QUICK REMINDERS FOR 2025

SHOOT SCHEDULES:

The Benchrest shooting schedule 2025 is over. 

We would like to see you at the range in 2026 !

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2025 CLUB RECORDS/ GUN SHOW DATES/ NEW BRUNSWICK CLEAN TARGET RECORDS/ CONTACT INFORMATION

DECEMBER 7, 2025 - MINTO - ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOOT

Thanks to Dale H. for sending the results and to Barb J. and Darryl K. for sending some of the pics.

The car was covered in about 4 inches of snow and the temperature was about -11C when I left for the range this morning. Some roads were cleared but not all of them. Then the sun came out and it was like driving in a winter wonderland that gave a new glimpse around each corner of why we love New Brunswick in the winter.

By the time the range was in sight, the temperature had increased to about -7C and it further warmed to -5C by the end of the shooting.

Now, don't get me wrong! Sitting in a nice warm room with the stove cranked up and looking out was great, but our old carcasses complained outside in the cold. This was due to the wind which did not let up all day and was awful. It came from all directions and from all corners of the range. It was hard to find a dominant condition. I don't know what the wind chill was, but our fingers lost their feeling very quickly as it blew into the shooting ports and literally blasted us at times!

Enough of that - the fact that we were doing what we love, with good friends and good food more than made up for a little of bitter winter fury. What we were doing was shooting four fun targets including the famous, (maybe infamous), "Know Your Limits" aka "The Black Death Squares". We also shot two targets - "The Fox" and "The Racoon" 

that were composed of small bulls. Finally we shot the popular "Crows on a Fence" ranging from a large to a small crow on the fence and then the shooter shoots a flock of teeny-tiny flying crows. This last target tests a shooter's abilities like no 

"benchrest for score" standard target does in today's conditions. The "Know Your Limits" target tests strategy as much as shooting ability. A lot of fun!

It was great to spend the day with old friends as well as welcome a new shooter - Tharin T. - who actually shot as well as or better than some of the seasoned shooters in challenging conditions, even though this was his first time out. 

Congrats Tharin. We hope to see you in the coming year.

PEOPLE TO THANK:

Match Director - David C.

Scorer - John M.

Score verifier - Dale H.

Range Officers - Bert deV., Conrad L. and John McC.

Target setter/changers - Cecil H., Barb J., John McC., David C., Tharin T., Dale H., Dan B. and Mike B.

Treats during shoot - Barb J. - banana bread; David C. - coffee

Lunch feast - Bruce B. - beans; Barb J. - mince meat and apple pies and cherry cheesecake; David C. - Chili, brown bread, drinks, hot dogs and condiments

Pictures - Darryl K., Barb J. and Bert deV.

Now to something dear to every shooter's heart - the food! Thanks to Bruce B. we were able to enjoy some terrific beans. David C. brought the very excellent Chili. Both of these were complimented by David C.'s famous brown bread. For those relishing a more traditional range meal, there were David C.'s hotdogs. To top it all off, Barb J. outdid herself with very tasty mincemeat and apple pies as well as a delicious cherry cheesecake. There were many songs of praise for all the items on the menu and no-one left hungry - quite the opposite!

RESULTS OF ALL TARGETS – ( * Indicates Gift Card Winner)

L to R:
Barb J. - winner of Fox Target
Dale H. - winner of Racoon Target
Wayne LeB. - winner of Know Your Limits Target
Cecil H. - winner of Crows Target

Shooter Black Death Fox Crows  Racoon

Bruce B. 15 48 DNF DNF

Dale H. 6 50 33 70*

John M. 0 49 21 66

Barb J. 6 50* 24 57

Cecil H. 22 50 57* 69

John McC. 6 48 13 50

Tharin T. 0 48 40 66

Wayne LeB. 24/3X* 50 47 70

Mike B. 7 49 5 64

Darryl K. 16/2X 46 14 65

Wayne K. 10 44 40 67

George M. 9/2X 49 24 55

Ban B. 16/1X 49 50 66

David C. 16/1X 49 20 67

Bert deV. 15/1X 49 49 70

Conrad L. 0 8 DNF DNF

Gerry J. 6 18 DNF DNF

After the shooting was finished and the results tallied, the winners were presented with a gift card prize for their great performance in today's conditions.

This was followed by the presentation of awards for shooting excellence during the regular scheduled events in 2025. Congrats to the following shooters who were the recipients this year:

L to R:
David C., Wayne LeB., Bert deV., Guy H., Bruce B. and Cecil H.
Absent:
Dan G. and Gerald D.

High RF Open Match score = Bert deV. - 400/32X 

High RF Open Single Target = Bert deV. - 200/18X 

High RF Sporter Match score = Wayne LeB. - 400/26X 

High RF Sporter Single Target = Wayne LeB. - 200/16X 

High CF Open Match score = Bert deV. - 300/23X 

High CF Open Single Target = Cecil H./David C./Bert deV. - 100/9X 

High CF Sporter Match Score = Guy H. - 149/12X 

High CF Sporter Single Target = Guy H. - 50/5X 

The Terry McNeill Rimfire Championship Open Class winner = Bert deV. - 400/29X

The Terry McNeill Rimfire Championship Sporter Class winner = Wayne LeB. - 400/23X

The Annual Minto Centerfire Championship - Open Class = Bruce B. - 298/12X

The Annual Minto Centerfire Championship - Sporter Class = Dan G. - 149/12X

The Annual Minto Rimfire Pistol Championship = Gerald D.

The Annual Minto Centerfire Pistol Championship = Dan G.

WE WISH ALL OF YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

NOVEMBER 30, 2025 - PETITCODIAC - 22ND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOOT

Many thanks to Barb J. and Darryl K. for sending these results and pics. Also, thanks to Volker T. for adding important information.

This weekend, the Petitcodiac Sportsman's Club hosted it's 22nd annual Christmas shoot with 18 shooters from across the southern half of New Brunswick attending. It was the last scheduled shoot of the 2025 season for Petitcodiac with only the Minto Christmas shoot left to go. It appears that everyone had a good time shooting fun targets, having a dinner together,and sharing in the Christmas prizes. Again, no-one went home empty handed.

Thanks to the following for all their help:

Target Scorers: Becky McC., Dan G., Grant H., and Verifier John McC.

Target setters: Dan G., John McC., Grant H., and Volker T.

Range Officers: Dan G., Dale H., and Volker T.

Meal: Barb J and Dorothy McC., for the cookies; Wayne LeB. and Bruce B. for the timbits. David C. for the home made brown bread and Bruce B. for the homemade beans. Chris S. and Grant H. for the food service, sandwiches, etc.

Behind the scenes admin, organization and prizes: John C.

The shoot consisted of 4 fun targets:

1.     THE "LUCKY TARGET":

2.     THE "KNOW YOUR LIMITS TARGET":

3.     THE "FLIES TARGET":

4.     THE "MATCH STICKS TARGET":

RESULTS - ALL TARGETS: (* denotes winner of Turkey)

                              Good Luck           Limits           Flies           Match Sticks

Norbert S. -                  32                      13                 13                     30

David C.  -                    30                      13                 21                     41*  

George M. -                  37                      21                 19                     28

Darryl K. -                    30                      15                  33                     35        

Dale H. -                       37                      13                  24                     40

Becky McC. -               32                       0                   10                     25

John C. -                      19                       4                   DNF                   DNF

John M. -                      32                       0                   37                     30

Volker T. -                     32                      25*                 41                     37

Dan G. -                        42*                      0                   22                     29

Grant H. -                     29                      10                   34                     34

Chris S. -                      35                       6                    26                     34

Cecil H. -                      24                      16                   35                     35

Bruce B. -                    30                        8                   30                     28

John McC. -                 37                        6                   41*                   40

Wayne LeB. -               24                        3                   18                     32

Barb J. -                       27                        3                   12                     21

Richard M. -                 39                       17                  26                     31

A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE

NOVEMBER 23, 2025 - MINTO - RIMFIRE - OPEN/SPORTER

Thanks to Dale H. for sending the results and write-up.

The temperature was -5c when we arrived and it slowly warmed up to about 2c by the end of our day. The wind made it feel much colder as it blew into the shooting building, especially during the first relays. Wind conditions were most dificult to read or predict, as they quickly switched directions and velocities. Most of the time the 3 wind flags in a row, near to far, down range toward the targets, would all be pointing in different directions and the daisy wheels could show near zero to strong gusting winds. Very brief moments of no wind, seconds only, would be observed. It proved, to many, unwise to attempt a shot during this condition.   

Only 5 clear targets were achieved all day as you will notice in the results below. Congratulations go to John McC., George M., and Bruce B. in Open Class Rimfire, and to Wayne LeB. and Richard M. in Sporter Class Rimfire.

Overall Congratulation to the 1st and 2nd place winners of each class. Also, congratulations to all the shooters for posting very respectful scores while enduring the cold and windy conditions. Everyone is looking forward to our Christmas Shoot, which will be our last shoot of 2025. 

PEOPLE TO THANK:

Match Director – Guy H.

Score and Verifier – Dale H. and John M.

Range Officers – Wayne K., Bruce B. and George M.

Treats – Barb J. (Banana bread & Cookies), Richard M. (Cookies), Guy H.. (Coffee)

Target Changers – Barb J., Guy H., George M., Bruce B.and Dale H. 

Pictures – Darryl K. and Barb J.

 

RESULTS – OPEN CLASS RIMFIRE

Shooter                     Targets                             Total

John McC. 198/9X    200/8X           398/17X

Darryl K. 199/8X    199/6X           398/14X

George M. 196/9X    200/6X            396/15X

Dale H. 199/4X    197/7X            396/11X

Bruce B. 200/7X    194/9X            394/16X

Richard M. 196/6X    197/1X            393/7X

Barb J. 193/3X    197/5X            390/8X

Wayne K. 194/0X    185/1X            379/1X

John M.          DNF    196/4X            196/4X

RESULTS – SPORTER CLASS RIMFIRE

Shooter                  Targets                     Total

Wayne LeB. 200/8X    199/9X       399/17X

John McC. 199/11X    199/5X 398/16X

Richard M. 196/5X    200/7X       396/12X

Danny G. 199/9X    196/6X       395/15X

Norbert S. 199/4X    196/6X       395/10X

Volker T. 195/7X    198/5X       393/12X

NOVEMBER 16, 2025 - PETITCODIAC - .22 FUN SHOOT - OPEN CLASS

 Results will be posted when they become available.

NOVEMBER 9, 2025 - MINTO - AGM; RIMFIRE SHOOT, OPEN/SPORTER

Thanks to Dale H. for sending these results.

Today was the date of the Annual General Meeting of the Minto Gun Club which happened under the efficient chairmanship of the president David C. This is usually done before the scheduled shoot.

The day started out cold with about -5C in my driveway. By the time we started shooting, it was still cold at about -2C, a temperature that felt a lot colder due to the biting wind that came into the shooting building through the gun ports. By the end of the day, the temperature rose to about +5C. Winter is here it seems.

The wind was the real story in our shooting conditions. It was tricky, as usual for Minto, with many switches and up-and-down velocity. There was no predominant wind but it came most frequently across the range from 9 o'clock or from about 2 o'clock. It also lingered as a head or tail wind. Many points were lost in the time between sighting and pulling the trigger. At least everyone was exposed to the same conditions. There was no sun today and the overcast sky provided a good sight picture.

There were some notable shooting results today despite the conditions. In Open class Cecil H. shot a clean match with a score of 400/25X. Congrats Cecil! In second place came our friend Wayne K. with an almost clean match of 399/14X. For a man who keeps doggedly shooting for many years this must be a very satisfying result. Congrats to Wayne! In Sporter class, Richard M. shot a clean match with a score of 400/22X. This is the first time that Richard shot a clean match and he now joins the Minto Sporter class 400 Club. Congrats Richard!

Thanks to all the people who stepped up to help out today to make the match work well.

PEOPLE TO THANK:

Match Director – Bert deV.

Scorer and Verifier – Dale H. and George M.

Range Officers – Conrad L., Bert deV. and Barb J.

Treats – Barb J. (Banana bread & Cookies), Richard M. (Cookies), David C. (Coffee and cookies)

Target Changers – Barb J., Cecil H., Dale H., Guy H., George M., Gerald D. and Mike B. 

Pictures – Bert deV. and Barb J.

 

RESULTS – OPEN CLASS RIMFIRE

Shooter                     Targets             Total

Cecil H. - 200/13X    200/12X     400/25X

Wayne K. - 199/6X 200/8X       399/14X

John Mc. - 200/6X    198/9X 398/15X

Dale H. - 196/8X    199/9X       395/17X

George M. - 197/7X    198/5X       395/12X

Barb J. - 194/6X    199/11X     393/17X

Gerald D. - 186/5X    200/10X     386/15X

RESULTS – SPORTER CLASS RIMFIRE

Shooter                  Targets               Total

Richard M. - 200/10X    200/12X     400/22X  

Wayne LeB.    200/8X 198/4X       398/12X

Bert deV. - 196/6X    198/9X       394/15X

John Mc. - 191/3X    198/6X 389/9X

Mike B. - 196/2X    192/4X       388/6X

Norbert S. - 191/3X    195/7X       386/10X

Conrad L. - 188/1X    189/4X       377/5X

Wayne K. - 181/1X    182/1X       363/2X

Gerry J. - 177/1X    169/0X       346/1X

OCTOBER 26, 2025 - MINTO - TERRY McNEILL RIMFIRE CHAMPIONSHIP - 22RF - OPEN/SPORTER

Thanks to Dale H. for sending the following results.

October 26 was the date for the final Rimfire competition of the Minto Gun Club in New Brunswick - the Terry McNeill Rimfire Championship. Both Open and Sporter Classes were included in the match.

We were faced with challenging conditions throughout the entire day. It was about 6C when we started out for the range and the day ended with a very nice 14C. The sky was overcast for most of the match which allowed for a good sight picture and little to no mirage. We wouldn't have seen it anyway as the wind was very active all day long. It was a switching wind with rapid and somewhat unpredictable changes. The velocity was anywhere from relative quiet for short periods to wild bursts upward of 25km/hr. Whenever there was a period of steady wind, it would come from 12 o'clock or from about 3 o'clock switching to 9 o'clock. In short very challenging, especially for a rimfire shooter.

Relay #1

Despite this, and as a testament to how much we have learned in the past few years, some very good scores were recorded. In Open Class, clean targets were shot by Cecil H. with a score of 400/19X, Dale H. with a score of 400/20X and Bert deV. with a score of 400/29X. In Sporter Class, Wayne LeB. shot a clean 400/23X, Volker T. shot 400/21X and Bert deV. shot 400/20X. Congrats to these shooters!

Relay #2

In addition to the competition which was the serious part of the fun, shooters mingled and caught up on news and gossip - also part of the fun of this event. We enjoyed Barb J.'s cookies and date squares, Richard M.'s raisin tarts, and David C.'s coffee. David also provided a lunch of hamburgers for everyone - clearly enjoyed by all. Thanks to these folks for providing the "icing-on-the-cake" for a very pleasant outing.

Relay #3

PEOPLE TO THANK:

David C. - match director, lunch and coffee

Dale H. - scorer, stats of the results

John M. - score verifier, stats of the results

Wayne K., Barb J. and Volker T. - Range Officers

Guy H., Barb J., George M. and Gerald D. - target setters and changers

Barb J. and Richard M. - treats

Barb J. and Bert deV. - pictures

RESULTS - RIMFIRE BENCHREST - OPEN CLASS:

Shooter                     Targets                  Total

Bert deV. 200/14X    200/15X    400/29X

Dale H. 200/13X    200/7X      400/20X

Cecil H. 200/12X    200/7X      400/19X

Gerald D. 199/9X    200/8X      399/17X

Bruce B. 198/12X    200/6X      398/18X

Barb J. 200/10X    196/10X    396/20X

George M. 200/10X    195/5X      395/15X

Guy H. 198/5X    197/6X      395/11X

David C. 191/1X    200/7X      391/8X

Conrad L. 191/7X    197/7X      388/14X

RESULTS - RIMFIRE BENCHREST - SPORTER CLASS:

Shooter                  Targets                     Total

Wayne LeB. 200/11X    200/12X     400/23X

Volker T.  200/10X    200/11X     400/21X

Bert deV. 200/10X    200/10X     400/20X

Richard M. 200/7X    198/4X       398/11X

John M. 197/7X    193/1X       390/8X

Mike B. 190/2X    190/3X       380/5X

Norbert S. 191/4X    186/1X       377/4X

Wayne K. 183/2X    190/0X       373/2X

OCTOBER 19, 2025 - PETITCODIAC - 22 FUN SHOOT AT 100yd

The Petitcodiac Sportsman's Club , under the match direction of Dan G., hosted a rimfire fun shoot where various targets were shot at 100 yards. Everyone had lots of fun even though clean targets were hard to attain.

RESULTS - VARIOUS TARGETS AT 100 YARDS (possible 400/30X):

Richard M. -   97     95/1X     95/2X     93/1X = 380/4X

Dale H. -         94     95/4X     93/0X     92/1X = 374/5X

John M. -       95     93/0X      93/1X     93/2X = 374/3X

Bruce B. -      94     95/1X     90/2X     94/0X = 373/3X

Wayne LeB. - 97     93/0X     90/0X     87/1X =  367/1X

Chris S. -        94     93/1X     89/0X     90/0X = 366/1X

Darryl K. -      93     92/1X      83/0X     91/1X = 363/2X

Volker T. -       84     89/0X     85/0X     92/0X = 355/0X

Dan G. -          92     87/1X     86/0X     89/0X = 354/1X

Becky McC. - 86     85/0X      84/2X       94/0 = 349/2X

Nick W. -        89      83/0X     85/1X      92/0X = 349/1X

John McC. - DNC    DNC       97/4X      99/4X = 196/8X

OCTOBER 12, 2025 - MINTO - CENTERFIRE MINTO CHAMPIONSHIP - OPEN/SPORTER

Here we are, at the end of the regular shooting season for 2025, shooting the final shoot (Minto Gun Club Centerfire Championship). How time flies!

The conditions were not very good for shooting with the early morning temperatures starting out at -2C. The temperature rose to about 15C by the end of the shooting - a really nice fall day. The sun was out all day, bright and glaring off the targets, causing quite a bit of mirage from time to time when the wind was a bit quieter.

It was the wind that created all the problems for everyone. It was strong, between 10 to 25km/hr and constantly switching. If there was a dominant direction it was from the right but this did not persist. Between the time that a shooter got sighted on the target and was ready to pull the trigger, the wind had changed again.

Despite this, a few very good target sheets were shot and the final scores were respectable but no-one shot a clean match. Congrats to the winners in both classes.

PEOPLE TO THANK:

Match Director - David C.

Scorer - Wayne K.

Score Verifier - Mike C.

Target changers - Guy H., Mike C., Wayne K., Bruce B., David C., John McC. and Bert deV.

Range Officers - John McC., Darryl K., David C. and Mike C.

Treats - (coffee and cookies) - David C.

Lunch - (hot dogs) - David C.

Pics - Darryl K.

RESULTS - CENTERFIRE BR - OPEN CLASS:

Bruce B. - 100/7X     99/3X    99/2X = 298/12X (6mmBR)

Bert deV. - 99/6X     99/6X     99/6X = 297/18X (30BR)

Mike C. - 100/8X     99/3X     98/6X = 297/17X (30BR)

Don M.  -  98/2X     100/2X     99/3X = 297/7X (30BR)

Dan G.  -  99/5X      98/3X     98/3X = 295/11X (6mmPPC)

Darryl K. - 98/4X     96/3X     99/3X = 293/10X (6mmBR)

David C. -  98/4X     95/2X     100/3X = 293/9X (6mmBR)

John McC. - 96/1X     96/2X     97/5X = 289/8X (30BR)

RESULTS - CENTERFIRE BR - SPORTER CLASS:

Dan G.  -  50/4X     49/3X     50/5X = 149/12X (6mmPPC)

Guy H.  -  50/5X     50/5X     48/3X = 148/13X (6mmPPC)

Bert deV. - 49/3X     50/1X     46/1X = 145/5X (222Rem)

Wayne K. - 46/1X     48/2X     46/1X = 140/4X (223Win)

Bruce B. -  42/0X     47/1X     49/2X = 138/3X (222Rem)