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SHOOTER
THE VICTORIAN
MAGAZINE
December 2014, Vol 16 No 6
Build a
Good Grip
Sambar SuccessThe Learning
Curve
Raising Funds
for The McGrath
Foundation
The official publication of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (Vic)
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President’s Report
Contents
A major step forward in securing our Springvale
Range: a 21-year lease with an option to buy and
substantial government funding for the purchase.
2
President’s Report
4
Sambar Success- The Learning Curve
6
Build a Good Grip
7
Shooters Raise Funds for The McGrath
Foundation
8
Australians Show the Way in France
2014
9
For Sale
10
Branch and Club News
The Victorian Shooter is the bi-monthly magazine of the Sporting Shooters
Association of Australia (Vic). PO Box 607, Box Hill, Vic. 3128.
Editor: Barry Oliver
Art /Graphic Designer: Viv Norder
Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed in some articles and by
some contributors are not necessarily those of the SSAA (Vic).
Editorial Deadline for the February 2015 edition of The Vic Shooter
is Monday 22nd December 2014.
Download the Vic Shooter: The Victorian Shooter is available on our
website for downloading. Visit www.ssaavic.com.au and choose which
edition of The Victorian Shooter you would like to view. An archive of The
Victorian Shooter back to January 2004 is available for viewing.
E-mail Alerts: Keep abreast of shooting matters, subscribe TODAY to the
SSAA (Vic) E-mail Alerts. Simply email the State Office on wilda@ssaavic.
com.au with your email address and you will be kept up to date with
everything that is going on with your sport.
Letters: An opportunity is available for members to have their say in
each edition of The Victorian Shooter. Have your say by writing, faxing or
emailing your comments to: The Victorian Shooter at PO Box 607, Box Hill,
Vic. 3128, F: 03 8892 2700 or E: [email protected].
Adam Simbert Inspecting some of the big game firearms at the
recent ‘Jenny Cole Memorial Shoot’.
Money raised was donated to the Glenn McGrath Foundation.
2
Greetings fellow Members.
At the September Board meeting I was very pleased to be unanimously
elected President of the SSAA (Vic). It is an honour to head the premier
shooting organisation in the State. As President, it is my intention to
carry on the good work of the very busy, previous three years and to
consolidate the advances made in governance and finances. Part of
my focus will be on continuing to improve communications between
members and the Board and the State Office.
As most of you would be aware the lease on the Springvale range was
to have expired in mid 2016 and we would have had to vacate the
premises after more than 40 years. It would have included taking our
ranges and buildings with us!
So losing Springvale was just not an option. That’s why towards the end
of 2012 the CEO made direct contact with the Minister for Health. The
Minister’s response was favourable and ever since that first contact the
Board has been making slow but steady progress towards buying the
site outright and achieving permanent tenure.
Three months after the first meeting we were in a position where the
political will was there to sell the site to us. The matter then progressed
to where we had to navigate the sale through the government
bureaucracy. And that’s what has taken more than 18 months - one
bureaucratic hurdle after another – including three property valuations,
two land surveys, two different zonings, establishing the drainage area,
eleven different government departments and a local Council to deal
with. A very challenging time indeed.
Nevertheless the Board persevered and on Wednesday the 29th of
October a lease-signing ceremony took place at the Springvale Range,
or what has now come to be called the Springvale Community Sports
Hub. The signing was attended by the Health Minister David Davis,
Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) CEO Jonathan Tribe,
SSAA (Vic) Board members Rob Lemm, Lance Eastwood, Andrew
Hepner, Phil Brown, Dave Schereck, myself and our CEO Jack Wegman.
The purpose of the ceremony was to sign a new 21-year lease over the
property. However, make no mistake! We are still vigorously pursuing
the outright purchase of the site. Achieving the 21-year lease was
definitely the best short-term outcome to be achieved before the State
election caretaker period was called.
Importantly, the lease contains a clause which states that during
the lease period the landlord (the SMCT) will do everything it can to
facilitate the sale of the property to us. It is a clear signal to the new
government – Liberal or Labor – that the objective of the arrangement
is to transfer ownership to the SSAA (Vic). So the new lease not only
secures our immediate future but also allows us time to pursue our aim
of purchasing the property outright.
While finalisation of a purchase is frustratingly close, on any analysis of
the options and with the upcoming election, entering into this lease has
been a great outcome.
Further good news and most important, is the announcement that we
have also secured government grant funding to assist in the purchase
of the property. Again after substantial work at the highest levels, the
government has decided to fund a large proportion of the sale with
grant monies from the Department of Sport and Recreation. It means
www.ssaavic.com.au
Hunting &
n
io
t
a
v
ser
Con
There will be no Hunting and Conservation report in this issue as Colin
Wood is on leave.
Stay tuned for his report in our first issue next year.
Christmas
Closures...
David Davis (Health Minister), Denis Moroney and Dave
Schereck at the signing ceremony.
we are far less likely to have to borrow from outside sources to secure
the range.
In closing, I want to acknowledge the debt of gratitude we owe to the
State Government without whose support we would not have been
able to achieve this great outcome. And here we owe an especially big
‘Thank You’ to the Health Minister who not only supports the sale to
us but also made sure we were in a strong position before the State
election. And ‘Thanks’ too to the Minister for Sport and Recreation for
the generous funding allocation.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work
undertaken by the State Office to get us to this point. The challenge has
been daunting and the result a credit to our CEO Jack Wegman.
Denis Moroney
President
State Office:
Closed from Wednesday December
24th 2014 and will re-open Monday
January 5th 2015
Springvale
Range:
Closed from Wednesday December
24th 2014 and will re-open on Saturday
January 3rd, 2015
Got Something to Sell?
Looking for a customer? Need to get your name or product out
there? Remember, the SSAA (Vic) has 33,000 members. Why not
place an ad in Vic Shooter and support the organisation that helps
keep you shooting?
Firearm advertisements require the licence number of the vendor
and the serial number of the firearm.
Private classified ads from members are published free of
charge.
For business advertising contact Wilda Kerr at wilda@ssaavic.
com.au or on (03) 8892 2777 and discuss our cheap rates.
Non members who wish to advertise in The Victorian Shooter
should contact State Office on (03) 8892 2777
www.ssaavic.com.au
Eagle Park:
Eagle Park will be closed on
Christmas Day and Boxing
Day. The range will be open as
normal from then on.
3
Sambar Success – The Learning Curve
S
ambar Deer are Australia’s premier
game species, a powerful and
elusive animal that is firmly
entrenched wherever suitable
habitat exists across most of
Victoria and into New South Wales. They have
exceptional senses of both hearing and smell
and are tuned into their surrounds to such an
extent that unless you have multiple factors
in your favour the closest you will get to one
is crashing vegetation and the sound of racing
hooves.
My mate Alan finally harvested his first deer
in the high country, an event that was many
trips in the making and involved considerable
research to make it happen. We have been on
a steep learning curve, initially spending hour
after hour trudging up and down hills wearing
out boots and working areas of state forest
that have produced for others in the past.
Our first trips involved driving into the
right areas, but heading off without much
thought outside of wind direction and then
covering many miles. Those early trips did
little to dampen the enthusiasm but muscle
soreness soon forced an increased emphasis
on learning as clearly covering kilometres
walking blindly along game trails wasn’t
producing success.
Over time we learnt to read sign,
recognising both the impressive Sambar rub
and preaching marks on trees as well as how
to decipher fresh tracks and droppings from
old. Bedding areas and patterns of movement
along with which browse feed plants were
more attractive to the deer were also picked
up. Each trip added more pieces of the
puzzle.
I don’t profess to be an expert, but I do
really enjoy being out in the bush and the
challenge of trying to work this deer stalking
business out. I have read and re-read Errol
Mason’s “Secrets Of The Sambar” Vols 1 and
3 enough times to dog-ear the pages, as
well as studying Ken Pearce’s “Walking Them
Up” for hours on end – with each new gem
getting us closer to the goal.
We have concentrated on improving
accuracy with the centre fire at the range,
shooting mainly off-hand and in a sitting
position. I figure that you won’t get a lot of
time to make it count when actively stalking,
and have kept my eye in on the local rabbit
and fox population with the rimfire. Fitness
has improved too; with each foray into the
4
Alan with our first stalked Sambar. Rifle is a Browning 30-06
hills as has an understanding of where the
deer are likely to be at different times of the
day.
We have learnt to scout during the day, but
focus on the prime dawn and dusk periods
for stalking when the deer are on the move,
and now move much slower and quieter
through the bush stopping often and glassing
regularly. Generally we travel into an area
the night before, and living a few hours drive
from the high country means not a lot of time
is spent trying to pattern out movements in a
particular location.
Our equipment has also improved, from
basic and comfortable to more functional
and specialised. I have bought some great
topographic maps and spent hours cross
referencing with google earth to get a better
understanding of which areas would most
likely hold Sambar and the best ways to
access them.
The two items I now never leave without
are the wind indicator bottle and quality
binoculars, both recent purchases that have
made a huge difference in not only focussing
on the right areas and slowing down our
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movement, but also getting much closer to
the deer in checking that the wind hasn’t
switched throughout the day.
When it all came together
The trip that finally led to success followed
a five hour drive from Melbourne. We were
out in the hills not long after first light and
were moving slowly along a contour following
some sign that was very fresh and looked
like it was made only hours before. I scanned
ahead with the binoculars, working in tandem
with Alan and leap frogging ahead 50 metres
at a time until the booming honk of an alert
Sambar brought things to a halt. We both
froze. I couldn’t believe the volume of the
honk which sounded like a double decker
bus was in the bush and seemed to blast
through my chest and leave the hairs on the
back of my neck standing. I was confident
that the deer hadn’t seen us as there were
no thundering hooves to follow. We both
crouched down and remained both silent and
still to see what would happen next.
Game bags kept the meat
clean and the freezing weather
conditions helped in ageing the
venison.
Success!
After a tense few minutes I signalled that I would go down slowly
into the gully, following a solid track through the dogwood and Alan
would work his way around the gully head in the same general
direction. Not ten minutes in, the inevitable crashing undergrowth
suggested we had blown it.
After a fruitless two hours we were back around the fire, drying out
clothing and planning our next move. A great lunch and coffee soon
had us re-energised, relaxed and regrouped for an afternoon session a
little further along the ridge.
The next stalk we planned a little differently, I would go down to the
bottom of the gully and follow the creek line up, leaving Alan halfway
up the ridge and about 100 metres ahead. Due to the terrain, we
reasoned that anything I flushed would charge up the hill as we had
chosen to focus on an area that had a sheer rock wall on the other
side and would act as a funnel. We both donned our camo vests and
hats and set off.
The going was extremely tough for the first 50 metres as I trudged
as silently as I could through dense undergrowth which clawed at my
arms and legs and soon had me breathing hard. Up ahead I could
see some lush green grass and decided to head for the clearing when
unannounced a Sambar that was obviously lying a few feet away
exploded out of cover and took off diagonally up the hill.
I gave a quick shout to alert Alan and looked frantically up the gully
where the deer was now sprinting hard up the hill and waited for the
shot. Seconds later Alan had found a clear view and was able to focus
on the fast moving deer as it quartered away, leaving him with a clear
shot as it came into a clearing.
I raced up to meet him and we marked what we thought was point
of impact by placing my backpack on the ground. After a short walk
following the blood trail the deer appeared out of the brush and a
quick follow up shot followed which brought him down.
Both of us couldn’t believe that we had finally scored our first deer
and felt a huge sense of satisfaction as we recounted the effort that
had gone in to this moment. The deer was lying on its side and looked
fantastic and although we felt a sense of regret at having taken the
animal, we were also very much looking forward to taking out the
meat and enjoying the moment.
I had purchased some game bags some weeks earlier and was soon
concentrating on the butchery process, grateful that my gun shop had
talked me into a great little knife with interchangeable blades that
really made a big difference in processing time.
The cool conditions were a god send as we carried out the legs
and worked our way back to camp in the chilly air as night began to
fall. The carry out effort was huge but very rewarding and the trip a
fantastic way to join the successful deer hunting fraternity that will
stay with me for years. The venison in the freezer and on the plate
serve as a great reward that only has me inspired to keep at it.
Michael Ketelaar
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5
Build a Good Grip
Ross Williams looks at trigger control
A
CCURATE field rifle shooting
depends on many variables. One
of these is our trigger hand’s grip,
but first we ought to put it in
context.
All shooting positions — be they offhand,
sitting, kneeling or prone, with or without
extra support for the rifle — need the same
starting point. One should set up the position
so that the rifle lines up with the target with
a minimum of muscular effort. Most of the
aiming should come from the placement of
the body and limbs, not just the hands.
In other words, the idea is to aim the rifle
with the whole of your body. If you have to
muscle the rifle to one side in order to keep
it lined up, the shot is more likely to fly wide.
Shuffle around until the vertical crosshair,
blade or bead lines up correctly, leaving only
minor elevation adjustments to be made.
Attention to details is important. That’s why
you may hear successful shooters talking of
“assembling” or “building” a position, step
by step. They pay attention to little things
because they know their performance will
improve if they do. But this doesn’t slow them
down, for speed comes with practice.
The trigger hand’s grip is an integral part of
every shooting position and, like the rest of
the position, needs to be assembled.
Viewed mechanically, the trigger hand is a
complex set of levers. Our aim is to get those
levers working together in the most efficient
way — and we will know we’ve succeeded
when we can do two things at the same time:
• exert fine control over the pressure
applied to the trigger, and
• press the trigger straight to the rear,
especially at the break (the moment when the
firing pin is released).
Our trigger hand has two separate tasks.
Firstly it must pull the rifle back, to bed the
butt firmly in the hollow between shoulder
muscle and collar bone. This not only allows
us to absorb the rifle’s recoil but also helps us
to steady our aim and to recover quickly for
a follow-up shot. Secondly, and at the very
same time, it must apply finely controlled
pressure to the trigger — without pulling
the shot (i.e. pulling the rifle off line while
releasing the shot).
Because each of these two tasks can
interfere with the other, we need a grip that
reduces or eliminates the interference. Luckily
6
when pressure is applied, so it usually lets us
there is such a grip. The secret of its success
judge the pressure applied to the trigger with
lies in its details, shown in our photo.
greater accuracy and control. The straightThe numbers below refer to the arrows in
back squeeze comes more easily, too.
the photo, which illustrates offhand work.
In most cases, the finger tip is inferior,
(1) Raise the right elbow to shoulder level.
chiefly because it does not give enough
This produces a shoulder hollow for the rifle’s
control or enough sensitivity.
butt. At the same time, it creates a wrist
Four other things are worth noting. The
angle which promotes fine trigger control
head is erect and faces towards the front.
while making it easier to bed the butt firmly
Both eyes stay open. The master or dominant
against the shoulder.
eye is directly in line with the scope sight’s
(2) The comb (the butt’s top edge) is next
axis. There’s a comfortable distance between
to the top teeth’s gum line and tucked under
face and thumb, with no sign of the head
the cheekbone. Contact between cheek and
being too far forward or too far back —
buttstock is both firm and consistent from
common errors.
shot to shot.
Lastly, point no. (1) refers to offhand
Admittedly, the height of this aging Sako
shooting. If our shooting position requires us
L461’s comb was tailored for open sights.
to rest the elbow on something, that elbow
The scope called for a thicker, higher comb,
cannot be held at shoulder height. But the
so I fitted a firm leather pad on top of the
other details of our grip, points (2) to (6),
factory one. You can only see a tiny bit of it
remain the same.
because my face hides the rest.
(3) The fingers and palm enclose the small
© Copyright Ross Williams, October 2014
of the stock (that is, its grip section), holding
it firmly. The fingers stay close together and
a hold low on the grip is
avoided.
A good grip: arrows
(4) The thumb wraps
refer to the numbered
around the stock,
points in this article.
completing the hand’s
grasp. It does not rest
diagonally or point
towards the side of the
action.
(5) The base of the
thumb is in line with the
trigger (that is, directly
behind the trigger, not
off to one side). If we
can press the trigger
straight to the rear, we
will not only maximise our
trigger control but also
avoid pulling the shot —
provided we’ve obeyed
point 6 as well. Having
the basal thumb joint in
line with the trigger is the
first step in achieving that
straight-back squeeze.
(6) The first joint of the
trigger finger touches the
centre of the trigger’s
curve. Unlike the fleshy
pads, the first joint
suffers little compression
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Shooters Raise Funds for The McGrath
Foundation
"Jenny Cole Memorial Shoot"
Cowboys, Australian Deer Association and Big Game Rifle Shooters
raise $4200.00 for the McGrath Foundation. Held at the SSAA (Vic)
Eagle Park Range on Saturday the 18th October 2014.
T
his day began as an inter-club
shoot between The Little River
Raiders and The Big Game
Rifle Clubs to allow members
from both clubs to try out each
other’s disciplines and firearms. Owing to
the popularity this event has been expanded
to include shooters from all disciplines. The
day was classified as a Memorial Shoot to
remember Jenny who lost her battle with
breast cancer. All funds raised were donated
to the McGrath Foundation. Sue Bowles
(McGrath Foundation Breast Care Nurse
in Geelong) was to give up her own time
to attend as our special guest for the day.
Unfortunately Sue had an accident just before
the event and was not able to attend to pick
and present the winner of The Jenny Cole
Memorial Trophy. An engraved belt buckle
went to Charles McHugh (BGRC/ADA) as he
was the shooter deemed to have had the
most fun on the day.
The event was a huge success with both
spectators and shooters from the Australian
Deer Association, Big Game Rifle Club, Little
River Raiders and other clubs enjoying a
fun filled day. The shooters included several
board members and some well-traveled
visitors including Yowie from NSW, RusLer
and RusLing from Warnambool, JayBird and
Molly Dooka from Bendigo and Barry Evans
from Tasmania.
The weather was spectacular and after a
quick safety briefing and some instruction on
Single Action firearms the day began with the
participants starting the event off at ranges
15 and 16 with 2 stages of single action.
Some very credible scores were posted from
shooters new to single action. The use of
Single Action Revolvers Lever Action Rifles
and Shotguns all in the same event was a
pleasant change for the BGRC shooters.
Top scorer of the Single Action events was
Rattlesnake aka Adam Simbert from Fort
Bridger Single Action Club and a member of
the BGRC.
Lunch was a BBQ at the Little River Raiders
Club Rooms. After lunch the group swapped
ranges for the afternoon session. Three
events, incorporating Hunting class and
Double rifles, were enjoyed by all. To add
some extra interest we held side events
where shooters were able to challenge each
other to the dueling tree. A donation gave the
contestants a chance to pit their skills against
each other with bragging rights going to the
best on the day.
Adam Simbert from BGRC was the top
scorer of the day with Tom Zamanis from
BGRC/ADA winner of the BGRC events. The
Little River Raiders came out the overall
winners of the competition and were awarded
the Jenny Cole Memorial Combined Shoot
Shield. Thanks to Sambucca Kid and Adam
Simbert for taking care of the scoring.
The raffle held over the preceding weeks to
raise funds for the McGrath Foundation was a
great success. Sincere thanks go to the local
Geelong and Victorian businesses and others
who donated prizes, including Adrian from
Norlane Tyre Service, David from Associated
Cold Treads, Simon from Middleton’s
Heating and Cooling, Rod from The Outdoor
Sportsman, Dale from QAH Auto Spare Parts,
Steve from Silver Shadow Projectiles, Andrew
from Precision Engine Reconditioners, Clive
from Winchester Australia, Alex from Hunter’s
Haven, Denis at the SSAA Retail Shop,
the SSAA Eagle Park Range Management
Committee, Paul, Andrea and Sue from the
SSAA Eagle Park Range, Jack Wegman (CEO),
Wilda and the staff at SSAA Victorian Head
Office and the SSAA sub-clubs.
Congratulations to all those who won raffle
prizes and thank you for your support. These
businesses are proud to support us in our
endeavors to raise funds to support the
McGrath Foundation, so please support them
when you can. The total handed over to the
McGrath Foundation was $4200.00.
The great success of this event is thanks
to the very hard work and dedication of the
few people who always stand-in to assist
and the generosity of the organisations and
individuals that have
donated prizes. My
sincere thanks to
you all.
Thanks to JayBird
for flitting about
taking happy snaps
with the camera.
The next event will
be held Saturday
17th October (Breast
Cancer Month) 2015
and is open to any
person interested in
having a try or a look
at some different
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RusLer, seen here dressed appropriately in
pink to help raise money for the McGrath
Foundation, is preparing to shoot Andrew
Hepner’s 500 Nitro Express.
disciplines. We look forward to seeing you
there.
For more information about next year’s
event contact Ian “Grizzly Grumps” Cole
[email protected] Mobile 0400 824 284.
Grizzly Grumps
Shooters at the Jenny Cole Shoot.
7
Australians Show the Way in France 2014
A
nine person team of Australians consisting of three, three
person squads, competed at the First World Benchrest Rimfire
Federation Competition in Volmerange les-Mines, France, in
July 2014. Team members were selected as the top nine
shooters from the last two Rimfire Benchrest Nationals held
in Silverdale , New South Wales and Murdering Point, Queensland. The
team went through solid preparation both at Club and State levels.
The team left Australia on the 3rd July, 2014, met up in Dubai and then
travelled as a team to Paris. With all the right documentation, approvals,
export and import and for carriage in France, we arrived at Charles De
Gaulle airport, collected our rifles, walked to Customs and asked them
did they wish to check our rifles. The response was, “No, we have the
documentation, all is okay.” This was great until another Official came out
slightly flustered and requested documentation. A large folder appeared.
The documents were checked and finally with a Gallic wave we all moved
on. This was somewhat different to other locations where shooters have
attended and a higher level of scrutiny has operated.
A car was hired and for the next three and a half hours, in left hand
drive, we went via the Range hoping to store gear but were told, “The
competition has not started and you cannot do that until tomorrow.” So
off to the hotel we went and unloaded all the gear. For the next two
days members were able to deposit gear at the Range and embark on
sightseeing in Luxembourg while others went down to the Black Forest in
Germany.
Monday and Tuesday started the practice at the competition with the
aim of trying to determine the idiosyncrasies of a high walled baffled
range, particularly when there was incoming which spilled through the
top of the baffles down and spread each way of the centreline. Those
who have shot on baffled ranges know the difficulties.
Team competition commenced on Wednesday, 9th July, 2014. Team A
consisted of Robin Cox, John Radford and Jaegen Peet. Team B consisted
of Richard Lightfoot, Glen Seaman and Anne Rowe. Team C consisted of
Joy Harrison, John Patzwald and Ashley Elford.
The detailed scores have been listed in Benchrest Bulletin. The teams’
competition was won by the Australian Team A, followed by the Italian
team, third was the Australian Team B and fourth the Australian Team C.
Of the ten nations competing and of the nine individuals, Australia has
performed best in Rimfire to date. The Australian Team B consisted of
Richard Lightfoot, Glen Seaman and Annette Rowe and currently hold the
World Single Day Team Record of 2241 with 130 centres.
Individual competition commenced on Friday, 11th July, 2014 and was
shot over two days. In this competition John Radford of Australia got
a perfect score of 1500 out of 1500 with 114 centres. John Patzwald
was second with 1498 and 99 centres, Jean Pierre Inglet of France was
third with 1497 and 92 centres and Richard Lightfoot from Australia was
further with a score of 1496 and 85 centres, he was followed by another
Australian, Jaegen Peet on 1495 with 90 centres.
The other Victorian shooter, Annette Rowe scored 1488 and 73 centres;
she was followed by Robin Cox, Glen Seaman, Ashley Elford and Joy
Harrison.
The beauty of team competition welded the team together and this
co-operation continued across the individual shooting as well. Sharing
that occurred was both in equipment, in set up, discussions of wind and
celebrating the various achievements.
The competition was run extremely efficiently, the scores were
completed approximately thirty minutes after the last targets were
collected. There were no requirements for a jury and all members left
France having enjoyed a top competition.
Team members, Richard Lightfoot, Robin Cox and Ashley Elford were
all accompanied by their wives who took the opportunity to travel via
efficient trains into Luxembourg and other locations. Overseas trips,
particularly to Europe, provide partners with the opportunity to holiday in
addition to the competition.
As a number of members were close to north west France, the
opportunity was taken to visit Villers-Bretonneux and see first hand the
nature of the topography and the way nature has healed the battlefields
of World War I. There are still reminders of the conflict, particularly
with up to fifty tonnes of scrap per year still being removed from the
battlefields and the remaining massive craters that resulted from mining
the trenches.
The Victorian shooters, Richard Lightfoot and Annette Rowe wish to
thank SSAA (Vic) for its support to allow them to attend this competition.
Many of the shooters attending as SSAA team members have also shot
in other international competitions. This points to the need for further
co-operation between SSAA and TRA within Australia to keep improving
the performance of our shooters. In this way we can always remain at the
top both in national and international matches.
Richard Lightfoot
8
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Victorian School Teacher
Games
FOR SALE
he Victorian School Teacher
Games were again held over the
September School holidays at
Bendigo. Numbers may have
been down a little because it was
uncertain if they would be on this year and
only short notice was given.
Four shooting events were offered this year.
The pistol event involved an aggregate score
of an air pistol and .22 pistol. Rifle shooting
with .22 rifles was another event and 300 m
prone rifle shooting with mostly borrowed .223
and 6mm BR rifles made up the third event.
The big bore Bendigo range is an impressive
venue and some first time female shooters
Black Powder Revolvers
T
shot extremely good results, the 6mm, a 56/5
and 60/5 being one of these.
The fourth event was a combined DTL and
5 stand event at Bendigo Clay Target Club. It
was encouraging to note that all events had
participants who had never shot before and
were prepared to give it a go. From what I
witnessed everyone had a great time and will
be back next year.
If you are a teacher and a shooter or are
prepared to have a try next year we hope to
see you there.
Garry Bennett
Left: Great
scores from
this group of
first timers
1. .36 Uberti Remington 1858 New Army
28508 $300
2. .36 Remington New Navy 081161. $350
Reloaders
1. .32 S & W Custom built and progressive.
$600
2. .32 S & W Custom built manual with sizer
and lube. $250
3. Black Powder Reloader portable. $50
MISCELLANEOUS
Powder/Filler adjustable - $100, Spare cylinder
.31 - $50, 31 barrel- $50, Moulds .36, .31,
parts - $60,
RCBS Lubrisizer with .32 and .38 collets. $275
Contact Colin on (03) 9850 3049. Lic no. 411451-60H
Browning 22 Long Rifle 83676, in a good
condition, 10 shot trombone action, talk to
Robert with $500 in hand 03 5023 5286
Mr Robert Laird. Lic no. 609-839-20A.
20’ Steel shipping containers $1,000 each.
Great storage. Choice of 4.
Inspection / pick up Sunshine Vic. Contact:
0400 119 852
Below: Clay
Target event
winners
WANTED
Militaria: WW1, WW2. Also looking for AATTV
and Vietnam items and especially veteran
‘bring back items’ from all periods.
All items considered, good prices paid for the
right items. I will pay $2000 for a WW1 tunic
in good order.
Please call Geoff 0419528274
www.ssaavic.com.au
9
Range Info for Eagle Park
Bendigo Branch
Marong Rifle Range
(20 minutes west of Bendigo)
Range open Friday to Monday at 9:00 Closes at 5:00. All persons entering the Range
MUST SIGN IN at the office.
A clay thrower is provided for patrons to use at a cost of $8.00 per token (27 clays).
Bruno's Cafe open each day.
General Shooting:
1st and 3rd Sunday each month. 12.00noon.
$6 for members.
Undercover benches, target frames supplied.
25, 50, 100, 200mtrs.
SAFFE Program:
RANGE RULES-RIFLE
The RANGE OFFICER has absolute control
over the range at all times.
His instructions MUST be followed promptly.
Any person found breaching the rules below
WILL BE ORDERED from the range and
reported, with possible follow-up from the
department responsible.
1. On entering the range all persons must:a Report to the range office, pay range fees
if required and have their details recorded.
This includes visitors and non-shooters.
b Be advised which range to attend and on
arriving at the firing line approach the RANGE
OFFICER who is in charge.
c The Range Officer will then advise the
shooter as to how and when you may bring
your firearms on to the range. Until then all
firearms must remain in your vehicle.
2. All firearms not in use must be unloaded
with actions open, chambers flagged,
magazines empty and removed if possible.
3. Shooters may fire only from the defined
firing line in a down range direction at
approximately 90 degrees to the firing line.
4. All firearms in use must be kept pointing
down range in the direction of targets at all
times.
5. Shooting is to be at your own approved
targets only. No cans, bottles, rocks, other
shooters targets, range fitting or wildlife may
be fired at.
6. Once shooting has commenced for the day
people will only be permitted forward of the
firing line after the RANGE OFFICER has:a called “CEASE FIRE,- OPEN ALL ACTIONS,REMOVE ALL MAGAZINES,- FLAG ALL
CHAMBERS,- STAND BACK BEHIND THE
FIRING LINE”.
b inspected all firearms to verify the
compliance with the rules.
c called “THERE WILL BE NO HANDLING
OF FIREARMS OR AMMUNITION DURING THE
CEASE FIRE”. ALL CLEAR-PROCEED ONTO THE
RANGE”.
7. Targets must be changed as quickly as to
avoid wasting time.
8. Firearms are only to be loaded after the
RANGE OFFICER has called “ALL CLEAR YOU
MAY COMMENCE FIRING”.
9. Firearms being carried between a vehicle
and the firing line must be unloaded with the
action open and muzzle pointed up. Firearms
must not be handled or carried during a cease
fire under any circumstances.
10. Children must be under strict supervision
and kept well clear of the firing line. Children
under the age of 10 are not permitted forward
of the firing line at any time.
Competitions:
Rimfire, Centerfire, Handgun, Shotgun.
See the quarterly competition calendar
at ssaabendigo.com, or contact Vic on
0438353425 for a copy.
Contacts:
Branch President: Vic Alexander,
0438353425
Web-site: ssaabendigo.com
Email: [email protected]
Post: P.O. Box 1098
Bendigo, Vic. 3552
11. All junior and unlicensed shooters must
be under the direct supervision of an adult
licensed shooter whilst using firearms.
12. Consumption of alcohol on the range
is not permitted until after the close of all
shooting for the day on all range property.
PLEASE
• Assist and co-operate with the Range
Officer.
• Leave the range in a clean and tidy
condition.
• Return any equipment used, borrowed or
hired.
• Offer to help the Range Officer close down
the range at the end of the day.
WARNING
HEARING AND EYE PROTECTION SHOULD
BE USED ON THE FIRING LINE WHILST
FIRING IS IN PROGRESS.
HEARING OR EYE DAMAGE SUFFERED BY
SHOOTERS IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
THE SPORTING SHOOTERS ASSOCIATION.
Persons found on range property outside
open hours without specific authorisation will
be treated as trespassers.
Ian Cole
Secretary Eagle Park Range Management
10
(Safety And Family Firearms Education)
2nd Sunday each month. 10.00am till
12.00noon. $6 (Ammunition cost)
Basic training for beginners, all ages. Club
rifles supplied.
www.ssaavic.com.au
SSAA Arms &
Militaria Collectors
Club (Melbourne)
The AMCC is a club that caters for people
who have an interest in older-type firearms
and all associated memorabilia.
We have a group of very keen members who
have an extensive knowledge of most firearms,
books and cartridges. If you feel that you
have the same hobbies then you must belong
to a nominated collectors’ club to obtain a
collector’s licence.
We are based at SSAA Springvale Range and
meet on the first Thursday of each month at
8pm.
For further details contact the State Office
9am to 5pm on 03 8892 2777 or Robert
Lemm, email [email protected]
Field Hunters Club
The Field Hunters’ Club was set up in the late
1980's by some enthusiastic SSAA members
to foster camaraderie among their fellow
hunters. The club provides members with the
opportunity to get out and do what they joined
for and that is to hunt. As a bonus you meet
fellow likeminded hunters and often form life
long friendships.
The Field Hunters’ Club is a relaxed friendly
and casual club with members enjoying
a drink at the bar or the use of the free
Hunting DVD library. At most meetings the
club organises guest speakers from a wide
range of organisations, governing bodies or
training providers that will directly benefit club
members. The club also runs monthly raffles
with many great prizes on offer including a
midyear raffle with the first prize value of
around $1,200 for members.
Organised hunting trips include duck opening
weekend and duck shooting as pest control
on rice crops during November and December.
Details of weekly organised fox drives are
circulated to members and this year the club
started the Feral Animal Control Program
which now has access to around 30,000 acres
of prime hunting throughout Victoria and is
constantly expanding. These hunts are a great
way to introduce both new hunters and people
who may not have hunted for some time
back into the sport. They also provide a great
platform to offer guidance and training to
enhance member skills and safety in the field.
On top of this the club has a closed Facebook
group site just for members which is a great
way for members to chat and organise hunts
amongst themselves. As a member you could
soon find that you have too much hunting
available and not enough time to fit it all in!
Last year the club delivered to members the
following key events:
• Subsidised 4WD Training Course with
Mountain Top Experience 4WD
• Weekend Hunts
• Remote First Aid Training
• The delivery of the FHC 25th anniversary
Gerber knife valued at $69.95 at no cost to
members
• Health and Safety in the Field (Steve’s Tips)
• First Aid Training provided by an accredited
provider (including CPR training)
• The annual Xmas Bash.
This year the clubs has delivered the following
events to members:
• Two organised Pig hunts in NSW
• How to on Gun Cleaning
• Weekend Hunts (Fox/Rabbit)
• Feral Animal Control Program
• Ducks on the Rice competition
• Aussie Disposals Discount night
• Mid Year major raffle with a first prize of
$1,200.
During the months of September and
The club meets on the first Wednesday of each
October, our members received the following
month with the exception of January, at the
opportunities:
Springvale Range at 7.30 pm.
• Weekend Fox Hunts
• Weekend hunts as part of the Feral Animal
So what are you waiting for, expand your
Control Program
hunting horizon and come see for yourself!
• Vic Police District Firearms Officer Guest
New Adult memberships: $20
SSAA VIC / MelbourneNew
Sporting
Rifle Club $5
Speaker
Junior membership:
• Member Show and Tell and Night
Vision
2014 Competition Calendar
Demonstration
General
inquiries:
For more information contact: Bill
O'Connor
0408 323The
060Secretary Phil Mathieson
Email: [email protected]
SPRINGVALE
Phone: 0417 668 222 after 6 pm
Pics of recent events
Month
Date
9.30am
12.30pm
Early Australia Day Silhouette Shoot (A.C.T.)
January
19
February
16
AirRifle3PState Champs
Rimfire3P
March
16
AirRifleSilhouette
FieldRifle
April
15-21
3P & Field Rifle SSAA Nationals (S.A.)
18-23
Metallic Silhouette SSAA Nationals (W.A.)
20
Easter Weekend - No Shoot
May
18
AirRile10mPrecision
RimfireFieldRifle
June
15
AirRifle3P
Rimfire3P
July
11 - 13
20
August
17
September
21
Month
October
Month
Date
19
Date
January
January
November
19
19
16
February
February
December
16
16
21
March
March
16
16
April
April
15-21
15-21
Month
18-23
18-23
Date
SSAA Interstate Junior Challenge - (VIC)
SSAA VIC
VIC
Melbourne Sporting
Sporting Rifle
Rifle Club
Club
AirRifleSilhouette
RimfireFieldRifle
SSAA
// Melbourne
2014
Competition
Calendar
2014 Competition Calendar
AirRifle10mPrecision
NRA3P120shots
For more
more information
information contact:
contact: Bill
Bill O'Connor
O'Connor0408
0408323
323060
060
For
AirRifleSilhouette
RimfireFieldRifle
SPRINGVALE
SPRINGVALE
9.30am
12.30pm
AirRifleSilhouetteSSAAVICState
Champs80targets
9.30am
12.30pm
Early Australia
Australia Day
Day Silhouette
SilhouetteShoot
Shoot(A.C.T.)
(A.C.T.)
Early
AirRifle3P
RimfireFieldRifle
AirRifle3PState
Champs
AirRifle3PState
Champs
AirRifleSilhouette
Rimfire3P
Rimfire3P
Breakup/Meeting
AirRifleSilhouette
AirRifleSilhouette
FieldRifle
FieldRifle
2014 Competition Calendar
3P &
& Field
Field Rifle
Rifle SSAA
SSAANationals
Nationals(S.A.)
(S.A.)
3P
LITTLE
RIVER
Metallic Silhouette
Silhouette SSAA
SSAANationals
Nationals(W.A.)
(W.A.)
Metallic
9.00am
12.00pm
Easter
Weekend
No
Shoot
Easter
Weekend
--No
Australia
Day
Weekend
– Shoot
No
Shoot
January
20
26
May
May
February
18
23
AirRile10mPrecision
AirRile10mPrecision
Centrefire3PSSAAStateChamps
RimfireFieldRifle
RimfireFieldRifle
Rimfire3PSSAAStateChamps
June
June
March
15
23
AirRifle3P
AirRifle3P
CentrefireFieldRifle
Rimfire3P
Rimfire3P
RimfireFieldRifle
July
July
April
11
- 13
15-21
20
18-23
August
August
17
27
September
September
May
21
18
October
October
19
25
November
November
June
Month
16
22
Date
December
December
January
July
21
19
27
February
August
16
24
March
September
16
28
SSAA
Interstate
Junior
Challenge(S.A.)
(VIC)
SSAA
--(VIC)
3P & Interstate
Field
RifleJunior
SSAA Challenge
Nationals
AirRifleSilhouette
RimfireFieldRifle
AirRifleSilhouette
Metallic Silhouette SSAA NationalsRimfireFieldRifle
(W.A.)
AirRifle10mPrecision
SSAA AirRifle10mPrecision
VIC
/ Melbourne
CentrefireSilhouette
NRA3P120shots
NRA3P120shots
Sporting Rifle Club
RimfireSilhouette
AirRifleSilhouette
RimfireFieldRifle
AirRifleSilhouette
RimfireFieldRifle
2014
Competition
Calendar
SSAA Victorian
Junior Silhouette
Championship
80 targets
For more information contact: Bill O'Connor 0408 323 060
AirRifleSilhouetteSSAAVICState
Champs80targets
AirRifleSilhouetteSSAAVICState
Champs80targets
CentrefireFieldRifle
RimfireFieldRifle
SPRINGVALE
AirRifle3P
AirRifle3P
Centrefire3P
9.30am
RimfireFieldRifle
RimfireFieldRifle
Rimfire3P
12.30pm
AirRifleSilhouette
Breakup/Meeting
Early
Australia
Day Rimfire
Silhouette
Shoot
(A.C.T.)
AirRifleSilhouette
Breakup/Meeting
Keith
Barnett
Memorial
Silhouette
80 targets
AirRifle3PState
Champs
CentrefireSilhouette
2014 Competition
Calendar
Competition
Calendar
AirRifleSilhouette
LITTLE
CentrefireFieldRifle
LITTLE RIVER
RIVER
Rimfire3P
RimfireSilhouette
FieldRifle
RimfireFieldRifle
April
Month
October
Month
15-21
Date
26
3P & FieldChamps
Rifle SSAARimfireSilhouetteSSAAVICState
Nationals (S.A.)
CentrefireSilhouetteSSAAVICState
Champs
9.00am
12.00pm
9.00am
12.00pm
January
January
November
26
18-23
26
23
Australia
Day
––No
Metallic
Silhouette
SSAA
Nationals
(W.A.)
Australia
Day Weekend
Weekend
NoShoot
Shoot
CentrefireFieldRifleSSAAVICState
Champs
RimfireFieldRifleSSAAVICState
Champs
23
20
23
Centrefire3PSSAAStateChamps
Rimfire3PSSAAStateChamps
Easter Weekend - No
Shoot
Centrefire3PSSAAStateChamps
Rimfire3PSSAAStateChamps
February
February
CentrefireFieldRifle
RimfireFieldRifle
www.ssaavic.com.au
3P
&
Field
Rifle
SSAA
Nationals
(S.A.)
April
15-21
AirRifle3P
Rimfire3P
June
15
3P & Field Rifle SSAA Nationals (S.A.)
April
15-21
March
May
March
23
18
23
CentrefireFieldRifle
AirRile10mPrecision
RimfireFieldRifle
RimfireFieldRifle
11
Wodonga Branch
RIFLE RANGE CHRISTMAS SHOOT - 14th
Dec 2014 10.00am
Annual novelty Christmas shoot followed by
a BBQ Lunch and the celebration of the new
club rooms
2014 SSAA STEEL CHALLENGE NATIONAL
- Hosted 21-23rd Nov 2014
Wodonga Handgun Club would like to extend
our thanks to the follow Sponsors for their
support Match Sponsor - PBA Import,
Booklet Sponsor - National Photography
Stage Sponsors - SSAA Vic, Practical
Shooting Supplies (PSS), Australian Target
Systems (ATS), and Aussie Step - Steel Targets
Prize Table - Elks Hunting & Fishing, Blueys
Bait & Tackle, Centreway Firearms, Gunco
Superstore, Inox Plus, Victorian Arms and
Willoughy’s Outdoor World
IT Support - Nolan’s Consulting
Wodonga Range Matters
Upon arriving at the range, leave your firearms
securely locked in your vehicle and report to a
Range Officer (RO) who will be wearing a high
visibility vest. The RO will guide you to sign the
range attendance sheet and take your range
fees. The RO will instruct you on when you
may bring firearms from a vehicle to the firing
line and when you may take firearms from the
firing line back to a vehicle.
The use of correct eye and hearing protection
is compulsory for all people on the firing line.
Sunglasses are not acceptable.
Standing Calendar
300metre Range
First Sunday-No shooting on 25, 50, 100, 200 or 300 metre
ranges
Second Sunday-11.00 am Hunter Class Rimfire Benchrest .22 lr
-- 12.00 pm .22 lr Rimfire Metallic Silhouette
-- 12.45 pm Field Rifle .22 Rim Fire
Third Saturday
-- 1.30 pm Handgun Club Metallic Silhouette
Third Sunday
-- 10.45am Lever Action 25 rounds any L/A
rifle, incl scopes
-- 11.30am Military rifle
-- 12.15 pm Black powder Pistol
-- 1.00 pm Black powder Longarms
Fourth Saturday
-- 10.15am to 12.00noon Handgun Club
Metallic Silhouette
Fourth Sunday
-- 10.45am 300 metre Fly Shoot for any firearm
-- 12.15 pm Martini Shoot for any Martini
actioned rifle
Fifth Sunday
-- 11.00 am Novelty Event
-- 11.00 noon Flintlock
Wednesday 10.00am to 12.00noon
Zeroing of hunting rifles and general shooting
practice is welcomed on all scheduled
competition days.
12
Wodonga Range Fees as at 1st
July
Day Range Pass:
SSAA Members
Adult
Pensioner
Junior
Non Members
Adult
Pensioner
Junior
$10.00
$5.00
Free
$20.00
$15.00
Free
Range Passes (Available to SSAA
members only):
Annual range passes $65.00 1 Jul to 30 Jun
Annual range passes (pensioner) $35.00
Six mth range passes $35.00 1 Jan to 30 Jun
Other Fees:
Targets (members/non members/juniors) 50
cents each
Competition Fee
$3.00
Range Officers
Competition and general shooting on the range
is made possible by volunteer SSAA Range
Officers who supervise the range ensuring
coordination of activity and safety. If you would
like to contribute to your club by helping out
as a range officer please phone Max Grimshaw
(02) 6026 7042.
Wodonga Handgun Club
Calendar
The range Calendar can be view on the SSAA
Wodonga Handgun Club web site at http://
www.wodongahandgunclub.org.au/
Our Contact Details
Contact us: President – Robert Marks 6024
1695, Secretary – 0411 260 568
Secretary [email protected] PO
Box 501 Wodonga VIC 3689
Sporting Shooters
Women’s Group
2014 Calendar
Please Note the Women's Group meets on the
2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month at SSAA(Vic)
Springvale Range at 7pm .
The Women's Group is responsible for
running the Bar on the 1st Thursday of the
month.
December 11 Christmas Fun Shoot /
Presentations / R5
December 6 OR 13? Christmas Party @ Venue
to be advised
*Targets eligible for entry into National Postal
Competitions.
Need more information?
Club Secretary: Jenny: [email protected]
Club PR Officer: Zdenka: 0418 562 257
www.ssaavic.com.au
Victorian Military
Rifle Club
Dedicated to the safe competitive use of military
firearms. Friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Competitions are held at the SSAA Little River
Range on the first and second Sundays of the
month. The first Sunday (9.00am start) of
the month events include the main event ,a 3
Position competition over 100m, 200m, 300m
plus the Specialty Event which includes rapid
fire and is different each month. A long range
event at 500m is held three times a year. The
second Sunday (11.00am start) main event is
the 3P Trainer Competition on a mini 3P target
over 50m,75,100m using military trainer rifles
(22 and 310 calibers) The MRC State Titles are
held in April at the Dookie Agricultural College .
Club Rifles are available.
Other special away events are held in
partnership with several VRA clubs and other
Military Rifle Clubs. The club’s General Meeting
for all members is held at the SSAA Springvale
Range on the fourth Thursday of the month at
8.00pm.New members, juniors and visitors are
always welcome. Come along and support your
club. Annual membership is $35.00 for adults
and $12.50 for juniors (12yrs to 17yrs inclusive)
Visit the website for further information – www.
vicmrc.com
Email –[email protected]
Phone inquiries to Ian Garth 0408 568 083
Springvale Pistol
Club
The Springvale Pistol Club (SPC) was formed on
17th June 2004 to provide:
• affiliation with the peak bodies in Victoria and
Australia for National and International handgun
competitions
• instruction, coaching and training for
competition-oriented shooters
• a home base at the SSAA Springvale Range
Complex.
The SPC has approximately 40 members,
many of whom actively train for and shoot
competitions at local, state and interstate events.
Shooting is a sport that does not present a
barrier to anyone who wishes to get involved
- neither age, physical ability nor gender are
barriers to enjoying the sport of pistol shooting.
It does require a high degree of self-discipline,
attention to detail and willingness to learn if you
are to progress to high levels of performance,
but it is also a great pastime for those who have
less time to practice.
The SSAA Springvale Range Complex has many
facilities for the use of members. Those who
wish to learn the disciplines of target shooting
and how to shoot them well are welcome to
join our growing membership. SPC shoots on
Wednesday nights.
Email: [email protected] Web: www.
springvalepc.org
Field Assessment day – 5 October
Working Gundogs
Gundog Training
Our Christmas break-up and last training day for the year was held in
November.
The club has an extensive range of training equipment which
includes several electronic throwers, a ‘backing’ dog, retrieving
dummies, stake-out chains and release traps.
Training recommences again in February 2015. Our monthly training
days are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month. We are presently
looking for another training venue as urbanisation has finally
overtaken us at the Melton venue.
New members are always welcome. Contact the Training Officer,
Kevin Phelps 0407 091 221.
On a fantastic spring day WGAA Vic’s Field Assessment Day was
held at the Daylesford property that has hosted the event for many
years. This ideal property is perfect for the family friendly event with
several members camping overnight to help set up runs. Special
thanks to Wayne and Kevin Phelps for their sterling efforts in making
this day such a success.
Each of the 25 dogs was given 3 runs – a land retrieve, a water
retrieve and a pigeon run and was scored in 5 categories in each
run, categories that related closely to actual field work. Certificates
were awarded to all participants.
WGAA blog.
Field Assessment Day:
New member Richard
Chan and his black
Labrador.
Retrieving Trial – 14 September
The WGAA Vic Intermediate and Advanced Retrieving trial was held
at Nagambie in a picture perfect location in ideal conditions. The
judges were David Blacker (Intermediate – 15 entries) and Andrew
Yeomans (Advanced – 8 entries).
The trial managers were Luke Warner and Kevin Phelps with Norm
Cloke handling the throwers.
We were all set for a great day – what could possibly go wrong?
Well guess what, nothing went wrong and the day was a fantastic
success. We even started on time, there was some excellent dog
work, good camaraderie and the lunch was enjoyed by all - even
those who were over charged!
It was encouraging to see a number of newcomers graduating from
the Training day program into trials for the first time.
At the end of the day the judges awarded their placings and the
lucky winners were:
Intermediate Stake
1st Henry Foster’s Pointer F Ch(CS) & Nat FT Ch RIPRAP MARKSMAN
NFTW(CS) CM (154)
2nd Nick Guida’s Pointer RIPRAP ROXY (140 points)
3rd Shane Emond’s Labrador PETITRAPPORT MCANGUS (139 points)
The Encouragement award for a very high standard retrieve went to
Sandra Lesniauskas’ Golden Retriever BELBUN DAILY COMPANY DC
The highest score for a run in the Intermediate stake went to
Sam Heyes’ Labrador CONINGSBURGH MADDIE MAY (53 points)
Advanced Stake
1st Sam Heyes’ Labrador CONINGSBURGH TASHA GIRL (173 points)
2nd Sam Heyes’ Labrador CONINGSBURGH MADDIE MAY (126
points)
3rd Luc Tomasino’s Brittany BRITTNIKI GUNSMOKE GUS (124 points)
Retrieving trial:
Sam Heyes’
winning Labradors
CONINGSBURGH
TASHA GIRL &
CONINGSBURGH
MADDIE MAY
View reports and slideshows of WGAA events on WGAA’s blog at
http://wgaa.blogspot.com or just google - wgaa blog
Sporting Shooters Pistol Club
The SSPC is a friendly and social handgun shooting club with over
400 members which runs primarily from the SSAA Springvale range.
Competitions and practices are held on Monday, Tuesday and
Thursday nights from 6pm until 8pm, Saturdays from 10am and
Sundays from 12 noon. A variety of competitions are shot including
ISSF style Sport Pistol, Centre Fire and Classic Pistol at 25 metres, 25
and 50 Metre Service Match, IPSC and Metallic Silhouette (at Eagle
Park range). Our website contains a full calendar of competitions and
range times.
Introduction to Handguns course
New members are welcome and we run regular Introduction to
Handguns courses which will teach you the basics of handgun
safety and shooting fundamentals as well as provide an introduction
to joining the club. The course consists of 30 minutes of theory
followed by 60 minutes on the range firing a variety of club
handguns. The course costs $75 and includes range entry and
ammunition. Bookings for the course are taken online at our website
or at the front desk at Springvale range. Completing the introduction
course if the first step in joining our club.
Club fees consist of a $250 joining fee and thereafter a $100
membership fee due at the end of April of each year. Range entry
fees are separate and paid directly to the SSAA, however yearly
range entry passes are available from our club.
For more information please see our website at www.sspc.org.au
Contact details:
[email protected]
Sebastian (Club Secretary): 0417 034 325
www.ssaavic.com.au
13
Little River Raiders
Little River Sporting Clays
Little River Raiders is a single action shooting club based at the SSAA
Eagle Park Range, Little River. Single action shooting is a living history
sport which uses the firearms of the American ‘Old West’. Participants
are required to adopt a persona typical of the era, and to dress
accordingly, so a darned good sense of humour comes in handy for
those who want to join in.
Club competitions are held on the 3rd Sunday of every month. We
shoot coach guns (side by side shotguns), pistols, lever and pump
action rifles. Black powder – cartridge and percussion pistol – is also
a recognised category of Single Action, and our black powder shooters
add to the atmosphere with lots of smoke and noise to entertain all.
Shooter categories are established so as to cater for all age groups,
both sexes, and different skill mixes.
We also have long range rifle competitions where speed is not as
important as accuracy. These events use single shot, lever and pump
action rifles ranging from .22 to big bore buffalo rifles.
All matches are run under the rules of the Single Action Shooting
Society.
Our shooting stages (scenarios) are based on the ‘Old West’ – either
incidents out of history, or our translation of classic Western movies or
the old TV series. Visitors are welcome to come along to any of our
competitions and if they like they may try their hand at single action
shooting under instruction. The only thing you need is a desire to
enjoy yourself and have (safe) fun with people dressed in cowboy gear,
using period firearms or faithful replicas.
For further information please look us up on the web www.
littleriverraiders.com.au or contact the Secretary Tiresome (aka Tony
Mussert) 0427 053 540 or email [email protected]
Little River Sporting Clays is a sub club of SSAA based at Eagle Park,
Gifkins Rd, Little River.
We aim to provide a wide variety of clay targets using our amazing
terrain to provide shooters with a great experience. All levels of
shooters are welcome with many seasoned hands available to provide
direction and advice. We encourage our shooters to join our club and
become involved in setting up the grounds. Please give us a call or send
an email.
Our practice days are on the 2nd Sunday of each month running
from 10am – 5pm. The cost is $10 for 30 targets and you can shoot as
many rounds as you wish. We are also able to set up particular practice
targets for you wherever possible.
Our competition days are the 4th Sunday of each month with
nominations opening at 9:30am and closing at 10:30am. The
competition usually consists of 75 targets at a nomination cost of
$45, less for ladies, juniors and pensioners and sub juniors shoot for
free. Our last competition day was August 24th with Simon Sammut
winning overall with a great score of 71. We have prizes for each grade
including vets, ladies, juniors and sub juniors.
We ran our first Vince Panetta memorial FITASC old style shoot on
August 10th, it was a lovely day with Chris Brown the overall winner.
Lots of fun was had with raffle prizes and wonderful food provided by
the Panetta family – a great way to remember Vince.
Practice Days - 14th September, 12th October, 9th November
Competition days - 28th September, 26th October, 23rd November
Contact Details
Eddie Magee phone 0412279828 email [email protected]
Vicky Winship email [email protected]
SSAA-Victorian Muzzle Loading
Club
East Gippsland Branch
Rekindle the Spirit of Black Powder Firearm Sporting Shooting with the
VMLC.
Relive the excitement of bygone days by shooting Black Powder firearms, a
truly engrossing and satisfying sport. Everyone is welcomed to attend the
VMLC monthly competitions at the SSAA (Vic) Eagle Park Shooting Complex
near Little River on the third Saturday of every month. Even if you don't
own any Muzzle Loading or Black Powder firearms, knowledgeable and
generous VMLC members are always eager to give you a few shots!
Competitions are organised for all black powder original and reproduction
firearms including cap & ball, cartridge and single shot handguns, muzzle
loading long-arms including flint, percussion, patched ball, Minie-ball,
slug projectile, smooth bore musket as well as cartridge rifle, and muzzle
loading and cartridge shotgun.
From January to October competitions are held, with prize-winners
presented with cards as well as shields for the various Championships such
as Breech Loading Rifle, Military Muzzle Loading Rifle, Traditional Muzzle
Loading Rifle, Long Range Muzzle Loading Rifle, Flintlock Muzzle Loading
Rifle, Muzzle Loading Shotgun, and Handgun.
For the month of November many members camp at Eagle Park for
the two-day State Championships where lots of black powder and lead
is expended during the day, and at night everyone relaxes at the free
barbecue exchanging black powder stories and generally having a good
time. December is set aside for some traditional fun type competitions,
such as cannon and novelty events.
VMLC Membership also includes an entertaining and informed newsletter,
The Ramrod, which is sent to members every month. The Ramrod includes
shooters’ scores, VMLC record scores, coming events and additional articles
of interest to the black powder enthusiast.
For additional information contact the VMLC President Jim Morraitis on 03
9401 1955 during business hours, visit the VMLC Web Site at www.vmlc.
com.au or FaceBook at www.facebook.com/VictorianMuzzleLoadingClub
or Twitter search for vmlc3 or Pinterest search for victorian muzzle loading
club
14
East Gippsland Branch has had good attendances at both Buchan and
Bairnsdale Shoots. It is pleasing that new members continue to join us
at both venues.
Our Annual Summer Shoot is planned for Sunday, January 18th 2015
starting at 10am. Barbecue facilities will be available. If, however, it is a
Total Fire Ban day the Black Powder Shooting won’t be conducted. This
applies to all shoots at Buchan.
No shoots will be held at either Bairnsdale or Buchan in December, but
will resume in February.
Monthly Shoots continue with .22 rifle shooting at Bairnsdale Pistol
Club Range on the third Sunday of the month and at Buchan Firing
Range on the fourth Sunday of the month.
The Black Powder Group also holds monthly shoots at Buchan Range.
Contact Mike Eden phone 51497130 for details.
Monthly meetings
First Tuesday of every month (February to December) 7:30pm
2015 venues
February, April, June, August, October and December - in the CFA
Meeting Rooms, Main Street, Bairnsdale.
March, May, July, September, November - SSAA EGB Clubrooms, 550
Marlay Point Road, Clydebank
Members are encouraged to attend our meetings so that they share
their ideas for the branch and enjoy a social chat.
Contacts
Secretary: Dave Weston Mob. 0429 959 709 email - Dave.Weston@
defence.gov.au
President: Clive Hammet Ph 51 564 697 Mob. 0429 182 073 email [email protected]
www.ssaavic.com.au
Helpsecure
secure the
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Help
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hunting
future of hunting
When you are enjoying Victoria’s great hunting opportunities, be mindful that the future
of hunting depends on how you conduct yourself as a hunter. Every hunter should be an
When
you are enjoying
Victoria’s great hunting opportunities, be mindful that the future
ambassador
for the recreation.
of hunting depends on how you conduct yourself as a hunter. Every hunter should be an
As a responsible
you should always:
ambassador
for hunter,
the recreation.
Respect the hunt
Respect animals
As a responsible
you
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the law
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• Know your skill limits and hunt accordingly
• Look after your hunting dogs
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• Take all your litter (including empty cartridges)
Look after your hunting dogs
with you
quarry (e.g.
cover quarry during transit)
Respect
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leave animal remains in or near waterways)
• Keep campfires safe
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• Be respectful and courteous if hunting or camping
in theinsame
area
other people
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efforts
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protect
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wildlife
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safe and abide by the law so everyone is on
a level playing field
the culinary/sustainability benefits of hunting
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theprivate
laws property with permission
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habitats clean
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Respect other hunters
leave animal remains in or near waterways)
•
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• Improve and maintain your skills through practice
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and/or joining a club
• Thoughtfully carry hunting equipment and harvested
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or remove
animal remains
Respect
the
environment
•
and/or joining a club
• at
Share
the harvest with a non-hunter and promote
all times
the culinary/sustainability benefits of hunting
• Work with Authorised Officers; they are there to help
you and ensure
safe, sustainable, humane
Respect
the laws
and equitable hunting
• Take time to know the laws and act within them
• Don’t
tolerate illegal behaviour - report suspected
at all times
offenders on 136 186.
Respect other hunters
• Work with Authorised Officers; they are there to help
• Be respectful and courteous if hunting or camping
you and ensure safe, sustainable, humane
For more information visit www.depi.vic.gov.au/hunting
in the same area as other people
and equitable hunting
supported
• BeProudly
safe and
abide by by:
the law so everyone is on
a level playing field
• Don’t tolerate illegal behaviour - report suspected
offenders
on 136 186.
Australian
Deer
Association
For more information visit www.depi.vic.gov.au/hunting
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