area of land purchased by the Belfast Water Commissioners in the late 1800s. This allowed the establishment of a water supply from the Mournes to the growing industrial city of Belfast . Construction of the Mourne Wall was started in 1904 and was completed in 1922. The Mournes are also very popular as a destination for Duke of Edinburghs Award expeditions. The Isle of Man and even Snowdonia in Wales can sometimes be seen across the Irish Sea from the Mournes on clear days. You can see more of what Northern Ireland has to offer at www. discovernorthernireland.com A well run graded IPSC competition requires properly trained and qualified match officials to ensure the smooth running of the event. To ensure this, the UKPSA had organised an IPSC Range Officer Training Seminar in March that was conducted by UKPSA Trainers Martyn Spence and Jim Gibney. They put a group of 12 new range officers through the IPSC two day training course, which is

Stefan Kirkpatrick engages targets in Stage eight, which was a dominant hand only stage. Paul Kirkpatrick, Barry Pollard, Jim McEwan and David Thompson have collectively between them some 106 years experience in UKPSA IPSC competitive shooting. 98

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UKPSA NEWS

Andrew Pedlow was one of the contingent of IPSC Ireland members who participated in the competition and finished in second place in IPSC Standard Division

a blend of both classroom work and practical training in situations that they will encounter in a competition. Martyn and Jim also re-qualified UKPSA members who were previously range officer qualified. In the run-up to the match date, the USASC designed and built and assembled all the targets and props. required for the stages of the match. The competition consisted of eight stages. These consisted of one long stage of 32 rounds, two medium stages of up to 24 rounds and five short stages of up to 12 rounds.

UKPSA NEWS

struggling to get the required number of hits and avoid the no shoot penalty targets. The newly qualified range officers ran the eight stages under the control of Range Master Barry Pollard. As the score sheets were being processed throughout the competition, the prize-giving took place very quickly after the last competitors shot their last stages. A series of commemorative plaques were present to the winners in the respective IPSC Divisions. In Standard Division, UKPSA member Paul Kirkpatrick took first place. IPSC Ireland member Andrew Pedlow took second place and UKPSA member Jamie Dick took third place. In Production Division Philip Middleton came in first place, with David Thompson and Colin Beattie in second and third place. As well as Standard and Production Divisions, two other IPSC Divisions, Classic and Open, were also represented. Jim McEwan took the top spot in Open Division and IPSC Ireland member John Fitzgerald took the honours in Classic Division. As well as attracting UKPSA members from Northern Ireland, UKPSA members from Great Britain also travelled over to participate in the competition. We also had a group of competitors from our neighbouring IPSC Region in the Republic of Ireland who also participated in the match. This is the second of a series of graded IPSC Practical Pistol Competitions that will take place in Northern Ireland in both 2012 and beyond. Another two Level II graded IPSC practical pistol competition will take place on the 18th August at the USASC range. Many thanks to all the competitors who attended the match and to all the range staff for their hard work and enthusiasm that was put into running the competition. UKPSA members are looking ahead to 2013 and 2014. The UKPSA National Handgun Squad will be formed to represent the United Kingdom at the IPSC European Handgun Championships that will take place

The stages used a blend of shoot and noshoot targets and reduced-size targets to increase the difficulty. The use of walls and barriers with apertures at different heights increased the difficulty of the stages. Each stage had both full size targets, which allowed you to speed up your shots and a combination of partial targets, with many obscured by no-shoot targets and reduced size targets, which meant that you had to slow it down to ensure that you got the hits and avoided getting misses or hitting the no-shoots. Two of the stages were also dominant hand and support hand only stages. The stages are designed to offer the degree of difficulty that is comparable to the degree of difficulty that you would experience in an IPSC Level III competition on the European IPSC competition circuit. The use of IPSC reduced size targets, set out to 20 metres range, which are only 60% the size of the standard target and by also overlapping this smaller target with no shoot targets, left many competitors

Paul McShane engages the distant IPSC reduced size targets with a STI .40 S&W calibre pistol, which all competitors in this match found to be a real challenge. 100

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UKPSA NEWS

in Portugal in 2013 and the IPSC World Shoot that will take place in Florida, USA in 2014. Later this year, the USASC will start the construction work to add additional shooting bays to their range and in 2013 the club will host a United Kingdom Open Level III Championship IPSC Competition. UKPSA Summer Sizzler Graded IPSC Competition The UKPSA will be holding the third match in this series of graded IPSC practical pistol competitions at the USASC in Kilkeel on 18th August. Entry forms will automatically be sent out to those who are on the UKPSA Handgun Commission mailing list. You can also receive information on the competition and an entry form by emailing handgun@ukpsa.org

Irish Target Sports Graded IPSC Competition Irish Target Sports, the IPSC Ireland Region, will host a graded IPSC practical pistol competition at Dunnyboe Rifle and Pistol Club on the 1st September 2012. You can also receive information on the competition and an entry form via the following web site and e mail address. Web www.irishtargetsports.ie E Mail secretary@irishtargetsports.ie UKPSA Practical Shotgun Safety Training Course The UKPSA will be running a two day Practical Shotgun Safety Training Course in Northern Ireland on 16th and 17th November 2012. A UKPSA qualified Practical Shotgun Instructor will run this training course. This will enable Northern Ireland UKPSA members to organise Practical Shotgun Graded IPSC Competitions

NEWS to take place in Northern Ireland. These matches will be held in 2013. Also in 2013 organised trips will enable UKPSA members from Northern Ireland to participate in the Graded IPSC Practical Shotgun Competition Circuit in Great Britain.

UKPSA

Northern Ireland Target Sports Association The Northern Ireland Target Sports Association ( NITSA ) range is situated just south of Bannbridge near Loughbrickland, County Down. The club hosts a series of competitions each month, which include Police and Service Pistol, Cowboy Action, 1500 PPC and bench rest. Of interest to those who shoot practical pistol

Jaime Dick steadies himself on an aperture while engaging a bank of IPSC reduced size targets. Jaime finished in third place in Standard Division.

Philip Middleton engages targets through an aperture with a 9mm Sig X5 in Stage 1.

Mario Chan travelled over from GB to participate in the UKPSAs graded IPSC pistol competition.

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UKPSA NEWS

the NITSA hold a monthly club level Practical Pistol competition to which all are welcome. You can find out more by looking at their web site www.nitsa.org.uk and email info@nitsa.org.uk The UKPSA Handgun Commission and Irish Target Sports IPSC Ireland Region are working together to bring about another series of graded IPSC practical pistol competitions for 2013. More announcements will be made in due course. Plans are already underway to extend this series of matches to include two IPSC Level III Championship matches during 2013. This will be great preparation for those members from both the IPSC Ireland Region and UKPSA IPSC Region who will be attending the 2013 IPSC European

UKPSA NEWS

Handgun Championships and 2014 IPSC World Shoot in the USA. Anyone who wants to compete in any of the UKPSA competitions can contact the Handgun Commission Secretary at handgun@ukpsa.org Fred Hanna UKPSA Handgun Commission Secretary Web http://www.ukpsa.co.uk/handgunni.html E Mail handgun@ukpsa.org

UKPSA Regional Director Vanessa Duffy presents Philip Middleton with his first place prize in IPSC Production Division.

UKPSA Regional Director Vanessa Duffy presents Philip Middleton with his first place prize in IPSC Production Division.

UKPSA Regional Director Vanessa Duffy presents Paul Kirkpatrick with his first place prize in IPSC Standard Division. A cartridge case is just leaving the ejection port of this 9mm CZ75 Shadow as UKPSA Regional Director Vanessa Duffy engages distant targets.

A long time UKPSA member, Paul Kirkpatrick won Standard Division in the Mourne Mountain Challenge IPSC graded competition.

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