SHOOTER OF THE YEAR

- 2002 ACT SHOOTERS OF THE YEAR.....

2002 had the largest qualifying contingent shooting for the 1000 yards benchrest SOTY trophies, which was great to see.  Special thanks has to go to the organisers of the events who give up their time and other activities to run days that these matches are on.  It is a credit to them and their commitment to the sport and this discipline - Stuart, Annie and Andrew Elliott, Clem, Keith, Richard, Bill (targets), Canberra Rifle Club members and executives and all the shooters and other helpers.  It wasn't the best all round year for weather conditions (how could any of us forget July.....) but it was one of the best years for 1000yards benchrest.

Congratulations to Keith Hills who successfully won the Heavy AND the Light gun 1000yard crowns.  Keith has never shot so well in this format and we all wish him the best in future events.  It's worth noting that Keith does all his own gun work and is recognised as one of Australia's best fullbore gunsmiths.  Maybe now, the 1000 yard gun tag can be added to that title???

We hope all the crew of 2002, and previous years, will be back in 2003.  We think it is going to be a good one.

- 2001 ACT SHOOTERS OF THE YEAR.....

Unlike last year (2000), we had double the qualifying shooters for the Light Gun AND Heavy Gun 2001 annual Shooter Of The Year championship which was great to see.  They came from all over the east coast at various stages throughout the year to compete and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  Same to last year, the rules were the best 3 day score aggregates were used to determine a grand aggregate that was used to calculate SOTY.

Dave Waters scrapped in by the skin of his teeth in both Heavy and Light gun.  "Backing up the Heavy gun win of 2000 is a wonder thing to happen.  It was totally unexpected with a couple of terrible targets during the year.  I had, not one but, two 'no group' targets during the year but on the other hand, had some luck on my side on other days."

From the look of the qualifiers list of 2001, 2002 will be huge and everybody can't wait for it to start in March next year.

- 2000 INAUGURAL ACT 1000 YARD BENCHREST SHOOTERS OF THE YEAR 2000......

David Waters (Heavy Gun) Ian Lampl (Light gun)

Dave and Ian were delighted to hear the news of their inaugural annual championship victories for 2000.  Following is some info on the newly crowned champions.

(Dave with his Heavy Gun)

Dave used a 7mm Remington Magnum in standard trim (not improved) custom built rifle by RDT (Tobler Barrels) at Robertson NSW and himself.  The neck chamber is tighter than factory, but using good quality brass it gives him only 3thou clearance without neck turning.  Design of the rifle was based the experiences Dave has had with past rifles and from lots of help through his close shooting companions such as Ian, Stuart Elliott, Rich (his mate from Sierra Bullets) and other shooters from various clubs and disciplines.  "It's amazing how much info you can pick up when you first get into shooting, and how easy it is to keep up with the new gear or fads, just by going to the range during a competition.  This let's you see the practical side of the game so you can make your own mind up on equipment you think is best for you without worrying about dodgy publications in magazines or the advise you heard off the local butcher or some guy's best mate."

Dave believes that Hornady A-max projectiles have been the key to his success and he swears by them.  "I use them because they go great, feel great, load great, look great and have been very reliable.  A-max's have a lower than usual maximum velocity rating as compared to other bullets which  has seen the odd 1 or 2 blowing up in flight, but that is usually through me making a mistake of chasing velocity rather than the bullet being faulty.  These things don't have to be pushed that hard which is why I don't go up a case size over the 7mm Rem Mag.  The 1st thing I said when building the rifle was, these are the bullets I want to use, so what case should I push them with?  This is why I chose this case as it gives me ample velocity for the projectile."

A Leupold 36x scope sit on top of this "chuck of metal" (as known by some - the ugly gun).  It was supplied from Leupold after a match shot some years prior that Leupold were a big part/sponsor of.

Ian used a mixture of rifles but basically they are all custom build by PSECo up in Brisbane QLD.  Ian has been a long time campaigner and is one of the key's to the success of some ACT major events.  Ian was very please to see some rewards for his hard work in building a competitive rifle and all his hard work invested in the sport.  The main rifle used was a 257-284 on a PSECo sleeved Remington action using a Lilja barrel. Topping the rifle originally was a Night Force which was then changed to a Leupold and is now settled with a Bosch and Lomb.  Changing scopes and other equipment is the price you must pay if you expect to top the tree in this competitive class.

Like many of the regular contenders, Ian and David are really looking forward to contesting in 2001 and we are sure they will fair well to finish at the pointy end of the field.

The results for 2000 are below.  Only 3 shooters qualified for the Heavy Gun with 5 qualifying for Light.

(FTQ = Failed to Qualify)