Grampian Air Rifle Club
Grampian Air Rifle Club

                                             Competitions and Events

Shooting at metal holes (AKA Benchrest Lite)
 

First off – Thanks to those taking part and congratulations to our winner – Bri who throws off the “Mr 10m” mantle.
 

The rules were simple, two rounds of five shots (one at each of 5 holes).  To score, the pellet must pass through the hole without touching the sides.  

A piece of paper behind the “Steel Plate of Holes” shows if the pellet went through the hole; paint chipped off the “Steel Plate of Holes” means it didn’t go through cleanly.


Because of the numbers we decided to start a little earlier than planned at 19:00.  Ten marksmen decided to pit their skills against the “Steel Plate of Holes”. 


As everybody was taking a step back so as not to go first, I pulled parental rank and got Robert to go first (sorry Robert.)  He started with a very good score of 4 from 5, bettered only by Dead-eye Bri with 5 from 5.  Copious amounts of paint was necessary to covers the chips and splats (in large part due to four shooters scoring 0.)  Second round and Paul pulled it out the bag to get the highest score of the round - 4 from 5.  Dead-eye Bri scored a middle of the road 3 from 5, while Robert lost his 2nd place by scoring only 2 from 5.

 

 

Colin did what is becoming his signature strategy: first round left-handed, second round right-handed – God help us if he decides to get serious!
 

While hoping to get three rounds in, we only got two done, but here’s the scores:

1st – Dead-eye Bri (8/10)

2nd – Paul (7/10)

Joint 3rd – Robert and Steve L (6/10)

5th – Chris (3/10)

Joint 6th – Les, Nick and Bruce (2/10)

9th – Colin (1/10)

10th – Matthew, shooting with borrowed rifles, (0/10)

 

Compared to last time, Bri (7/15) and Robert (2/15) improved dramatically.  Of note was Bruce, because he took part with an HW98 that he hadn’t shot before (maybe that comment says more about my view on springers.)  After he had proffered a bunch of excuses reasons, he came joint 6th.
 

This was the second ‘go’ we had at this discipline.  The number of people taking part was really, really good.  There was a strong sense of "all together" instead of us doing our own shooting thing and seeing a number of people practising with rifles not often bought to Denwood was quite a sight.  Gratitude to those who helped set up the benchrest table and putting the hallowed “Steel Plate of Holes” on its altar (well, the zeroing box...) at the end of the indoor 25m range.

 

The comp was enjoyed by most (possibly all as I didn’t get to talk to everyone afterwards); so much so, I’ll be running it as a formal club comp alongside the pistol comps.  We’ll still have the ‘kitty’ (Dead-eye Bri walked away with £7 and Paul £3), as it’s nice to get a prize

The logistics aren’t the same as for the pistol comps, so the comp will be held on the third Wednesday of each month, starting February 19th.  October will be the last month – so we can present a trophy at the AGM.  I’m thinking of taking the best seven scores, thus letting people miss two comps due to holidays etc. and not be penalised.

SO, GET THOSE RIFLES OUT, GET PRACTISING, BRING A QUID AND GET TO DENWOOD ON THE 3rd WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH.

And that goes for you too SteveP, you had your taster with Dead-eye Bri’s gun, so no excuses.  And Russ, WTF mate - get shooting with us!

Oh!  Realised I used the term "marksmen" earlier - think I should've used ‘"marksperson!"

 

Thanks to Steve L for the comp and this piece.

 

Square pegs and round holes...

 

The GARC website foretold of a competition for PCPs to be held on the last Denwood Wednesday in December 2019.  It didn’t lie and a taster of Benchrest competition was on the menu.  Shooting some very capable PCP rifles, four gallant precision shooters took up the challenge.


The format and rules were simple:

    • A white painted steel plate, with 25, 12mm holes was set up at the end of the 25yd indoor range with a sheet of paper behind it.

    • Each person took a single shot at ten different holes.

    • If there was a hole in the paper and no paint chipped off the steel around it, one point was awarded.

    • No hole in the paper, or even the smallest chip of paint missing, then it's a zero.

Misses and splits clearly visible on the white paint.


At this point Steve L was accused of cheating as it was his plate and had been practising for years.  Yeah, practising being a ‘meh’ shot maybe!

Robert, channeling his inner Peaky Blinder, started us off with Cher, his recently inherited HW110.  Steve L followed with a Mk4is (Gaystate, unicorn tasting blocks, stocks made from minced and reconstituted My Little Ponies, exorbitant prices.)  Nick with his Ultimate Sporter (the best laminate stock ever IMO) had a go and Bri broke out his seldom seen S400 (still one of the very best – the rifle, that is!)

 

Again, Russ cried off – aside the pistol comp, I think he’s more about talking and writing than pitching himself against others.

Abstaining from the comp because he didn't pack a PCP was Chris W. Keen to participate, he asked if the steel plate could be bought next time.  He was also heard talking to himself, saying “Now I’ll have to zero a pcp for 25yds!”

Being addictive, shooting ten holes was not enough, so a second round of five holes each (the time was getting on and Tony was packing away around us) meant the final score was out of a possible 15. There was some very fine precision shooting but there was more metal being hit .

 

The scores.  It was close at the top with a spread of six points between the highest and lowest scores.

 

Steve L 8

Bri  7

Nick  4 

Robert  2

 

Bri remarked that the scoring was harsh - while a split pellet may record a "kill" in HFT/FT, even the tiniest nick of paint would be a zero in this comp.  This precision makes all the difference - if we relaxed the rules and just counted the holes in the paper then the scores would have been a much closer 15, 14, 13 and 12 (Steve L, Bri, Robert and Nick.)

Some of the comments were:

    “It’s nice to test the precision these are guns are made for.”

    “That scoring is harsh, the paint's only just nicked!”

    “Ah, nicked it again”

    “Well that was a solid miss.”

    “Oooh, got to do that again.”

    “That should become a regular event.”

    “Bring the plate again so I can have a go?”


How difficult is it to thread a 4.5mm pellet through a 12mm hole without touching the side – after all, we read about ‘single-hole’ or ‘clover-leaf’ groups? Well, we’ll tell; not that bloody easy!

Bri has spoken of getting a plate with more holes made (which would save on the range disruption) so, having tried the idea, we'll have a more advertised ‘informal’ competition to test the water for perhaps a series throughout the year.  Many of us enjoy shooting from a rested position on the 25m range so don’t be shy - have a go and really test those one-hole groups.


Merry Christmas.

 

Many thanks to Steve L for this piece.

 

Well, after two days of being in shock, I am now able to put down in words the competition held on Wednesday 4/12/19.  Bugger!! would sum it up for me.

Les scored a four on the first round with Bri's utterly fantastic Model S (.22) and put the willies up the rest of us - bets were being taken that there maybe a new hot shot in town.  But then a downfall with a two and then…... yes, it was a zero for a total score of six.

 

Steve L started off with a three in the first round with his newly acquired Imp. Model D then another three followed by a two.  He was obviously sliding downhill at this point and, if we'd time for a fourth round, would it have been a zero?   Total of eight for Third place.   Well done Sir but your son still beat you!  I trust he shared the chips?

Chris M, the winner of the Waulkmill open sights comp with older rifles, scored a good steady two in each round with Bri's Model S, total of 6.

Bri.  Hmmm, what do we say here?  Using his own gun (BSA Model S 1919 - the Choice of Champions) which proved itself to be very accurate when used by other shooters.  Bri, a member of the GARC Musketeers shot a one, two and then a three of which the last shot was the centre paddle, gaining two points for the price of one and bringing his total up to six.  At 10m, this boy can shoot all on target and within the bull so it's time to shoot beyond the magic 10 meters with this proven beauty (Webmaster's note - don't remind me...)

Chris W.....Bugger!!! I hang my head in shame, a steady ONE in each round - ONE!  Bugger ,bugger, bugger! Should have stuck to my trusted and proven model D (a three time bag of chips winner) instead of using my Midland Demon .22 which is zero'd to 25 yrds and very good.  Shame we were shooting at 20 yds because I need my chips on a Wednesday night!!!  But wait until next time chips chaps because you're all going down, I am going to batter you and probably rub salt in too.

Before I come to the Dark Horse, I should mention that Les, Chris M and Nick H had barely ever shot these old girls of yesteryear and went into this comp without a warm up using Bri's Model S.  Their scoring surely proves that Bri's beastie is indeed an accurate and steady shooter which also
claimed the most knock downs of the night.  If only this was true of its owner... Well done to all the cold entry marksmen - you did yourselves proud.

Nick H.  Jammy devil or shark?  Nick started off with the Model S and, having had no practice beforehand, scored a zero on the first round.  After my performance, I have to say I was happy about this and I think some others were too.


Second round and Robert cleared the targets with lots of booing and cheering for a outstanding performance.  Steve L had a good showing and was very pleased with himself, telling all that would listen that he was now in second place and with a round to go could still win.  Up next was Nick who scored three knock downs which was a good but just above average score - he would have to do better to stop coming last.


Third round and Robert lost the plot, scoring only a one after his previous clear round!  Steve L was jumping for joy, he was going to come in second place after scoring a two.  Surely no one else could take that away from him now. However, there was still Nick to shoot and, lets face it, after a zero and then a three, the chances of a full house were going to be slight.  Steve L's mouth was starting to water from the taste of the Chips that his son would throw at him on the journey back home.

It was like watching the lottery with your numbers being called.


One duck fell with a cheer from nearly all.  Bang and another duck disappeared - another cheer followed.  Steve was still in second place and still not worried.
Then a third duck fell to Nick the Shark.  People were starting to watch very closely now and the noise had dropped to a very light chatter.  Sweat was starting to form on Steve L's forehead.  Could the impossible happen?  The crowd were now behind Nick H with this sudden change in marksmanship. 

Nick H would have to claim this last duck for a confirmed third place. Bang and the duck fell, another cheer went up and then silence.  Apart from Russ who, oblivious of the tension, carried on talking about something pistol related during an old rifle shoot.  He was soon told to shut up by all as this next shot would prove to be the most important shot of the competition.  The centre paddle was the last standing and known as the smallest and hardest of the targets and, should it fall to Nick's shot, it would give him two points and beat Steve L, into Second place by one point.  Even Bill was looking on in excitement, but didn't take part as usual. Too much gun for this electronic shooter, but each to their own.

Complete calm and quiet now hit the room.  Only the rumble of Steve's belly could be heard and a very low tone unknown voice muttered....Bugger!
A bang followed, and it was all over - the centre paddle hit the back of the net and a loud cheer erupted.  The winner was Robert, Nick got second with his outstanding 11th hour performance and Steve came in 3rd, restoring honour to the House of L after the previous week's outing. 

 

Well done to Robert for winning the bag of chips and for getting a clear round, seems you're getting to grips with that Model L - 1st round four, 2nd all five (for six points) and 3rd one for a total of score of 11 out of 15.

It reminded me of the 1988 Winter Olympics when all can remember Eddie the Eagle and few can recall the winner.   Well done to all that took part.

 

And Robert never gave Steve any chips on the way home.

 

Many thanks to Capt. Chris W for this piece.

 

What The Duck???

 

Our November "informal" competition took place (in November bizarrely enough - 27/11/19 to be precise) and produced a clear winner but more of that later.

 

 

Those infamous ducks were the target again.  This time they were lurking in their steel bunker at 20-ish yards.  We numbered seven hunters of these hard to hit quackers – it would have been eight but Russ was more interested with something in a cute shade of baby blue -  and there was a selection of four old BSAs - two Improved Model Ds in .177, a Model S .22, a Model L (.177) both from 1925 and a positively youthful mid 20th Century BSA Cadet.

 

Gentlemen, choose your weapons...

 

After a bit of discussion, a set of simple rules were agreed: five pellets each then, after everyone has shot, another five pellets each. The scores therefore are out of ten.

 

Someone had to start so Steve took his Model S and recorded a very rounded score.  Having set the bar low and receiving the appropriate abuse, the other sharpshooters stepped up to the mark.

 

A bit of colour for this event:

 

  • Inter-service rivalry between the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy

  • A shooter who had never shot a BSA of such advancing years

  • Gun swaps between rounds

  • Underlying turmoil of a possible gun sale/purchase

  • Cries of “That’s my gun, he can’t outshoot me with my gun”

  • ‘Friendly’ fire in the form of amusing verbal roastings

  • Some agreed “I hit that, but it didn’t stay down” scores

  • Shrieks of delight when hitting a duck; not unlike those of a prepubescent girl at the sight of their pop idol (you know who you are - shame on you!)

 

 

Anyway, where was I?  Oh yes, the first-round interim scores:

 

Joint 1st with three was John (using Chris’s BSA Improved Model D) and 

Chris.

3rd with two was Bri (also using Chris’s gun.)

Joint 4th with one was Colin (using Steve’s BSA Model S) and Alex (using           his own Cadet.)

Joint 6th – sounds better than last – with less than one was Robert (using his own BSA Model L) and Steve.

 

At this point, emotions were varied.  John was pleasantly surprised, Chris was spitting feathers (metaphorically, not duck) as his gun was used to such good effect and Colin was clearly not taking it seriously, having shot standing, sitting, left-handed and right-handed, while still outshooting Robert and Steve.  Alex, well Alex is so laid back I can’t say what Alex’s emotions were.  Bri was rueing not having his own BSA S Model but putting on a brave face. And the House of L was cast into shame with Robert and Steve being dead last having missed completely.

Robert ensuring that the ducks went unharmed.

 

So, not having learned from the first attempt, we moved onto the second round. P!ssed with his score, Steve did a sneaky raid and nabbed Chris’s other BSA Improved Model D.  John shot brilliantly, accompanied by a mixture of cheers and “That’s my gun” he took out four of the ducks!"  Robert, being a chip off the old block, decided to abandon his Model L and shoot the same gun as Steve. Then Russ turns up and turns Bri's eye with the mouth-watering prospect of said baby blueness (Webmaster's note - Russ is into Blue stuff.  No surprise there then...)  I can’t remember who shot next, my confusion not being helped by the arrival of Black Tony, our erstwhile newly appointed Key Holding Dinosaur.  With these distractions overcome (ignored) the competition continued.  Despite some good shooting by the other competitors - Alex improving his first-round score by 300% - the focus was on the battle for first place.  Having been set a possible (but unlikely) score to beat, all eyes were on Chris; the result of this pressure being evidenced in the final scores:

Chris being cocky.

 

1st – John, with seven.  A brilliant first-time experience with these old guns.

2nd – Alex, with four.  With a merely old rather than ancient gun.

3rd (joint) – Chris and Steve, with three.  The pressure got to Chris and Steve’s underhand raid on Chris’s arsenal paid off.

5th (joint)– Bri and Robert, with two.  A solid but slightly disappointing performance.

7th – Colin, with one.  From Colin’s second shot we knew he wasn’t taking it seriously despite his first shot being a very solid hit.

Last – Russ, for wimping out.  I’ll not record some of the words and phrases used to describe his decision not to enter.

John showing us how it's done.  The git...

 

The real winners, without doubt, were the ducks - 70 shots and only 22 succumbed.  The bas***ds!

 

These informal competitions are fun, and with £1 to enter you can even get a bag of chips on the way home if you win.  Remember, Competition Night is the last Wednesday of the month.  Be there or be Russ! 

 

Many thanks to Steve L for this piece.

Competition Wednesday 25/9/19 

Vintage gun shoot with the Garc-y Blinders!

 

Wednesday 25th of September 2019, and a time warp hit Denwood !!!. Shooters suddenly found that their Air Arms and Daystates had been transformed into raw, good old British Steel and re-materialised into yesteryear top air rifles, ranging from 1908 to the1930's in the form of BSA's model D, two outstanding BSA Standards, a BSA Break Barrel and a Midland Gun Co. Demon thrown in as well.

So a competition was called for with these would be musketeers.  With the welcome return of the Denwood ducks (sadly missed by most, a play on words in this case,) all was set for a evening of open sight mayhem.  With a small pot of pennies put aside for a winners purse, it was all out war to knock down the ducks at 20 yards for 3 rounds per musketeer and a final display of long range marksmanship at 25 yards to seal the deal.  Steve L had to rob his son Robert to secure the entry fee, so that he could pit his own newly acquired granny against the other grannies that had their pensions with them.

The competition was open to all, but sadly only a few club members attended this Wednesday club night.  However there will be a formal repeat of this event at the end of October, so put it in your diaries.

 

As a note the combined age of the guns used amounted to 483 years!!! However the Demon didn't perform in the ducks shoot off due to there being no suitable hammer to adjust the rear sight - don't ask, its an old gun thing.

I will not tell you the scores on the doors, as I hope that one of the other Musketeers will add their tuppence worth and finish the story. I will say that the purse won by the winner helped to go towards a bag of chips at the end of the night.  Very nice they were too!  So musketeers, please add your comments and don't be too hard on the ducks!  By Chris W.

 

Ok, I’ll expand on our “Competing Grannies” as Chris is being modest.  The target had four ducks and one reset paddle, each shooter had five pellets per round.  On two of the rounds Chris hit all the ducks with a pellet to spare.  As I said I was soundly beaten, coming last by a big margin (beginners luck proven.) 1st was Chris, I was last and if my addled memory doesn’t fail me, Bri and Robert tied for 2nd.  By Steve L.

 

Close Steve but your addled memory is indeed letting you down.  Chris was 1st, Bri 2nd, Robert 3rd and your good self was 4th.  The ducks displayed their usual stealthy qualities against open sights which made Chris's 4/5 rounds (two of them) all the more impressive and resulted in a couple of Victory Laps. 

Damn good fun these old guns - a refreshing change from soulless PCPs - and they smell good and make you want to eat chips.  Make sure you don't miss the next competiton.  

                         Competition Wednesday 24/4/19 

 

                              Oh God, where do I start with this one...

 

Here's a question for when we're sitting round the coffee table with our crisps and kitkats fending off Lucy - Which country makes the best airguns? 

 

Some may say Germany, citing the legend of Teutonic Engineering.  Others may (correctly) say Britain for the combination of history and modern day high end design.  Sweden would be well represented with the likes of FX at the cutting edge and the US have a long airgunning tradition and are leading the way with high power, large bore guns.

 

Other countries like Spain, Turkey and the Czech Republic also bear consideration, producing mass market guns at attractive prices - maybe not glamourous but necessary all the same.

 

The question is sure to raise debate and different opinions but one thing we can all agree on is the flip side - Which country makes the worst airguns?

 

China.  No argument. 

 

And we had four steaming piles of their finest for this challenge - a B2 so old it didn't have scope dovetails, another B2 with such delusions of grandeur that it thought it was a MIG 15 and a pair of B3 sidelevers, each with an AK47 identity crisis. 

 

What could possibly go wrong?

 

The original idea was to set up on the 50m range and blast away at the spinning ducks two at a time.  However, the weather was a little iffy and most folks were shooting indoors so...  With the ducks at the far end of the 25m range, they did their usual silver against a white background camouflage thing but they needn't have bothered as the guns available were only casually acquainted with the widely accepted concepts of consistency and zero'ed sights.

 

Consequently, scores were a tad on the low side.  Actually, they were bl**dy abysmal.  Every hit, few as there were, was such an event that it got a cheer.    A third of the shooters scored 0 including Chris W with his own gun.  Bri and Tony also got a big fat zero.  Experienced shot Alex only managed a 1 along with Nick H.  Chris M gets credit for a 2, a score that, in any other competition, would be cause for concern.  Moral Victory of the night went to Ewan with a standing, open sighted 1 - no small achievement with the tools at hand. 

 

Leading the field (or should I say, least bad) were Paul and Les, each with 4.

Both used Paul's AK-alike, leading to rumours that only Paul knew the fabled True Zero.  Personally, I don't believe them because, in that case, he should have got a much better score.  It's also possible that Les is some sort of "Gun Whisperer." 

 

A shootout between these two titans had Paul emerging victorious and lifting the winner's purse.  Everyone who used Paul's gun had the last laugh though as we dropped so many pellets down it's innards while loading that it's bound to jam in the near future - ha ha!

 

As with past competitions, low scores did not mean low fun - we had a good laugh and thanks, as usual, go to Chris W, Paul and Teri (on resetting duty) for making it happen.

 

 

Competition Wednesday 27/3/19 

 

Ducks!  Farsands of 'em!  Does Chris breed them? 

And why are they so stealthy and pelletproof?  I think we should be told. 

 

 

As happens from time to time, there wasn't a large attendance at Denwood so the competition was a bit undersubscribed compared to previous sessions.  However, low numbers did not mean low enthusiasm from the participants and this one turned out a bit livelier than usual with two shooters simultaneously firing at the same moving target in what Chris described as Cat & Rat.

 

The idea was, the "Rat" would try to shoot down the ducks while the "Cat" would chase and attempt to knock them back up.  Sounds straightforward but hits would cause the ducks to spin, putting a whole new errrr.. spin on things.

 

Chris, Paul, Shaun, Les, Ewan and Bri all let rip at the downy little b^$7^£d$ with a variety of pistols, intent on defeating not only each other but the ducks inbuilt camouflage system - reflective silver against a white background does not make for good visibility, the cunning little gits!

 

We did keep scores but, to be honest, not nearly enough of the ducks died for my liking and in any case we were having too much fun to take the end result seriously.  There was a winner but who cares when you're having a laugh?  And following that, there was an impromptu challenge match between Chris shooting a BSA Buccaneer rifle and Bri with the FWB 80 pistol which was a little more tactical but no less fun.

 

Chris's fast moving and competitive Cat & Rat formula worked a treat though and I reckon it'll be even better with rifles outdoors - don't miss it the next time!

                           Night shoot at Waulkmill 2nd March 2019.

 

Nine brave souls attended but I can only find score cards for six so please forgive omissions they'll probably be along later.  We were pleased to welcome Shug and Elaine who towed their caravan from Killbride (isn`t that illegal, killing brides?)  This was Elaine's first proper shoot, in the dark, with a Cometa 200, recoiling and .22 (start off easy then!)

 

Also attending were, Chris Ward, Paul Shepherd with grandson, Chris Malcolm and Teri who doubled up as Soup Dragon Dale also took part and submitted a score card which went -

 

Name-- ME.

Rifle--yes.

Scope--yes.

Magnification--no.

PX-- maybe.

Class-- some.

 

But since he didn't sign his card and obviously wishes to shoot incognito, we will just refer to him as ME, which is really confusing cos I have been me for 69 years and I got there first.  Either that or he's got Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Mark Reid brought his Dad who kept the score for Mark and Paul Bates (see I didn't call myself ME cos that`s already taken.)  

 

We started with a safety brief which, cos I had left me bit of paper at home, I did from memory.  It included all the usual stuff and two important additions - "The marshalls will be regarded as Gods, don`t argue with them"  and, really important, "Don`t go towards the bright light, it`s probably mounted on someone's rifle."

 

We set off into the dark and scary woods of the bottom course,  Elaine was startled by the noisy dhoos up in the trees who were flapping about in the branches.  Then it rained, that sort of penetrating misty stuff that gets on your scope and makes it seem like you just developed cataracts.  We all swapped positions cos some groups were slower than others and, by the time we had reached the infamous Pink Beaver, the rain had stopped.  We continued without incident to the finish.

 

Having myself completed the course, and being a marshall, I went back to look for the stragglers.  They were on Target 19 so I walked the rest of the round with them, messing their night vision up with me head torch.  We finally left the course decidedly after ten o`clock.  It was then 4degC.

 

I think everyone enjoyed themselves, there were no deaths/injuries/alien abductions and nobody complained, threw a hissy fit or burst into tears so it must have been good.

 

Scores - (the ones I've got, again apologies for those missing)

Mark Reid 52

ME ( the other one) 46 mainly taken unsupported cos there were no rules

Chris Malcolm 44

Paul Bates 39

Shug 35

Elaine 34

 

So there we have it - sporting immortality and a seat in the Pantheon of Shooting Greats for Mark Reid.  Would've liked a bigger attendance but I can`t force people to shoot.  I'm extremely pleased with the support that we had on the night and in the setting up and those that didn`t bother to attend really missed a good night.  Never mind, I'm sure there'll be other events.

 

Regards,

 

Field Marshal Paul Bates, AMIMI*, DSO, MOT, T&T and Bar.

*go on google it, you know you want to!

 

PS  If anyone has pictures from the night shoot, please zap them to Webmaster Bri for inclusion.


 

                        Competition Wednesday 27/2/19

 

This month's competition was a two parter - five shots at a 10m paper target and another five at the sodding ducks.

They may not look it from this picture but these ducks have evolved a camouflage system that makes them all but invisible when looked at through open sights.  Very unsporting of them.

 

Still, they deserve to be shot so off we went a-hunting.

 

Low powered springers were our tools and open sights the norm.  

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, a number of interesting guns were available and Nick H decided on Chris's 1926 BSA Model L over newer items.  Unless you're a Collector, it's not every day that you get to shoot such things.

 

 

Going a bit more modern, Nick R thought he'd have a try with Bri's HW30S "Paper Puncher."

 

Suited towards 10m shooting, the HW30S got Nick a middling 37 on the paper target.  And that was seated from a rested position.

 

Not the gun's fault, I hasten to add.

 

 

However, worse was to come when he attempted to despatch the ducks.  Employing their chameleon-like qualities, the little gits just couldn't be seen through the diminutive Weihrauch's diopter sight resulting in a score that Nick won't thank me for printing.

 

 

Paul had a crack with his plinking Gamo.  The more observant among us may note that the gun is sporting a scope but, whaddahell, it's not as if we're a bunch of Rule Freaks. 

 

To compensate, Paul manned up and shot standing - kudos!  That said, the scope didn't help much on paper but got a joint lead of three on the ducks.

It wasn't all plain sailing though.  Russ, being used to the latest and most modern of kit, used the BSA L.  His disdain of using a gun that wasn't from this millennium was only exceeded when he saw the pellets Chris provided - grey, oxidised efforts with bits of grass and weeds mixed in. 

 

Not happy with this, Russ asked for a Certificate of Conformity and a Letter of Provenance for the pellets along with some scales to weigh them.  Chris replied that he'd also need a Risk Assessment if he don't stop complaining.  It got a bit heated after that with punches thrown, crutches smashed over heads, pellets shoved where the sun don't shine and a bar room brawl the likes of which had not seen since the Golden Age of Westerns. Things quietened down after the Police left.  Or so I'm unreliably informed - I went for a cuppa and missed it all.

 

 

 

 

Returning to calm and sanity, Les had a try standing with Alex's BSA Cadet. 

 

Dating from the 1950's, the tiny Beezer handled affairs quite nicely.

Other mentions include Colin who also had a go with the Cadet, Bri, on seeing Nick flounder with the diopter sights on the ducks, switched to the IZH-46M "Izzy" pistol with only marginally better results and, to his shame, Tony, who took one look at the ducks down the sights and ran away.

 

Intimidated by four little ducks.  Pitiful.

 

 

 

In the end, we had a clear winner.  Last month's runner up Alex took the top spot with the highest paper score and joint highest duck count using the Cadet.

 

Well done, Sir! 

Shooter                Gun                 Target       Ducks          Total (ex 55)

 

Alex                     Cadet                   46             3                 49

Nick H                  BSA L                  33             2                 35

Nick R                  HW30S                37             1                 38

Bri                        HW30S/Izzy         42             2                 44

Paul                     Gamo                   35             3                 38

Les                       Cadet                   40             2                 42

Colin                     Cadet                   37             1                 38

Chris                     BSA L                  29             3                 32

Russ                     BSA L                  37              1                38

Tom                      BSA L                  34              1                35

Tony                       N/A                   MIA/Deserted                 0

 

 

All that remains is to thank Chris for his efforts, everyone who took part and leave with a fitting salute to those 8!%%£y ducks! 

Competition Wednesday 30/1/19

 

 

 

Chris W looks normal* (from a distance) but new GARC'ers Aaron, Les and Per soon discovered what all long standing members know - that looks can be deceiving - when Chris devised a targetless shoot for our monthly competition.

Yep, 10 shot NSRA sheets turned the wrong way                                         round and you had to estimate where the targets were.

 

Hit the black, score a point.  Batshot crazy but there you go.

 

Anyway, Alex bravely started the show with his splendid HW100 and damned if he didn't get 10/10!

 

 

 

The rest of us then piled in, spurred on by Alex making it look so easy.

 

A target (thankfully the right way round) was taped to the lane wall to give a reference for guessing.

 

Shaun with the S200 studying where to put his next shot.

 

 

 

In the spirit of GARC, Paul lent his S200 to anyone who needed a gun.

 

Les getting to grips with reloading and slowly realising what he's got himself into.

 

Too late now, mate!

 

 

Aaron also having a crack with Paul's gun. 

 

The S200 got a fair bit of use and this gave Chris an excellent excuse for when he shot last - "You b*ggers used all the air in the tank and the pressure was too low, the zero was off, the etc..." 

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah..  Still made a change from Russ's usual trigger moans and Tony telling us that we were all cheating because we didn't use his gun. 

 

 

 

Scoring was a closely guarded secret but, instead of writing them down on the back of a fag packet, we used our newly made scoresheets (thanks Jackie!) like normal, organised people do.

 

Bill popped his head in at this point but resisted taking part due to his PTSD (Paper Target Stress Disorder.) 

 

 

 

 

Two shooters, Alex and Bri, managed an excellent 10/10.

 

The targets were then scored as a tie breaker.  Alex respectably scored  74 - close but no cigar -  to Bri's, quite frankly, amazingly brilliant Olympic Standard 92 ex 100. 

 

                                            GARC  SCORESHEET

 

NAME                      GUN                  HIT          TOTAL

 

Alex                       HW100              10/10             74

Bri                          HW100              10/10             92

Tony                      HW99S                6/10             37

Nick                                                   6/10             48

Shaun                    S200                   5/10             36

Paul                       HW97                  9/10             73

Terri                     Scorpion                9/10             63

Chris M                 S/Sport                 4/10             32

Per                                                     8/10             72

Les                                                     5/10             33

Aaron Scott            S200                    7/10             57

Colin                       S200                    7/10             55

Chris W                  S200                    7/10             51

 

 

Yet another excellent (but crazy) competition from Chris who took his loss like a man and wasn't grumpy about it as the pic above shows.  He'd like to thank everyone for taking part with good humour and sportsmanship and is, no doubt, thinking of something even more deranged for next time.

 

Nice one, Chris - cheers!.

 

*As normal as anyone who owns a flintlock BSA Meteor can be.

Competition Wednesday 28/11/18

The last Denwood session of every month is now Competition Wednesday and we got off to a good start with Chris bringing us a Cheap Gun Challenge.  Using an aged BSA Meteor, entrants had five shots at a paper target then another five at the notorious camouflaged ducks.

 

 

A dozen of us took part and the targets were meticulously scored by our crack team of people who could count without using their fingers.

Informality, fun and banter were the watchwords although some off colour language may have been directed at the ducks from time to time.  Points were also deducted from Russ's score for his traditional bemoaning of the trigger - it's too light, it's too heavy, it's too not working, etc.

 

 

 

The scores.  Nick narrowly managed a win with 48 ex 55, closely followed by Chris and Bri both on 46, Russ having been docked five points for, well, just because.

The winner, Nick, seen here with prize money in his pocket and whatever it was he got - sweets or cake or something, I wasn't paying attention because I was still fuming at those scumbag ducks. 

 

That said, all of us (Nick, Russ, Chris, Bri, Craig, Alex, Paul, Laura, Colin, Tony, Lynn and Jennifer) were winners because we had a fun time - roll on next month!

 

 

                                                        Home Guard Shoot

Oh dear.  Well, we threatened a competition and that's what we got.  And good fun it was too.

 

Capt. Mainwairing (who bore a remarkable resemblance to Chris Ward) made his promised appearance and roused the troops to go over the top with a Home Guard Memorial shoot.  The trenches were soon full of willing volunteers more than ready to have a crack at Jerry in the form of duck shaped knockdowns.

 

 

 

Our weapon of choice was a BSA 1926 Standard Model No. 2 Tap Loading Underlever in .22 cal.  No bipod, scope, red dot, laser, hamster or any of that namby pamby modern stuff, the only shooting aids allowed were a tin helmet, gasmask haversack and a Home Guard armband - enough to strike fear into the heart of any duck!

The ducks, however, proved no easy target having camouflaged themselves a dark grey against a black background (that's my excuse) but that didn't stop Lee Wilson taking an early lead by downing three of the little sods.  That wasn't going to stand though as Russ Douglas soon equalled that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob taking aim.

 

The majority of scores hovered about the two mark with just a pair of shooters failing their marksmanship tests with zero - Colin Thomson and some other guy we won't mention. 

 

They both suffered the additional indignity of being out-shot by Colin's son, Cormac.

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, Rifleman Harris, being a former World Champion, had no such problems and posted a very creditable four while showing great composure under fire.  And when I say under fire, I mean Andy Gordon bouncing pellets off Dale's tin helmet while shouting "Incoming!" 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Shepherd took time off from his target resetting duties and shot a respectable three.  Paul didn't photograph well so here's a pic of Ken Chapman who could pass for Paul at a distance in poor light. 

Ken also generously donated a bottle of whiskey for a prize.

 

 

 

            

 

In the end, no-one could equal or beat Dale's four and, if this competition had a title, he would have lifted it.  As it was, he took home half the purse, the bottle of whiskey, a hearty "Well done, that man!" from the Captain and was mentioned in despatches.

 

The pistol competition was a close run thing too.  Using the Weihrauch HW40 with mini Red Dot sight, Billy Matheson set the bar high straight off the mark with 41 (out of 50.)  Nobody could get near that with the bulk of following scores being in the low to mid 30s until that Douglas bloke, after complaining to all and sundry about how light the trigger was, shot a 42.  His lead didn't last long though because Ewan Manson pipped him at the post with 43, winning the other half of the purse and a Red Cross parcel.

Combining the Rifle and Pistol competition scores for an Overall prize, we had, in third place Craig Watt with 41, second place Billy Matheson on 42 and, sharing the top spot with 45, Russ Douglas and Ewan Manson.

However, by awards time, Russ had sodded off home for his ovaltine muttering something about journalistic deadlines on the way so we just gave the £50 cheque (from Swallows Bank, Walmington-on-Sea branch, signed by Capt. Mainwairing) to Ewan and called it a

                                   night.

 

A great fun evening made possible by Chris's enthusiasm, it proved that there's a desire for some lighthearted competition and many agreed that we should do  it again.  When Spring comes round and using the outdoor ranges becomes feasible, we may just do that. 

 

And check out Russ Douglas's Airgun World report in the "We're Famous!" page.

 

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