Welcome to our first Christmas Edition — enjoy!

December 2009 Issue

Club
Features
Support Your local
Gunshop

Event reports
Second part feature
article—.308 Rimfire, Air Rifle and
Winchester Centerfire Benchrest
Target Shooter 1
Imperial Meeting ammunition • Quigley Report • New Products • and lots more…..
2 Target Shooter
 NOW ALMOST 3 TIMES THE SIZE FOR 2010
...... A massive 112,000 sq ft, dry, weatherproof, indoor arena

The UK’s Total Shooting Show

Even more to do, more to see and more to buy!

Just some of
the guns on
show and
for sale...

Thousands of guns &

Even bigger , even better –
with added features for 2010
Gunmakers Halls just get bigger and bigger.
Handle and evaluate a truly vast selection of shotgun and rifles.
4 huge halls packed with gun manufacturers stands, retailers, specialist services
and accessories, including; custom rifle builders ammunition and reloading
gun retailers shooting aids scopes and optics field cutlery wildfowling
decoying stalking shooting grounds shotgun simulators range days
FOX
accessories at the UK’s
premier shooting show.
The British Shooting Show will provide a packed weekend of
interest for all shooting enthusiasts. The eight main halls,
including Gunmakers Halls, Airgun City, Arms Heritage,
Gamekeeping and Gun Dogs now covers over 112,000 sq ft!
PLUS A PACKED PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES...
Clay coaching line for novices & young shots Clay
competitions, including 50 bird sporting with £1500 in
trophies & prizes Browning rabbit mania Pool shoot
& ZZ birds Airgun ‘try before you buy’ Airgun

safaris shooting associations and even master craftsmen and gunsmiths at work. competitions for guns & trophies “Olympic” 10 m match
AIRGUN EXTRAVAGANZA - THE BIG AIRGUN EXPERIENCE airgun Laser clays and laser rifle Shotgun simulators.
Now a massive 5 times
bigger for 2010. 18,000 FREE PRIZE DRAWS AT THE SHOW FOR GUNS & OPTICS...
sq ft of manufacturers stands, Win a Browning 525 Sporter worth over £1400. Plus a
airgun retailers, accessories,
PGW

optics, clubs and associations &

gun clinics. Plus 39 lane rifle &
pistol shooting range, including Olympic 10 metre match, big prize 30 – 50 metre
shooting competition and ‘try before you buy’. The UK’s premier airgun event
STEYR
Sako Quad rifle worth £875. Plus a Webley 912S Sporter
shotgun worth over £800. Plus a Webley Venom Sidewinder
PCP Airgun Worth £775 and more from Deben, Armex & Brocock.
Save £££££’s -on special show only offers...

packed with interest for the airgun enthusiast.

Sponsor;
Main Show

An integral part of The British Shooting Show

ZOLI

See the fascinating world of antique, classic & modern arms collecting including
gun collections, valuations, advice and retail sales stands.
Hosted by the BASC and
sponsored by Marsdens
Game Feeds, Gamekeepers
Hall will provide hospitality
Sat 27th & Sun 28th Feb 2010
and an insight into specialist Newark Showground, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY
products and services for this important industry sector. Opening times - 9am to 4.30pm Both Days
Officially Supported by The; BUY TICKETS ONLINE - FAST TRACK Tel; +44 (0) 1472 241439 info@shownews.co.uk
ENTRY & SPECIAL PARKING
Tickets on the day; Adults £12.00, 8 to 15yrs £5.00 Under 8’s Free. Target Shooter 3
Buy online & save: Visit the website for more information or tel 01472 241439. www.theshootingshow.co.uk
 Welcome to the First Christmas issue

.......of Target Shooter
Sections
12 Westlake Muzzle 6 Shooting Sport News
Loading Revolver by
10 Shooters Calendar
Carl Boswell
18 Christmas Gadget Gallery

26 Support your Local Gun

44 Building a Rifle for Shop
F/TR Class
29 Shooting Black Powder
by Vince Bottomley Pistol by Chris Risebrook

32 Mini Rifle and theBradley

Arms AR15 Rifle

58 2009 Imperial Meeting 36 F Class Special - European

Ammunition Examination Championship 2009
by Chris White
42 Website of the Month

51 Weihrauch HW45 by Tim
Finley
62 No4T Sniper
67 Gun of the Month
rifle part 4 by Nigel
Greenaway 69 Shooting from the Chair
by Andy Dubreuil

75 Weaver T36 Scope by Carl

Boswell
87 HANDLOADING 79 Match Report S. Africa vs
‘OLD FAITHFUL’ THE Malta by Stanley Shaw
.308 WINCHESTER
(part 2) by Laurie Holland 83 Smallbore Business
by Don Brook

94 Reloading School
95 Gallery Rifle Basics
Part 6 by Gwyn Roberts 100 Club Feature
114 Letters

115 Advertisers Index

4 Target Shooter
 Association Pages
103 UKBRA

105 UKBR22 Editor(s).

Carl Boswell and Vince Bottomley
107 Quigley Association Advertising and Office Manager
Andy Dubreuil. email; admin@targetshooter.co.uk
109 HFT News Contributors
Vince Bottomley Andy Dubreuil Chris White
110 Gallery Rifle Tim Finley Laurie Holland Chris Risebrook
Carl Boswell Don Brook Tony Sanders
111 UKPSA Nigel Greenaway Gwyn Roberts Chris Farr
Stanley Shaw Ken Hall Les Holgate
Webitorial - December 2009

The internet is a great thing – a shop window for the whole world. Put something on the net and it sort of
becomes public property – like it or not!
Clearly, in the case of the music industry, they do not like it but honestly I hadn’t given much thought to
it – until we found some enterprising shyster was selling Target Shooter and a host of other free on-line
magazines at $2.00 a pop! We didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended but anyway, we told him to
stop – but he’s in Taiwan and we’re in the UK!
Target Shooter was of course born from the ashes of Target Sports magazine which unfortunately closed as
a stand-alone publication and became a small part of Sporting Rifle. This was a shame as we all loved and
supported the UK’s only magazine for the target shooter.
Blaze Publishing also publishes Gun Trade News - a sort of ‘tabloid’ for the gun trade and this month,
publisher Wes Stanton takes a friendly pop at us:
“Though the content is on the button and as good as you might expect from enthusiastic technical folk, the
entire thing is obscured by amateurism.”
Well Wes, as with our Taiwanese scallywag, we don’t know whether to be offended or flattered! It’s great to
at least be recognised by the ‘trade’ and with regard to our ‘amateurism’ – yes, you’re right but please, don’t
confuse amateurism with ignorance. Our writers are the equal of any and know their subject inside out and
all we seek to do is pass that knowledge on to our readers – for free – with as much energy and passion as
we can muster.
Maybe we will never be successful as a business – if success means money but, if success could be
measured in customer satisfaction, then I would proffer that we are already more successful than any other
UK shooting publication – thanks to you, our loyal readers.

Finally, a very happy Christmas to everyone and don’t forget, it might be New Year’s Day but our first issue
of 2010 will be on-line on the first day of January – beat that Wes!

Until next month. Andy, Carl & Vince

A last reminder - when looking at ads you can click on these to go directly to vendors websites to
view products. Please mention our name when contacting them.
Carl Boswell - carl@targetshooter.co.uk and Vince Bottomley - vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk and
Andy Dubreuil - admin@targetshooter.co.uk Copyright © Trinity Digital Publishing Ltd
Disclaimer
The website www.targetshooter.co.uk is part of Target Shooter magazine with all contents of both electronic media copyrighted. No reproduction is permitted unless
written authorisation is provided.
Information, prices and data is believed to be correct at the time of posting on the internet which is on or around the 1st of each month. Advertisements that are firearm
related are from companies or individuals that Target Shooter magazine believes are licensed to hold such firearms and accepts no responsibility if companies or
individuals are not so licensed.
Letters and photographs submitted by members of the public to Target Shooter magazine will be accepted on the basis that the writer has agreed to publication unless
otherwise stated. Target Shooter magazine has no control over the content or ownership of photographs submitted.
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers and relate to specific circumstances within each article. These are the opinions
and experiences of writers using specific equipment, firearms, components and data under controlled conditions. Information contained in the online magazine or on the
website is intended to be used as a guide only and in specific circumstances caution should be used. Target Shooter Magazine does not except any responsibility for
individuals attempting to recreate such testing using any information, data or other materials in its electronic pages.Publishers of Target Shooter magazine.

Target Shooter 5
 Shooting Sport News

A ir Gun Auctions
A new website that has just been launched
recently is Air Gun Auctions. This has been
developed to start where other online auction
houses left off, helping the sporting and target
shooter to sell their surplus items online. The new
UK based auctions site is dedicated to hunting
and shooting goods. It sounds very professional
and like all new things needs your support to make
it work. There will be other features to this new
website, as it develops and grows in the coming
months. At present they are offering free listings
to all users, with the prospect of fees being as low
as £1 for a standard listing in the future. Presently
there are no intentions to introduce selling fees,
so better than some that are out there already.

The website itself is well designed and easy to

navigate, so all customers should be able to use
it easily.

Distribution giants Sportsmarketing have

just released their new, 2010 catalogue - a
quality 164-page publication that’s packed full of
essential shooting kit. Featuring over 100 brand
new SMK releases alongside more than a
thousand other exciting products - from optics
to luggage, targets to decoys, hunting hides
to night vision - the catalogue is beautifully
illustrated throughout and the perfect browse,
whether you shoot shotguns, firearms or
airguns.

Sportsmarketing are giving shooters the

opportunity to get hold of a copy of this
outstanding publication - normally £4.95 -
absolutely FREE. To claim one and receive
details of your nearest SMK stockist, simply
ring Sportsmarketing on 01206 795 333 or
contact them via email at sales@sportsmk.
co.uk

6 Target Shooter
Well it’s nearly Christmas and we thought we would
keep some good news for this month. We have
upgraded our service to you the readers yetagain, by
buying into a dedicated server for the website, online
viewing and downloads for Target Shooter magazine.
Now we won’t go into the technical details, otherwise
you will nod off into your coffee. What it means for
you, our readers, is that you will be able to access the
magazine online faster, download it faster to your own
desktop and use the new software we have purchased
for better viewing. There is even a nice little sound
T he British Shooting Show at Newark goes from
strength to strength.
Now established as the UK’s total shooting show it is
in fact now the largest show of its kind in Europe. It
has grown three times in size from a modest 45,000
sq ft to now over an 112,000 sq ft indoor arena
packed with rifles, shotguns, optics and shooting
accessories – something for every shooting discipline.
Rifles at the show – a major element of The British
Shooting Show 2010.
You’ll see a fantastic range of rifles from many of
the most well known and respected manufacturers,
including; DSR, Sniper Systems, Pfeifer-Waffen,
Mauser, Titan, Kimber, Keppeler, Unique, Cooper,
Anschutz, Tikka, Sako, Howa, Remington, Browning,
effect as you turn the pages.
What this means for us is that we have far greater
control over the magazine, it is safer as it is all backed
up and we can focus on providing you with an even
better service. We will still be uploading to Scribd, as
this brings in lots of ‘passing trade’ - a bit like a well
known high street news agents. However the best
viewing can be obtained through the Target Shooter
website.
So we hope you enjoy and let us know how it goes.
Norman Clark, Riflecraft, Hellis, Westley Richards,
Kelby’s. Mossberg, Merkel, Winchester and Thompson
Center etc.
Rifle specialists, importers, customisers and retailers.
A great chance to talk technical with a host of other
companies including; GMK, Alan Rhone, North West
Custom, Osprey Rifles, Global Rifle, Brock & Norris,
Riflecraft, Ruag Ammotec, Fox Firearms, Westlake
Engineering, Jager Sporting Rifles, Norman Clark,
Browning, Open Season, Viking Arms, Euroguns,
Cheshire Guns, Jackson Rifles, Fawcetts and Francis
Lovel etc.
Win a Sako Quad Rifle worth £875.00: just go to the GMK
stand in main Gunmakers Hall and enter the free prize draw
Airguns at The British Shooting Show 2010.
Target Shooter 7
Competitions for a massive £3000 worth of guns and
accessories etc. Airgun City has alone grown to five
times the size and now covers over 18,000 sq ft! Guns
from all the major manufacturers will be on display
and for sale. A huge 37 lane shooting range extends
from the side of The Airgun City arena, where you will
be able to try guns, enter competitions and win great
prizes worth over £3000!
Plus the NSRA Olympic Experience.
The NSRA will be running a 10 metre match pistol and
rifle range, manned by NRSA coaches.
Optics at the show.
A great chance to talk to the specialists and retailers.
See a range of scopes from, Sightron, Hawke, Carl
Zeiss, MTC, Nightforce, Bushnell, Khales, Fox, Hakko,
5 .56 and 7.62mm ‘Outlawed’
A perennial question is about the difference if
any between 7.62X51mm and .308 Winchester (or
5.45X45mm and .223 Remington). And while there are
small differences primarily in the chamber and barrel
throat forms, they are so nearly indistinguishable that
the UK national police firearms licensing computer uses
both terminologies together either side of an oblique to
avoid problems if an FAC variation is for one, but the
firearm is marked and proof-tested for the other. This
applies particularly to British and Commonwealth TR
(‘Target Rifle’) rifles that were classed as 7.62mm until
recently, although current builds or recently rebarrelled
examples now bear the .308 Winchester description.
Don’t try and take anything marked 7.62mm
abroad or you’ll be regarded as an international
arms smuggler
None of this would be of any great import if it weren’t
for the United Nations having started a crusade against
international movements of military smallarms and
ammunition except on a government to government
basis. The problem is that 5.56 and 7.62mm are
classified as ‘military’ period, no matter that it’s a
single-shot target rifle and your pride and joy. This is
a particular problem for anybody travelling across
international boundaries as an early result has been
airlines, through their international regulator IATA,
accepting these rules and refusing to carry anything
so marked or documented, even if on a dual basis as
in ‘7.62mm / .308 Winchester’. The next worry is that
as countries sign up to the various UN accords on this
issue, we’ll suddenly discover that somebody has done
8 Target Shooter
Leupold, Meopta, Nikko, Jahtjakt, Schmidt & Bender,
Leica, Lynx & Shepherd etc.
The British Shooting Show will be held at the Newark
Showground, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY,
27th - 28th February 2010.
Please visit www.theshootingshow.co.uk or tel:
01472 241439 for further information.
this for the UK and unwittingly made ownership of
every .308 Win rifle in the country illegal as our FACs
invariable use the dual title in listing the weapons
held. In any event ICFRA, the international target
shooting body which regulates fullbore rifle including our
‘Target Rifle’ and F-Class, has deleted all reference to the
metric versions of the two cartridges in its rules and
documentation, and I imagine that applies to our NRA
too.
Firearms law researcher and writer Colin Greenwood
has been investigating this UN process and his
findings must be deeply unsettling for all sporting
and recreational firearms users. The sub-committees
tasked with producing reports and recommendations
that are often accepted by the UN with little or no
debate are secretive, refusing to disclose their
membership or the remits they are working to. They
will not divulge the basis of ‘facts’ contained in their
reports, how research was carried out and where, who
was interviewed and so on. One fact that is clear
are that they will NOT make any distinction between
civilian sporting arms, (even shotguns), and military
weapons, and that they believe that arms ownership
is a bad thing per se. Greenwood is convinced that
this is a movement towards international civilian arms
control via the back door under the cloak of keeping AKs
and RPGs out of the hands of African child soldiers or
guerrillas.
Things may get ‘worse’ too in that the proposed
conventions seek to ban the manufacture of arms
and ammunition of any type and any calibre, except
by government licensed concerns which must be
closely regulated. Quite right too you might think, but
remember that your gunsmith is an ‘arms constructor’,
and you are an ‘ammunition manufacturer’ if you
handload. Until now, the US government has been
a bastion against this sort of undemocratic backdoor
control by routinely telling the UN to naff off! Not so now
under Barak Obama, the State Department allegedly
signalling a change of policy here, its first move being
to announce that export licenses will not be issued for
any barrel chambered for 5.56 or 7.62 NATO destined
for a commercial end-user.
 Sav
e
to 2 up
0%*

Don´t miss out on the ZEISS autumn

offers with a price discount of up to 20%.
stock lasts and ends on December 31st, 2009.
prices of the current price list, is valid while
*This promotional offer refers to the actual

All Classic Diavari Riflescopes

All Classic Diatal Riflescopes 30, 40, 45 and 50 Conquest T* Binoculars Victory Diascope 65 T* FL and 85 T* FL

Autumn Offers until December 31st, 2009

For further information please telephone Carl Zeiss has compiled a unique offer just for you: Purchase
Carl Zeiss Sports Optics on one of the ZEISS products displayed above now and save up to
01707 871350 20%. Your participating ZEISS dealer will be pleased to provide
Target Shooter 9
www.zeiss.co.uk you with more information.
Calendar of events over the next few months
If your club or association has events you want to publicise here then email us.
5 Dec Gallery Rifle Xmas Shoot and Social 13 Jan 2010 Grand Prix of Plsen The competition
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) runs from 13th to 17th January Location: Plsen,
Come to the final gathering of 2009 for the Gallery CZE
Rifle community. This festive event has plenty of
27 Jan 2010 Munich Airgun International, GER
shooting, with a twist, and a splendid dinner and
The match runs from 27th to 30th January 2010.
grand Prize-giving that has never failed to
Location: Munich, GER
impress. Contact(s): Brian Thomas

6 Dec LMRA Wappenschaw (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Contact(s): LMRA
6 Dec Civilian Service Rifle competition (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) Civilian Service
Rifle competitions are held throughout the year.
Dates so far for the winter league 24 October, 21
November, 6 December. Download an entry form
and send to NSC, Bisley. Contact Mark Bradley
for further information.
12 Dec NRA Shooting Club Xmas Shoot (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
NRA Shooting Club Xmas Shoot. Targets have
been booked on Melville.
Open to all full members of the NRA who have
completed and returned the registration form
which is available by clicking on the link below.
If you would like to attend you must book in at least
a week in advance by contacting Heather Webb.
For more information on the NRA Shooting Club -
Contact(s): Charles Perry
12 Dec DTL Shotgun Training, Sywell Ranges -
Contact MLAGB
20 Feb Target Shotgun Festival (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Calling all Section One shotgun owners. The
Target Shotgun Festival has unique and
challenging competition stages that are engaged
with solid slug, SG/buckshot and birdshot
ammunition. Contact(s): Brian Thomas
27 to 28 Feb The British Shooting and
Countryman Show - Telephone 01472 241439
Email - info@shownews.co.uk
http://www.shootingshow.co.uk/
27 Mar to 28 Mar Gallery Rifle - Spring Action
Weekend (National Shooting Centre (NSC),
Bisley). Contact(s): Brian Thomas
3 to Mon 5 Apr Bisley Clubs Easter Meeting
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) This
year the Easter Meeting will be run by the City
Rifle Club. Contact(s): Pat Drummy
25 Apr Somerset SBSA – Open Shoot. (Rifle)
Long Ashton Ranges. Tel. 01275 836442. Email.
julian.withey@btinternet.com

13 Dec Rifle Practice, Bisley 100yd - advance 26 Sep Somerset SBSA – Open Shoot. (Rifle)
booking required - Contact MLAGB Long Ashton Ranges.
Tel. 01275 836442. Email. julian.withey@btinter-
net.com

If you have any events or matches

in the Winter that you would like to
advertise FREE here, then please
contact us at;

customer.services@
targetshooter.co.uk

10 Target Shooter
 ww
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The Original, Forster Case Trimmer is the
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Target Shooter 11
 The Westlake Taurus .357
Muzzle Loading Revolver

By Carl Boswell
When we lost pistols to the handgun ban of above - Alan in his workshop
1997, we thought we had lost it all but the fight
development of pistols that ‘fitted into’ the
continued in a variety of ways over the years, both
legislation contained in the 1997 Firearms
lobbying and legal actions. For the benefit of non-GB
(Amendment) Act, enacted after the pistol ban.
readers, shooters in Northern Ireland were allowed
Pistols with a minimum barrel-length of 12
to retain pistols and so were residents of the isle
inches and an overall length of two feet, or muzzle-
of Man. In the rest of Great Britain, pistols were
loading pistols were not prohibited and these
forbidden to ordinary citizens – or should that be ‘
long-barrel and modified propellant based
subjects’ – with the exception of vets and in some
muzzle-loading pistols and revolvers have come a
cases stalkers, for humane dispatch of wounded
long way in the last decade or so. Gunmakers like
game.
Alan Westlake and others have worked tirelessly
Some took another route and began the
to give us back some semblance
of the pistol shooting we thought
we had lost forever. However, our
Olympic pistol squads are still
unable to train in the UK but we
hope that they will eventually be
allowed to do so and thus compete in
their home Olympic Games in 2012.
Alan Westlake of Westlake
Engineering was featured in
last month’s ‘Gunshop of the
Month’. Alan has worked on some
interesting developments over the
years, but they have been hard
fought for with the authorities.
His recent innovation, a Taurus
revolver modified to a muzzle-loading
The revolver ready for loading revolver, is now accepted under
the current laws that govern firearm
12 Target Shooter
 The revolver with before and after cylinders
ownership in the UK. Good news indeed, as this
at least brings back the ‘feel’ of shooting a modern
revolver using modern propellants rather than
black-powder. Alan has developed traditional
reproduction black-powder revolvers into ‘nitro’
burners in the past but this is the first muzzle-
Details of modifications
loader based on a modern revolver design.
The Taurus revolver looks and feels exactly like
any modern revolver, the balance being the
same as any other five-inch barrelled pistol. Just
handling the Westlake Taurus brought back
memories of my own Taurus which was sadly
Target Shooter 13
taken from me in the 1997 hand-in. I do
currently have a Taurus long-barrel
revolver which is great as the feeling of
shooting a revolver is something that
most of us enjoyed. It’s not quite the
same as shooting a proper revolver with
no arm-brace and shorter barrel so this
latest offering from Alan really does bring
back the memories.
A fellow shooter, Colin Renwick, recently
acquired one of Alan’s converted Taurus
muzzle loaders. (You may know Colin as
the UK air rifle benchrest champion and
his talents do not stop there as he shoots
pistol at county level as well). Colin also Powder is prepared and seperated
has another of Alan’s pistols, the 22LR ready for use at the range

simply shortening the barrel.

The old cylinder is discarded
and a yoke extension fitted.
This contains the
spring-loaded plunger that
frees the action when the
yoke is closed. As this
extension cannot be
removed, it thus prevents
the re-fitting of the original
cylinder. Obviously this a key
point in making the revolver
legal in the UK.
To make this into a
muzzle-loader, Alan makes
a completely new cylinder,
Priming each cylinder with powder which has pockets for shot-
gun primers at the rear .

Browning Buckmark but

more on this in the new year.
The muzzle-loading Taurus
is actually a conversion
from a Taurus .357 Magnum
long-barrelled revolver.
This revolver complies with
current legislation for a
section 1 pistol and the
muzzle-loader has to be
converted from this model,
as a standard Taurus 357
Magnum revolver would
be classed as a section 5
revolver due to barrel-length
and overall length.
Using the loading press to force the wadcutter
Of course, the conversion
bullers into each cylinder
is more complicated than

14 Target Shooter
 result of testing over a
number of months to get it just
Priming each cylinder with shotgun primers right. Firing the revolver is just
like firing the target revolv-
ers of old – same recoil, same
balance, same feel – brilliant!
A welcome alternative to the
traditional muzzle-loading
pistols that shooters are
compelled to use these days
– boy does it bring back
memories.
Something to consider if you
are looking to own one of
these conversions – either on
your own existing LBR or on
one supplied by Alan - order
well in advance as he is very
The pockets have a small flash hole through into
much a one-man band but this means that all
the chamber at the front. The chamber is made
work on your pistol will be done by Alan himself.
to accept .357” lead wadcutter bullets of the
Coupled with the fact that these and the other
type favoured for target shooting applications.
products that Alan makes are becoming more
The barrel is shortened to approximately five
popular – as they should be – so please allow time
inches and the defunct wrist-brace is removed.
for delivery.
Loading is similar to that of many historic
So there you have it. An excellent product which,
muzzle-loading revolvers. The cylinder is removed
if you long for the old pistol-shooting days, is
from the revolver and placed in a special loading
just about as near as you can get. Alternatively,
press (supplied) to seat the bullets in the revolver
maybe you never got the chance to shoot a proper
chambers after powder-charging. Colin uses
revolver but always wanted to try it, if so, the
2 grains of Bullseye powder as the charge for
Westlake Taurus could well fit your requirements.
target purposes. (Please refer to the
The conversion of your own pistol costs £330.00.
manufacturers guidelines for charges as
Extra Cylinders are £180.00 each. If you do not
although this load is safe in Colin’s revolver it
should not be used in conventional historic
or reproduction muzzle-loading pistols. Alan The test target at 25 metres
suggests charging the Taurus with Herco
powder - as per .38 S&W Special data -
conatct Alan for more imformation). Once the
chambers are charged, shotgun primers are
inserted into the primer pockets at the rear
of the cylinderThe loaded cylinder is then
slid back into the revolver and the pistol is
ready to fire. Easy and a lot less messy than
charging a conventional black-powder
revolver.
One interesting tip that Colin gave me
was using old 38 brass cases (obviously
without primer but with the base sealed)
as storage for the measured powder-
charges. The powder can thus be measured
at home ready to charge the cylinder at
the range. A bullet is placed gently in the
cartridge case to retain the powder for safe
transportation to the range – a neat idea.
On test, the accuracy was very good. The load
is low but just right for target-shooting and is the

Target Shooter 15
have a pistol this can be ordered for you from
the Importers. A Taurus .357 Magnum LBR
currently costs around £675.00. Your FAC should
have a variation for a .357/.38 Muzzle-loading
revolver and if you want any extra cylinders,
your FAC will need to be varied accordingly.
Contact Alan Westlake at;
Website; http://westlakeengineering.com/
Phone; 01722 782432

Tel/Fax 01722782432
Email; ags.westlake@virgin.net/ Website; www.westlakeengineering.com

The Taurus ML Revolver is converted from a Taurus .357 Magnum Long Barrelled Revolver.
The cylinder is removed and a Yoke extension fitted, this contains the spring loaded
plunger that frees the action when the yoke is closed. As this extension cannot be removed,
it prevents the re-fitting of the original cylinder. The Barrel is shortened to approximately 5
¼ inches and the wristbrace is removed.
A new cylinder is made which has pockets for shotgun primers at the rear with a small
flash hole through into the chamber at the front. The chamber is made to accept .357” lead
wadcutter
16 bullets. The
Target conversion of your pistol costs £330.00. Extra Cylinders are £180.00
Shooter
each. If you do not have a pistol I can order a new pistol from the Importers.
 Target Shooter 17
 Christmas Gadgets
Gallery
S pecial Uberti Zippo Lighters .
These lighters make great gifts for collectors. They are special
models to celebrate 50 years of Uberti Firearms and feature their first
model , the 1851 Navy Revolver .
The brushed Brass finish is a very small production run , only 50
have been made . Each one is numbered so buyers should phone to
reserve a number . Cost for this model including postage is £34.50.

The brushed Chrome finish is not numbered but already nearly 30%
of the first delivery have been pre sold . Cost for this model including
postage is £32.00 . Contact Merseyside Armoury on 07702 277791

N ightforce
Kit
Cleaning

Z eiss 8x26 PRF - Precision in

Pocket Size SRP £510
This Nightforce optical
cleaning kit is designed
especially for use on their
* High performance optics with 8x scopes; it includes an ultra
optical magnification brush, microfiber cloth and
* Quick, precise laser rangefinder anti-fog cleaning solution.
* Ballistic Information System (BIS) These products are designed
precisely displaying the correct to give the scope a perfect
holdover value. clean without the risk of
* Innovative 'one touch' principle damage.
* Hard-wearing, rugged rubber coated Available through your local
body gunshop. Imported via RAUG
RRP: £20.50
Tel: 01707 871350
www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics

E LEY Soft shell

Jacket
Colour: Black £40.00
This popular outdoor jacket
is part of the ELEY clothing
range worn by sponsored
shooters including Olympic
medal winners. The
beathable, windproof and
water resistant jacket made
in a soft shell fabric is
available in men’s and
ladies fit sizes XS – XXL.
To place an order call 0121
313 4529 or email
KateWhite@eley.co.uk
New online shop coming soon with a fall range of ELEY
apparel and merchandise.

18 Target Shooter
Q uick clean Pull through
Quick clean Pull throughs
use a tear proof cord for safe use
and a high quality bronze brush
built in to the cord for gentle but
effective cleaning. Let the brass
weight gently glide through the
barrel and then pull Quick Clean
through slowly and steadily -
that's it - you're done! They are
also small and lightweight so you
can take the pull through with
you wherever you go. They are
fully washable and available in a
variety of sizes to suit every gun.
Available through your local gun-
shop.
RRP: £18.00
S portsmatch Spirit Level
The New Sportsmatch side
mounted spirit level is designed
to be visible without moving your
eye away from the scope and it
fits all Sportsmatch mounts with
M5 side clamp screws. Perfect
stocking filler this Christmas.
Available through your local
gunshop. RRP: £25.30
E
LEY Podium
Colour: Black£1.00
ELEY has developed a new insert called
a “Podium” which fits underneath the
draw of the new Tenex box to lift the
bullets, making the removal of cartridges
quick and easy leaving the shooter free
to concentrate on their target. The
Podium was designed to fit with the new
Tenex box but shooters have used the
solid plastic podium in the other ELEY
boxes. To place an order call 0121 313
4529 or email KateWhite@eley.co.uk
New online shop coming soon with a fall
range of ELEY apparel and merchandise.
B ulzeyepro is an
optical booster lens
for generic or specific
scopes associated with
those that are used in
both centerfire and rimfire
benchrest. The website
for the company is; http://
www.bulzeyepro.com/
and the cost of the optic
starts at $40 or £24 for
the entry model. This will
depend on the model,
coating and magnification
you get.
Target Shooter 19
V oodoo Tactical Roll Up Mat

The VOODOO TACTICAL Roll Up

Shooter's Mat provides lightweight
padded protection with fold-out
elbow wings and easy roll-up.
Includes sewn-in data book pocket
ith pen holder, removable tool pouch,
ammo pouch and bullet slots for easy,
quick access. Adjustable straps with U pLULA universal magazine pistol loader
Description:- Loads them all from 9mm to 45acp single or dual
quick release buckles. Extra male end stack. The ideal gift this festive season
"E" buckles to attach to your pack. Purchase online from our site www.gunsmalta.com
Measures 69" x 48" at the widest Cost 32 Euro
point. Rolls up to a compact 8" x 20".
£85.www.nwcustomparts.com/

R ude Fat Dog Xmas upgrade for your 10/22 ! -The new KID Cocking Handle kit comprises the
cushioned handle, guide rod and three separatecolour coded springs for use with differing velocity

ammunition. GBP 37.95 from www.rudefatdog.com/

N orth West Custom Parts

Calendar 2010
North West Custom has produced a 2010
Calendar of its favourite weapons which
we are donating copies to our Troops in
Afghanistan support them in their work.
You can get you copy posted direct to your
door for only £10.95 (postage included)
www.nwcustomparts.com/

O akley Customisable Radar, Shooting Specific - from

£129.99 (depending on lens choice)
The Shooting Specific Radar utilises the G26 Range lens
option to help increase the viewing area and decrease outside
distractions. The G26 lens is perfect for target shooting, but if
this doesn't quite suit the conditions then a wide selection of
lenses are available. www.oakley.co.uk/custom

20 Target Shooter
 Action & chamber cleaning tool from Pro-shot.
This is an essential bit of kit for every shooter yet how many
have any means of cleaning the chamber and action? All
the Pro-shot products are well designed for the serious
shooter and this cleaning kit is no exception. From Tim
Hannam - www.timhannam.co.uk/ £23.99

The Nikon Sports Optics will shortly introduce

the Nikon riflescope ProStaff series. Nikon’s new
Prostaff series consist of six models, the 3-9x40
Duplex, 3-9x40 BDC, 3-9x50 Duplex, 3-9x50
BDC, 2-7x32 Duplex, and the 4x32 Duplex.
Each model has its own unique features and
brings the user the benefits of high cost performance with a variety of lens specifications and reticles to suit
diverse requirements. From £139.99 - contact Highland Outdoors at www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk/
Key features
•Multicoated lenses for light transmission up to 90%•Generous eye relief•Versatile magnification range for
various hunting situations•Windage and elevation reticle adjustments with precise 1/4 MOA click-reticle
adjustment•Nitrogen gas-filled and O-ring sealed for waterproofing and fog-proofing• Eco glass lenses• ED glass
for chromatic aberration compensation.

Target Shooter 21
T he popular Morini CM84E ISSF ‘Longarm’
Free Pistol Price: ~ £1200.00 - FAC Required
From the NSRA at www.nsra.co.uk/

A R-15 Magpul MIAD Modular Grip

www.midwayuk.com sell these excellent grips
for about £39. The grip features interchangeable
frontstraps and backstraps for a truly custom fit. Full
kit includes pistol grip, 3 backstraps, 4 frontstraps
(including one with an enhanced integral trigger- Laser Bore Sight
guard), core insert plug that holds 3 rounds of .223. (York Guns) Price:
from £54.95
This one is cartridge-
specific .It couldn’t be
simpler to use. Pin up a tar
get about 50 yards away and
set your rifle on a rest .
Chamber the laser – no need to actually close the bolt
fully – and adjust your rifle until the laser dot is on target.
Then, look through your scope and twiddle the adjusters
until the red dot is in the centre of your crosshair. A couple
of shots on target to fine-tune and job done. Nice thing is,
you could mount your scope and do the laser bit in your
garden but don’t frighten the neighbours! www.yorkguns.
com/

W EBLEY ALECTO ™, MULTI-STROKE PNEUMATIC

AIR PISTOL.177
CALIBRE, RRP £169.99
This ultra-easy to cock pistol goes way beyond traditional
single-stroke pneumatics, with the introduction of a patent
pending multi-stroke technology that allows muzzle velocity
to be set at 120 metres per second (“mps”) with a single
stroke, increasing to 160 mps with a second ”no sweat”
cocking action. A third stroke achieves maximum muzzle
energy limited to 5.8 ft-lb’s.

The new “Alecto ™ is

ergonomically perfect, available C o-Ax Case And Cartridge
Inspector
One tool to perform three vital
with either right or left handed
dedicated grips (left-handed measurements; • Neck wall thickness •
grips Case neck concentricity • Bullet runout.
available January 2010) each Measurements are in increments of
incorporating a comfortable palm one-thousandth of an inch so accuracy
and thumb rest, and is available is superb. The Inspector is unique
from all good gun shops now. because it checks both the bullet and case
www.webley.co.uk/ alignment in relation to the centerline
(axis) of theentire cartridge or case.
22 Target Shooter £85.74 from www.timhannam.co.uk/
 S ightron SIII SS 8-32x56
LRD

Top of Sightron's S III range.

Finished in an elegant slate grey
and based on a one-piece 30 mm
alloy tube, the big Sightron has
crystal clear, bright optics right up
to the edge with plenty of contrast
and colour saturation. The unique
ExacTrack adjustment system
ensures gratifyingly precise and
reliable adjustments to be made
shot after shot without losing the
original zero. It boasts 70 M.o.A.
of adjustment in windage and
elevation (35 M.o.A. either side of
centre) compared to the
Nightforce 12-42x56 NXS which
has 65 M.o.A. of elevation and 45
M.o.A. of windage.

Sightron range offer a no-quibble

Lifetime Warranty on all their
products.
The Sightron SIII SS 8-32x56
LRD costs £ 820 with free P&P
during December. To order or for
further information, contact Aim
Field Sports on 01606 860678.

P armoor Custom Gun Stocks. The price for western red cedar stocks are from £195 in hard wood
amination i.e. beach, zebrano, black walnut, multi colour laminate from £250. Rose wood laminate,
black walnut laminate & any other exotic laminate from £300. Aluminium butt plates £40, trigger guards
from £60. Lacquering & polish £100. The company also makes sporting rifle stocks, f class stocks & F/TR
stocks. For further information contact Steve on 07958077365 or 01937842017
Peli’s latest addition to their successful travel vault/
fire arms cases. The 1770 is the longest Peli case
with generous volume. This case
should satisfy the needs of anyone
with longer firearms and equipment.
Interior dimensions:
138.6 x 39.6 x 21.9 cm (54.58" x
15.58" x 8.63" )
Available online at www.green-
leopard.co.uk
Price: £587.50 inc VAT

The Tiablo A10 takes gun mounted or hand-held

lamps to a whole new level. The performance of the
A10 is unrivalled in a unit so compact. Operating
for up to 3.5 hours on full power this lamp is even
suitable for centrefire users. Find out more at www.
allcocksoutdoorstore.co.uk or call 01299 822212
Target Shooter 23
24 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 25
 ‘Support your local gun shop’
Newavon Arms
Richard in the main shop
Newavon Arms is situated 5 minutes off junction 19 of
the M5 in the South West of England and has a great
selection of new and second hand weapons and more.
Richard Reeve, owner of Newavon Arms, has been
in the gun trade for over 30 years and started off
supplying the film industry. Eight years ago he
purchased Newavon Arms which was based in the
Bedminster area of Bristol before moving to his new
premises in Pill, just outside bristol in July this year.
The new shop was originally a convenience store
and Richard gutted the whole building, re- wired
and layed new floors and amongst other things, put
in a ramp in to allow easy access to the upper level.
It’s easy to find your way around the shop as
Richard has divided it into three sections - a clothing
section where you can try-on garments, an upper
level for accessories and then the gun showroom.
Regular customer or new, you will always get
a warm welcome and Richard and his staff are
always happy to help or advise on your needs.
Richard has not finished with the shop just
yet and he is looking to build a 15 yard range
in part of the building so that customers will
have the opportunity to try out air rifles and air
pistols. This is a very new concept as most air-gun
26 Target Shooter
buyers never get the chance to shoot it before
purchase. This means you will get the rifle that
suits you and your pocket before leaving the shop.
Newavon Arms keep a great selection accessories,
scopes, ammo and rifles and no matter whether you
are a novice or an experience shooter, if you are
looking for something a little bit special in a firearm
then they can source it for you. Newavon Arms
customers come from all over the country and, being
close to the motorway, it’s very easy to get to the shop.
Richard has full workshop facilities and can offer
customers maintenance and servicing, re-stocking
and custom work on rifles and most other arms.
For the future, Newavon Arms are looking to get more
involved target-shooting and welcome customers
who are looking to get started in the sport – rimfire
or centrefire - or simply looking to upgrade their rifle.
Newavon Arms will soon have a new website
to compliment the shop but until then you can
visit the shop Monday to Saturday. (Late night
Thursday, early closing Wednesday and Saturday)
Newavon Arms, 13-15 Lodway, Pill Nr Bristol BS20
0DH
Welcome to The Outdoorsman
We sell just about everything you need in the
outdoor environment and a little bit more.

We cater to walkers, hikers, trekkers, campers, hunters,

military, police and just about anybody else that steps
over the front door into the big outdoors.

Target Shooter 27
 DEFIANTLY WEBLEY
• PATENT - PENDING TECHNOLOGY
• RECOIL FREE
• VARIABLE POWER
• ULTIMATE ACCURACY
• IDEAL FOR THE PONY CLUB
TETRATHLON DISCIPLINE

PNEUMATIC AIR PISTOL

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
• COMPRESSES AIR WITH MINIMUM EFFORT
• 3 POWER LEVELS
• ADJUSTABLE TRIGGER WITH FOUR
UNIQUE SETTINGS
• ADJUSTABLE PLASTIC GRIP WITH
ERGONOMIC DESIGN
• RAIL FOR LASER OR ‘RED DOT’ SCOPE
• AUTOMATIC TRIGGER SAFETY
• RECOIL FREE SHOOTING RRP
169.99
•
•
RIFLED STEEL BARREL
ADJUSTABLE REAR AND FRONT SIGHT
£
• ELEGANT CARRYING CASE WITH
ALLEN KEY CLEANING ROD, AND OIL

ORDER NOW FOR NOVEMBER DELIVERY

Webley (International) Ltd Universe House,
Key Industrial Park, Willenhall,
West Midlands, WV13 3YA, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1902 722 144 Fax: +44 (0) 1902 722 880
28 E-mail: sales@webley.co.uk www.webley.co.uk
Target Shooter
 Shooting the Black Powder Pistol
Part 2
by Chris Risebrook
This month we will look at single shot pistols in
more detail. Apart from the matchlock, these will be
either flintlock or percussion. Flintlock replicas are
either of a generic type - usually military - or copies
of 18th and 19th century dueling and target pistols.
The military pistols are good fun, but not really
competitive. However, the target pistols are
capable of surprising accuracy, even though to
compete under MLAGB rules they must be
smoothbore. Larger bores seem to work best, with
heavy charges and tightly patched balls.
The problem with flintlocks is ignition - or rather lack
of it! From my own experience, about one in four
shots is a ‘flash in the pan’. The loading sequence
requires a definite system and concentration from
the shooter. Personally, I start with a measuring rod
which I drop down the barrel to the witness mark to
prove the barrel is empty (it is surprisingly easy to
double load). Next, use a long drop tube and load
the powder, from a phial please - not from a flask.
Take a pre-lubed patch and place it over the
muzzle followed by the ball, making sure any sprue is
Above - Modern copy of flintlock Kentucky
pistol
facing upwards and that the patch is still central.
With a small wooden mallet, tap the ball into the
muzzle. If the patching is tight, it may be necessary to
follow this with a short starter to seat the ball just
below the muzzle. Then with the ramrod try and push
the ball firmly down onto the powder, in one smooth
motion. Again, there should be a witness mark on
the ramrod to show that the ball is fully seated.
Whilst it is virtually impossible to blow-up a
pistol with black-powder, any air gap between the
powder and the ball has a nasty habit of converting a
propellant into an explosive. Next, sprinkle a little
powder into the pan close to the touch hole, close
the pan, pull the trigger and hope for the best. In the
happy event that it actually fires, you will be caught
out by the long lock-time and the disconcerting flash
of the priming powder - not to mention the awe and
wonder of the inevitable spectators. If it does not fire,
hold the gun pointing down range for about a minute,
just in case it is a hang fire. Then open the pan, brush
away any powder, prick the touch hole to make sure
Modern copy of a Mortimer
flintlock
Target Shooter 29
 The real McCoy! A best
English double barrel by
Bourne.
it is clear, re-prime and have another go. Needless
to say, these misfires do nothing to improve your
target shooting, and are a good test of your technique
- or lack of it. You will soon discover if you flinch!
Under MLAGB rules, you have 30 minutes to fire 13
shots, and you may well need every one of them.
One potential worry with single shots in general and
flintlocks in particular, is that of a stuck ball. Most
replicas come with a screw to remove a stuck patch,
but a stuck ball is another matter. If it just won’t go off,
the only recourse is to draw the charge. Easy enough
with a percussion - unscrew the nipple, sprinkle a
few grains of powder down the touch hole, screw in
the nipple, recap, point downrange and fire. There
will be enough pressure to push the ball out of the
barrel. With a flintlock, a worm has to be screwed onto
the cleaning-rod which is then screwed into the ball
to enable it to be pulled out. Easier said than done!
An engineer friend kindly made me a steel rod with
interchangeable drill bit and worm and a collar which
exactly fits the bore. With this, a hole can be drilled
centrally into the ball before screwing in the worm,
and those with a mechanical bent may wish to
make up such a device - if only for peace of mind.
Fortunately, I have not, so far, had to use this
English pocket
pistol by
Towlson converted
from flintlock
30 Target Shooter
gadget, but it takes away the niggling worry of ‘what if’.
Under MLAGB rules, percussion pistols can be
rifled, and work well with modest charges in
smaller calibers - .36 is a favorite. Once again
there are various copies of military style
pistols but the target/dueling copies are incredibly
accurate with fast lock-times. The loading sequence
is as for the flintlock, except that instead of priming, a
percussion cap just has to be placed over the nipple.
Patch lubricant is a subject all to itself. Presently I
am using neatsfoot oil, but I have tried tallow,
washing-up liquid and spit - and they all work. Our Club
Secretary used a concoction of soap, lard and his
wife’s perfume. It worked, but the smell was appalling!
Last month, we touched on the subject of cleaning.
Countless different products are made especially for
this purpose and they all work but the easiest - and
cheapest way of cleaning - is simply boiling water.
Remove the stock and nipple - or touch-hole for
flintlock - hold the barrel in a pair of wooden tongs,
pour boiling water down the barrel, with a little
washing-up liquid and scrub with patches in a
piston motion until the patch comes out clean. The
barrel will become very hot and any water will quickly
evaporate. When dry, oil in the usual way.
Incidentally, it is best to carry out this cleaning
outside to avoid any domestic opposition! If
you are contemplating buying a pistol, do buy
one with a hook breach; it makes cleaning so
much easier. It is only necessary to push out
the fore-end key, and lift the barrel from the
breach.
All of the gadgets mentioned above and
more, are available from Henry Krank of
Pudsey, West Yorkshire.
Next time we will look at percussion
revolvers.
 Target Shooter 31
The Bradley Arms AR15 Mini Rifle

By Vince Bottomley
In this, the second part of our winter series of Above and below - The real thing – this is no
articles designed to get you and your club involved in replica. Note safety just above the grip.
competition shooting, I was intending to put my GSG
5 through its paces but, a slight change of plan.

Following part 1 in last month’s Target Shooter,

Mark Bradley got in touch and offered us one of his
rim-fires for review. If you shoot Practical Rifle or
Highpower, Mark will already be known to you and
you may even be shooting one of his rifles. As well
as being a keen competitor, Mark is also something
of an AR specialist and will build you a bespoke
centrefire AR15 and he also offers a semi-auto
rimfire version of this popular ‘straight-pull’ rifle.

Now, my GSG might look like Heckler & Koch’s MP5

but that’s as far as it goes – it’s just a semi-auto
rimfire made of plastic and Dinky Toy metal with
no parts common to the real MP5. The barrel is a
weedy tube and the moderator is a ‘pretend’. On the
other hand, Mark’s rimfire no only looks like an AR15
– it is an AR15 and shares many common parts with
the real thing - it just happens to be chambered
for the 22lr cartridge. In fact, if you already own an
AR15, you could easily convert it to a 22lr simply by
dropping an ‘upper’ onto your centrefire ‘lower’ but of
course, you already knew that didn’t you?

There are other cheaper ways to covert your

centrefire AR and you may have heard of those

32 Target Shooter
 Very similar rifles handling-wise.
Note my new fore-end on the GSG

conversion kits - basically a 22lr ‘chamber’ which optics are concerned so maybe we can both learn
drops into the centrefire chamber. I have to something. I’m currently ammo-testing with a four
emphasise that our rifle is not so converted and it is power Burris on the GSG so the Schmidt will be ideal
a true 22lr fitted with a heavy Border match barrel. for comparable test purposes. I expected the S&B to
This rifle is therefore no cheaper than its centrefire have a duplex reticle but it’s fitted with a fancy but
counterpart, so expect to pay around three times super-fine crosshair, so even better.
what you would pay for my H&K look-alike. I asked Mark for an ammo. recommendation when
As you can see from the photographs, the AR really I collected the rifle but he was non-committal – “It’ll
looks ‘the part’ and this example is nicely tricked out shoot anything.” So, I’ll treat it the same as the GSG
with pic-rails and contrasting furniture. The standard and try the CCI Mini Mag that I’ve now settled on for
AR 223 magazine is nicely reproduced to take the the GSG.
22lr cartridge and, once in place, you
would struggle to tell it from the real The Black Dog mags. are the
thing. Is this important? Should we be same size as the ‘real’ one
attempting to make our ‘pretend’ rimfires and really tough
look like ‘proper’ guns? Well, it certainly
won’t make it shoot better but on the
other hand, an awful lot of research has
gone into the ergonomics and handling
of guns like the MP5 and AR15 and it
makes sense to copy this with a replica
– if you are allowed to - I’ve heard a little
whisper that H&K are none too pleased
with GSG’s replica and they may not be
on sale for ever, so now might be the
time to grab one!
Mark’s rifle has a 1 - 4 Schmidt &
Bender scope up top but he also gave
me a red-dot sight. In a future issue, I’ll
compare this with the red-dot I got from
York Guns. I’m a novice where these

Target Shooter 33
Rested, Mark’s rifle is one accurate piece of kit but
then, the GSG is no slouch. Indoors at 25 yards
there is very little to choose between the two and
with care, I could lay down some very impressive
three-shot ‘clover-leafs’ with either rifle though
under proper ‘benchrest’ conditions, the AR would
definitely have the edge. This impressed me as
I know the super-sonic rimfire ammo. doesn’t
usually give results comparable to the sub-sonic target
variety. At eight and a half pounds (less sight) the AR
is a good bit heavier than the GSG’s six and a half
pounds so it’s easier to benchrest. Also, the GSG’s
mag. tends to get in the way when trying to rest the
fore-end but off-hand, either rifle will do the job and
with practice, it’s possible to shoot three-shot groups
around half an inch.
If we are comparing the two, I found that the
lighter GSG was a bit easier to handle. The GSG’s
left-side forward-mounted cocking-handle is more
user-friendly than the AR’s rear-mounted charging
handle but, of course, if you already have an AR15
you will be familiar with such features. On the
other hand, the trigger was far superior on Mark’s
AR and this made it nicer to shoot off-hand. With the
GSG’s heavier trigger and lighter weight, there is a
tendency to pull the shot but the internet is bristling
with modifications for these guns and shortly, I will
have to tackle the trigger.
The Black Dog AR magazines are a superb piece
of kit. Externally, you just can’t tell it from the real
thing and it’s so strongly made you could drive a
4x4 over it no problem. However, filling the mag. is
painfully slow compared to the GSG, which is very
thoughtfully designed with a small catch which
allows you to pull down on the follower, releasing the
spring tension. The GSG mag. is also a reasonable
replica of the H&K but because the sides are open,
your visible weedy rimfire rounds are a give-away.
Tim Finley’s Mini Rifle
from South Yorkshire
Shooting Supplies
34 Target Shooter
That Magpul retractable
stock is really good (Shown
in fully retracted position)
Of course, this is a bonus in competition as you can
immediately see how many rounds remain whereas
the AR gives no indication, though it does hold the
bolt open following the last round.
Both magazines snap in and out easily though the
GSG must be pulled out – they won’t just drop to the
floor when you release the catch like the AR mags.
do. However, this is not a problem – the GSG is
designed so that you can easily do it one-handed by
gripping the mag. and operating the release-catch
with your thumb. The AR releases exactly the same
as on all ARs - i.e. the release-catch is operated with
the trigger-finger.
From the photographs, you will see that my
GSG is now sporting a new fore-end made up of
three Pic. rails, with a grip mounted on the lower
one. This greatly assists holding the rifle when
shooting from the standing position and the AR is
similarly equipped. The AR also sports a neat Magpul
retractable stock which I really liked. You can buy a
retractable or folder for the GSG but I’ve not seen
one as good as the AR’s Magpul – but I’ll keep
looking and maybe try modifying a Magpul.
Finally, I would guess that many shooters
who buy one of Mark’s ARs – either as
a complete rifle or as an ‘upper’ – use it
for indoor practice in the off-season to
keep competition-sharp. The GSG on the
other hand is the plinker’s favourite – you
only have to look it up on You-Tube – but
I’m hoping it will still make a reasonable
beginner’s gun for Mini Rifle competition
as well.
Next month, Tim Finley will be reviewing
his latest toy (above)- a Mini Rilfe from
South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies – it
looks ‘the dogs’ and Tim has already taken
his first win with it!
 NIKON
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 The Long View
News from the GB
F-Class Association

The 2009 European F Class Championships Special

The ‘Europeans’ are also the fifth and final round
of the GBFCA League Championship and,
following in the wake of the World
Championships, I did wonder whether the turn
out would be down from the usual 100 plus
competitors.
in the country that can easily cope with this
number, it would clearly make for a great shoot and
even the weather forecast looked promising. To
make things run smoothly – essential with a turn
out of this magnitude - we had dedicated R.O’s
and match organisers who did an excellent job.

Thankfully, it wasn’t and no fewer than 116
competitors had booked-in from all over
Europe with most GB regulars in attendance
plus an increased showing from Europe with
the Spanish and Ukrainian shooters
attending for the first time. Including the four
countries of the UK, no less than eleven nations
were in attendance – a true international event.
With Bisley being probably the only range
The trend towards the F/TR class continued
and clearly this class appears to have a great
potential for growth and the field was now split
almost 50/50 between Open and F/TR. F/TR also
had the highest percentage of new faces with
many of the Continentals opting for this route, not
to mention a large contingent of shooters from
Altcar’s 101 Rifle Club sporting Fox Firearms
clothing.

Fox Firearms were in

attendance – flying the
Sportsmans Ass. flag and
selling a few goodies.

36 Target Shooter
As you would expect with a competition of
this size, many shooters arrived at Bisley on
the Thursday to take advantage of some free
practice time – remember, many of the
New European Champion is young Adam
Brough
Continental guys never shoot beyond 300
metres on their home ranges. For those who
couldn’t manage Thursday, organiser Mik
Maksimovic had allowed a few hours on the Friday
before the comp started, to zero at 800 yards. But,
best laid plans of mice and men etc…………….
Yes, although Friday dawned to dry, calm
conditions with little prospect of rain, we
hadn’t reckoned on an Autumn mist which
shrouded the targets and put paid to the
planned two hour practice session. Diggle’s
bad weather appeared to have migrated south!
The practice was therefore abandoned but, when
the mist lifted - at around 9.30am – shooters
would dress back to 900 yards and have just have
a few minutes practice before the competition
proper got under way. Conditions were calm and
for most, it was probably sufficient and at least
we zeroed at the range we were now to shoot at.
Shooting in pairs, there were three details
over twenty targets. The details were split into
one Open Class, one F/TR and a mixed detail.
Details and squadding can be important at
Bisley and some targets are less favourable
than others but resident boffin Des Parr had
written a computer programme so that the
squadding was as random as it could be, hopefully
giving everyone a fair shoot. At least no one
could complain about drawing a bad lane, it was
just pure luck. As well as picking the lane, the
squadding would also move you to the left or
the right and make sure you shot with a different
partner over each of the five matches. All clever
stuff.
With the competition now underway at 900
yards, the wind was fairly light but it was
fish tailing a bit and there was little room for
error on a five-ring which is just ten-inches in
diameter. Current European Champion, Andy
Wyspianski, proved that his win last year was
no fluke and posted a superb 75.12v shooting
This is one of our Ukrainian
friends, shooting a McRees
stocked Remington
Target Shooter 37
 Organiser Mik Maksimovic
grabs a shoot when he can
his Walker Rifles BAT chambered in 7mmWSM.
He was closely followed by Cliff Warwick and
Jim De Kort on 74.7v with Cliff taking second
place on count back. There were some good
performances in F/TR with Irishman Liam
Fenlon’s excellent 72.5v beating Andy Gent on
count-back with Adam Bagnall close behind on
72.4v.
Following the mandatory Bisley lunch break
we dressed back to 1000 yards and this clearly
proved more testing with a lot of scores tumbling.
Andy Wyspianski could manage only 12th and
the Brough brother topped the list with Adam
38 Target Shooter
just ahead of Dan on V bull count. 1000 yards
is a long way for a 308 and although the scores
were down, Russell Simmonds’ 88.6v was a
great performance with Kate Fitton in second
place on 87.4v and Paul Dobson third with 86.1v.
With Day one over, the scores looked like this:
Open Class Adam Brough 171.12
Dan Brough 170.9
Grant Taylor 168.6
F/TR Liam Fenlon 158.5
Russell Simmonds 156.9
Wot you lookin’ at? John Dean of Aimfield
Sports once again provided the winners
with bags, mats and Sightron scopes
Kate Fitton 155.8
For day two, Saturday, it was once again dry
and mild and we were at 800 yards for the first
distance for a 2 sighters and 15 to count. Jan
de Kok came off the line with a 75.6v so could
rightly feel pleased – until he saw that this was
only good enough for 21st place! To make
the top you needed a 75 with twelve V bulls
– and three shooters managed this feat! On
count-back, the stage win went to Mark Daish
with Jim de Kort second and Paul Hill third.
Interestingly enough, scorer of the highest
V bull count with 13 was Lee Tomlinson but
unfortunately for him, like several others, one
shot had slipped into the four ring. It was a
similar story in F/TR and two shooters cleaned
the target with Stuart Anselm’s 75.7v narrowly
beating Adam Bagnall into second place with
75.6v.
The weather continued warm and dry for the
900 yard stage and another five Open class
shooters managed to get a maximum75. The
top three were Mark Daish with 75.11v , Lee
Tomlinson on 75.10v and Shaun Baker, Christer
Jacobsson and Grant Taylor all on 75.5v. Shaun
took 3rd on count back.
Not too many overseas shooters find themselves
near the top of the score sheet so it’s worth noting
that this was the second straight 75 today for Chris-
ter Jacobsson from Sweden. Yes, others had done
it but not with a 6mmXC like Christer was using.
In F/TR, only one shooter managed a 75 and that
was current World Champion, Russ Simmonds.
Adam Bagnall and Liam Fenlon were close
behind on 73.7v with Adam getting second place
on count-back.
The final distance of the Individual European
Championships would be the usual 1000 yard
two and twenty shoot. The weather was good
but the wind was definitely up and that extra
100 yards makes all the difference – especially
to the F/TR guys. The scores did come down
in Open class with the field being spread out
more but amazingly two shooters, current World
Champion Gary Costello and David Kent,
posted an incredible 99.10v. Think about that for a
moment please. The V bull is just five inches
in diameter and these guys put ten of their 20
shots in that tiny white disc! Fine shooting with
phenomenally accurate rifles. Gary won on count
back and third place went to Paul Sandie with
98.9v.
In F/TR big points can easily be dropped
at 1000 yards especially with a 20
round-count – remember, a two MOA wind-reading
error will push you towards the ‘one’ ring!
Andy Gent prevailed with a great 93.9v with
Mark Gray in second on 92.4v and Paul
Eggemann third, also with 91.4v after count back.
Russell Simmonds has dominated the League
again this year but would his 91.4v be enough
to take the win and his second Championship?
Here’s how it all finished in the Open:
1st Adam Brough 414.31v
2nd Grant Taylor 414.28
3rd Dan Brough 413.31
4th Mark Daish 411.45
5th Andy Wyspianski 411.42
6th Gary Costello 411.41
7th Paul Sandie 411.34
So, Adam is our new European
Champion. The scores of the top seven were
amazingly close with some massive V bull counts.
In F/TR it finished like this:
1st Russell Simmonds 395.30v
2nd Liam Fenlon 391.21
3rd Adam Bagnall 388.23
4th Stuart Anselm 387.22
5th Steve Rigby 384.20
6th Paul Eggerman 382.18
7th Andy Gent 381.29
Full results can be accessed via the GBFCA
website www.f-class.org.uk
So, Russell Simmonds is now World Champion,
European Champion and GB League Champion
all in the same year! It is possible that this may
never happen again, unless he does it of course!
Clearly, this man has something that the rest of us
aspire to but Russell is willing to share his secrets
and is planning to run a course for budding ‘effers’
which will include reloading, rifle maintenance, etc.
We already know that Russell is the 2009
GB F/TR League Champion but what about
Target Shooter 39
the Open class? Grant Taylor won the very
first League shoot of 2009 at Diggle and his
second place finish today was enough to
secure the League Championship for 2009 and
a very popular victory it was. Grant built his own
rifle and is one of the few to shoot a ‘straight’
284Win and make it work as well as a WSM.
So that was it for the 2009 GB League. The
meeting was rounded off with the Shoot Dinner in
the London and Middlesex Club but prize giving
would have to wait until the Sunday, following the
Team shoots.
After three days of great weather, heavy rain and
high winds were forecast for Sunday and for once,
the forecasters got it spot on. We did get started
40 Target Shooter
but after an hour or so the match was abandoned.
Not only were the targets almost impossible to
see but water in actions can have a detrimental
effect and in the interests of safety and common
sense, the shoot was reluctantly abandoned.
So some of us can now go back to our clubs
for six months of cold wet shooting until the
GB League starts up again, with the opening
shoot at Diggle in April 2010. By request, this
will be a short range shoot - 5/600 yards, so
ideal maybe for your first foray into the F Class
League. Meanwhile, you can keep in touch with
F Class via this column and the GBFCA website.
2009 League winner, Grant
Taylor
 Welcome to GT Shooting.
The premier shooting sports shop in Surrey

Fullbore & .22LR Optics

Black Power Ammunition
Air Rifles and Pistols Reloading equipment
Used rifles and Pistols and more...

Our premises are located at

53 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2RB
www.gtshooting.co.uk

Tel: 020 8660 6843

Fax: 020 8660 6843
We are conveniently situated near the M23 & M25.
Target Shooter 41
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm
 Shooting Website of the Month
We thought
it fitting with the
news that Russell Simmonds is the new
European champion, as well as the current world
(won a couple of months ago) and UK champion,
we would focus the website of the month on F class
in the UK. F Class has really become popular over
the last few years and has readily developed into a
true international sport.
The suitably named F Class UK can be found at
the following address; http://fclassuk.webs.com/
As with most association websites that have been
developed in the last few years, there is a sense
of serious fun when reading about this sport. This
website has been going since 2006 and provides
a lot of detail about what is going on in the UK
regarding news, shoots, matches, overseas
information, sales, etc.
The website is easy to navigate with all sections in
42 Target Shooter
the
right
vertical.
Navigation is therefore easy.
Information on the website is for
shooters in the sport and for those aspiring to get
involved. What’s great about this website are the
articles, as these are full on and complete. It’s not
just a website with tit-bits of information, you get to
know the shooters, the matches and what is going
on in the world of F Class.
Obviously there is a lot to celebrate for the UK F
Class association at the moment and this comes
through from the theme of the site. I don’t blame
them, when the top two of the major international
championships are held by team and /or individual
UK shooters. A fine website that gets to the point
and supports shooters who are into this sport.
 SURGEON and LAWTON ACTIONS
We are now building custom rifles based on these top quality US made rifle actions. We
are sole UK distributors for these fine actions and are happy to supply the Trade.

Please click onto our website to view our latest news! We are so short of time that we
are reducing our written magazine advertisements to spend more time updating our web
based information....including of course the very page you're viewing right now! This
has become necessary as we strive to keep pace with the orders for our rimfire and
centrefire custom rifles. We refuse to lower our high standards by rushing orders which
has meant an increase in waiting time for which we apologise.

We have invested a large sum of money in the production of UK manufactured rifle parts
over the past two years but now we are able to complete the building of our rifles
completely in house, from chambering and fitting barrels, action bedding etc right
through to the final finishing stages such as bead blasting and Duracoat finishing.

We are proud to announce our new stainless steel

Rimfire Magic action. This is now offered as an
alternative to our own Rimfire Magic aluminium action
which has proved so popular that we are currently
engraving and proofing our second batch of fifty! The
new stainless steel receiver is a similar shape to the
Ruger 10/22 action which allows it to accept any
10/22 style scope base or of course it may be used in
Most models of pistol calibre Marlins in
the Nordic Components kit to provide a .22 AR-15
stock! These are offered with the action
style rifle with the associated reliability of the 10/22
checked and a Wolff reduced power
system. We offer the stainless receiver with a bead
hammer spring fitted. Alternatively we
blasted finish or Duracoated with the latest Duracoat
have them competition ready with a tuned
SL which contains PTFE and other chemicals to give
and slicked action and trigger pull of
a high lubricity finish (shown above in semi-gloss
around 2 lbs We have plenty of scope
black)
bases and Trigger Happy kits available,
also one piece stainless steel firing pins.
Everill Gate Farm Tel: 01226 756332
Broomhill, Wombwell Fax: 01226 751321
Barnsley S73 0YQ e-mail: enquiries@rimfiremagic.co.uk
website: www.rimfiremagic.co.uk

Our retail shop is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm toTarget Shooter
allow us 43
time in the workshop.
 Building a Rifle for F/TR Class
Without delving into the extensive rules
governing F Class, we are basically looking at
rested rifles capable of half MOA accuracy out to
1000 yards – the V bull at this range remember
is just five-inches in diameter. Not surprisingly, a
competitive F Class rifle would hold its own at
any 1000 yard benchrest event – except for the
fact that the maximum all-up weight limit is 22lbs.,
compared to 17 lbs. for the Light Gun class in benchrest.
Twenty-two pounds? I’m of the opinion that
someone didn’t properly think this one out. Almost
any barrel/ stock/action/scope may be used and
even then, a butt-full of lead shot will be needed
to bring the rifle up to weight. Benchresters have
proved that a 17 lb. rifle can be phenomenally
accurate at 1000 yards and a 17 lb. weight-
limit would have made the rifle more challenging to
44 Target Shooter
By Vince Bottomley
shoot and given the gunsmith a few more options
other than a bag full of lead-shot to juggle with.
The 6.5-284 Norma, 284 Win, 7mmWSM and
the 7mmBooBoo are the popular Open class
cartridges. Although the ‘sevens’ will do the job
admirably, we quickly found out that barrel-life
can be frighteningly short – especially with a
three-figure round-count at big matches. I’ve found (in
1000 yard benchrest) that my 7mmWSM will deliver
outstanding accuracy for the first 250 rounds, very
good accuracy for the next 250 and then – well, don’t
expect to find that five-inch V bull very often! In other
words, reckon on a couple of barrels per season.
For many shooters, this is just too much – not
only the cost but the length of time it can take to
get a new barrel fitted. Not surprisingly, some
The beautifully finished
Robertson stock with Barnard
bedding-block
 The official GB F/TR Team
was chosen directly from the
2008 GB League results and
a variety of equipment proved
capable of doing the job.
The League winner, Russell
Simmonds, used a Barnard
‘S’ action and True-Flite
barrel in a Choate stock.
Stuart Anselm used a very
standard-looking Savage in
the factory laminate stock
but fitted with a 32 inch
Pacnor barrel, whilst yet
another used a scoped-up
Swing Target Rifle. Can an
The Barnard P action with ‘out of the box’ rifle cut it in
top level competition? Steve
factory trigger. Note recoil peg
Rigby and Paul Dobson used
in underside of action
their German Keppelers to
great effect and don’t forget,
competitors began to turn to the F/TR class – for a couple of the Gold Medal
rifles restricted to the 308 Win. cartridge. American winning American F/TR Team used an ‘out of the
shooters like Brad Sauve, Darrell Buell and box’ Savage F/TR at the Worlds last July.
others have lead the way over the last few years and
revived the 308 as a competitive long-range So, with a couple of season’s F/TR experience, we
target-round and we Brits have followed suit. In 2007, have a fair idea of what works and what doesn’t. Of
the GB F Class League ran a separate Championship course, the initial cost of building a competitive F/
for a dozen or so F/TR shooters - by the end of the TR rifle is not necessarily cheaper than an Open
2008 season, a third of the field were shooting F/TR. class rifle - as similar components could be used -
At the last Diggle League shoot a couple of months the saving is in barrel-life. The borescope reveals
ago, there were an equal number of F/TR and Open that 308 barrels tend to wear out rather than burn
class shooters and it was very close in the recent out like the big ‘sevens’ and we have seen 308’s
‘Europeans’. So what constitutes a competitive F/TR delivering outstanding accuracy well beyond 3000
rifle? rounds.

The bedding-block is a close fit in the

stock. If you like, you can order the stock
with the bedding-block already glued in
place

Target Shooter 45
 for the 2009 World F Class Championships.

Stuart had made his choice of components.

The action will be a Barnard ‘P’ with light-
Running-in. Note the bolt, left-port. This action is of slightly heavier
Australian Larkin bi-pod proportions than the Barnard ‘S’ used by
World Champion Russell Simmonds and
comes with the excellent Barnard trigger,
which is fully adjustable. The barrel will be cut
from a 33 inch button-rifled True-flite blank
in ‘Heavy Palma’ profile with a 1 in 14 twist.
Some may think this twist-rate is marginal but
we had already proved that it would stabilize
the 155 grain Scenar with Stuart’s Savage.

The stock is a Canadian Robertson

H &H pattern in fibreglass – also
supplied by Fox Firearms. Barnard offer an
aluminium ‘bedding-block’ system to suit their
actions and the Robertson can be ordered
ready-inletted for the bedding-block. This
obviates the need for a full Devcon bed
and makes life very easy for the gunsmith.
This was Stuart’s choice as it would also
permit easy in and out of the barrelled-
action should the need arise (i.e. trigger
failure) and, we always have the option of a
Devcon bed if it doesn’t ‘cut it’ accuracy-wise.

Not only is the F/TR Class limited to

Most GB League shoots are at 800 – 1000 yards the 308 Winchester cartridge (and the
223 Rem. but don’t go there!), the all-up weight
and on the bullet front, most have settled on the 155
grainer. Steve Donaldson and George Barnard
favour the 200 grain bullet and have had some A winning combination – Lapua Scenar bullets,
good results with it. Much experimentation will VitN540, Lapua brass and Forster dies
no doubt take place over the winter with 175 –
200 grain 308 bullets. Although factory actions
like Remington and Savage are capable of
good accuracy, the custom action is preferred
and, with the current weak pound, American
actions are out and the New Zealand
Barnard is flavour of the month. Similarly, the NZ
True-Flite barrel has proven itself in
competition and with a sub. £300
price-tag and a delivery in weeks rather than
months, it’s no wonder they are popular.
Target Shooter advertisers, Fox Firearms, are
the importer of Barnard and True-flite – see
www.foxfirearmsuk.com

Stuart Anselm of Osprey Rifles won that first

GB F/TR Championship in 2007 with his
re-barrelled Savage and finished in the top
four in 2008, so earning a place on the GB
F/TR team and was subsequently chosen
to be Captain. We had re-barrelled Stuart’s
factory 12BVSS Savage in 2007 and he
approached me with a few ideas for his new rifle
46 Target Shooter
Ian Dixon’s carbon-fibre & aluminium
bi-pod – you won’t see a lighter more
stable bi-pod than this
of the rifle is reduced from the Open Class’s
whopping 22lbs., to a more reasonable 18lb. 2oz.
Furthermore, rifles may only be supported by a simple
bi-pod – which is included in the weight of the rifle. A
back-bag may also be used but this is not
added to the weight. Although 18 lbs. may sound
generous, most shooters will hope to use something
better than a Harris bi-pod to support the rifle, so
our real target-weight including scope, is more like
15-16 lbs. The Harris is a great product at less than a
pound in weight but more elaborate bi-pods, like the
Sinclair or Australian Larkin typically weigh 2 – 3 lbs.
An 18 lb. F/TR rifle will typically break down as follows:
Action 2 to 3lbs.
Stock 3 to 5 lbs
30 – 32 inch barrel 6 to 8 lbs
Scope 1 to 2 lbs
Sundries (trigger, guard, screws, mounts) ½ lb.
Bi-pod 1 to 3lbs
If we were to pick the heaviest option - a wood-
laminate stock, heavy 32 inch barrel, Nightforce
scope and a decent bi-pod we would be up around
20 lbs. Compromises need to be made. Do we go for
the heavy barrel and settle for a Harris and one pound
Weaver 36 power scope or go for a lighter ‘Palma’
profile on the barrel, an 8-32 Nightforce and a Sinclair
bi-pod? Each shooter will have to make that choice.
Barrel-length - 30 or 32 inches? Is it important?
Yes, with a 308 it could be. If that 155 grain bullet
is to stay supersonic all the way out to 1000 yards,
it must have a muzzle-velocity of at least 2950
fps. In our cold climate, an m/v nearer 3000 fps is
preferred. That extra two inches of barrel can make
all the difference – or does it? An inch of barrel weighs
around 4 ounces – two-inches is a useful half- pound
weight saving! With our weight restriction, I decided
to find out if that extra two inches is worth having.
Obviously, lopping two-inches off Stuart’s barrel
and then finding out that we’d made a fundamental
error was not an option but I did have an identical
barrel, chambered with the same reamer. Using a
‘control’ round of commercial ammunition - which
was fairly ‘soft’ – the m/v over five shots averaged
2810 fps out of the 32 inch barrel. Back in the
lathe and two-inches exactly were lopped off. Back
on range a couple of days later – I didn’t take the
temperature but it was miserably cold again and
my average m/v from the 30 inch tube was 2750
fps. Stuart will keep his barrel at 32 inches –
unfortunately, I can’t put the two inches back on mine!
All the components are now with us and our
reamer from Pacific Tool & Gauge is ground
specifically to suit a 155 grain Lapua Scenar
bullet seated to a depth of 7mm into our Lapua 308
case. If the chamber is cut with a reamer ground
to suit the 155 gn. Sierra Palma Match bullet and
Target Shooter 47

then the shooter opts to use the Scenar, the bullet
will need to be seated much deeper and powder-
capacity will be compromised - you don’t get 3100
fps from a 308 without using all its case-capacity!
Yes, some competitors are exceeding 3100 fps
– I know this because of the recently introduced
muzzle-energy limits for civilian shooters using
military ranges (including Bisley). Potentially
‘high energy’ ammunition (HME) must be
chronographed and the rifle ‘zeroed’ prior to the start of
shooting. A 155 grain bullet travelling at anything
over 3100fps will exceed the HME limit of4500 joules
and I have seen the chrono read well over this figure!
The victorious American F/TR Team (GB finished
second in the Worlds) used the new 155.5 grain
Berger bullet and there is also a new Sierra 155
grain bullet. The Scenar, the Berger and the new
Sierra have a very similar BC (ballistic coefficient)
and any of these bullets would be suitable. At the
time we chose the Scenar and had the reamer
ground to suit simply on availability. Supplies of
the new Sierra and the Berger were not as reliable
but the Berger is now imported by Tim Hannam,
Norman Clark & Fox Firearms and HPS carry the
new Sierra. Target Shooter scribe, Laurie Holland,
is currently carrying out extensive testing with the
Bergers in his F/TR gun so look out for a report soon.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with True-
Flite barrels, I can only say that they appear to
be made to the standard that we have come to
expect from American stainless-steel ‘match-
48 Target Shooter
Shooting the Barnard - off a
Sinclair bi-pod
grade’ barrels. I have them on my 600 yard and
1000 yard benchguns and they are performing
very well. They also cut beautifully, so gunsmiths
will like them and they are readily available and
competitively priced compared to American
equivalents. Now the barrel is threaded and
chambered and mated to the action, we can start on
the stock-work.
The aluminium bedding-block is a very close fit in
the recess pre-machined in the stock. It’s too tight
to allow the use of a thick bedding compound like
Devcon or Marine-tex so we opted to simply glue it
in place with a two-pack epoxy adhesive (Araldite).
Anticipating that a certain amount of the epoxy
would ooze out, we took the precaution of applying
a release agent – wax polish – to the whole of the
action and bunged-up screw-holes etc. with plastecine.
The beauty of this process is that it can be
accomplished by those who might otherwise baulk
at the prospect of a full bedding-job but I’ve just
found out that Fox can supply the Robertson stock
with the block already glued in place - if you don’t
feel confident in attempting it yourself. Now it’s
just a matter of some minor milling on the stock to
clear the ejection-port, bolt-release and bolt-handle.
Is the bedding-block system as good as a
proper bedding-job? I don’t really see how it can be.
Admittedly, the perfectly round Barnard action
and the bedding block are CNC machined so the
fit should be perfect but a circular action in a 90
degree ‘V’ means that the contact surfaces are
minute. With a conventional bedding job, we are
seeking 100% contact. “The proof of the pudding
is in the eating” as they say - we’ll soon find out.
Certainly, the build was very quick and simple -
just two days. The Robertson stock is beautifully
finished and needs no work at all - apart from
touching-up the milled-out ejection port etc. A
colour-matched paint sample is supplied for
this purpose. The stock-work could therefore be
accomplished by anyone who is competent with
hand- tools. Fox also import ‘pre-fit’ True-Flite
barrels for the Barnard actions - the actions are so
consistently accurately that no further fitting or
headspacing is needed. Many shooters find this
route is the quickest and cheapest way to obtain a
semi-custom rifle.
We did all the barrel-work on a Tuesday and
glued in the bedding-block. On Wednesday, we
removed the barrelled-action and carried out
minor finishing work on the stock and mounted
the scope. By Thursday, Stuart was on the range
breaking in the barrel and sorting out a load.
Break-in procedure followed the familiar one-shot
and clean for the first five shots, then half a dozen
three-shot groups, thoroughly cleaning and de-
coppering between groups, then a couple of ten-shot
strings to finish. Initial load-development was done at
the same time and all loading was carried out using
Forster dies (from Tim Hannam) – I’ve found that their
Benchrest Ultra-Seater is about as good as it gets for
screw-in dies when it comes to loading straight rounds.
Vihtavuori N140 is a popular choice with 308 shooters
but the ‘5’ series double-base powders have proved
to be an effective alternative. Superior muzzle-
velocities can be obtained with N540 with no increase
in pressure. Stuart also tried N550 but it gave a
consistently lower m/v with the 155 grain
bullet. The Lapua Scenar bullet will be
seated about five thou. (0.005 inches) off the
rifling. With F Class competition there is always a
possibility of a “Cease-fire, remove bolts” so it’s best
not to load into the rifling and risk pulling a bullet
and filling the action with powder! The starting load
was 45 grains and we had a chronograph set up.
The first round hit a healthy 2930 fps and, as
Stuart increased the load - by 0.3 grain at a time - we
soon hit 3000 fps with no pressure signs. When he
started to shoot groups, Stuart was relieved to see
that anything between 46 and 47 grains would group
around half MOA (off the bi-pod) and he settled on
46.5 grains, giving a muzzle velocity of 3050 fps
with no pressure signs. There may well be more to
come but this will do for now. At the weekend, Stuart
debuted the rifle in an 800 yard competition to give
it a real test and, for the record, took second place.
Weight-wise, we are comfortably under – by about
half a pound. Having said that, the scope is a Weaver
T36 which weighs just 17 ounces. A variable scope
is preferred by F Class competitors as it can be
turned-down if the mirage runs and it also allows
a shooter to more easily keep an eye on adjacent
targets. This can be useful with a 308 at extreme
ranges – at 1000 yards the targets are just seven
MOA wide and it’s all too easy to miss with the
first sighter-shot. If you do miss, a glance at your
competitors’ targets may at least tell you
which side you likely missed on! An 8-32
Nightforce NSX would be the dream choice but
at 2lbs. it’s a luxury we can’t afford but the 8-32
Sightron is every bit as good as a Nightforce in
my opinion for half the cost and Stuart ditched
the Weaver in favour of a Sightron for the Worlds.
The subject of bi-pods for F/TR could
occupy a whole article. The simple but sturdy
Harris has served us well but you won’t see many on
competitive F/TR rigs – although it is light! Stuart
prefers the Australian Larkin bi-pod or the latest
Sinclair offering, both of which weigh around two and
a half pounds. At the World Championships, custom
built bi-pods using aluminium and carbon-fibre were
in abundance. Ian Dixon’s is definitely worth a look.
The rifle has since proved itself in top level
competition over the 2009 season and Stuart
finished second in the GB F/TR League
(Russell Simmonds won – again!) and fourth in last
month’s European Championships (Russell won that
one as well!) Stuart is pleased with his choice of
components and has already put together a few similar
rifles for F/TR shooters. Check out www.ospreyrifles.
com and www.foxfirearms.co.uk For Sightron www.
aimfieldsports.com if you need further information.
Please mention
when using
advertising in the
magazine
To ADVERTISE in this space
contact us at
customer.services@
targetshooter.co.uk
Target Shooter 49
L aunching the brand new airgun marque of Prestige Airguns, the Kub family comes in a trio
of exciting carbine-format models - the SB (side-bolt), RB (rear-bolt) and SL (side-lever) - each
available in .177 or .22 and with ambidextrous thumbhole or sporter woodwork in walnut.
The Kubs weigh-in at just 6.5 lbs., yet are stacked with features - including an adjustable butt pad,
plug-in charging, on-board air gauge, adjustable two-stage trigger, re-settable safety, threaded
muzzle and a 10-shot rotary magazine. Notwithstanding its compact dimensions, a Prestige Kub
also returns upwards of 100 full-power shots per air-fill thanks to its self-regulating firing valve.
Against feather, fur, metal or paper targets, the new Prestige Kubs are the connoisseur’s choice for
handling and performance. A pride born to make your shooting more rewarding.

50 Target Shooter
 Weihrauch HW45 Air Pistol

By Tim Finley
There are few firearms that are iconic as the Colt this is all air pistol. In fact it is without equal in terms
45, and in the world of spring piston air pistols the of power levels in the spring piston pistol world. It
Weihrauch HW45 is at the top of the tree. It was
shamelessly designed to resemble the famous Colt
The end of the barrel inside the top
45, with it’s square section top slide cocking lever
housing the barrel of the pistol. Cleverly it can even
cocking section
accept any custom grips designed to fit the actual
Colt 45 firearm. The air pistol has been around for
twenty years. That does not take away the fact that
a genius design is a genius design. Do not let the
age of the pistol give you impression it’s “old hat”.
It still outperforms any other spring piston air pistol
on the market today. It weighs about the same as a
Colt 45 and from what I remember of shooting a real
45 it has the same “feel“. However, make no mistake

made it’s debut in 1985, being launched by

Weihrauch in Germany as the HW45 and in America
as the Beeman P1. The HW45 uses the same barrel
over cylinder system as the old Webley air pistols. Both
differ radically from the more normal low powered
break barrel spring piston pistols, which are more
common. The HW45 is a big pistol really, needing
a two handed supported shooting stance to get the
The Silver Star and my
best out of it.
HW45 The correct firing sequence for the HW45 is as
follows, first the safety catch is applied. Then top slide is

Target Shooter 51

A 45ACP round next to a 177 pellet
unlocked by pulling back on
the exposed hammer/latch at The safety catch
the back of the pistol near the
rear sight, the slide can then
be pulled upwards to compress
the spring. I found it easier to
press the top of the slide down in
order to more easily disengage the
hammer/latch. On the .177
versions the HW45 has
two cocked positions. The
first position swings the top
section through 90 degrees to
the main body of the action gives
a lower power setting for indoor
plinking/target work. If the top
section is then pulled all the
way out to 135 degrees from the
The standard HW45 front sight
action this sets the pistol to it’s highest power for
longer range outdoor work. The pellet can then
be loaded directly into the end of the barrel, which
is housed in the top section/cocking lever. The
barrel sits inside the top section/lever with a space
behind the barrel for the raised transfer port and “o”
ring seal where the barrel mates with when the top
slide is closed. I found it a bit fiddly to load at first
with my large fingers, the space behind the barrel
52 Target Shooter
is small, but you get the hang of it
after a while. Once cocked and loaded
the lever can be shut, again, it’s made
easier by pulling back the hammer/
latch, pushing the top down to it’s
lowest level and then letting the
hammer forward to engage the latch.
When ready to fire the safety catch
can be disengaged by pushing the
small safety lever forward. The safety
catch situated behind the trigger, it’s
a small ribbed lever. It has an S for
safe and a red dot and F for the
unsafe or ready to fire position.
Note however, there is only a
red dot warning you it’s ready to
fire on the left hand side of the
action, perhaps there are no left
handed shooters in Germany?
Weihrauch quote a 5.9 foot
pounds power level in their
advertising for the HW45. The
pistol also comes in .22/5.5mm
calibre, but that model does not
have the variable power setting
option of the smaller .177/4.5mm
calibre. The standard black
model HW45 is fitted with notch
and post type open sights.
The rear sight is adjustable for
windage and elevation, via screwdriver type screws
heads. But it also has a scope/red dot sight mounting
dovetail on the front half of the top cocking lever, which
extends all the way to the front of the gun, even past
the front sight post. The wooden slab grips are styled
upon the Colt firearm the HW45 is modelled upon.
They have checkered panels to ensure a firm hold.
Over the chronograph the pistol gave me 3.2
foot-pounds on the first cocked position and a very
healthy 5.2 foot pounds on
the fully cocked position. The
trigger is very good for a pistol
and plays a part in making the
HW45 such an accurate gun.
I wanted to see if the differing
powers had an effect on the
trigger weight. I suspected the
trigger weight on the higher
power setting would be higher
due to the increased pressure
on the trigger sears caused
by the increased main spring
tension. Testing the weight with
my electronic trigger scale I
The laser mounted on
was correct, the average weight
of the low power setting was the trigger guard
1.260kg (2lb 11oz) compared to
1.365kg (3lb) when running at the HW45 and after a long plinking session, you
full power. The adjustment screws are both situated know about shooting the HW45. But that really is the
on the front face of the ribbed trigger blade and can only down side to the gun. It comes supplied with a
be accessed via a hole in the trigger guard. The top comprehensive instruction guide and spare “o”
screw alters the second stage position, shorter turn ring for the transfer port. It also has an Allen key
which fit’s the trigger adjustment
I replaced the wood grips with a rubber one screw, but believe me you do not
need to alter it from the factory
settings. I bought the HW45
myself in 2006, or rather my
wife bought it for my birthday,
on a trip to the gun trade show
IWA I bought a set of Hogue
rubber grips for a Colt 45 and as
mentioned at the start of the
piece they fit the HW45. I also
fitted a laser on the front of
the trigger guard and a Hawke
Picatinny rail on the pistols
dovetail rail. Onto this I fitted
a small Barska reflex/red dot
sight it needed the Picatinny
rail as 99% of the small reflex
sights are all made to fit Weaver/
to the right, longer turn to the left. The bottom screw Picatinny style rails. Coupled with the laser the gun
is the weight, turning in will harden or increase the is capable of hitting 1inch discs out to 30 yards. In
trigger weight and turn to the left to lighten or soften this set up my HW45 is a very, useable gun, it looks
the trigger. I left the trigger as factory set, for my good and it very accurate.
initial tests. I first zeroed the gun in my 6 yard loft The latest version of the HW45 is the Silver Star,
range, where it comfortably grouped within 10mm recently launched by Weihrauch, on paper this
using a two handed grip. Both with Vogel Match new version of the HW45 just looks to have had a
pellets and #7 Crosman Premiers. Another feature cosmetic makeover to bring it more up to date. On
of the HW45 is the optional extra of a shoulder stock, opening the box it looks a little like the older STL
this makes the very most of the guns long range version of the HW45 but that initial look was way
accuracy and means you can fit a normal rifle scope off the mark. This new model is so much more than
to the dovetails. There is also a .20 calibre spare that. It has several new features that set it apart
barrel if you want a change of calibre from the from all the previous HW45 marks. The new feature,
normal .177 or .22. which is a major advance over the old models for
I do find it hard work to continually shoot the pistol me, is the fitting of coloured fibre optic strands to
without a break. It does take a bit of effort to cock
Target Shooter 53

The Silver Stars front sight
the rear notch and front post open sights. This aid to
sighting I have used on many other weapons and the
difference the system makes to open sights is
monumental. You cannot fail
to recognise the new model
as the words Silver Star are
engraved in flowing script behind
the HW45 logo on the left hand
side of the action. The grips too
have had a major make-over and
been replaced with a laminated
wood set which are target style
and look really stunning. The
layered wood in differing
shaded of grey is well sculptured
and has a stippled finish to the
bottom portion of the grip. This
bottom half also swells out to
a large section butt cap. The
craftsmanship finish on the
wood is as you expect from
Weihrauch on their Special
Marks, superb. Getting down to
the nitty gritty, the pistols mechanism is basically the
same as my standard mark on this latest model I
The trigger adjustment
screws
54 Target Shooter
measured its power over the chronograph at two
and a half foot pounds with .177/4.5mm 7.9 grain
Crosman pellets. Pulling top section all the
way out the power went up a full two foot
pounds to just over four and a half, this was
with a brand new gun with less than 20 shots
through it. Once worn in the power should
match my old model. The power gain of the
second setting is for only a further 17mm
of movement on the piston. Initial tests in
my loft range at six yards gave me an 8mm
center-to-center five shot group shot with
wadcutter match pellets, with a power of four
and a half to five foot-pounds the Silver Star is
wasted at six yards. I took off to my FT club to
see what is could do a FT pistol ranges. Out of doors
the fibre optic sight came into it’s own, the front
The Silver Stars laminated
wooden grip
sight has a red filament and the rear a looped green
section. These give two outer green dots and a
center red dot when on the aim. With a zero card
set at fifteen yards, my FT
pistol zero range I set about
seeing what the Silver Star
could do. We use a two handed
grip in FT pistol and the new
laminated wood grip is the best
I have ever used on a spring
powered air pistol. It is
comfortable as a single handed
shooting stance too. It is not
perfect for both left and
right-handed shooters as
it has been designed to be
ambidextrous, but as a
right-hander it still felt good
to me. The compromise in
dedicated right or left-handed
shooters design is minimal and
 sight and Deben for the Picatinny rail.
Shooting the Silver Star Specification
Manufacturer WEIHRAUCH
Distributor Hull Cartridge 01482
34257
Model HW45
Type Spring Piston
Barrel length 170mm
Calibre .177 or .22 (.177 on
test) (Spare .20
barrel available)
Action Over lever
Sights Notch - adjustable
(with dovetail optical sight ramp)
Trigger Two stage adjustable
whoever did design it wants a pat on the back. Overall length 280mm
You can tell they spent time on it, the way the Weight 1.1 Kg
angle of the front top section of the grip follows the Price £270 rrp
angle of the safety catch when in the safe model
is just one example of their deft touch. It really is a Model HW45 Silver Star
comfortable gun to shoot compared to the plain grips Type Spring Piston
of the standard model, as I wrote earlier I should Barrel length 170mm
know I own a standard HW45. At fifteen yards with Calibre .177 or .22 (.177 on test)
a standard two handed outstretched arm grip I shot Action Over lever
a 20.7mm five shot group, this is with open sights Sights Rear notch – adjustable, with fibre optic el-
remember. It was more remarkable when I ements front and rear (with dovetail optical sight
measured it more closely, three shots were within ramp)
7.6mm, four within 14.1mm, so I must have spoilt the Trigger Two-stage adjustable
group with my fifth and last shot going high to spread Grips Laminated Gray wood target style
it out to almost 21mm. I then ventured over to the FT stippled for grip
pistol course, the first target was a 20 yarder. Overall length 280mm
Aiming just at the top of the target I dropped it with Weight 1.1 Kg
my first shot, deciding then to go through the ten Price £294 rrp
targets as an actual course I missed only three due
to me not really knowing the Silver Stars close in Barska sight £75 from South Yorkshire Shooting
trajectory. Fitted with a scope or red dot sight of some Supplies
kind it would be fantastic, but I would be loathed to Hawke HK 17013 11mm to Picatinny rail £22 from
do so on the Silver Star, the new fibre optic elements Deben
really makes open sights work and what’s the point
of rendering such a great feature on a great gun
unusable by fitting a scope.
I decided to keep the Silver Star and
add it to my ever-growing collection of The superb Barska sight
air pistols, yes I have a standard HW45
already but this new model is so much
more, it may be expensive as true
quality always is. My old standard
model is tricked up with rubber grips, a
laser and optical sight but the Silver Star
I shall leave as it is, open sights do have
a part to play in target shooting and
shooting this gun it deserves a gold not
a silver star.

Thanks to Karl and Pat of Guns

International and Dave at Hull Cartridge
for the pistols, SYSS for the Barska

Target Shooter 55
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56 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 57
 A critical examination of the 2009 Imperial
Meeting Ammunition – Part One.
The NRA Imperial Meeting, the largest Target Rifle
competition in the UK, has always imposed
‘issued ammunition’ on competitors, relying until this
year on military RG ammunition producer, British
Aerospace. Unfortunately, BA will no longer
supply ammunition to independent associations like
58 Target Shooter
By Chris White
the NRA, so they had no option but to go elsewhere.
After various ‘trials’, ammunition supplied by RWS was
chosen. Target Rifle shooter Chris White shot in the
Imperial and now he looks a little closer into the RWS
product.
Whilst the title may be a bit of a
mouthful, it hopefully reflects the nature
of this article. Target Rifle shooters are
prone (pun intended) to pontificate on
the basis of gut feel and old wives tales.
Facts which are stated boldly behind
firing-points up and down the country
often have very little in the way of hard
facts to support them.
Most of the competitors I spoke to
at this year’s Imperial Meeting were
blissfully happy with the issue RWS
ammunition. One or two reckoned they
had had shoots ruined by off-call shots.
So was the ammunition the cat’s
whisker? Was it just reasonably good
commercial ammunition or was all the
hype unjustified? I could make a
statement here as to my opinion and
make this a very short article. That
opinion, however, would be just as
subjective as any shooters’ scuttlebutt.
Of course to be really scientific about
this we should have taken reasonably
large batches of a variety of different
ammunition types and shot them off a
bench in ideal weather conditions to see
which batch produced the tightest groups.
I do have neither the financial nor the
time resource to do this and neither am
I a bench shooter, furthermore when
the chips are down I have do the best I can, ‘sling’
shooting my rifle from the shoulder in whatever weather
condition prevails at the time and exercising all the skill,
luck and low cunning available to beget a better score
than all the other guys (and gals) who are in exactly
the same boat. As Captain Mainwaring would say ‘We
needed to do the exercise under combat conditions’!
What follows is not going to be a treatise on either
ammunition manufacture or statistics. Suffice it to say
that because the sample sizes are relatively low and the
samples are not chosen randomly, any conclusions have
no statistical validity whatsoever. The sort of statistical
invalidity which pertained when I asked my MP if there
was a connection between the banning of handguns
and a five fold increase in crimes involving handguns!
If, as Mark Twain said, “There are lies, damn lies and
statistics” the facts can speak for themselves and
readers can draw their conclusions but, I will dare bet that
if we could have gone on testing until the cows came home
the end result would have been pretty much the same.
Finally, whilst we are still in the realm of disclaimers,
any handload mentioned in this article was perfectly
safe in the author’s rifle using his reloading equipment
and techniques. That does not mean it will be safe in
your rifle using your equipment and techniques.
Always refer to a reputable loading manual. Neither the
author, the editor nor the publishers accept any liability
for readers misusing this information. Data on cartridge
length must not be construed as a recommendation!
Both the Army Target Shooting Club and the English
XX Club run open meetings over the May Bank
Holiday weekends. These meetings require the
entrants to shoot issued ammunition which, in both
these cases this year, was HPS Target Master - the
current ammunition of choice for many clubs and
TR shooters who do not reload. Both the British
Commonwealth Open in July and The NRA Imperial
Meeting in July issued RWS “NRA Target” ammunition.
The Welsh Rifle Association Open Meeting over the
August Bank Holiday weekend allows the use of any
ammunition, furthermore it provides TR shooters to
shoot alongside the Match Rifle shooters on Monday
morning at 1,000, 1,100 and 1,200 yards. To say that
this is a severe test of shooter, rifle and ammunition is
something of an understatement!
This then gave me the opportunity to critically
appraise the performance of the RWS ammunition in
comparison with commercially produced handloads
of accepted quality (HPS) and my own ammunition.
Before we get into looking at results, a word about
my own ammunition (VMS). This was originally
developed as a commercial product and, as a result,
had to perform in a variety of rifles. Consequently
little load development has been done other than
ensuring that it meets these criteria and that it would
significantly outperform ‘good’ RG. (British Aerospace
ammunition produced at their Radway Green facility).
Target Shooter 59
My ammunition is loaded with Sierra 155 engages the rifling. My comparator has a .299 inch
Matchking bullets (as was both the HPS and RWS) diameter hole for .30 calibre.
over 45.6 grains of Vihtavouri N140 in MEN cases
and ignited by Federal Gold Medal primers. Bullets In all the cases studied values for each brand
are seated with an LE Wilson benchrest seating die. showed very little variation from round to round
so the values quoted are typical. Various batches
Exceptions to this generic load are that the loads for of Target Grade 155 grain RG were measured for
my short-range rifle were set at 10 thou. off the rifling comparison purposes. There were some significant
and for the long range rifle, as a result of a little bit differences from round to round so three rounds
of load development, 3 thou off. In both cases the drawn at random from each batch were checked.
ammunition used was neck-sized only and the finished
rounds batched by total loaded-weight. In the case The results appear in table 1.
of the long-range ammunition, only live
round showing less than 3 thou of total ]
indicated bullet run-out were used for
scoring shots. (We’ll come back to this
point later).

Please bear in mind that all we can

establish is the relative performance
of these three different brands of
ammunition in the author’s rifles.
Different rifles may produce different
results and better shooters may
produce tighter groups. To try to rule
out external effects I have taken as my
examples the tightest elevation spreads
displayed by the respective brands at
300, 600 900 and 1,000 yards.

The rifle used at short range is a Barnard

with a 1 in 14 twist 30 inch Krieger
barrel which has currently had 4,000
rounds fired through it and at long range
a Steyr SSG (rear locking) with a 30
inch 1 in 12 Krieger which has now shot 6,500 rounds. Next month, we will look more closely at how the
Both rifles are pillar bedded in Anschutz Supermatch ammunition performed in competition.
walnut stocks and have height adjustable foresights.

As a physical comparison I checked cartridge ogival

length with a comparator. This picks up on the bullet
ogive and is more meaningful than using cartridge
overall length. It should be noted that the comparator
does not, necessarily, sit on the part of the bullet which

60 Target Shooter
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steadily increases.
The stock range currently comprises:
.223 Rem., .308 Win., .303 British, 6mm BR Remington/Norma.
Machine or Hand Loaded all using Sierra as our standard bullet.
Other makes of bullets such as (but not restricted to): Berger, Tubb D-Tac ,
Lapua, Hornady, Speer, Nosler, etc. can be supplied upon request.
Other calibres to special order including: (but not limited to):
22-250, .243 Win, 6.5 x 47, 6.5 x 55, 6.5 x 284, 7mm WSM, 7.62 x 39,
7.62 x 54R, .300 Win Magnum., 300 WSM, and .338 Lap Magnum.
All ammunition available in minimum lots of 50 rounds, 400, 500, 800 or
1000 round containers, depending on calibre.
The NRA Armoury on Bisley Camp stocks our .223 Rem Sierra 69
and 77 grain and our .308 Win Sierra 190 grain ammunition.
The NSRA shop on Bisley Camp stocks our .223 Rem Sierra 69 grain
and our .308 Win Sierra 155 grain and 175 grain ammunition.
System Gemini TR701 and TR702 Fullbore Rifle Stocks, FR703 Smallbore Rifle Stocks,
FC704 F-Class/Bench Rest Rifle Stocks, Butt Plates, Handstops, Bipods and Other
Accessories plus Smallbore and Fullbore Test Rigs.
SYSTEM GEMINI – FOR TOP CLASS SHOOTING
Also: Traditional Wooden Stocks, Rifle Barrels and Actions, Point Master Shooting
Mats, Gloves, Caps, Slings, Gun Bags/Boxes, Weatherwriters, Capes,
RPA and Centra Parts & Accessories, Complete Rifles Built to
Customer Specifications Plus Re-Barrelling, Full Rifle Servicing,
Repairs, and Refurbishment Service.
Target Shooter 61
 No.4(T) Sniper Rifle

By Nigel Greenaway

Having covered the development of the No.4(T) Right -: Three No.32 scopes – a Mk1, a Mk2 in the
sniper rifle and its telescopic sight, it is now time to middle and lower a Mk3.
give some useful tips on shooting and reloading for
popular because it ran to five editions. A similar
these fine rifles. Some of the best explanations on
book, also by an ex-WW1 sniping officer only ran to
how to use both rifles and sights were in the training
one edition – Sniping, Scouting and Patrolling.
literature of the day.
The first official pamphlet was Military Training
Training Literature
pamphlet No.44 Notes on the Training of Snipers,
Several pamphlets and booklets were
printed and these have become very
collectable. The first publications
were privately printed by Gale and
Polden in 1940. Fieldcraft Sniping and
Intelligence was written by Lt-Colonel
N.A.D. Armstrong. A Canadian
explorer and big game hunter who
got involved with sniping during the
WW1 and ran one of the Canadian
Sniping Schools before becoming an
instructor at the Sniping Wing, Small
Arms School Hythe and Bisley, 1940-
42 and ultimately Commandant of
the Royal Marine Sniper’s School
at which he is pictured in the group
photograph, front row, second from
the left. His book was obviously
Right -: 1st Sniper’s Special course
1943

62 Target Shooter

printed in 1940 which has a WW1 flavour and does
not mention the No.4(T). The next publication was
Small Arms Training Vol 1 Pamphlet No.3 Rifle 1942
which does mention the No.4(T) and the correct use
of the M1907 sling on the last 7 pages. A rare set of
amendments for this pamphlet were printed in June
1945 which, for the first time, gave instructions on
how to zero the No.32 Mk3 scope. In April 1944 Army
Training Instruction No.9 The Organization, Training
and Employment of Snipers was published - just in
time to issue to troops for D-Day. It was not until 1946
that the first really comprehensive 65 page pamphlet
was produced - Small Arms Training Vol 1 Pamphlet
No.28 SNIPING – because of its comprehensive
coverage on how to zero all three marks of scope I
have had some reprints made which current users
find very useful. The last publication - Infantry Platoon
Weapons Pamphlet No.10 SNIPING 1951 was all of
142 pages and came in handy for the Korean War.
How to get the best out of your rifle
Apart from all the obvious points about sound
bedding, good barrel and muzzle, correct head
spacing, tight king or bedding screw, etc there are
one or two key things you need to check before
shooting your No.4. Numerous tests, during and
after the war, proved that the original method of
bedding was the best. This resulted in the,
A number of WW2
privately printed and
official literature on
sniping
otherwise free floating, barrel touching the last couple
of inches of the fore-end with a downward pressure.
It should require 3-5 lbs of upward pressure to lift the
barrel off its contact at the tip of the forend. When
released the barrel should go straight back down on
the middle of the bearing surface, not contacting the
sides of the forend. Some No.4’s have subsequently
been centre bedded for civilian target shooting which
results in the barrel appearing to be free floating at the
muzzle-end. This method is not correct for a No.4(T).
The other thing to check is that the top hand guard,
nearest to the foresight protector, has not moved
forward under recoil. I have seen many No.4’s
where the metal tip of the hand guard is actually
touching the foresight protector which will result in
inconsistent barrel flip and consequent lack of
accuracy.
On the subject of accuracy - the required wartime
standard for a No.4(T) was a five round group
within 3x3 inches at 100 yards. The training
literature stated that 2.5 inches or better was
possible at this range and because of the Lee-Enfield’s
“compensating” action, accuracy was often better at
longer ranges. I have shot my No.4(T) at 1000 yards
in a Practical Rifle competition. The four targets
were 18 inch wide Fig 11’s spaced equally apart on
the ten foot wide backer, 4 shots, one on each target
Target Shooter 63
 There should be about a 1.5mm gap
between forend and foresight
protector
in 30 seconds. I had already shot the competition
with an Enfield Enforcer, so I had some idea of the
wind and the affect of the extreme cold on people’s
elevation. I asked to shoot my No.4(T) just to see what
the old girl was capable of – much to the amusement
of some onlookers armed with some very modern..
..rifles with powerful scopes. I was not given any
zeroing shots, so I cranked the elevation drum
to the number “10” and added 2 minutes for the
excessive cold, applied some windage, before
shooting four times within about 20 seconds
using Greek HXP military specification ammunition.
When the targets reappeared there were four chest
shots and the doubters said I couldn’t do it again –
so I did, amused comments ceased forthwith to be
replaced with a certain respect for the old sniper rifle.
Reloading for the No.4(T)
If you really want to experience the full accuracy
potential of a No.4(T) you need to consider
reloading. Sierra produce a really nice boat-tailed
174 grain Match King bullet which can be made
to shoot to just over a minute of angle in a well
bedded rifle with a good barrel. I stress this
because in a cordite worn barrel, characterised by
wear in the lead of the rifling, boat tail bullets will not
shoot well whilst the barrel may still shoot well with
the original flat based bullets. The flat base helps
64 Target Shooter
prevent gas bleeding past the bullet before proper
set up in the rifling. Powders that work well are
Vihtavuori 140 and Reloder 15. I prefer the latter
and anything starting around the 41.0 – 41.3 grain
level will give slightly under the service velocity
of 2440 feet per second (this will vary from rifle to
rifle). I use Greek HXP brass which I sort by rifle
and neck resize thereafter but Privy Partisan brass is
probably even better. Overall cartridge length will
be determined by the type of shooting, magazine
fed or single shot – mine are 3.075 inch OAL. All
the usual caveats apply as I have found this to
be a safe load in my rifle but readers should start
at least 10% below this load, especially if using
different brass or bullets. Another tip is to neck size
the brass for as long as possible before full length
resizing. This will extend the life of your brass and
also make it more accurate but you will need to
segregate your brass if shooting more than one rifle
in .303 calibre. I use standard factory loaded HXP for
rapid fire or snap competitions at 200 yards because
it is perfectly up to the job of hitting the 12 inch
square bull – I then neck resize for the longer range
competitions. Neck resized ammunition can get a
bit tight to chamber so is best NOT used in rapid fire
events.

Zeroing the No.32 telescopic sight
If a shot strikes to the left of the target, turn the
deflection/windage drum anti-clockwise and
vice versa. Mk1 scopes have 2 minute windage
adjustment and 50 yard clicks for elevation whilst
the Mk’s 2 & 3 have one minute adjustment in both
windage and elevation. Once zeroed correctly
for elevation, military ammunition would shoot
correctly to whatever range setting you dialed with the
numbers 1-10 corresponding to 100-1,000 yards –
hence these scopes are refered to as Bullet Drop
Compensating. Zeroing the Mk 1 & 2 sights can
be purgatory because you need three hands! Zero
at 100 yards, making adjustments so that you are
striking the two inch square aiming mark. To zero the
drums you have to hold the drum stationary whilst
loosening the clamping ring but whilst not moving
the central pin. You then have to keep the central
rectangular shaped pin stationary whilst rotating the
drum so that it either reads zero for windage or the
number ‘1’ for 100 yards (if that is the range you
are shooting at). You then have to hold the drum
and central pin stationary whilst retightening the
clamping ring. There were two different types of tool
used to help achieve this feat but both were not very
good! The Mk3 scope or the modified Mk2/1 scope
(a Mk2 scope retrofitted with Mk3 drums) were much
easier to zero and this is why these are the most
The author shooting at 1000 yards
sought after scopes. They had a slipping scale
with a recessed projection which was designed to
accept the tip of a bullet. All you had to do was hold
the drum tight whilst using the tip of the bullet in the
recessed projection to push the slipping scale around
to the correct reading – very simple and soldier proof!
Well that is the end of this series on the No4(T)
sniper rifle – probably the best sniper rifle of
WW2 when considering its all round attributes of
accuracy, robustness, one minute of angle
adjustment of scope plus overall ease of use.
German optics were better but they had no
windage adjustment on the scope and some of the
mounting systems were not very robust. It speaks
volumes for the basic package of rifle and scope
when you consider that from the 1970’s onwards
original No.4T) rifles were converted to 7.62mm
calibre to produce the L42A1, which served for
another 20 years. No.4(T)sniper rifles have proved
to be one of the best investments for collectors and
shooters with prices touching £5,000 at this year’s
Trafalgar Meeting Trade Fair – find the right one and
it will continue to appreciate in value for years to
come and provide a lot of enjoyment for the owner at
the same time.
Sources:
The Armourer Militaria Magazine, Issue 57 May/
Target Shooter 65
 Sierra’s excellent 174 grain
MatchKing bullets

June 2003 – WW2 Sniping Rifles by Roger Payne

International Arms & Militaria Collector – Magazine
No.20, 2002 – Roger Payne and David Tomkinson
article on the No.4(T)
An Armourer’s Perspective .303 No.4(T) Sniper Rifle
– ISBN 1 85367 144 4. Peter Laidler’s bible on the
history of these rifles.

Telescope Sighting
No.32 – An insider view Reloads can
of the Snipers Rifle result in sub
Telescope - Peter one inch
Laidler - last reprinted groups at
in 1993 - a very 100 yards
comprehensive booklet
on these scopes
and how to strip and
reassemble them (if you
are very brave)

Have a good
Christmas and see
you in the New Year

66 Target Shooter
 Gun of the Month

Have a look at the photograph – what makes

our Gun of the Month worthy of the title?
Yes, that’s just a ‘common or garden’ A5
McMillan stock, stainless steel action and barrel
– just like dozens of other F Class guns on the
Stickledown firing-point at the recent Bisley
‘Europeans’ where this shot was taken.

Was it the winning rifle? Has it set any records?

No, it didn’t win but it was still a ‘first’ in that this
was the first competitive outing for an all-new
British-made action from Russell Gall Rifles in
Scotland.
the very best in proven design and materials.
Way back in spring, Target Shooter carried a
report of the prototype of the Gall action. Yes, Next month, we hope to have shot our Gun of
we’ve seen prototypes before but the gap the Month, examined the action in detail and
between making one action and putting them brought you, the readers of Target Shooter,
into production can be a void too great to cross another great scoop! Don’t miss it! Meanwhile,
for many would-be entrepreneurs. I’m very you can contact Russ on www.rgrifles.com
please to be able to report that Russell has
now made that leap and the Gall action will be
available very soon. If you have a rifle of the month to submit, from
any shooting discipline, please contact us via
So, apart from being British made, what makes customer services. Articles should be no more
the Gall action special. For me, the answer than 400 words and supported by one picture
to that question is simple – Russell hasn’t of 300dpi quality.
attempted to make his action special - or
revolutionary in any way, he has wisely used customer.services@targetshooter.co.uk
his experience (as a gunsmith and benchrest
shooter) to produce an action which employs

Target Shooter 67
 Portsmouth Gun Centre Ltd
295 London Road
North End
Portsmouth
PO2 9HF
Opening Times Tel 02392 660574
Mon 9.30 - 5.30 Fax 02392 644666
Tues Closed
Wed Closed E-mail sales@portsmouthguncentre.com
Thur 9.30 - 5.30 Website www.portsmouthguncentre.com
Fri 9.30 - 5.30
Sat 9.30 - 5.30
We stock a full range of Rifles, Pistols, Air Guns, Shotguns, Ammunition,
Reloading Equipment and Accessories. All major brands stocked including BSA,
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68 EVERYTHING
Target WE IMPORT IS BY FAR THE BEST VALUE IN THE UK
Shooter
Shooting from the chair
The title may seem strange but bare with me, I
have been wheelchair bound since 1995 due to a
spinal injury and for anyone that suddenly has a
disability, and it’s hard to get over and to adjust to. make the effort. As I watch someone asked me if I
I was always active in everything I did but your life
can change overnight. Disability doesn’t change
the person but it can with those around them, it can
take you to some very dark places as reality sets in.
I take a comment for a young soldier who said one
moment he was 6ft tall and in a flash he was 4ft tall
caused by and IED, he lost both legs and an arm
in the explosion, but when one door closes another
opens as they say and he is still working for the
Army and is into sports that he would never of got
into if it had not been a single life changing situation compete in postal competitions and when I won my
and that is what it’s like for most disabled people.
My step son was in the Marine Cadets and turned
round to me one day and said he would love to
be able to get extra practice at shooting as this is
something that he did with them, so I said ok we
will find a club to join so you can get some extra
practice. When I went down to the local club which is
Andy at practice during the world
2008
By Andy Dubreuil
Portishead near Bristol I was face with my old
problem of having to get out of the chair bum down
the steps to get into the club, no big deal as I always
wanted to have ago with an air rifle. The last time I
shot was when I was in the army many years ago, but
I thought I would give it a go, well I found that I had not
lost my touch for shooting. After a couple of visits a
bought a couple of air rifles and it was good as I had
found something to be able to do with my step son.
Trouble is that he was reaching the age were
girls had come to his mind and when he found
one I found myself the only one going to the club,
but I had got hooked on the idea of being able to
first medal that was it, I was in at the deep end.
I got through some different air rifles and then
I had a go at Rimfire, that was so much fun, but
then I was trying 3.57 and black powder. The 3.57
and black powder was great fun but was almost
knocking me out of my chair and I do take
safety seriously and stick with in my limits. I got
myself a Ruger with a match
barrel and it wasn’t long
championship before I starting adding mod’s
to it to make it even better and
I was winning medals with that.
I had seen guys doing prone
shooting and wished I had
been able to do that but my
body would just not take that
kind of stress, but then one
day I saw our club secretary
on the outdoor range shooting
off a table and it intrigued me
at what he was doing, it was
benchrest shooting and once
I had ago I know it was for me.
Since then I have made it my one
and only sport due to the amount
of money I have spent and there
just isn’t the time to do all the
different competitions that we
Target Shooter 69
 Andy ‘on the line’ at the world
championship in 2008
A bit of fun in Italy shooting pistol
during a day off from competition
70 Target Shooter
have at our club.
My first rifle cost me £250 and I got a Caldwell
BR1000 rest, that year was the first nationals
and I just had to go even though I had only been
shooting benchrest for about 3 months and I wasn’t
expecting to pick up any medals, but I didn’t finish last.
I am one of 3 in the UK that are wheelchair bound
that shoot benchrest, what I have learn over the
years is that even if you are disabled you can
compete against able bodied shooters and even
give them a run for their money. My guys as I
call them at my club are fantastic, they treat me
just like one of the them and are always pulling
each other’s leg’s, just I can’t feel it when they
pull mine! I don’t have to bum down the steps
anymore as they have put in a ramp now but I was
happy to do that come rain, snow or sunshine.
I have been a member of the British Squad for
3 years now and even they treat me just one
of the guys. Target shooting has open a whole
new world to me and that is because I became
disabled, as my life was very different back
before then. The transformation from being able
bodied to disabled was a hard one, emotionally
as well as physically, you have to learn things all
over again but in a different way, shooting can
also be like that in some way. If you spent a lot of
time shooting one discipline and then move into
 Andy at the European Championship 2007
another one, it can be difficult to leave some of the
things that you did behind with the new one, call
them old habits but they just don’t work. And being
disabled can be like that, we adapt quicker to new
challenges and obstacles that are put in front of us.
I have travelled Europe and have taken part in
European and World matches because of benchrest
shooting and I have earn my place with the team
just like any other team member, there is no special
class for disabled and there doesn’t have to be and
everyone is seated, you could say the sport was made
for disabled shooters but it’s not, it’s there for everyone.
More and more shooters that have done prone
shooting for years are now looking at taking up
benchrest shooting as they have the right rifle and
just need to put a scope on it and buy a benchrest
and they are ready to go.
Around the world there are different benchrest
competitions from Air Rifle, Rimfire and Centrefire
going on and it’s a growing sport and even
younger people are taking it up, which is fantastic
as they are the next generation. Benchrest is a very
technical sport, there are some that spend their time
trying to work out the physics of it all to try to make
what is commonly called ‘killer rifles’, I think they have
addiction bad, but like all shooting sports we do it for
fun because we enjoy it for one reason or another.
We all know someone in our lives that have been
made disabled or are disabled so why not invite
them to come to your club and let them have a go.
There are disabled athletes all around the world,
they didn’t just knock on someone’s door and asked
to have ago, they have been encouraged by friends
and family, finding new things and ideas to make life
seem normal in some way can be a great medicine.
For me I have my step son to thank but also those
friends I have made at my club that made me feel
welcome, they have been there for me when I have
been ill and at times when I have had to go into
hospital, they don’t look at me any differently to
anyone else. I have also through the sport made
great friends around the world, sometime it’s like a
dream.
I have always been of the view for a long time that
you can turn a negative into a positive and I have
tried to live my life like that, I was asked not long ago
would it be hard to give up shooting, and the answer
to that is yes in some way but more for the people
that I have made great friends with, there isn’t a
day that doesn’t go past without some friend asking
how is my shooting going, what gear have I bought
and even for advise and a training. It would more
the lost of contact with friends than the shooting.
It is because of this sport of shooting that I got
involved in this magazine, again it has been a new
door that opened for me, I never intended to write for
the magazine and work more behind the scenes with
the advertisers you see in this magazine who are a
great bunch of people to work with. I was not sure
what we were about to take on was going to work, but
you the readers have helped to make this magazine
what it is today, I get a lot of satisfaction from reading
the comments that you send in about what we do.
14 years ago I was stuck in a flat with hardly
seeing soul or talking to anyone for days if not
weeks, spending most of my time with hospital and
Target Shooter 71
physiotherapy, we never know what
life is going to through at us, or how
things can turn.
The United Kingdom
Team 2008
I had always had it my mind that I
would never be able to travel when
I became disabled but with good
friends and team mates I am able to
do it. First time round was scary as I
travelled alone and was in a hotel by
myself as the team had not sorted itself
out with everyone going together, we
were a bit new to it all, but once there it
was great, the worries just disappear
and you get on with job of competing.
Here in the UK the NSRA have started a
disabled shooting project and it’s
good to see one of our national
associations looking to help as much
as they in this area. The great thing is
able to give something instead of just taking it. I have
there are people and organisation out there willing
always had a saying ‘if you can see past the metal
to help.
work you will see the person’ we are all different one
You can find details on the NSRA website
way or another, but sport can bring us all together
under News about their project or if you are looking
from all walks of life, it’s a great thing to be part of.
at benchrest shooting then get in contact with the
UK Association of Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest
Shooting, just Google them!
My life couldn’t be fuller than it is and I feel that I am

View
“sport can bring us all together from all walks of life, it’s a great through
thing theof”
to be part scope at
50m

72 Target Shooter
☆ 2007 Pan American Games
3x20 Gold Medalist
☆ 2007 WC Milan 3x20 Silver Medalist
☆ 2008 Olympian 3x20 Fifth Place
☆ 5-Time NRA Camp Perry
3x20 Junior National Champion
☆ Multiple Women’s NRA Camp Perry
National Champion
If you want to shoot like
a champion, choose Lilja!
www.riflebarrels.com
Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels, Inc
PO Box 372 • Plains, MT 59859
Tel: 406-826-3084 • Fax: 406-826-3083

Jamie Beyerle

To all our readers and Advertisers, the

best of Seasons greetings and a hope
for an great new year. From all of the
team at Target Shooter.
Target Shooter 73
 SA09/54/e

74 Target Shooter
 The Weaver T36 scope

By Carl Boswell
The Weaver T36 has been around for quite a
above-custom Anschutz with an alternative
number of years and has been reviewed by a
silver finish to those T36’s tested
great many people during its lifetime. I bring it up
again here, as it is one of the few scopes that has on the objective lens. I must say that I have an
spanned the last two decades and is still used opposite position to this thought, since moving
quite extensively by a variety of shooters around onto a scope with parallax adjustment being on
the globe for long-range shooting such as F-Class the side turret, but I have used scopes with this
and all forms of benchrest shooting. This longevity configuration before. (I just find it easier on the
as a product in the day and age of ‘fixed product side turret so I don’t have to lean over and
life-cycle’ suggests the Weaver has something to adjust the scope when practicing – that’s me, I
offer everyone. The official importers of Weaver am lazy and once comfortable in my chair I like to
scopes into the UK are Edgar Brothers, although remain in position until the end of my detail. ‘To
the two I have came directly from the States. each their own’ I guess! I found the adjustable
Opening the box and, as I like presents I do like objective moved very smoothly and easily locked
opening something new, my first impressions are into position when it needed to be. Overall the
positive. As you would expect the scope is well layout is as you would expect, ergonomic and
made, slim with a one inch body, but sturdy. The easy to use.
one-inch tube seems small in comparison to the
30mm Leupold I use predominantly but does the The T36 has two reticles to choose from, either
job. The markings are clear and precise. The one the eighth MOA dot or the fine crosshair. My
thing that has been pointed out to me as a boon personal preference is the latter, as I tend to shoot
on this scope is the parallax adjustment being rimfire and air rifle benchrest I have always opted
for this type of reticle.
It depends what you
really require but, each
one is as effective as
the other. My first view
through the scope, I
tend to view the reticle
and see how good the
glass is. (The T36 has
multicoated lenses
to reduce flare – as
you would expect). I
achieve this by look-
ing at the brightest light
I can, (but not the sun
for obvious reasons).
Parallax adjustment on the Objective lens This allows me to see
the edges of the glass
Target Shooter 75
 believe are made in Japan and
the scope assembled in the
USA.

The weight of this scope will

also be a deciding factor
for some shooters trying to
make weight for their chosen
discipline. At seventeen
ounces, it is on a par with
its nearest competitor, the

T36 on the LG100 with view at 25 metres

and view any imperfections or foggy edges you

might encounter with cheaper glass, however there
were none so this test was confirmed. (In some
Weaver tests I have seen there has been
suggestion of fogginess at the edges of the glass
– but see my previous comment). The optics I

36X Sightron (also 17oz). This can make all the

difference when fitting for rig into a weighed class.
The fact that it comes with sunshield as standard
is also another bonus, as often this has to be
purchased separately. The screw-on lens caps
are a very positive aspect to this product, like a
number of other manufacturers they are
supplied to protect, but also aid protection during
cleaning. This is especially beneficial during all
forms of benchrest matches
where you could be cleaning
up to six or seven times during
a match.

The scopes, both dot and

fine crosshair, were tested
on both rimfire and air rifles.
I used Pro Mounts on both
scopes during this process,
as they were the ones I had
available with my Cicogani ones
out of commission. The rimfire
rifle being an Anschutz 2013
customized benchrest model,
T36 on the custom Anschutz with view at 50 metres
the air rifle being a Steyr

76 Target Shooter
LG100 customized for benchrest. As I shoot Weaver is half or two thirds the cost of some others
both, I wanted to get the feel of the scope on I would say the clarity was exceptional for the price.
both of these rifles as they are used for different It is worth having a look at some of the other scope
disciplines. (Air rifle benchrest shooters also tendreviews in Target Shooter to compare comments –
to use scopes that are not necessarily meant some are a similar price to the Weaver and some
for benchrest, although this is changing). are quite a bit more expensive.
Although both rifles are designed to be used for The scope has one-eighth MOA clicks which
benchrest, the practicality of shooting the two can is great for benchrest shooting in any form.
differ in the techniques used. I used a Leupold These were decisive and clear when adjusting.
magnetic boresighter to sight in the scopes so One issue that has been commented on is that of
they were ready to fire onto test targets. (This tool
tracking. Some Weaver T36 models have been
is again a massive boon for rimfire shooters – the known to over ‘adjust’ well over the clicks that
official importer for the UK is GMK. I have seen a were dialed in on adjustment. This was not
rimfire laser bore-sighter recently and hope to get encountered during the tests, but if it does
this for testing in the near future). happen my personal experience is that Weaver are
happy to repair/ replace the scope with no hassle.
The tests themselves consisted of series of 50m A 50 metre test to show how the scope managed
tests with the rimfire and series of 25m tests with to track around the standard rimfire and air rifle
the air rifle. This was attempted over a number benchrest target was carried out. Each click
of months with different conditions to ascertain produced a new point of impact, as I strung up
the general use and feel of the T36. An eye test and clockwise around the target, coming back to
was first, using newsprint to check the clarity of the original setting and point of impact. The large
smaller numbers and lines until it was too small turrets are clearly marked and easy to read, being
to read plus of course, a rimfire benchrest are etched in gold and move with a very positive click.
target. Both provided appropriate data that the Next was an accuracy test, with both rifles. From
clarity was very good, out to the maximum test the target diagrams you can see a couple of
distance of 50 metres. We could comment on examples of both the 25 metre and 50 metre
how this compares with other scopes but, as the targets (all five shot groups, all outdoors and during
the summer months). These
were pretty similar to the others
conducted in the varying
conditions during this summer
period. The conclusion from
this is that they were holding
a good pattern, even in windy
conditions, as I could ‘hold off’
with confidence.
After all this testing and having
the T36 for ‘a while’ I have
decided this is a cracking scope
for the money, especially when
combined with the Davis optical
booster from BulzeyePro. The
booster I used brings the
magnification up to about X45,
which is more than adequate
for any type of shooting. As
the Weaver T36 is used by a
number of the top shooters,
and currently at least 2 world
champions in rimfire and
air rifle benchrest, then it is
apparent that it is good
Turrets are marked clearly and give postive clicks investment. Coupled with this -
if it takes your fancy - is that the

Target Shooter 77

A range of test targets - top rimfire at 50m
and bottom air rifle at 25 m.
Weaver T36 is available in both silver and matt black.
Therefore the aesthetics of your rig can be
developed by you the shooter. The ones on test
had a fine matt black finish that did not mark or
scuff during testing. The T36 is an older model
scope and there are newer ones out there - for
me it comes down to a coin toss at the end of the
day, as this scope is value for money. Let’s face
great
Shootk great
Loo
ELEY Black Soft Shell Jacket £40.00
Breathable, windproof and water resistant jacket in a soft
shell fabric, available in men’s and ladies fit XS – XXL
Free postage on your first order
To place an order call 0121 313 4529
or email katewhite@eley.co.uk
78 New
Target online shop coming soon
Shooter
with a full range of ELEY apparel
it, some of the world’s best are using them and
winning!
Overall this is good purchase even as a starter
scope, as the T36 costs around £400 depending
on the retailer. Although there are other good
scopes out there around this sort of price, I think
the Weaver T36 is a bargain! Until next time!
Specification
Magnification Power, Objective : 36x40 AO
Exit Pupil (in millimeters) : 1.16
Field of View (feet @ 100 yds): 3
Eye Relief (inches): 3
Overall Length (inches):15.4
Weight (ounces): 17
Reticle: Fine Crosshair/ MOA Dot
Colour: Silver or Matt Black
Distributor: Edgar Brothers
Cost: Approximately £395.00 for the Matt
Black version, but this may differ with currency
fluctuations. The Silver model may be more
expensive depending on the retailer.
Davis optical booster can be found via this
website; http://www.bulzeyepro.com/
Edgar Brothers can be contatced via this website;
http://www.edgar-brothers.co.uk/
www.eleyammunition.com
 Head to Head Benchrest Match -
South Africa verses Malta
The Malta Allied Airgunners Club (MAAC) started air
rifle benchrest in May 2008 when they were still part
of another club. This was after initial contacts with
Carlo Caricato (former ERABSF president) and Carl
Boswell. Later that year in August, MAAC was officially
formed and issued with a Target Shooting Club License.
Currently, MAAC is seeking the required experience
to compete with the rest of the world. For the first
time since 2008, MAAC participated in the World
Air Rifle Postal that was set up by the Free State
Benchrest Shooting Association (FSBSA).
The date for the head to head was set for Monday
28th September 2009 and we all eagerly awaited
the moment. Later on New Zealand also showed
interest in participating in this event and hence the
Tri – Nation title for this event.
South Africa are very well set up for rimfire, air rifle &
centerfire benchrest
By Stanley Shaw
Monday 28th September 2009, following the WFTF
Worlds, it was time to shoot the Tri-Nation. South
Africa, New Zealand and Malta in a head to head
duel for the first time. Unfortunately New Zealand
had to pull out at the last moment due to some
unforeseen reason but this did not spoil the broth.
Most of us only knew of each other through e-mails
or Facebook but the WFTF Worlds had brought us
together a few days earlier.
The event was set up at the Krokodilspuit Range
in Pretoria. When we arrived, the South African
shooters were already preparing the range with
wind-markers and the necessary hardware for the
match. The weather could not be better for head
to head bench rest match. The wind was a strong
force 4-5 with gusts up to 6 and
increasing as the day progressed.
We Maltese had to prove
ourselves to our South African
hosts head to head, with the same
conditions for all shooters. We
did not expect to beat South
Africa but we needed to prove
our postal scores.
Nick opened the event by
offering a prayer for the
occasion granted to meet and
shoot together. The first match
was for air rifle at 25 metres
followed in the afternoon by a
rimfire match, also at 25 metres.
The Match Director and referees
Target Shooter 79

Windy days down in South Africa
were selected, ID tags were distributed and shooters
got busy preparing their equipment. The Maltese
team shared the four PCP air rifles that were used
during the WFTF worlds - a Styer LG110, Air Arms
EV2, HW 100 and an Air Arms S400 all in 0.177
caliber and under 12 ft lbs. Most of the South African
shooters used Air Arms S400 and MPRs.
The topography at the Krokodilespuit range causes
the wind to flow in a crazy way. In that 25 metre
stretch between shooter and target, the flags and
wind markers were busy spinning and turning in all
possible directions.
Nick Schoonwinkle of South Africa providing some advice
80 Target Shooter
The first relay commenced and
shooters started to shower their
first score card with pellets whilst
the rest of us chatted about air
rifles or followed the progress
of their colleagues. Between
relays, shooters exchanged
opinions and experiences.
There was time for a quick
snack between the AR and RF
matches. The wind was chilly and
everyone needed some energy
to warm up. Now it was time for
the rimfire match and the South
African shooters helped out
the Maltese shooters with their
setup and gave hints on rimfire
BR and wind deviation effects.
South African shooters also
gave us a target of at least 230 points per score card.
The match started and everyone was thoroughly
enjoying it and getting to grips with the rifles and
conditions . Whist the relays were in progress, Match
Director Nick Schoonwinkle and his team were busy
scoring the AR BR match and the first incoming
cards from the RF match. The wind continued to
flurry and a storm was clearly on the way. We could
already see lightning over the ridge ahead of us.
When the event was over, special medals and
 awarded medals out of 12
contestants.
1st Natali Terblanche (RSA)
1473-59X
2nd Pieter Van Der Merwe
(RSA) 1470-43X
3rd Niel Terblanche (RSA) 1455-
40X
4th David Giardina (Malta) 1426-
28X
5th Nazzarenu Scorfna (Malta)
1420-29X

Other Match Statistics.

Air Rifle highest score card for
Malta : Stanley Shaw 238-6X
The air rifle match Air Rifle highest score card RSA:
Pieter Van Der Merwe 246-3X
Rim Fire highest score card for
Malta : David Giardina 249-8X
Rim Fire highest score card for
patches were distributed among the winners of each
RSA: Tionette Bernard JR 250-19X
category. Special trophies from Malta were presented
Air Rifle highest number of X on 3 cards Malta:
to the top South African Shooter in the air rifle , rimfire
James Bugeja -13X
and overall classification. A special trophy was also
Air Rifle highest number of X on 3 cards RSA: Natali
presented by MAAC to FSBSA for this memorable
Terblanche - 15X
day for our two countries. FSBSA was so happy with
Rim Fire highest number of X on 3 cards Malta:
this trophy that Nick and his team decided to make
Dr.Mario Spiteri and Nazzarenu Scorfna - 23X
this trophy into a special floating trophy that will be
Rim Fire highest number of X on 3 cards RSA :
awarded during a yearly commemorative shoot.
Tionette Bernard JR - 52X
Combined highest number of X Malta : Stanley Shaw
Results and statistics:
- 30X
In the Air Rifle section medals were awarded to the
Combined highest number of X RSA : Natali
top 6 out of 17 competitors.
Terblanche - 59X
1st Natali Treblanche 726-15X (RSA)
2nd Renier Mosert 725-15X (RSA)
The storm was on us by now as FSBSA and MAAC
3rd Pieter Van Der Merwe 722 – 7X (RSA)
members socialized around the traditional braai. This
4th Johnathan Piezer 715 – 13X (RSA)
concluded his wonderful day and a match that will
5th Niel Terblanche 711 – 7X (RSA)
be permanently etched in every shooter’s memory.
6th Stefan Pretorius 708 – 4 X (RSA)
(Malta placed 8th with David Giardina 703-7X and
9th James Bugeja 702-13X)

In the Rim Fire section medals were

again awarded to the top 6 out of 16
competitors.
1st Tionette Bernard JR 749-52X
(RSA)
2nd Pieter Van Der Merwe 748 – 36X
(RSA)
3rd Natali Terblanche 747 – 44X (RSA)
4th Luandri Bernard JR 744-41X (RSA)
5th Niel Terblanche 744-33 (RSA)
6th Dr. Mario Spiteri 739-23X (Malta)
(Malta placed 7th with Nazzareno
Scorfna 738-23X). Shooters on the line, South Africa have
had quite a few international matches
In the Overall Class the top 5 were in 2009
Target Shooter 81
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82 Target Shooter
 This Smallbore Business
It is nice to resurrect this column for a magazine
that reaches so many.
The primary function of these articles is to give
the new chum coming into this fascinating sport
an insight into what is needed, particularly if you
want to go a long way in the rifle game.
For starters, the British Isles has a long history
in smallbore three-position matches and this
writer was privileged to be accepted as a
competitor with the British shooters in their
undisputed heyday. Great shooters such as the
incredible Malcolm and Sarah Cooper, Alistair
(Jock) Allan and Barry Dagger did the British
Team proud with a very long list of successes.
By Don Brook
World records and Olympic Gold were just a part
of these. In my opinion, those three men listed
above - each had their own fields – but with all
three, I regard them as the best team I ever saw.
A great deal of my own techniques came from
these guys, so now it is my turn to put something
back. So what does a new chum need to get
started?
Well, we will address the target rifles first and in
my opinion, though the options are many and
varied, there are probably two rifles that stand
out.
The Anschutz series
Made in Germany, Anschutz also has a long
Anschutz Model 1913 with stock 1907
Target Shooter 83

and proud association with the sport and hold
many records, together with Gold Medals. These
were the rifles that I used in my career and at
one time the Anschutz completely dominated the
firing-line at every international competition you
could name.
They are available in different forms, from pure
prone rifles to the three-position thumb-hole
stocks. In later years, Anschutz developed their
aluminium stock and these are now preferred
over the timber variety. Some shooters still
prefer the timber versions such as Sergei
Martynov from Russia, quite arguably rated as
one of the better prone shooters around.
It is important to understand that the new chum
to three-position needs to choose a free rifle,
(nothing to do with the price!) as these are
the ones with stocks having a multitude of
adjustments. These are very necessary to ensure
the ultimate body fit that is so necessary to shoot
really well in all the three positions of a match.
All of the available rifles have this system and
the shooter would do well to jump onto the
computer and search Google so that all avenues
are covered, according to personal preference.
You need to pay particular attention to the
accessories, which I will deal with in later articles.
You can view the excellent Anschutz catalogue
on the web site www.anschuetz-sport.com
The Bleiker rifles
These rifles without doubt, are moving steadily
into the market. Like most stuff from Switzerland,
they are extremely well made, precise,
innovative in design and extremely accurate. These
are the rifles currently favoured by the best prone
84 Target Shooter
Anschutz Model 2007/660 Small Bore Rifle in
stock 2313 Alu Color
shooter in the world at present, an Australian
friend of mine, Warren Potent.
It is interesting to note that Bleiker generally uses
American stainless-steel barrels - either Hart or
Lilja but I know there are also very good Swiss
barrels made and that can be discussed with
Bleiker depending on your preference.
Bleiker also has the distinction of offering to
discuss requirements with the shooter and will
build the rifle accordingly. I have no doubts, that
in spite of my lifetime with Anschutz, I would
choose the Bleiker rifles were they around in my
day. A word though, even with the very best gear,
you still have to shoot them! You will find them on
www.bleiker.com.ch and well worth a look!
Generally, there are many different types of rifle
available and the secondhand market usually has
a plethora of them. For the new chum, you do
not have to go to extremes of finance, as often
you will find that secondhand rifles are well up to
standard.
It is worth noting that very rarely have I seen
a smallbore shooter with a rifle that is not well
cared for. Most secondhand rifles are well looked
after and still shoot really well. Occasionally you
may find a Walther (Germany) free rifle on the
market. These were favoured by Cooper, and I
have a 1952 model Finish Lion that still shoots
extremely well (see photo above) and there is
no way I would ever sell it from my stable. It is
extremely accurate.
So, initially let’s look at 3 Position shooting and
what is required.
 BLEIKER ‘Challenger’ Smallbore Rifle .22 LR (ISSF)
Prone shooting
In many countries, including Australia, this is
usually where the shooter starts out, due to
the fact that the prone events are what most
countries focus on. I had to make it as a prone
shooter before I could concentrate on my
preferred event, the 3 position matches.
Prone events are generally easier, simply due to
the steadiness of the prone position and you can
get to be pretty capable in a relatively short time.
As you advance, prone shooting becomes quite
a science with mental attitude making a very big
difference. This too I will attend to in later articles.
Standing shooting
This is the most unstable of the positions due
to the small support-platform under the rifle
and there is specialised clothing and boots to
consider as well. Good standing shooting is an
art form and it does involve quite a long process
of training if the shooter wants to reach the top.
The air rifle events are all shot standing, so an
ideal training model for an aspiring smallbore 3P
shooter. More on this later.
Kneeling shooting - A specialised event
In my opinion this is the most difficult of the
three positions due to two things. Firstly, the
positions generally are cramped and unusual for the
shooter to master. Secondly, a good kneeling
shooter expects to and often does exceed his
prone standard, such are the score expectations
demanded.
I will also address this position down the track a
little in later articles.
Finally in this article comes the first step for a
new shooter. It is imperative, in my opinion that
you find an excellent techniques coach right from
the start of your campaign to become a British
representative in your chosen field. Smallbore, is
an Olympic event, and I could not find a better
reason for my goals.
A really good coach can save you heaps of time
and in England you have one of the very best
available. I speak of Barry Dagger from
Manchester. Barry is a gifted coach. I would look
him up right at the outset, and listen to what he
has to say.
As an Australian, in my era, it was very difficult
to gain any subjective information relative to
improvement. So, make your choice carefully
when choosing a coach and listen - try things out
under instruction. This could save you major time!
The other thing with all smallbore events –
remember this example of psychology (which I
will also address later on) that I leave you with:
‘Practice does not necessarily make perfect….
perfect practice makes perfect’.
Target Shooter 85
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HANDLOADING ‘OLD FAITHFUL’
THE .308 WINCHESTER (part 2)

By Laurie Holland
Let’s move onto components in our look at .308 Above - Many British .308 Win users will use
Win. Making a choice can be as simple or as hard Lapua brass and bullets with Vihtavuori powders
as you like: if you live in Britain or Europe, the
‘simple route’ is to specify Lapua brass, a most mid burning rate powders, a quick survey
‘benchrest’ primer such as the CCI-BR2 or finding just over 20 fully suitable grades from five
Federal 210M, 155gn Lapua Scenar or new Sierra manufacturers available in the UK, most of them
Matchking bullet and subject to personal suitable for ‘mainstream’ (155-210gn) bullet
preference, Vihtavuori N140 / weights. A quick count of suitable bullets threw
540 / 150 powder. Hodgdon VarGet is the powder of choice for .308W Palma and
Take a deep breath when Fullbore Rifle on the western side of the Atlantic with American
you buy the gear though as brass and bullets. Alliant Reloder 15 is the choice of some
a couple of hundred cases,
500 Scenars, 1,000 primers,
and couple of kilos of N140
add up to £437.36 using the
importers’ recommended retail
prices, although you can
reduce unit prices somewhat
by buying bulk (1,000-piece)
bullet packs and a 3.5Kg bottle
of powder. If you’re American,
you might choose Lapua brass
too, but are more likely to select
home-produced Winchester or
Remington, a Sierra or Berger
155gn bullet and Hodgdon
VarGet. One of the beauties
of handloading .308 Win is
the range of top quality
components that is available
not to mention this design’s
excellent performance with
Target Shooter 87
How do you get your cases? Once-fired or other
secondhand brass from different makers and
production lots and fired in other people’s rifles
is not ideal
up 36 HPBT or FMJBT match examples within
this weight range, again from five manufacturers.
Brass
But, let’s start with the case, a component which
is all too often the last thing to be considered,
and then largely in terms of: “Which is cheapest?”
Alright, if you’re going to use an ancient 7.62mm
TR rifle or superannuated sporter to shoot at large
targets at modest ranges, expensive brass won’t
affect the results overmuch. Just after the first
Gulf War I acquired hundreds of 7.62X51mm
cartridges from people who’d bought them for under
£10 / 100, then complained they “wouldn’t shoot”!
They had Farsi headstamps, came from different
manufacturing lots, and were dirty with a mixture of
grit and oil. Oh yes, they were still in strips of five in
metal disintegrating-belt clips, presumably having
been in 5 ball; 1 tracer machinegun belts – I’m pretty
Buying new Lapua, Norma or RWS brass is the
proper starting point for precision .308W sure they were the former property of one Saddam
handloads. The R-P cases seen on the left are Hussein and had been recovered from some bit of
good quality too, but cost more than Lapua at Kuwaiti or Iraqi real estate. The case to bullet crimp
the moment! was so crude some mouths were almost square

88 Target Shooter
and dismantling them revealed poorly made, often
damaged bullets alongside three powders each with
a different charge weight. A few cases had flaws in
the brass walls and had to be discarded for safety –
it doesn’t come worse than that! Yet cleaning them
up and truing / resizing the necks produced very
serviceable short-medium range ammunition when
reloaded with 150gn Lapuas – a Ruger 77V
heavy-barrel sporter had no trouble keeping them in
the NRA TR target centre at 500 yards.

Match Quality
However ....... if you have any aspirations to
produce match quality .308W ammo, you start
with brand new (NOT ‘once-fired’) good quality
brass, and the best comes from Lapua, Norma,
and RWS. Unlike American brass, this trio have
machined primer pockets and drilled flash-holes, and
usually exhibit smaller variations in their neck wall
thickness, and overall weights. Norma is rarely
found here as new unprimed cases, most examples
coming from fired factory sporting ammunition while
RWS cases can be obtained if you hunt around, but
are very
The Sinclair case sorter allows quick and easy
case-neck measurement for batching and
culling brass
expensive. Lapua is widely available, and
considering the quality, not that much dearer than the
Remchester equivalents – In fact, checking with
Lapua importer Tim Hannam, it’s currently cheaper
than its ‘Relcom’ (Remington) equivalent at £47.95
per 100 compared to £52.98! Winchester is cheaper
though at £36.40 from Wilson & Wilson Fieldsports Ltd.
Lapua is not only very consistent, but very strong
with the best brass hardness gradation control
in the business. Note the dark shoulder/neck
areas from the final annealing operation
psi away from your eyes. It’s not as
simple as that though as we need
degrees of brass hardness / toughness
that vary – hard at the rear in the head
/ web area so it doesn’t distort under
pressure and the primer pocket
doesn’t expand, hopefully not
under repeated firings either as we
don’t want to throw the cases away
after two or three loadings. As we
go up the case, the brass has to be
softer as well as thinner so that it
expands against the chamber walls
without splitting. Finally, the shoulder
/ neck section has to be very soft in
relative terms to grip the bullet without
splitting and to take the expansion
and contraction of firing followed by
Super thin-walled 1980s Norma 160gn .308
cases have a thin, weak web-body junction
and will separate in short order if headspace
is not kept small and/or heavy loads are used
in weaker actions

So what’s special about Lapua? Firstly, strength –

very important as the back end of the case is the
plug that that seals the rear of the chamber and
keeps gas at thousands of degrees and 60,000

Target Shooter 89
 The final thing we’re interested in is
capacity, the amount of space inside,
specifically a few microseconds after
ignition has taken place and pressure
has built up enough to expand the case
to fit the chamber – that’s the actual
working combustion chamber volume
which has a significant effect on the
ultimate pressures produced as the
powder burn peaks, and in turn affects
performance and safety. We measure
the capacity by weighing the amount
of water that fills a fired but unsized
case to the top of its mouth. Weigh a
selection of fired cases, choose an
average example noting its empty
weight, fill it with water level with the
Above - Laurie isn’t a fan of battery powered electronic mouth, then reweigh to obtain the
scales for measuring powder charges, but they’re a boon water’s weight by simple arithmetic.
for weighing and sorting cases. This Lapua .223 Rem case We don’t do this for every case in a
is being weighed empty prior to filling with water to obtain box, but it’s useful for comparing the
the capacity capacity of different makes,
sometimes even different lots of one
resizing down for the next loading. It does work make, and nearly essential if you have the
harden though, and it’s this that will likely define QuickLOAD internal ballistics program and want
the case’s life, either that or the primer pocket to use it properly as inputting the finding(s) gener-
expanding under repeated heavy loads. Lapua’s ally provides more accurate results than using the
materials control, cold-drawing stages (which default value. What we’d like is for every case in
hardens the brass as well as being part of a box to have an identical capacity, but we can’t
the forming process) and multiple targeted really find that out, so we do the next best thing
annealing processes (to soften the metal in the and weigh every one (empty) and segregate them
appropriate places) as it turns a brass disc or ‘coin’ accordingly. The idea is that if a case is lighter
into a finished case are reckoned to be amongst than its fellows, its walls are thinner so it likely has
the best in the world. The result is a really strong more capacity; less if it’s the other way around and
component that Lapua says will survive at least is at the heavier end of the range. We’re looking
10 loadings, and in military ammunition has a 20 for a 1% maximum variation – 1.7gn if a typical
year shelf life without case-neck deterioration. example weighs 170gn, or around 0.8gn either side
of the median. What are we actually likely to find in
The other thing we’re looking for is consistent wall a box of virgin brass? It varies depending on make,
thickness, this seen by measuring necks at three cartridge, and manufacturing lot. Our ‘good trio’
or four points around their circumference. We want usually produce small variations – I’ve seen Lapua
two types of consistency – between cases, so that .308 brass where every example in a 100-piece box
every case in the box has more or less identical was within a 1gn range equating to around 0.6%
dimensions; also within individual cases so that variation, but three-quarters or more vary by less
brass that averages 15 thou’ neck thickness say, than half a grain. I’ve encountered other makes
doesn’t throw up readings of 14 thou’ on one side where there was four or five grains difference over
and 16 on the other. We can neck-turn these 100 cases. Incidentally, this weighing process and
inconsistencies out, can’t we? Yes, but that’s any batching or culling should be done after any
extra workload needing expensive tools, also case preparation processes that involve removing
inconsistent neck wall thickness is a symptom of metal: trimming; primer pocket cutting / uniforming;
the whole case being out of kilter. These things mouth chamfering; and neck-turning.
are bad for precision ammo as they (a) generate
inconsistencies between cartridges, and accuracy What did I mean by ‘cartridge’ within the list of
is about every cartridge behaving the same way variables? Well, even within the Lapua range,
in the rifle, and (b) produce small concentricity I reckon there is ‘Lapua Quality’ and ‘Lapua
variations, so cartridges don’t lie straight in the Quality’ – that is, .220 Russian, 6mm BR Norma
chamber and/or bullets aren’t lined up with the bore. and 6.5X47mm Lapua cases are usually superb
out of the box, as they’re going to the pickiest

90 Target Shooter
 This is one reason why
bullet and powder
manufacturers are a
bit cautious in their
loads data. If you read
the wordy bits at the
beginning of reloading
manuals as you should,
you might notice a
‘health warning’ about
maximum loads only
being safe with the
exact combination of
components listed in
the cartridge data, but
the producers know
that many customers
will ignore this and use
any old case they can
get hold of, preferably
for free! You also used
Weighing good quality brass from a single production lot like these Lapua to see warnings in
308W examples will usually produce a classic ‘distribution bell-curve’ with tables of .30-06 and
most weights in the middle tapering off to a few very light and heavy .308W data to reduce
examples at either end of the range maximum loads with
‘arsenal brass’ by a
customers in the shooting fraternity. .308W is a less
couple of grains as heavy military cases often have
pricey ‘bread and butter’ product produced in larger
less room inside and generate more pressure for a
quantities and some of it ending up loaded with FMJs
given bullet and powder charge.
for military customers, so it’s not guaranteed to be
quite as good, displaying greater variability between
Makes
lots, but at its best is still really, really consistent.
What have I been using in my test loads and
competition shooting? The primary make is Lapua,
We’re not just interested in consistency amongst
all cases of recent manufacture but bought in three
cases from one maker, but in comparing weights
bites, hence different lots. I also have hundreds of
and capacities of brass from different sources.
1980s era Norma cases that are light, thin-walled
RG Bisley Match 7.62mm cases are heavy with reduced and ‘roomy’. Recent Relcom (R-P
internal capacity while the German MEN brass used in HPS headstamped cases from Remington)
target master ammunition is on a par with good quality and Winchester cases were purchased
commercial products too. As examples of military type brass,
I tried 25-case samples of American
WCC80 and German MEN, the latter
obtained from firing HPS Target
Master ammo. Finally, for comparison,
I weighed and measured the water
capacity of an RG 2004 7.62mm case
from 155gn‘Bisley Match’ cartridges,
also fired in my rifle and fireformed
to its chamber. Cases were weighed,
had their neck thickness measured,
and the water capacity identified – the
results are shown in Table 1. The Lapua
brass displayed its usual exceptional
weight and length consistency, but this
particular lot had more neck thickness
variation than some ranging from 14
to 17 thou’. I should stress that these
extremes were never found in any

Target Shooter 91
 is the famous, perhaps that should be
notorious, ‘160gn Norma’ which was
seized on by the Bisley Match Rifle
shooters, but turned out to be overly
thin-walled and weak in the web-body
junction leading to failures with the
very stiff loads these shooters use.
Some of my cases measure only 12-
13 thou’ in their necks, although 14 is
more common.
Capacity wise, I got a range of
water weights from 54.8gn for the RG
military example up to 57.2gn for the
old thin-walled Norma representing
smallest and largest capacities.
The table also lists these weights
and shows the peak pressures and
MVs that QuickLOAD calculates
for a 155gn Lapua Scenar seated
to an OAL of 2.850” over 45.0gn of
Vihtavuori N140, showing how
capacity affects pressure. Putting it
another way, if you had worked up a
maximum load of this powder that is
right on the CIP allowed maximum of
Case wall consistency is a key factor alongside the press, dies 60,191 psi in the Norma case, then
and loading techniques in producing cartridges with minimum used that charge in the Lapua or RG
bullet runout – unlike these American factory examples case without reducing it, you’d be
single case ,and moreover only applied to a very 3,550 psi and 7,150 psi over the CIP
few examples. Around half the 100 cases measured PMax levels respectively!
exactly 15, and that right around their necks too,
give or take a half-thou’. This is where a Sinclair I’ll look at case preparation next month, asking if
case-sorting tool is a boon letting you measure it’s worth the expense and effort, then move onto
necks quickly and segregate those outside of the next main group of components, bullets, where
whatever you decide are acceptable limits. The we not only have a big choice of makes, weights
Relcom (R-P) brass was more consistent than I and types, but a split between long and short-range
expected with less extreme overall neck thickness models that many shooters fail to appreciate.
variation than the Lapua, no measurement falling Pmax values marked with a * exceed CIP maximum
outside 0.015 to 0.0165”, but actually had far fewer allowed (60,191 psi). NB pressures and MVs are
individual cases with
Table 1 Case Weights and Neck Thickness
a one-thou or less
variance in their necks. Weights (gn) Neck Thickness Capacity PMax (psi) MV (fps)
This make also had Norma Av. 159.5gn Av. 0.013” 57.2gn H2O 55,686 2,890
a good overall weight Winchester 156.3 – 158.7 0.014 – 0.017” 56.9gn H 2 O 56,403 2,896
spread of only 1.3gn. Remington 164.1 – 165.4 0.015 – 0.0165” 56.6gn H2O 57,141 2,902
To my surprise MEN 171.1 – 172.0 0.0145 – 0.016” 56.3gn H2O 57,901 2,908
as I think of it as Lapua 171.1 – 171.9 0.014 – 0.017” 55.6gn H2O 59,763 2,922
military rather than WCC80 (Mil) 173.9 – 177.0 0.013 – 0.0175” 55.3gn H2O 60,602* 2,929
match brass, the RG04 (Mil) 172.3gn 0.0155 – 0.0175” 54.8gn H2O 62,059* 2,940
ex-HPS MEN stuff
was very good too.
Winchester, in my lot at least, was the poorest of the estimates from a computer model, and actual
commercial makes and also had the worst finish, pressures may be higher or lower in a particular
hardly a case-mouth round as they came out of firearm. The loading data is purely for illustration,
the packet. It wouldn’t be fair to comment on the not necessarily recommended for use.
Norma cases which produced a lot of variation,
because it’s not recent manufacture, and my holdings
comprise several manufacturing lots mixed.This brass
92 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 93
Target Shooter Magazine is a publication of Trinity Digital Publishing Ltd

Russell Simmonds, the new F Class F/TR World
Champion, who also retained the European and
GBFC League Championships for the 2nd year
running, is looking to share his techniques and
experience he has gained over the last few seasons.
This will take the form of two ammunition
reloading courses, one aimed at shooters who would
like to start reloading and another for those currently
reloading but want to take their skills to the next level.
The Level One course is aimed at those who would
like to start reloading but need advice on the basic
equipment and techniques to make a start. The
Level Two course will be aimed at those who are
already competent reloaders and wish to take the
next step to making top quality ammunition for
serious competition use.
The basic course therefore will take shooters from
their current ‘factory’ ammunition to competently
producing their own equivalent ammunition
and how to make that ammunition superior
to bought ammunition. Russell will cover the
basics of safe reloading and include health & safety
requirements, case preparation, choice of
primers, powders and bullets, bullet-seating
and load development. Advice will also be
given on choice of reloading equipment, plus
barrel cleaning and preparation will also be
94 Target Shooter
covered, as Russell believes that this is
all part of maintaining an accurate rifle.
The advanced course will be aimed at
those who currently make their own
ammunition but would like to tune and
develop their loads to a much higher
standard in an effort to try and
extract the maximum accuracy from
their rifle. This course will delve
deeper into powder, primer and
bullet choice, bullet-seating depth, load
development and again, barrel cleaning.
Both courses will be run over a whole
day and during this time students will
actually load their own ammunition
under the close supervision of Russell, who will
limit these courses to no more than three students
per instructor. All reloading kit will be provided for
your use whilst on the course and the cost of each
course will be £95.00 this will include light
refreshments. For participants booking for both
courses at the same time the cost will be £170,
saving £20.
Remember, reloading isn’t only for the target
shooter, pest control and stalkers will also benefit
from making a more accurate load than they can
buy, tailored to their exact requirements. All course
participants must hold valid firearms certificates.
 By Gwyn Roberts
Most new shooters entering into our Gallery Rifle Would you like to represent your country in
competitions will usually start off by shooting some of Gallery Rifle?
the smaller (low round count) ones such as the Timed
your eyes closed, bring the rifle slowly back up into
& Precision 1 or Multi Target matches. Most clubs
the aim again until your cheek contacts your usual
offer their own “informal” competitions for novice
reference point on the stock. Once you have
shooters whilst others may also be involved in one
adopted what feels like a natural hold, open your
of the many postal league competitions that are
eyes and check to see where your scope is pointing.
available throughout the country. These two matches
If the crosshairs are actually pointing somewhere on
are by far the most popular of the “shorts” events that
your target then things are looking good but if they
people take part in, and this is probably due to the
are off to the side of it somewhere, you will need
fact that they are both shot from the Strong shoulder
to adjust your feet slightly and carry out the test
only, in the “standing unsupported position.” This “just
procedure again until the correct alignment is
stand there and shoot it” position doesn’t mean that
achieved! Once a good body/target alignment has
they are easy matches to score well in however, as you
been achieved, a good tip to adopting the correct
will probably find out after shooting your first match!
position again quickly during your practice session
is to simply draw around your feet on the floor using
To be a good “shorts” shooter or probably more
some chalk. This way, all you will have to do is simply
importantly, a consistent one, you will first of all
step into the shapes each time you go on to the line
need to work on achieving a quick and consistent
which may save you a lot of time and trouble to start with!
target acquisition as there can be up to 30+ targets
closely situated together on some of the ranges that
After alignment, the next thing to master is
we shoot on, and it can be very easy to cross shoot
bringing the sights up consistently onto the centre of
onto someone else’s target in these circumstances!
the target each time and this can only be achieved
To be able to do this it is essential that your body
by keeping your head still, whilst keeping your
position in relation to the target is correct to start with
eyes focused on the centre of the target. Simple
and this can be done by a simple alignment check.
repetition of bringing the rifle slowly up and
First of all, put a target up at 25m and then take aim
down from the aiming position will develop your
at it in your normal standing position. The next thing
muscle memory and hand/eye co-ordination and will
you need to do is then close your eyes and bring the
eventually help get you onto the target in around
rifle down into the 45º “ready” position and hold it
a second or less, but only if you practice! Just
for a few seconds. Then still making sure you keep
remember that you should always shoot with your head
Target Shooter 95
 A pretty simple course of fire but not that easy to
score well in!
in an upright position and that the rifle always moves
towards your head, and not the other way around!
Once you can get yourself up quickly onto the
centre of your target the next thing to look at is
timing, as this is a very important part of shooting the
“shorts” matches. Shooting too fast will produce poor
accuracy whilst taking too long will result in late shots
and misses on the target so you must find the right
balance and build up to it slowly. The first practice in
the Timed & Precision 1 match allows you 2 minutes
to shoot 12 rounds at 25m. This sounds easy and
it is really as long as you don’t rush your shots and
remember to use a timer. You must also remember
to breathe in between your shots and don’t hold the
rifle up for too long otherwise your arms will start to
get tired and your performance will suffer. You have
plenty of time to shoot this practice in so don’t be
afraid to lower the rifle down every now and then
to help relax your muscles! The second practice in
96 Target Shooter
this match is at 15m and requires one shot to be
fired in 2 seconds, for a total of 12 shots in all. This
particular one causes many of the newer shooters all
sorts of problems and many of them tend to bring the
rifle up as quickly as possible and just pull the trigger
as soon as they see any part of the target in their
sights. This approach is obviously not going to score
them the maximum number of points available on
the day! To shoot this stage well you should first of all
just practice bringing the rifle up slowly into the aim
until the sights are in the middle of the X or 10 ring
before slowly releasing each shot. If it takes you 3
or 4 seconds to do this at first it’s no big deal, as
you must first work on your accuracy and not your
speed. Once you have practiced a little and start to
place your shots pretty much all around the middle
part of the target you can then start to decrease
Whatever your standard, there is always
room for a little improvement!
your times slightly. You must however work on
remaining calm and focused and maintain your
accuracy above all else. Once your technique and timing
improve you should work gradually towards releasing
your shots off within the 2 second interval and simply
repeating the timing to yourself can help you a lot!
When I shoot this match as the targets start to turn
towards me, I just repeat to myself “up…. aim….
fire” and simply release each shot as I say “fire.”
Obviously to get the timing just right you will have to
watch the targets turning towards you but with a little
bit of practice it certainly becomes a lot easier! Dry
firing is probably the easiest way to do it at first, and make
sure that your scope magnification is not set too high
to start with as this will only make the process harder!
Shooting 2 or more shot strings with an underlever
is certainly a lot easier if you tune up your action to
start with, whilst using a slow and smooth technique
when operating the lever will also help to keep the
crosshairs in the middle of the target. This will
obviously help make your follow up shots a lot easier
and allow you to place your shots more consistently
on the target! A lot of people for some reason tend
to lift their heads up off the stock when racking an
underlever making it much harder for them selves
and this should be avoided at all costs. Learning to
shoot with your thumb “up” on the side of the grip
Don’t guess what time you have left,
use a timer if allowed!
as opposed to wrapping it back over again before
squeezing the trigger each time will help you to
produce a smoother racking action and is well worth
spending a bit of time practicing on. The two shots
in 3 seconds stage at 10m also causes some people
problems and again it shouldn’t really as long as you
always think about what you are doing at the time.
You must always make sure that when you practice,
the emphasis is on putting the second (or 3rd or
4th) shot into the middle of the target and not on the
speed that you release it in. When shooting the two
shots in 3 seconds stage in Timed & Precision 1 at
10m I simply repeat to myself “up…. and one (fire)….
and two (fire). I do rack the action fast but my tech-
nique always keeps the rifle flat and controlled and I
never take my eye off the target/crosshair. Releasing
each shot as I reach “one and “two” always gives
me the confidence to take that little extra bit of time
to just tweak the sights over into the middle of the
X ring and helps me to remain calm and focused.
The 6 shots in 15 seconds at 25m and 6 shots
(3 on each target) at 20m stages in the Multi
Target match usually causes a lot of people to
needlessly snatch their shots as they try to shoot too fast
instead of paying attention to their sight picture and
shot release. Whenever you release a shot you must
always shoot “through” your target so that you see
Target Shooter 97
 Wrapping your thumb back around
the grip will waste valuable time, so
learn to shoot with your thumb “up”
on the side of the grip!
exactly where the crosshair is on the target when
you feel the recoil caused by the fired round. This is
also referred to as “follow through” and if you don’t,
then the chances are you will have closed your eyes
in anticipation of hearing the “bang” and pulled the
rifle off line as it were. Snatching at the trigger is also
a common mistake that people make when trying to
shoot quicker than they are capable of, so always
take that fraction of a second longer to release your
shots smoothly as it will usually produce much better
results. Remaining calm whilst trying to shoot more
quickly is obviously a lot easier said than done but
once you have gained the confidence to do it, it will
definitely help take your shooting to the next level!
Starting with the easier of the two, here are the
courses of fire for the two matches. Note that
all magazines are limited to 6 rounds in each:
Timed & Precision 1 match
Targets: 1 x DP2 (GCRF, LBP & LBR) or 1 x DP2a
(GRSB)
Position: Standing unsupported - Ready position:
45 degrees
Practice 1 - 25m
The target will make one appearance of 2 minutes.
98 Target Shooter
The competitor will fire 12 shots, starting loaded with
6 rounds and reloading with 6 rounds within the 2
minutes.
Practice 2 - 15m
The target will make 6 appearances of 2 seconds
each, with intervals of 5 seconds. One shot is to
be fired at each appearance. The competitor must
return to the ready position between appearances.
This practice will be shot twice.
Practice 3 - 10m
The target will make 3 appearances of 3 seconds
each, with intervals of 5 seconds. Two shots are to
be fired at each appearance and the competitor must
return to the ready position between appearances.
The Range Commands (for all three) at the start of
each practice will be: “With 6 rounds load and make
ready.” After an appropriate amount of time this will
then be followed by “Are you ready?” If there are no
problems this will be followed by “Stand by” and the
targets will turn away. Once the targets turn to face
you, you may commence firing.
If you are not ready, shout out “not ready” and
the R.O will acknowledge “Not ready called” and
you will be given up to 30 seconds to prepare
 The Galleryrifle.com website has everything degrees.
from National Classifications and rules, to Practice 1 - 25m
score cards and courses of fire for you to The targets will make one appearance of 15
download for freeso make sure that you visit seconds, during which the competitor will fire 6 shots
on the left hand target.
it soon!
Practice 2 - 20m
yourself. The R.O will then again call “Are you
The targets will make one appearance of 10
ready?” and if all is well call “Stand by” and the
seconds, during which the competitor will fire 3 shots
targets will turn away. At the end of the practice
on each target.
the command “Unload and show clear” will be
Practice 3 - 15m
given. At this point you must (keeping the muzzle
The targets will make 3 appearances of 3 seconds
pointed downrange at the targets) unload your rifle
each, with intervals of 5 seconds. At each
(remove the magazine and lock the bolt open for semi
appearance 2 shots are to be fired on the right hand
autos, or rack the lever 3 times and leave the action/
target. The competitor must return to the ready
lever open for underlevers) and remain still on the
position between appearances.
firing point until it is proven clear by a Range Officer.
Practice 4 - 10m
The targets will make one appearance of 8 seconds,
Scoring: A fresh full target or centre is used for each
during which the competitor will fire 3 shots on each
practice and all targets are scored on the frames.
target. The Range Commands for each practice will
They may be scored by the range crew or by the
be the same as for the Timed & Precision 1 match.
competitors themselves (provided no competitor
scores his own target) and ALL targets on which
In complete contrast to these “short” matches,
maximum points are scored (regardless of number
we’ll take a look next month at one of the “Action”
of Xs) will be re-scored using outward gauging. This
competitions and the 192 round Bianchi match that is
score should also be recorded (by practice) on the
made up of 4 separate stages, with each one requiring
scorecard and will be used for tie-breaking if required.
a different skill to be mastered in order to score well
Multi Target match:
in it!
Targets: 2 x DP1 (GRCF, LBP & LBR), 2 x DP1a
(GRSB)
Position: Standing unsupported - Ready position: 45

Target Shooter 99
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RFD 621 Devon & Cornwall

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Keighley Rifle and Pistol Club

Club Feature
KRPC is a long established shooting club situated
not far from the center of the West Yorkshire town of
Keighley, most well know for being the terminus for
the Worth Valley Railway which featured in the film
’The Railway Children’.
The club has excellent facilities including its own
outdoor range with 18 covered firing points and
shooting distances of 50 meters, 50 and 100 yards.
Indoors there are 6 lanes with target holders at 10
meters, 6, 20 and 25 yards plus a comfortable club
room and kitchen.
The club has active rimfire and air-weapons
sections which between them cover the majority
of small-bore disciplines. Most popular amongst
rimfire shooters is prone target rifle with many
members competing in the Yorkshire and Leeds
postal leagues as well as NSRA run national
competitions. The club also takes a large
contingent to the NSRA Bisley meeting every
year in August and in 2009 one member won the

100 Target Shooter

Unrestricted and Benchrest events as well as the D
class Double English Match. A number of members
also compete in the area, county and national
benchrest competitions as well as various
lightweight rifle events.
Amongst air-weapons the most popular event is 20
yard sporting air rifle but some members also shoot
10m match air rifle/pistol and benchrest.
Membership fees are very reasonably priced with
full membership at £175 per year for rimfire and
air rifle or £75 per year just for air weapons with
no additional range fees to pay. For those new to
shooting, probationary membership is only £25 for
The club room
the first 6 months during which time probationers
can try either. The club has its own pre-charged air
rifles including an Air Arms s200 suitable for juniors
and a number of rimfire rifles which can be used by
probationers on club premises.
An arial photo come map of the range
Air weapons meet on Tuesday and Friday evenings
with rimfire shooting on Wednesday and Thursday
evenings and Saturday mornings, or at other times
by arrangement so long as at least 2 members are
present.
Like most shooting clubs the atmosphere is relaxed
Paul Barker, gold medalist in the recent
world air rifle benchrest postal and medalist
in the UK nationals
and friendly with most members happy to offer
advice and coaching to those who want to learn.
People are quite welcome to just shoot for fun but
for those who wish to compete, air rifle and rimfire
events are shot at club, county and national level
with a couple of members past and present even
going on to shoot internationally.
For more information the club has an extensive
website at http://www.keighleyrifleclub.co.uk
Target Shooter 101
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102 Target Shooter

 VINCE’S REGULAR COLUMN WHEREBY
ACCURACY NUTS CAN KEEP UP TO
DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA

Competitions cover. Great shooting guys – for the record, GB

I’ve just got back from shooting the European F
Class Championships at Bisley – you can read
a full write-up in Les Holgate’s column, ‘The
Long View’ elsewhere in this issue. I’ve long
banged-on about the accuracy of F Class rifles
compared to 1000 yard benchguns and this was ably
demonstrated at the Europeans. Current F
Class World Champion Gary Costello and fellow
competitor David Kent, shot themselves into the
GBFCA record book with a stunning 1000 yard
shoot in which both scored 99.10v with their
7mmWSM’s. Now consider that the V bull is
just five-inches across and these guys actually
put 10 shots into it - on a day which was by no
means easy wind-wise. This really is benchrest
performance shot under conditions which were
inferior to a benchrest competition – shooting off
grass is no match for a solid concrete bench under
League winner Grant Taylor also put 10 rounds in
the V bull with his fifth place 97.10v score.
Back to proper benchrest now and the first of our
600 yard shoots took place on Sunday November
15th. The weather was fine and we had a great
turn-out – helped no doubt by the offer of free
venison burgers supplied and cooked by Jack
Searle and Eddy Robinson. The BBQ certainly
kept the cold at bay and got our winter series off
to a great start.
In Factory Sporter, it was another battle of the
6.5-284 Savages with Lenton, Watts and Kellett
moving their fight from the 1000 yard benches
to 600 yards but it was Welshman Darrel Evans
with his Accuracy International now fitted with
a 6.5x47 barrel who took the win. Darrel also

Second placeman Jack Searle, who also shoots and cooks some great venison!

Target Shooter 103

posted a stunning 2.225 inch group which looked like
being small group of the day until Brian Webb shot
a super 2.035 incher with his Rhino Rifles Howa
chambered in 6BR. This was Brian’s first BR shoot
but it won’t be his last! Young Luke Wadsworth has
aspirations to be a gunsmith and his Light Gun
win shooting his home-smithed 22 BR is a great
testimonial to his abilities. His 3.128 agg. was
almost an inch less than second place man, Jack
Searle.
Results: Light Gun
Full results on the UKBRA website at www.ukbra.
co.uk
Our next 600 yard shoot is on the first Sunday
after Christmas December 27th and the guys have
promised us another BBQ! Further information
e-mail vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk
The UKBRAawards for the 2009 season will be
presented at the Diggle Christmas shoot on
Sunday 20th December so be there if you’ve won
anything.

1st Luke Wadsworth Wadsworth 22BR

3.128 inches (av. of four 5-shot groups)
2nd Jack Searle TGP 243AI Stolle 4.019 Please mention
3rd Vince Bottomley TGP 22 Dasher 4.179

Small group Brian Webb Rhino 6BR Howa

2.035 inches
when using
Factory Sporter advertising in the
magazine
1st Darrel Evans 6.5x47 Accuracy Intl. 4 . 6 5 6
inches
To ADVERTISE in this space
2nd Bruce Lenton 6.5-284 Savage 5.483 contact us at
3rd Graham Watts 6.5-284 Savage 5.603 customer.services@
targetshooter.co.uk
Small group Darrel Evans 2.225 inches

To introduce our selves we are the United Kingdom Association of

Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Shooting. By that we mean "True
Benchrest Shooting". The Association is recognised by rimfire
shooters across in the UK, with partners across Europe and the rest of
the world, as the presentative body that promotes rimfire and air rifle
benchrest across this country and with other partners in European and
World events.
Visit our website for news about national and international
competitions that all can ‘have a go at’. From novice to champion
shooter, everyone is welcome
www.benchrest22.org

104 Target Shooter

 In association with
Interview with Bill, WRABF
President
• How did WRABF come
about and why? The WRABF
was formed as a result of The
First World Rimfire & Air Rifle
Championships held in Milan -
Italy 2008. It has been set up to
promote & encourage Rimfire & Air Rifle Benchrest all
over the World through events such as World Postal
Championships, World Cups & every 4 years World
Championships. The first European championship
led to Milan in 2008. Everything has been a roll-a-
coaster from there to be honest, as the sport has grown
in popularity – 4 new countries in the last few months.
• What countries are involved and how do
others get involved in WRABF? Many countries
from all over the world are involved but only one
representative association from each country is
eligble to join. You can join through weblinks on
the website (http://www.wrabf.com/) & enquiries to
myself or Secretary Carl Boswell @ www.wrabf.com
• Who is part of the committee? President
is Bill Collaros (Australia), Vice President is
Ladilav Ninger (CZ), Secretary is Carl Boswell (UK),
Treasure is Nick Shoonwinkle (SA), & committee
is Markus Feldmann (GER) & Craig Young (USA)
• What does the WRABF want for the future
of the sport of benchrest? We would like to see
that there is only one peak World Body that runs
Rimfire Benchrest & Air Rifle Benchrest, this would
then make it easier to build a momentum to try &
get the disciplines entered in both Commowealth
& Olympic Games. In the meantime we will keep
things going with our World Championships &
other events endeavouring to foster goodwill in our
disciplines throughout our members world wide.
• How hard or easy was to get all the
countries to agree to the rules that the WRABF has
set up? This process took over 12 months with a
representative from each country having a say, with
so many different ideas & rules all over the world
I wont lie it was not easy. Many grey hairs & late
night emails were exchanged. We came up with the
original rules based on majority votes & these rules have
been recently upgraded by the WRABF Committee.
• As the president of the federation maybe
some info about yourself on how you got into
benchrest and why you decided to take up the
position? I have been shooting for 4 years & I was
Captain of The Australian Team in Italy for 2008
World Championships. I was also ranked number 1 in
Australia last year & this year was the first rimfire
benchrest shooter in Australia to receive a major
sponsorship from Eley Ammunition in the UK. I
decided to take up the position in the WRABF
after I was nominated for it as I thought that
I could assist with my non aligned views
political or country) and my genuine passion to
encourage the sport world wide. I have also had
experience for the role of President through being
on many Boards that I sit on in my business life.
• How does the World Postal’s fit in with the WRABF?
We work hand in hand with Doug Weeter in the USA
who runs this event & it is fully supported by the WRABF.
• Who is holding the next World Championship
and were? We are negotiating with colleagues in
the USA to hold the 2011 World Championship. The
first venue seems to have fallen through, but there
are two others that are in discussions at this time.
• How will the federation finance itself?
This is to be determined at the next meeting
in 2011 World Championships, but it would be
similar to most orgnaisations around the world
where a nominal annual fee will be paid by the
representative association from each country.
• Are you looking at sponsorship for the
championships and how do sponsors that are
Target Shooter 105
interested contact the WRABF? Yes we are looking
for sponsors, as would any big event, it is early in this
process, but we are drawing up a list of companies
that are involved in both rimfire and air rifle benchrest.
We hope to take on board the sponsorship that was
involved in the last world championship and make
this grow even further. Obviously we need to work
with colleagues around the world to make this happen
and build on other sponsorship that has happened
this year for such things as the world postal
championships, where Steyr Sportwaffen became
involved.
• How
do you see the
future of benchrest shooting? My dream would be to
see it at Olympic Level.
World Rimfire Benchrest Postal Championship
There have been a number of international rimfire
and air rifle postal matches this year, to keep all the
countries shooting together whilst preparing for the
two major ‘head to head’ internationals in the next
two years. The World Postal Championships have
Air Rifle World Postal Championship
Rimfire World Postal Championship
been shot over the last four years and brought in
lots of countries again this year. It has become very
popular, with a number of shooters saying they
would like this type of competition on a more
regular basis. This competition is shot at major matches
throughout the world and specific to the unlimited
class rifles at 50 metres for rimfire and 25 metres
for air rifle. This is predominantly a team event, with
teams registered one month in advance of the match.
Individual shooters get a world ranking for this year.
Rimfire World Postal Championship places go to;
Air Rifle World Postal Championship places go to;
All these matches were hard fought with the UK
teams and individuals doing us proud. Full score
from; http://www.wrabf.com/
The International Rimfire Benchrest League
This was again popular but incorporated different
classes at a both distances of 25 and 50 metres.
This championship was predominantly individual,
with a team division. The final results for this were
reported last month. scores from; http://www.ben-
106 Target Shooter
chrest22.org/scores.htm
As part of the World Postal Championship, we have
a report from Australia about two of their matches.
2nd Match 2009 NSW CHAMPIONSHIPS SYDNEY.
This event held at Woollahra Rifle club right above
the cliffs & coastline of Malabar. The Australian
A Team comprised of Jim Smith, Peter Wrigley &
Bill Collaros came in as reserve for his daughter
Simone who was not well & unable to shoot. The
form of many shooters leading up to this event
was white hot, only 1 problem we had one of the
windiest & dustiest months of all time in Sydney & we
encountered gale force gusts of wind on this day. I
take my hat off to the small group of shooters that
had the guts to turn up even though it was obvious
their World Postal Scores were not going to be pretty.
As always it was going to come down to who could
handle the conditions the best & that was the in form
Peter Armstrong, Peter has had a stellar year & trained
hard for it also, he is at present the best in form shooter
down here & it is great to watch the marrying of a great
shooter, a great rifle & great ammo all come together.
You know it’s windy when targets start to blow off
the frames,
unfortunately
the Team did
not do well
at all & the
scores reflect
the conditions.
Top 5 Scores:
Peter Armstrong 734.31
Richard Lightfoot 727.31
Martin Lee 726.20
Bill Collaros 723.29
Geoff Knight 719.2
3rd Match RBA Nationals Sydney
The RBA Nationals were held @ The Sydney
International Shooting Centre, again as all year
there was tricky wind & some rain but it was
certainly shootable. The competition for the top 10
came down to the last target & many positions were won
or lost on X Rings. The Top 3 for Nationals were John
Patzwald 1482.73, Peter Armstrong 1482.70 &
Jeanette Mitchell 1477. 81 Our trio in the World
Postal went well coming in 3 place at present Clinton
Sondergold 743.39, Brian Mitchell 742.36, Brett
Wilson 720.32 = 2205.107 It’s been a long & hard
year down under with mother nature giving us plenty
to think about at most of the big competitions. Well
done to all the winners & good luck to the remaining
World Postal Teams world wide. Looking forward to
it again in 2010.
Bill Collaros
 A regular column whereby Ken Hall keeps us up to date
with black powder cartridge rifle shooting in the UK.

NOVEMBER QUIGLEY AND A NEW John Ellin and Eric Todd looking for the buff
QUIGLEY CHAMPION.

Despite warnings of foul weather, it was

decided to forgo the shelter of the covered
firing so that we would be able to make
the most of the limited daylight and also to
allow those who have a long journey home
to get away earlier. Unfortunately the rain
soon appeared, but as we are getting
quite used to it this year we settled down
to some serious shooting. Despite an
horrendous fishtailing wind some
respectable scores were achieved. Stage
1 at 400yds was fired at the unforgiving
bucket target which scores 5 points per
hit, with only one point for the nearest of
misses. The stage completed, we retired exciting, and it was. With the light beginning to go, and
for lunch with four firers, Richard Healey, Dennis the persistent rain making the buffalo target even more
Richardson, Dave Coleman and Ian Hull all scoring difficult to see and hit, Dave Malpas won the stage
over 50 points. The 600yds stage promised to be with 40pts, with Richard and Ian close on his heels.
Back into the clubhouse and
A familiar scene a rapid tally to determine today’s
winner and the season’s Champion shot.
Richard Healey won today’s comp
with a score of 85 points, with Ian Hull
as runner-up by 1 point with 84 points.
The QSA Championship is based
on a firers best 3 scores, this gives
all members a good chance to win,
allowing you to drop your worst scores,
or to miss a couple of shoots without
forfeit. When the arithmetic was
completed, the championship went
thus…….
1st. Dennis Richardson 304pts
2nd.Richard Healey 291pts
3rd.Ian Hull 281pt
4th. Dave Coleman 254pts

Target Shooter 107

 Quigley champion Dennis Richardson

5th. Ken Hall 251pts

Each year, the shooter who achieves the highest

score on Stage 1, is awarded the ‘Quigley Bucket’.
The shooter with the highest score
on Stage 2, wins the ‘Quigley Buffalo Ian, Dennis and Richard
Trophy’, both unique trophies hand
crafted by our own Doug Herod.

This year, Dennis completed the ‘Grand

Slam’ and took both these as well,
deservedly so, as proof of his
consistent performance.

Please feel free to email with questions

and comments to khall6548@aol.com

Season’s greetings to all,

see you in the New Year.

108 Target Shooter

Hunter Field Target News
December marks the end of the open season and are
the big summer series of shoots… Congratulations using, a scope making wakes in the HFT world
to all the winners and roll on 2010. However, the has to be the Bushnell 2.5-16*42 6500 mildot. The
winter is the time to take a good hard look at your winner of the 2009 series used one as well as many
kit and all aspects of your shooting and make any other top shooters. If you shop around you can
changes you need to. The plan is to improve your get one for £480. Winter too is the perfect time to
shooting in the closed season in time for the start test new batches of pellets, or even completely
of the open season of big shoots in the spring. All new makes to the ones you currently use. I will be
the top shots leave it until the closed season to trying out the new 7.9grain Falcon pellets, the 7.9
grain Crosman Premier’s I use now
Pete Sparks with this are ‘‘running out ( I only have a few
seasons rifle ‘boxes left) so I will have to change
pellets within the next couple of years.
They are the same weight as my old
pellets so my impact points should
not change by any large degree. I am
loathed to try the 8.4 grain pellets that
everyone else uses as the ballistics
would alter too much and it will take a
few months to relearn the aim points.
Plus the one’s I have tested deflect
more in the wind than the lighter
7.9 types, they are heaver and are
‘travelling slower than the Premiers
so that is only to be expected.
As well as the rifle and scope look at
the rest of your shooting gear, it is
make any changes, one example is Pete Sparks. time to buy a truly waterproof prone mat or a new
He has already changed his rifle after winning the pair of boots or coat. The worse thing in the world
2009 series with the Walther he has gone back to is to turn up at the first big shoot of the year with
a new Daystate electronic regulated precharged a brand new coat or boots. You will spend more
pneumatic rifle. He has not deemed to change time thinking about how different it feels when you
his scope and that is a major tip. It is far easier are shooting than concentrating on your actual
to make a change in the rifle than the scope when shooting. I know it’s always a bit frightening to
HFT shooting. That’s not to say you must not make make a change to any aspect of kit but the winter
a swap, if moving to a new scope will improve your is the best time to do it. Also there are still shoots
scores than it is worth a try. Scope specifications to attend over the winter in order to test any
vary greatly these days and ones with smaller changes you make over the winter. Many regions
objective lenses will have a smaller exit pupils and have leagues in the winter be it FT you can still
therefore less potential parallax error than ones shoot them SFT or HFT style if they allow it and
with 50 or say 55mm objectives. 42mm must be the Midlands have a dedicated Hunter series in
the maximum size scope objective lens to go for. the winter which is attended by shooters from
Hawke have listened to the HFT shooters and just NEFTA and even Wales and the South.
brought out a 38mm objective scope fitted with
an HFT .177 calibre friendly SR6 multi aim point
Next month I’ll go into greater detail as to rifle
reticle. I can see a few shooters moving to this
set up and things you need to consider including
scope over the winter. Hawke are sending me one
of the first batch to test, I’ll cover it as always here
the dreaded subject of crossover and optically
in Target Shooter. Look at what scope the top shots centering an outfit.

Target Shooter 109

 Gallery Rifle & Pistol News
Whenever you go to an open meeting,
especially at the National Shooting Centre, you’re
bound to run across some of the top GR&P
competitors in the country. You’ll also see their names
in the lists of national team members but you’ll also see
some names you may not know. As the years pass,
some names drop out and some new ones come in.
Currently, there are teams for England, Wales and
Scotland competing in the short events and the Great
Britain Team which competes in the GRCF 1500. We
hope that, in time, there will also be teams from the
regions too giving the opportunity for top level
competition in all parts of the country.
These teams are open to anyone who meets the
selection criteria and if you want to join in, now’s
the time to start your preparation for next season.
The selection process is under way right now and the
selectors are looking at everyone’s performance in the
2009 season. This is made possible by the National
Rifle Association’s GR&P database. Provided the
events are run under national rules and are open to all
competitors, scores from any open meeting in this
country or, indeed, abroad are sent in by the
organisers and stats crews (those people who waste
a perfectly good weekend sitting in a shed in front of
a computer) and logged. The data are then made
available to the selectors.
What you have to do depends on which team you
want to get into but there are some common features.
You need to prove your ability by putting in the best
possible scores at as many of the open meetings as
possible. Generally speaking, turning out for a couple a
year does not really show commitment and won’t get you
selected. Some teams run selection/qualification days.
These are compulsory if you want to be considered.
Each team is authorised by it’s own National
Governing Body and membership of this body is
essential if you want to be in the team. For the GB
Team, it’s the NRA, for Scotland it’s the Scottish
Pistol Association, for Wales it’s the Welsh Gallery
Rifle Club and for England it’s the English Twenty Club.
If you’re invited to join, you will have to agree to
varying conditions of membership. For example,
agreeing to attend nominated meetings and training
days,
appearing at prize giving ceremonies, wearing the team
strip etc. In short, being part of the team. Some travel
will also be involved around the country and, for the GB
Team, abroad as well.
110 Target Shooter
If you’re out on the competition circuit already it’s just
carrying on as usual with a bit more added in and
plenty of practice. If you want more information about
any of the teams just contact chris@galleryrifle.com.
Still a couple of Christmas shoots in December below
and some more dates for 2010. I know I’ve mentioned
this before, but if your club would like to put on an open
meeting and want some advice or help, email gallery@
nra.org.uk and we’ll do our best. It gives your club
members a chance to get a taste of open competition
without leaving the comfort zone of their home range
and visiting competitors a look what you have on offer.
COMPETITION CALENDAR
December 5 Gallery Rifle Christmas Shoot
and Social, National Shooting
Centre, Bisley
December 30 Christmas Shoot Shield
Shooting Centre, Dorset
DATES FOR 2010
March 27-28 Spring Action Weekend NSC
Bisley
April 17-18 Basildon 1500 Basildon
May 2 Mattersey Ten Mattersey
May 28-30 The Phoenix Meeting NSC
Bisley
June 26-27 Derby 1500 Derby
July 18 Derby Steel Shoot Derby
July10-24 The Imperial Meeting NSC
Bisley
July 25-26 Frome Three Gun Shield Dorset
August 28-29 Gallery Rifle National
Championships NSC Bisley
September 19 Mattersey Bianchi mattersey
October 23-24 The Trafalgar Meeting NSC
Bisley
October 30-30 Autumn Action Weekend NSC
Bisley
(Either contact the organisers direct or go to www.gal-
leryrifle.com for entry forms.)
GR&P = Gallery Rifle Centre Fire (GRCF), Gallery Rifle
Small Bore (GRSB), Long Barrelled Pistol (LBP) and
Long Barrelled Revolver (LBR)
Please go to the Gallery Rifle website www.galleryrifle.
com for more news and information.
As 2009 comes to end with only the British Open LBR
Championships to be shot on the 13th December, we
are already putting next year’s shooting Calendar.
Here are some dates for your Diary.
13th December LBR L2 Leicester
17th January AGM Bisley
21st February LBR L2 Bedford.
6/7th March PSG L3 Shield
17th April DPOA L1 Shield
21/22nd May PSG L3 Harlow to, with the squelch of mud and the constant drips from
11/12/13th June PSG L3 Shield
3/4th July PSG L3 Carlisle
28th July PSG L4 USA
4/5th September PSG L3 Borders
September Handgun L4 Serbia
8/9th October PSG L3 Harlow
There many other match dates listed on the UKPSA
members Forum. The AGM will be held at Canada
House at Bisley.
Harlow Home Countries Practical Shotgun Match
2009 Level III Match by Tony Saunders
Photographs © Iain Corrigan
Alison Hatchard shooting a low aperture on Stage 5 At Harlow
The dense wooded glade half a mile off the A414
echoed with the babble of the sixty or so competitors
arriving on the damp weekend of the 25th October
2009 for the final level III Practical Shotgun match of
the year.
With the excitement of the European Shotgun
Championships in Operany, Czech Republic in
September now over, it was time to return to more
typical English weather conditions the Brits are used
the recent heavy rains creating a patter on the autum-
nal leaves of Harlow Town RPC’s main shotgun
range. The venue is a series of clearings in the two
acres or so of 30 year old sycamores and hawthorn,
with rolling ploughed fields providing a broad safety
area that would be the envy of many clay shooting
clubs.
For those that have followed this series of articles on
Practical Shotgun (PSG) this year, this thrilling target
sport will need no introduction. For those who are
unfamiliar with the discipline, it is a power and
accuracy event using 12g or 20g shotguns, shot
against the clock and utilising birdshot, buckshot
and solid slug (depending on range clearances) A
Target Shooter 111
Neil Berverley tackling Stage 2
match will consist of a series of carefully thought out
stages that represent a considered shooting challenge
involving speed, ingenuity and imagination. Designed
by the club members and sanctioned by the United
Kingdom Practical Shooting Association (UKPSA), a
Level III match usually has 8-12 stages and is open to
shooters both from the United Kingdom and also those
willing to travel from any of the other IPSC regions.
Attending this match were members of the Serbian
National Shotgun team Branslav Raketic and Igor
Jankovic – two extremely competent shooters.
Stages will encourage moving between shooting
points; shooting through apertures (high and low)
but quite often challenging, or positions that force
shooting from prone, kneeling, crouching, and
standing. Often, a stage may force the competitors
to stand on a beam or to shoot moving and bobbing
targets from both strong and weak shoulder. All against
the clock and almost always requiring much thought
as to the shooting and loading sequence. If you’ve not
tried PSG you’re missing a fantastically challenging
shooting experience.
Safety is the UKPSA byword and every stage has a
qualified Range Officer (RO) with the shooter all the
way through the stage. The RO is there to ensure
that safe gun handling is maintained at all times.
Finger must be off the trigger when moving at the risk of
immediate disqualification. Muzzle angles are
clearly stated and must not be infringed. All
competitors will have also satisfactorily completed
a mandatory two-day safety course before they can
112 Target Shooter
shoot a match. This ensures that basic gun handling
is ingrained and all competitors know that every other
person shooting has attained the same grounding in
safe shooting practices.
The Level III match calendar in 2009 has
consisted of four separate matches. The Midland
Championships held at Harlow, followed by the Northern
Championships at Carlisle, then the British Open
Championships at Border Guns in Shropshire and
now, finally, the Home Countries Championship at
Harlow.
The National grade for each competitor is determined
by taking the average of the best three out of these
four matches. Different divisions are recognized,
being: Standard (using a semi-auto shotgun
with a maximum starting capacity of 9 rounds),
Standard Manual (Like Standard division but using a
pump-action or lever action shotgun), Modified
Division (allows for longer magazine capacity and
more rounds in the gun at the start, also the gun
may be ported to allow better muzzle control) and
finally Open Division – which is under represented in
the UK but allows shotguns with red-dot sights, and
unlimited magazine capacity as well as any other
bells and whistles the shooter thinks may give an
advantage.
This match saw the return of the “Harlow skateboard”
– a securely fastened plank. The challenge was then
to shoot eight steel targets on the ground about 7
metres away, with a no-shoot target placed in the
middle to incur penalties if accuracy was lacking.
 Tony Saunders tackling targets around a red no shoot on stage 7
A cunning stage created entirely from used pallets
formed a stepped, multi-height platform with two
shooting apertures, separated by a small wooden wall
to obstruct easy movement between the apertures. At
the start of the stage, the gun could be placed either
end of the stage confines but the start position had to
be at the opposite side to the gun. The stage wasn’t
symmetrical (with one side being lower so involving
a step up) so the dilemma was down to whether the
competitor felt it was quicker to move left to right or
right to left. Having shot a stage like this, almost all
shooters wish they could reshoot it in the opposing
manner to find out whether their decision was correct.
All agreed though it was a good stage to shoot and
hurled friendly insults in the direction of the Harlow
crew!
Harlow recently introduced high and low level clay
targets to their heady mix of crafty stages. Thin metal
poles holding a single clay target at a height of about
ten feet off the ground interspersed with lower targets.
These are fiendishly difficult to spot in the dappled
woodland and therefore very easy to forget to shoot
them. A non-engaged target incurs a penalty, plus a
further penalty for the miss and of course the loss of
the five points for a hit.
This is a general issue when shooting in woodland.
Steel plates meld into the background very easily
and part of the technique is to ensure you commit to
memory the minimal shooting positions to shoot all
targets clearly. It all adds to the challenge and fun of
practical shooting.
By 4.00pm the last of the shooters finished the nine
stages and headed to welcome delights of hot tea and
bacon butties at the Harlow trailer as the scores were
calculated. In no particular order:
Modified Division: Branislav Raketic in first place,
followed by UK’s own James Harris in a close second,
with Ian Richards in third place.
Open Division: Nicholas Hockley in first place,
followed by Stephen Unwin in second place and David
Kiddle in third place.
Standard (Semi-Auto) Division: Igor Jankovic beat
our own Mike Darby into second place with Barry
Sullivan in third position.
Standard Manual (pump) Division: Iain Guy won a well
deserved first place beating Neil Smith into second
place and Jon Holloway in third place.
The Home Countries match was the last UKPSA level
III match in the 2009 PSG calendar. 2010 sees the
return of Shield Shooting Centre in Dorset adding to
the sanctioned match calendar, likely starting in March
with the traditional Hardy Shoot as it is known, and
followed later in the summer by the Shield Summer
Challenge match. These will be a welcome addition
to the level III circuit and have always provided some
fantastic stages from Steve Pike and his crew.
In the meantime, the PSG shooters will be
attending local club shoots in order to hone skills and
technique ready for the new season. With the increase in
Standard Manual shooters over this past two years
it is likely that several will be hoping that Santa
perhaps struggles down the chimney with a new Benelli
SuperNova along with their socks and aftershave.
By Tony Saunders
Target Shooter 113
Letters
Hi, first of all thanks for the magazine…an inspired
approach…which I have only recently discovered.
As a recent “convert” to the joys and woes of
small bore target rifle shooting (prone) I have
found a real problem trying to get objective
advice on suitable jackets. Experienced club
members advice often seems to be at odds with the
“salesmen” who refer to old school not
understanding the benefits of modern jacket
materials and technology/design. To make it even
harder it appears that it is impossible to know if a
jacket is really suitable until it is broken in which
is too late if a bad decision has been made… at
the same time I am told that the right jacket can
transform results..
I wondered if you or your contributors were aware
of any source of impartial advice / comparisons
between various types / makes of jacket?
Thanks again for an interesting and innovative
magazine..
Les Gibons
Hi Les, I have bought many jackets inc made to
measure over the years, I have never been a
small bore shooter and not sure of the specifics
required for prone, although if he was doing 3p
the jacket would be set up mainly for standing and
adjustments for prone with undone buttons I
believe. The rule of thumb for standing jackets
was always that when buttoned up (adhering to
overlap rules) place both arms at waist height
straight and horizontally, then bend the elbows so
the wrists are face height and if you can bring both
elbows together to touch you will get no benefit
from the jacket as it does not provide the necessary
support over the shoulder area. Not sure of any
comparison sites but my best advice would be
to take advice from as many jacket retailers as
possible to see what information pops up time and
time again along with listening to the experience
of the club shooters, but bearing in mind that there
have been major advances in shooting clothing in
the last 20 years and a correctly fitting jacket will
serve you admirably for years and certainly give
your shooting scores a boost, as well as helping
protect the body.
Hayley
114 Target Shooter
Many thanks for producing a well balanced
magazine and for free too.
I have found the recent Lee Enfield articles of
great interest since I have a No4 Mk1 myself,
and the reloading articles are also inspiring as I
reload both my .308 and .303 ammunition.
Admittedly your are not the only magazine I
read, but you are the only magazine that has
articles out numbering adverts, hence each
issue is eagerly awaited. Keep up the work
and keep encouraging readers to produce the
excellent articles which we are growing
accustomed to.
Thanks again.
Richard.
Our thanks for this letter Richard. We aim to
develop articles each month to include as many
of the target shooting disciplines as possible. The
ads we carry each month help us to pay for our
contributors, so at the end of the day we need
these and to show readers what is out there from
vendors. Bit of a symbiotic process to be
honest. Even when advertising increases in
particular months, we will continue to offer the same
high standard articles you have come to expect.
Our thanks, Carl
Hello,
I was searching for information for a Sheldon
metal lathe when some how a link to your site
was in the listing , as a target shooter from USA
I was very impressed with the layout and the
information that you offer to your readers , so
much that I down loaded everyone of your back
issue , I will go back read them over our holiday
break here in the US .
Thanks so much for having this magazine
available to all to learn and enjoy .
Jesse Jenkins. USA
Our thanks Jesse. To you and all our readers, have
a great Christmas and may the New Year hold the
answers to all our dreams.
If you have an issue, question
or comment then please send
letters via customer support on the
website.
 News
Well what a year! It has been a bit of roll - a - coaster, but fun at the same time. Who knew that
this little experiment would take off as well as it has. We thank out loyal readers and advertisers,
wishing you all our best at Christmas and into the New Year. Lets hope that the 2010 brings us
prosperity, peace and thanks for what we have. Have a good one!

customer.services@targetshooter.co.uk
Happy reading and we hope you enjoy the magazine. The team at Target Shooter.
If you have any letters or news that you would like to air on a national basis then please contact us
at the magazine. This could be for those budding writers out there that would like to submit a full
article on specific firearms, competitions, shooting sports, etc.
The aim of the magazine is to include you the shooters in the United Kingdom and further afield.
So having a regular letters page or even a question and answer section would be really useful for
a lot of people out there. Let us know what you think!?
We would also like to have a gun of the month section - so send us your pic and spec and we’ll
include it in ‘gun of the month’.
Any news that your club or association thinks is worth viewing can also be sent in for selection.
What we would like is to get a letters page started with your views, news and perceptions about
all all the aspects of target shooting. So lets see those letters coming in and we will read your
thoughts in these pages.

Advertisers Index
AIM Field Sports 57 North West Custom 102
Allcocks outdoor store 21 NSRA 86
Arches Supplies 82 Phoenix League 31
Benchrest Directory y 73 Portsmouth Gun Centre Ltd 68
Border Barrrels 41 Prestige Airguns 50
Bradley Firearms 31 Rhino Rifles 57
Bratton Sound Gunsafes 86 RUAG Ammotec 24
Bulzeye Pro 25 Rude Fat Dog 100
Check-Mate Guns 82 Shooting Bags 82
Eley LTD 78 South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies 43
Fox Firearms 68 Steyr UK 74
G T Shooting 41 Stockade Products Ltd 82
Green Leopard 102 Targets Direct 86
Guns Malta 17 The Outdoorsman Limited 27
Highland Outdoors 35 Tim Hannam 11
HPS Target Rifles Ltd 61 UKBR22 - Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest 104
Indelfa industrial electronics 102 UKS Total Shooting Show 3
Lilja 73 Viking Arms LTD 2
Low Mill Range 98 Webley 28
M
Merseyside
id Armoury
A 102 Westlake
W tl k Engineering
E i i 16
Midland diving equipment 56 Zeiss Optics 9
New Avon Arms 27

Target Shooter 115

 Next time in.....

Next month we welcome you to the new year, bringing in 2010 from the first of January - so watch out
for the next issue on the first day of the new year. Seasons greetings from the team at Target Shooter.

January 2010 Issue

On Test
Features Regular Reviews
Columns
Feature
articles ...and lots more
116 Target Shooter