Six Bega Rifle Club hopefuls headed to a long-range shoot in Tumut over the weekend.
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Saturday provided two 10-shot rounds at 900 yards for practice alongside some state and Australian team shooters, who were practicing for the World Games in Canada later this year.
“We picked up a trove of tips and tricks from these high-calibre helpfuls and alone made the trip worth it,” club spokesman Colin Twigg said.
The main round on Sunday was a pair of shoots at 1000 yards and organisers said you needed a well-sorted shooting rig and a very trained eye for the wind.
“At these distances it takes nearly two seconds for the bullet to hit the target which is a long time to be exposed to the elements without being affected and it can take an almost imperceptible breeze to blow you off centre,” Twigg said.
He said a few shots were blown off course, but the Bega members had done quite well across the board given the added range from their home club.
Many of the Australian members contested the F Open class, but there were plenty of dead-eye opponents in the F standard contesting the crown.
Russell Palmer won the first set from David Durrant, while Twigg claimed second in the second shoot from Durrant in third.
The aggregate scores kept Twigg holding silver and Durrant in bronze.
Meanwhile, Robert Lawler won the B grade aggregate and the Ray Dodd Memorial Trophy.
“It's always satisfying to shoot successfully at another range, but at 1000yds in twitchy conditions especially so,” Twigg said.