Bedfordshire Smallbore Shooting Association

A warm, pleasant day for the competitors, with the temperature hovering close to the 30°C mark. Luckily, there was a slight breeze which took the edge off the sun’s heat, however it also provided a challenge for the competitors. Despite the overall scores being slightly higher than recorded  last year, there were no ‘possibles’ scored in the main 100 yard competition.

The Scottish Match (60 shots at 100 yards) prize winners were:

The Bench Rest competition winner was K Sheead who recorded a score of 590 with 12 Xs.
The Ladies prize was won by Mrs W Foith and the Junior by W Appleby.

Optional 40 Shot at 50m Competition prize winners were:

All prizes for the 40 shot course were in bottles of wine.

Full results for both competitions may be found here.

The next BSSA Open Meeting is the BSSA Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Shoot on Sunday 8th September, the second anniversary of her death. Please note that this shoot has a unique format: 96 shots at 50m (8 cards, 12 shots on each) with optional 70 shots at 100yds (5 cards, 14 shots on each). Sighters only on the first detail at each range.

The Long Range (50m & 100 yards) element of the Bedfordshire County Championships were held at the Bedford range on Sunday the 9th June. A cold, overcast day with a wind that was variable in both strength and direction.

Since the closure of the Thorn Range in 2016, the Short range element of the Championship has been shot on a ‘postal’ basis at the club’s home  ranges in the month preceding the Long Range match.

Detailed results of the 2024 County Championships are available here.
The winners table is:-

There was good turnout for the second BSSA outdoor open of the year. Though some regular competitors were missing, the numbers were bolstered by those competing in the concurrent  Hertfordshire County Championships and by non-local first time visitors, a number of whom were shooting in their first open match.

The weather was a pleasant change, the cold and wet of recent weeks replaced by  warm sunshine, the temperature peaked around 25°C , and it stayed dry all day. The winds were light and variable throughout, though slightly stronger and gustier after mid-day.

English Match prize winners were:

There was a single prize in the Benchrest competition, won by K Sheead, who recorded a score of 594 with 12x.

The Ladies prize was won by Mrs W Foith, with a score of 591; the Junior prize by Miss L Watkiss and the blind pairs competition  was won by the pairing of C Stone and R Fowke, with a aggregate score of 1180.

Optional 40 Shot Competition prize winners were:

Full results for both competitions may be found here.

The next BSSA Open Meeting is the BSSA Grand Slam, 60 shots at 100 yards (Scottish Match) with optional 40 shots at 50 metres, to be held on the Sunday 23rd June.

Venue: BEDFORD RIFLE CLUB RANGES, CLAPHAM ROAD, BEDFORD MK41 6EN .

60 SHOTS @ 50 metres, plus optional, 40 SHOTS @ 100 yards

Prone to be shot in f0ur classes:

CLASS X – National Classification, current and previous five years.
CLASSES A – C determined by entry.

Concurrent competitions for Ladies, Juniors and Pairs.

Benchrest (50m only) shot in a single class.

PRIZES:
60 shots at 50m: Cash.
40 shots at 100yds: Wine.

(All prizes accordingly to entry)

For further details of this Meeting, please refer to the Information Sheet and Entry Form.

Note: The Hertfordshire County Championships are being shot concurrently with the BSSA event.

There turnout was slightly low for the first BSSA outdoor open of the year, with some of the usual competitors from neighbouring Counties supporting their County teams at other events.

The weather was variable but generally passable for mid-March – mild with light rain during the first detail then dry but with heavy overcast broken by occasional sun. The wind was light and variable throughout.

English Match prize winners were:

There was a single entrant in the Benchrest competition, K Sheead, who recorded a score of 594 with 12x on his second attempt.

The Ladies prize was won by Mrs T Beadle, with a score of 575; there were no competitors eligible for the Junior prize. The pairs competition  was won by the pairing of J Duguid and C Stone, with a aggregate score of 1156.

Optional 40 Shot Competition prize winners were:

Full results for both competitions may be found here.

The next BSSA Open Meeting is the BSSA Grand Prix, 60 shots at 50m with optional 40 shots at 100yds, to be held on the Sunday 12th May.
This event is also being used by the Hertfordshire Smallbore Rifle Association as their County Championship.

English Match
60 SHOTS @ 50 metres, plus optional 40 SHOTS also @ 50 metres.
Ladies, Junior and Pairs competitions also available concurrent with the 60 shot prone match.

A 60 shot at 50m Benchrest competition is also available.

Date:  Sunday 17th March 2024

Venue: Bedford Range, Clapham Road, Bedford.

Closing date for entries: 13th March. Late entries may be accepted if space permits.

For further details of the BSSA English Match and Benchrest competition, please refer to the information sheet and entryform.

For the 6th and final round of the BSSA Frostbite League the weather returned to being unseasonably mild, temperature in double figures, damp and overcast. The wind was generally light but with the occasional gust.

Winners of the day’s competitions were:

League Result
The overall league position in each class is determined by the aggregate handicap score from the competitors best five rounds. The Class winners, who received a BSSA Gold Medal and will hold the trophy for a year, were:

A summary of the league results may be found here.

Fifth round of the Frostbite, in the first week of February, mid-winter, should be classic Frostbite conditions? Temperature in double figures, light to fresh breeze and bright sunshine.

Winners were:

Full results may be found here. These results also include a summary of the league standings as at round 5. However, as it is the best 5 scores that count the standings can change dramatically at the sixth round.

Note: There was a slight glitch on the day and second place in Competition 2 was awarded to M Raftery whereas the full results show it should have gone to C Stone on countback. Mr Stone declined to challenge, so the award stands.

The sixth and final round (100yd) of the Frostbite League will take place on the 18th February. There may be couple of spare spaces on the firing point, so if you would like to participate please contact Steve Beadle, 07720 677456.