SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 8 SSAA NSW Muzzleloading State Titles Local shooters shine at Majura Range The SSAA NSW Muzzleloading State Titles went across the border and were hosted by the ACT Black Powder Club, Cranston Wilson and Rudi Schneider at the SSAA Majura Shooting Complex in the ACT from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August. The Club and organisers did a fantastic job of looking after the competitors while the junior club members helped with catering for the event. As expected the capital territory's well-known winter weather provided a challenge for the shooters. Competition started off with frosty mornings and cold, blustery winds continued through the day. There were a number of classes being contested, from 25 to 200 metres, which all utilise original and replica rifl es, muskets, handguns and shotguns that were used during Australia's colonial days. Some of these unique classes included black powder cartridge, smoothbore musket, fi relock pistol and caplock revolver. From the results, Bruce Drover emerged as the most outstanding shooter. He won all four aggregate medals and trophies, the fi rst time someone has ever achieved this, and was crowned Grand Champion. Furthermore Bruce shot a remarkable 97.4 in the 50m offhand traditional rifl e. His target was submitted to the National Muzzeloading Discipline to see if he has offi cially set a new National record; the current record is 97.3. The bitter cold weather made shooting conditions more diffi cult throughout the weekend however Patricia Hanlon seemed to get better as the competition went on. She shot the highest scores in two ladies events and stayed highly competitive in other classes. A notable result was beating her husband, Ian, and fi nishing in third place in the 100m Class 3 benchrest, all while using one of his rifl es. Congratulations to all the shooters and supporters who took part in the event, and a warm thank you to organisers in particular SSAA ACT and the ACT Black Powder Club for making it such a successful and enjoyable event. Muzzleloading uses original and replica rifl es, muskets, handguns and shotguns from Australia's colonial days Grand Champion, Bruce Drover (L) receiving Class 1 Trophy from Cranston Wilson, ACT Black Powder Club Shooter Shayne Barnsley competing in the smooth bore fi relock event

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