Volunteer Trophy and 1,000 yard Championships

Once again, we were welcomed to Bisley with a fine weekend (9-11 May) of sunshine and dry weather. While it did get somewhat warm in the afternoons, it was the playful wind conditions, particularly on Saturday for the 1,000 yard Championship, that created the most difficulty!

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, both original and reproductions. Whilst countback had to be used to separate Gary Evans and John Whittaker for 2nd and 3rd place respectively, there was a clear winner! Rob Groot fired an outstanding score of 60 x 75 for 1st place, and in so doing setting a new Branch record score for this event. Well done, Rob!

The 1,000 yard Championship had an international feel to it, with shooters from the UK, Jersey, France and the Netherlands competing. Alan Beck’s consistent shooting won out on the day, taking first place just ahead of John Whittaker. Third place was close run, with David Minshall just taking the placing by 1 point.

Besides the Branch competitions, members enjoyed a 600 yard practice on Friday afternoon, and competed in the MLAGB 500 yard Rifle Championships on Sunday.

Link: Volunteer Trophy and 1,000 yard Championships Results

LRR @ Bisley, April 2025

Friday 4 April – Sunday 6 April members of the Branch enjoyed three days of unbroken sunshine (yes, you read that right!) at Bisley. Saturday was the MLAGB 300 yard Rifle Championship for Enfield rifle and target rifle, and the Branch arranged a day of practice either side of the match – 900 and 1,000 yards on Friday and 600 and 1,000 yards on Sunday. 

Despite the sunshine, mornings were still cool, and there was a fresh wind all weekend. The warming afternoons did see the mirage getting more prevalent, and some unwanted stronger wind gusts. For the first shoot of the year it was nice to be able to get on the range and enjoy some long range training, with members shooting primarily muzzle loading rifle, plus some black powder cartridge rifle. Nice too, getting the first of the MLAGB series of mid and long matches for the year underway.

Research Press has published a selection of photos from the weekend.

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