Rigby Cup & Whitworth Cup 2024

It was good to see 20 members from throughout the UK, plus France and the Netherlands, at Bisley. We were also joined by three guests from France who had been in the UK to compete in the MLAGB / AdF ‘Entente Cordiale’ match. 

Mild temperatures, calm wind and only very light passing rain made for good shooting conditions, albeit a little dull at times – especially waiting on the gun smoke to disperse! 

John Whittaker had a good day, winning both the Rigby and Whitworth Cup, while the silver and bronze medals were spread amongst four members. The Whitworth match was very close – just one point separating first and third place, and one v-bull between first and second place!

Link: Rigby Cup & Whitworth Cup results

1000 yard Championships 2024

It was good to see 15 competitors for the Branch 1000 yard Championships at Bisley on 8 June. Once again members travelled from throughout the UK plus the Netherlands. The match is a 30 shot course of fire over two details (morning and afternoon).

For the long range rifle shooter who has developed an accurate load and honed their technical shooting skills, understanding and reacting to changing atmospheric conditions is the key to good results. The conditions for the match were however a challenge! Light varied throughout the day, from bright sunshine to somewhat overcast. The mirage present during the bright spells also vanished during the dull periods. The biggest variable however was the wind – the morning being tricky and the afternoon’s fishtailing headwind difficult! 

The top three, John Whittaker, Ben Greftenhuis and Mike Hall, fired well (and consistently) in both morning and afternoon and are to be congratulated. This can be a frustrating and challenging sport, but just a few well-placed shots in difficult conditions can be joy. For those outside the ‘prize list’, we now just need to extend those strings of well-placed shots to challenge for a medal placing!

Link: 1000 yard Championship 2024

Volunteer Trophy & BC Baker Cup, 2024

Friday 3 May – Sunday 5 May saw three days of training and competition shooting at Bisley. Ranges booked were 500, 600, 900 and 1000 yards. After a disappointing start, with shooting on Friday morning rained-off, shooting proceeded as planned for the rest of the weekend. Some good sunny spells made for pleasant conditions; the playful wind offered good opportunity for training!

The Volunteer Trophy (600 yards) is fired with open sighted muzzle loading rifles, and will usually see a mix of .451 military target rifles and .577 Enfield rifles. Alan Beck won the match, ahead of Ben Greftenuis and John Whittaker in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Ben’s fine shooting was with a borrowed original Whitworth military target rifle.

The Sunday afternoon match for the B.C. Baker Cup (900 yards) was fired in dull conditions. The initial testing wind gave way to calmer winds but some light rain spells. Alan Beck set the pace in the first detail, but was pushed into third place by Chris Goed and John Whittaker. Just 2 points separated the top three places.

Link: Volunteer Trophy & BC Baker Cup Results

Asquith Cup 2024

The ‘Asquith Cup’ is the first match of the season and was fired at Bisley on Friday 5 April 2024. Rules for this percussion military muzzle loading rifle competition are for 15 shots at each distance, 600 & 800 yards. Even in calm conditions this is a testing match! This year however there were extremely strong winds forecast (gusts over 40mph), and partial closures were already in place on Stickledown range. Rather than risk cancellation, at least in part, the whole match (30 shots) was fired at 600 yards on Century range. 

Only a small number of Branch members competed this year, and it is hoped that there will be wider participation next year. Some took opportunity to use the range time for training in breezy conditions with their muzzle loading match rifles.

Alan Beck’s consistency won out in the day, and he took first place with a three point lead. John Whittaker was second, just one point ahead of Mike Hall, while Mike’s score of 33 in the afternoon was the highest score of the two details that each competitor fired.

Link: Asquith Cup Results

Spring 2024 News!

Once again, we have a programme of competition and practice days booked at Bisley, all coordinated with the MLAGB series of mid and long range National Rifle Championship matches. These combined bookings generally provide up to three days of shooting.

The first match of the season is the Asquith Cup on Friday 5 April – this is a challenging aggregate of 15 shots at each distance, 600 and 800 yards, with the .577 military percussion rifle. The weekend will also see members shooting in the MLAGB 300 and 500 yard National Rifle Championship matches.

In May distances are extended somewhat with a 1,000 yard practice day on Friday the 3rd. The weekend includes the Volunteer Trophy match at 600 yards and the B.C. Baker Cup at 900 yards. The Volunteer Trophy is fired with open sighted military target rifles. Members will also be able to enjoy practice sessions at 500 and 600 yards.

June 7th – 9th is a weekend primarily of competition. On the Friday morning is the MLAGB National 900 yard Championships. Saturday is the 30 shot Branch 1,000 yard Championship, and Sunday the MLAGB National 600 yard Championships. Some members will be involved with / competing in the Entente Cordiale on Friday afternoon, while for others there is opportunity for 900 yard practice.

Further events are held in August and October and the full programme can be found on the Branch calendar. 

Bisley range availability this year meant some reprogramming of events. Sadly, it has not been possible to book either the 1,100 or 1,200 yards ranges this year, the Metford Trophy match cannot therefore be held. For this year the following arrangements are in place:

• The Karl Bailey Trophy and the Hepsworth Medal will be competed for concurrently with the Branch 1,000 yard Championship (30 shots fired) on 8 June. Scores achieved will not be eligible for Branch records, the events not being fired at their usual distances (1,100 and 1,200 yards respectively).
• The Karl Bailey Trophy will be awarded for the highest score achieved in shots 1 – 15 of the Championship.
• The Hepsworth Medal will be awarded for the highest score achieved in shots 16 – 30 of the Championship.

See you at Bisley!