Mossman and District Rifle Club shooters attended the Ravenshoe Mount Garnet Rifle Club Annual Prize Shoot last weekend, with fifty shooters from Bowen to Mossman and west to Mount Garnet attending both days.

On Saturday, competitive matches were held on three short-distance ranges: 300 yards, 400 yards, and 500 yards (the Range being in yards still, as opposed to the Mossman Range which was rebuilt in metres in the 1970s), with two sighting shots and 10 shots-to-count per match.

Conditions appeared excellent, with mostly clear skies, warm weather, and a moderate, but variable, down-range breeze from behind the shooters.

The conditions proved deceptive however, especially earlier in the day, with an almost invisible whirling pressure system sitting about 100-200 yards from the targets, due to the shape of the ground and the position of the sun, which played havoc with shooters’ scores right throughout the day.

Even shooters from home clubs with wind-exposed ranges (not Mossman which is quite tree-sheltered), found the ballistic conditions very difficult to read.

Nonetheless, as scores were impacted across the board, in all categories and all divisions, relative performances between shooters were generally maintained, and Mossman’s Mal McKellar and Neil Attwood, shooting in the Division 2 Full-bore Target Rifle (308 cal., peep-sight, manually-supported) category acquitted themselves well and waved the flag for Mossman and District.

On Sunday, the competition consisted of two separate 10-shot matches at the 600 yard medium distance range. Conditions again looked benign, but once more proved extremely difficult, with swirling winds and a deadly mirage confounding the best of shooters, including some who had recently returned from the USA as World Champions in the F Class Open Category.

The Mossman club was again well represented in the Division 2 Full-bore Target Rifle (308 cal., peep-sight, manually-supported) category, with McKellar and Attwood doing the heavy lifting.In the first 600 yard match, Mal McKellar was first down on one of the five targets in operation and pulled a frustrating and distressing 44 points (out of a possible 50) with just 1 centre-bull; on completion he was heard to say that he might as well go home, with his day effectively over.

However, across the mound other shooters’ scores reflected the same degree of difficulty, and McKellar ultimately won the Division with his 44/1.In the second 600 yard match, Neil Attwood took the Division win, over McKellar on a count-back, with 45 points and 2 centre-bulls.

For the Day, Mal McKellar scraped into a Combined Aggregate win with 89 points (out of 100 possible) and three centre bulls-eyes over, again, Neil Attwood who took second with 87/3 on count-back from two other competitors on the same score.

Aggregate scores were paid for combined Saturday and Sunday performances and Mal McKellar took the Overall Combined Aggregate win with 230 points (out of 250 possible) with 10 centre bulls-eyes, while Neil Attwood came in second on 222/7. McKellar was also awarded the Most Centre Bulls-eyes, with just 10 of a possible 50, reflecting the difficulty of the conditions over the weekend.

The Club meets every Saturday at 1pm at the Mossman and District Rifle Club Range mid-way between Port Douglas and Mossman on Captain Cook Highway, and visitors are always welcome. We will be back in action at our home range this Saturday – see you there.