Saturday was overcast, calm, and cool, with a mild mirage that faded through the afternoon, presenting near perfect conditions for Target Rifle shooters in a Double 500m Competition.

In the first 500 metre match Neil Attwood opened the Full-bore Target Rifle (308 cal., peep-sight, manually-supported) competition, but withdrew immediately with bolt closing problems.

Ron Schild then took the mound and found the ‘inner’ ring for two 4-pointers as his first-to-count, followed by two 5-point bulls-eyes.

A string of four more ‘inners’, one 3-point ‘bird’, and a second bulls-eye to finish, saw him improve his form considerably over last week but not capitalise fully on this week’s benign conditions, and he closed with 42 points (out of 50 this 10-shot match) with no centre-bulls.

Mal McKellar was last of the front-runners down and he opened with gusto, accepting 5-point centre-bull and 5-point bulls-eye sighting shots as his first-to-count.

Impressively, he then went on to shoot eight more 5-pointers, taking the match in dramatic fashion with a perfect 50 points and 8 centres.  

Robert “Gus” Gusmeroli opened the F-Class Standard Target Rifle (308 cal., telescoped and bipod-supported) category and demonstrated his improving form with a very steady shoot, taking two 5-point bulls-eyes to start, a string of 5- and 6-pointers mid-match, including a super-centre, and finishing with three 4-point ‘inners’ to post a respectable 48 points (out of 60 this 10-shot match, for F-Class) and 1 super-centre.

Norbert Schmidt followed, opening in fine style with two 6-point bulls-eyes and a 6-point super-centre, but then crashing to a surprising 4-point ‘inner’.

He rallied with another super-centre, but then shot an up-and-down finish of two 5-pointers and three 6-pointers, including one more super-centre, to close with a respectable 56 points with 3 super-centres to take the match win.

In the second 500 metre match Ron Schild opened for Full-bore Target Rifle, this time much more strongly with two 5-point bulls-eye sighters which he kept, and a 5-point centre-bull and a third bulls-eye to follow.

Low, heavy nimbus clouds were starting to intermittently shadow the targets darkening the sighting picture considerably at times and perhaps contributing to a wayward 3-point ‘bird’ and two 4-point ‘inners’ mid-match.

However, three 5-pointers in the form of two very fine super-centres and a bulls-eye in his last four pulls saw him close with a credible 49 points (out of 55, this 11-shot match) with three centre-bulls, to set a challenging lead.

Once again McKellar was last down and accepted two 5-point centre-bulls as his first-to-count. Another bulls-eye and a centre-bull followed, but then a dark shadowing of the target mantle by a low rain cloud saw him drop in three consecutive 4-point ‘inners’ before he adjusted up a half minute-of-angle to once more find the centre.

A super-centre-bull, two bulls-eyes and a centre-bull to finish saw him just edge Schild’s fine shoot with a 52/5 to take the match win.

Gusmeroli’s second range for F-Class Target Rifle saw him lift further from his first-match performance, pulling just two 4-point ‘inners’ amid a string of six 5-point bulls-eyes, one 6-point centre-bull, and two 6-point super-centres to close with a very healthy 56 points (out of 66 this 11-shot match, for F-Class) and 2 super-centres.

Schmidt was last down and also improved his percentage, pulling just four 5-pointers in a string of five 6-point centre-bulls and two 6-point super-centres to again take the match with an excellent 62/2.

In summary, in very good conditions, the Full-bore Target Rifle Double 500m Competition was taken by Mal McKellar with 102 points (out of 105) and 13 centre-bulls (out of 21), over Ron Schild second in a fine return to form with 91/3.

F-Class Target Rifle was taken by Norbert Schmidt with 118 points (out of 126) and five super-centres (out of 21), over “Gus” Gusmeroli second on 104/3.

The Club meets every Saturday at 1:00pm at the Mossman & District Rifle Club Range mid-way between Port and Mossman; visitors are always welcome.

Sunday 11 November 2012 Inter-club Shoot at Atherton:

On Sunday several Mossman & District Rifle Club members travelled away to Atherton to represent the Club at the Cairns & Inland Districts Rifle Association inter-club “friendly” in a Double 500m Shoot consisting of two ten-shot matches.

Conditions were quite demanding, with a gusting, variable tail-wind, a fractious mirage that changed direction quickly and often, and generally hot, clear skies.

Mossman members acquitted themselves well, and of the Mossman representatives present, Ron Schild, following on from his strong second match performance at home on Saturday, won the first 500m Match with a very fine 48 points (out of 50) and 4 centre-bulls, over Mal McKellar second on 47/3 and Neil Attwood third on 45/2.

In the second 500m Match Mal McKellar topped out with 48 points (again out of 50) and 6 centre-bulls, over Attwood second on 44/1 and Schild third on 42/2. In the aggregate, McKellar took the win with 95 points (out of 100) and 9 centre-bulls, over Schild second on 90/6 and Attwood a close third on 89/3.