Riflemen’s Day at Bisley

On 14 April, 22 Liverymen and guests gathered at Bisley for this annual event, which is now in its seventh year. After meeting at the Army Target Shooting Club for bacon and eggs and a safety briefing, the five teams set out to shoot on a gloriously sunny Spring day.

There were five disciplines to be shot, each marked out of 100, with some variation from last year. As usual we had a mixture of seasoned shooters and others with less experience. As can be seen from the score sheet, the standard of shooting was again excellent.

Black Powder Pistol: This was shot using modern replicas of .44 Remington New Model Army, solid frame revolvers, of American Civil War fame. Each shooter fired twelve shots at 25 metres, with the best ten to count. The medal went to Patrick Turner for a score of 86.

McQueen: This is a sniping competition shot at 300 yards with Accuracy International ten shot 7.62 rifles with telescopes. The target is a head sized card on a post. There is a “castle” with battlements and windows and after the start is given, the target is held up by a marker in a different window or battlement ten times. Each exposure is for 3 seconds only and the away time (during which the shooter reloads) is 10 to 15 seconds. Even at 300 yards the variable wind had some effect. The medal went to Derek Stimpson with a score of 82.

Target Rifle: Shot at 900 yards, using a 7.62 single shot Target Rifle on a bipod with aperture target sights. Two sighting shots were fired and then ten to count. The wind coaches are vital and the wind was brisk and variable, so it was hard work to keep central on the target, and no one scored 100. Richard Everitt took the medal with 92.

Stalkers Test: As last year, we shot the standard test used by the British Sporting Rifle Club to simulate woodland deer stalking. It was shot at 100 metres with a .223 telescoped sporting rifle on a life size Roebuck target. Two shots prone, then off sticks – two sitting, two kneeling, two standing, and two off the bench. Richard Black won the medal with a score of 98.

Running Boar: Another Sporting Rifle discipline shot at 50 metres with a .22RF rifle with telescope. This is shot standing at a boar target which moves across the shooter’s front in four seconds, during which time a shot is fired, swinging through, with the requisite lead. John Freestone took the medal with 76.

After the shooting was concluded everyone returned to the “Army” for “high tea” and the prizegiving. The winning team with a score of 1868 out of 2500 comprised Richard Black (Captain), Richard Everitt, Robert Parker Swift, and John Freestone, each of whom was presented with a bottle of champagne by the Master, John Jackman. The highest individual scorer on the day was Derek Stimpson with a score of 426 out of 500. His wife Alice was, once again, the only lady shooter.

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