Mossman & District Rifle Club Report for Saturday 31st August 2013

Away Shoot at Atherton Annual Prize Meet Saturday 31st August & Sunday 1st September 2013

M&DRC shooters attended the Atherton Annual Prize Shoot held over two days on Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September 2013. On the Saturday (31st August), a long distance shoot was held at two distances: 900 yards (approximately 800 metres) and 1000 yards (approx. 900 metres), with 15 shots-to-count per match.

Conditions were very difficult, with winds increasing though the day and gusting to 20 knots, and the direction of the winds changing rapidly and constantly from left cross-winds, to down-range from behind the shooters, to right cross-winds. At times, the wind flags on one side of the Range were blowing in different directions and intensities to those on the other side of the Range.

Shooters from home clubs with wind-exposed ranges such as Atherton, but unfortunately not Mossman which is quite tree-sheltered, were decidedly advantaged through their experience in dealing with these conditions.To add to the problems, a down-wind burn-off initiated by the local rural fire brigade (!) impacted the integrity of the competition by blanketing the targets in increasingly thick smoke before the competition was concluded, making conditions even worse for those initially impacted, until ultimately, for safety reasons, the competition was cancelled and the shooting mound evacuated.

Nonetheless, M&DRC’s Neil Attwood managed to complete his shoot at 1000 yards, and was rewarded with a very creditable 3rd place in the Division 2 Full-bore Target Rifle (308 cal., peep-sight, manually-supported) category; a worthy result given his lack of experience at this distance – just under a kilometer/more than a half mile - where the centre-bullseye is about the size of a dinner plate.On Sunday 1st September the competition consisted of three 10-shot matches at 700 yards, 300 metres, and then 500 yards to finish.

Conditions were again very difficult, with winds increasing throughout the day and gusting to 25 knots, and again extremely variable in their direction and intensity.Unfortunately smoke again impacted later shooters, Attwood included, as the winds fanned the untended fire back to life, however Atherton Club organisers did manage to complete the competition.

This time Mal McKellar carried the M&DRC flag, taking equal 2nd on points but counted-out on centre-bulls for 3rd at 700 yards, equal 3rd but again counted out for 4th at 300 metres, and equal 1st but again counted-out (by the same shooter in every case) for 2nd at 500 yards, all in the Division 2 Full-bore Target Rifle (308 cal., peep-sight, manually-supported) category. Though a creditable result, it was clearly not McKellar’s day, as in the Aggregate for all Matches he ran 2nd on points (139 out of 150 for the day), but was once again counted-out on centre-bulls by the same shooter (Steve Durham of Mareeba, who had a record centre-bull count for the day) to take 3rd Overall in Division 2 Full-bore Target Rifle.

The Club meets every Saturday at 1:00pm at the Mossman & District Rifle Club Range mid-way between Port and Mossman, and visitors are always welcome. We will be back in action at our home Range on Saturday 7th September – see you there.