New Brunswick Benchrest Shooting: September 2023

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023 - PETITCODIAC - CF CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - RESULTS

A terrific bunch of people showed up for the Annual Centerfire Championship Shoot in Petitcodiac this past Sunday. Rifles were tuned and sparkling clean and ammo was carefully made so hopes were high for everyone.

Our hopes soared with the excellent weather conditions today. Very unusual for Petitcodiac, the wind indicators were not moving - at all. This can be a blessing or a curse. On the one hand wind adjustments were minimal but on the other hand just because a wind flag isn't moving doesn't mean that there is no wind affecting bullet travel somewhere on the range. You just can't see it.

At any rate, we were happy that the wind was not a major factor in our decisions today. The temperature was a little cool in the morning but rose to a wonderful 22C later in the day. There was some strong sunlight throughout the match which produced some mirage from time to time. Some shooters had some problems with this.

The match was organised by match director Volker T. who also did the scoring with Bert deV. providing the score verification. The range safety officers were Volker and John McC. while those who walked down-range to change targets included Volker T., John McC., Bert deV., and Becky McC. Thanks folks for your work in making this a memorable match. For the activities off the range - the lunch and the awards presentation, members of the Petitcodiac Sportsman's Club helped out. We thank Grant H. for working on the lunch and also Shelley C. for providing the wonderful desserts. John C. and Chris S. organised the awards which were presented after the match was finished.

RESULTS - CF OPEN CLASS:

John McC. - 100/6X 100/7X 100/7X= 300/20X

Becky McC. - 100/8X 100/7X 100/4X= 300/19X

Cecil H. - 100/3X 100/3X 100/7X= 300/13X

Malcolm McA. - 100/3X 100/3X 100/5X= 300/11X

Danny G. - 100/8X 99/6X 100/7X= 299/21X

Bert deV - 99/5X 100/7X 100/7X= 299/19X

Don M. - 100/4X 100/4X 99/6X= 299/14X

Tony L. - 100/2X 99/4X 98/2X= 297/8X

Chris A. - 98/5X 98/1X 99/4X= 295/10X

After the match was completed, the scoring and stats done, we assembled in the club house for the award presentations. First up was the presentation of medals to members of the Petitcodiac centerfire team which had placed first earlier in the year at the team shoot. They included Tony L., Malcolm McA., Danny G., John McC., and Volker T. Congrats again fellas.

Next was a presentation to Becky McC. who had scored a clean target (a score of 300) in a centerfire match also earlier in the year.

Then Bert deV. was presented with 2 plaques - one for scoring the highest match score during the regular shooting season (300/27X) and one for shooting the highest single target sheet score (100/10X) during the regular season. He shared this latter award with Darryl K.

Then came the awards related to this championship shoot. John McC. came in first with a score of 300/20X; Becky McC. came second with a score of 300/19X and Cecil H. came third with a score of 300/13X. Congratulations on some very fine shooting.

Monday, September 11, 2023

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 - PETITCODIAC - 9th ANNUAL MARTIN F. TOPF RIMFIRE CHAMPIONSHIP - RESULTS

This morning we had a reminder that it's early September and that Fall is just around the corner. The temperature, when we drove to the range in Petitcodiac was 12C and fog banks hugged the valleys. The softer maple trees along the river have started to turn colours. For some of us this is the perfect time of the year and certainly a fine time to hold the 9th Annual Martin F. Topf Rimfire Championship.

Twenty-one shooters from the southern part of New Brunswick agreed with this and shooters came from Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Mazerolle Settlement and many places in between. It was a spirited match and a great opportunity to hang out with friends and shooting colleagues. It is safe to say that in addition to a great match we had a lot of fun - championships in Petitcodiac are like that!

The membership of the Petitcodiac club worked hard to make this event a successful one. The match director and organizer was Volker T. who, aside from shooting, also scored the match and was the MC for the award presentations afterwards. John C., as in years past, organized the awards and prizes. Many thanks to Grant H. and Chris S. for the food and clean-up. Dan G.and Bert deV. were the score verifiers. Darryl K., Bruce B. and John McC. were the ROs while Bruce and John, along with Gerald D. set and changed the targets. The wonderful treats during the match were provided by Barb J. and Dan G. while the delicious desserts after the lunch were provided by Dorothy McC. and Barb J. Thanks to everyone who helped out - I apologise if I'm missing some folks in this category.

The weather during the match could only be described as ideal with temperatures in the 14C range in the morning and closer to 24C in the afternoon. The weatherman had predicted a lot of rain and storm clouds this weekend for the Moncton area but it must have gotten lost on the way here as we had no rain and little or no wind (we did get a little rain on the way home). There were many quiet periods and the little wind that was there varied according to one's position on the firing line. True to the winds on the Petitcodiac range, it switched and was probably not the same for any 2 shooters.

The championship match consisted of two target sheets of 25 rimfire bulls with a high score possible of 500/50X. We witnessed some very fine shooting with very few points lost in the entire field and especially in the top scores. Congrats are due to John McC. who shot a score of 500/33X; Wayne LeB. with a 500/32X; Gerald D. with a 500/28X; Volker T. with a 500/26X and Darryl K. with a 500/20X.

RESULTS - RF BENCHREST - OPEN CLASS:

John McC. - 500x33 Matt McA. - 499x23 Stephen C. - 498x21
Wayne LeB. - 500x32 George M. - 499x22 Danny G. - 498x20
Gerald D. - 500x28 David C. - 499x21 Norbert S. - 497x20
Volker T. - 500x26 Cecil H. - 499x20 John C. - 496x14
Darryl K. - 500x20 Barb J. - 499x18 Grant H. - 495x17
Bert deV. - 499x29 Chris S. - 499x16 Becky McC.- 493x16

John M. - 499x24 Bruce B. - 499x13 Brian P. - 488x9

After the match was completed and the scoring and stats were verified, we all trooped to the clubhouse for the year's award presentations and the famous drawing for prizes. This began with congratulations to Grant H. who shot his first 500 match in Rimfire in 2023. Congrats Grant!

After this came the awards to the Rimfire Shooting team who won first place at the annual rimfire team shoot. This team consisted of Volker T., Brian P., John C., John McC., Danny G. and Grant H. Congratulations fellows!

Next a presentation was made to Bert deV. for the highest score during the 2023 regular shooting schedule for a single target sheet (250x19) and for the highest score in a match during the 2023 regular shooting season (500x35).

The day ended with the traditional drawing of prizes. All shooters' were able to select a prize from the table in random order. It can be said that everyone went home tired but happy. We were only sorry that this could not have lasted longer!! But . . .other eagerly anticipated championships are coming up soon and we sure hope you'll be there!

Monday, September 4, 2023

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023 - MINTO - CF BR - RESULTS

It's almost fall - not by the calendar but going by the weather early in the morning when starting out for the range. It was about 12C degrees and there was a heavy fog in the valleys. This certainly did not last as, during the day, the temperature rose to 25C and it became clear and sunny.

Of course, as the day warmed up, the wind also increased. There was relatively little or no wind to contend with for the first relay or two but it did increase and changed from a steady left-to-right wind to one that swirled around the range at about the 50 yard mark. And yes - there were those moments of what appeared to be a total calm. It was hard to choose a condition that lasted long enough for some good shots.