Bedfordshire Smallbore Shooting Association

The Long Range (50m & 100 yards) element of the Bedfordshire County Championships was held at the Bedford range on Sunday the 22nd June; combined with the BSSA Grand Slam open shoot. The day was warm and sunny but with a stiff breeze 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 2025 County Championships may be found here.
The winners table is:-

A warm, pleasant day for the competitors, with the temperature hovering in the mid-20s; much more pleasant than the 30°C that had been forecast a few days before. However, the cooler temperature was the consequence of a stiff breeze, which provided a challenge for the competitors. The overall scores were slightly lower than recorded  last year and there were no ‘possibles’ scored.

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

The Bench Rest competition winner was K Sheead who recorded a score of 579 with 7 Xs.
The Ladies prize was won by Ms S Norman and the Junior by Ms L Mackernan.
Highest score in the Blind Pairs went to Ms S Norman and A Pamment with a total of 1163; a consolation prize was also given to the lowest pairing,  M Shaw and B Parker, with 967.

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 7th September. 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 Bedfordshire County Championship is open to any prone smallbore prone shooter who is a resident of Bedfordshire. For 2025 the championship consists of two elements: the short range (25 yard) championship and the long range championship (50m + 100yds).

Short Range Championship

Shot on a ‘postal basis’ on your home range the competition comprises 4 x 10 shots on NSRA 2510BM tartgets. Cards are supplied by the BSSA on request and must be returned by the 14th June for scoring. The competitors are divided into three classes according to average.

Entry costs £5 and may be made through BSSA affiliated clubs or direct to the BSSA Match Secretary (MatchSecretary@BedsSSA.org.uk).

Long Range Championship

The Long Range Championship is a ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ match, which for 2025 has been combined with the BSSA Grand Slam open meeting on the 22nd June at the Bedford Range.

As with the short range championship, the competition is in three classes. Classess A & B shoot a ‘Double Dewar’  – 40 shots at 50m plus 40 shots at 100 yards; C class sh0ot a single Dewar course – 20 shots at each distance.

Entries to the Bedfordshire Long Range Championship should be made on the BSSA Grand Slam entry form.

Full details of the Championship may be found here.

There was good turnout for the second BSSA outdoor open of the year.

It was was a pleasant spring day, with warm sunshine the though the temperature was moderated by a cooling breeze, holding around 24°C, and it stayed dry all day.

The Bedford Range had a new look, with the trees that lined the left-hand side now completely removed and replaced with a low earth bank. A level access to the firing point has also been added, improving access for the less-mobile.

The cooling breeze, which was (as usual) variable in both strength and direction , proved a challenge for most competitors.  Three X-class competitors achieved multiple ‘possibles’: Wendy Foith (3); David Butcher (2) and Richard Fowkes (2). Wendy and David tied for top shot, with Wendy winning on countback’

English Match prize winners were:

There was a single prize in the Benchrest competition, won by A Campbell, who recorded a score of 590 with 7x.

The Ladies prize was won by Mrs W Foith, with a score of 594; the Junior prize was not contested and the blind pairs competition  was won by the pairing of M Dixon and W Foith, 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 22nd June.

This event will also include the Bedfordshire Long Range County Championship.

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

60 SHOTS @ 50 metres (prone or benchrest), plus optional, 40 SHOTS @ 100 yards (prone only).

Prone to be shot in f0ur classes:

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

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

Concurrent competitions for Ladies, Juniors and Blind Pairs.

Additional information may the found here and the entry form may be found here..

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

(All prizes accordingly to entry)

There was an excellent turnout for the first BSSA outdoor open of the year, with 39 competitors taking part.

The weather was on the cold side, though the early morning frost had cleared by the start of the first detail. Apart from brief spells of sun, there was a light overcast for most of the day. The wind was light and variable throughout.

The competition was of a high standard, with sixteen possibles being recorded in the prone competition. In the English Match, all the X Class competitors recorded a least one possible. The X Class winner was decided by count back, with the winner getting a possible on card 5 against the runner-up’s drop of 2 points.

English Match prize winners were:

The Ladies prize was won by Ms J Newing, with a score of 593 and the Junior prize by W Appleby with a score of 562. The pairs competition  was won by the pairing of R Fowke and S Webb, with a aggregate score of 1174.

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 an optional 40 shots at 100yds, to be held on the Sunday 11th May.

There was no frost for the sixth, and final, round  of 2024/25 Frostbite League; but it was cold (3°), damp, dull and there was a chilly breezy making it feel like the coldest of this seasons matches.

The wind was variable in both direction and strength, most of the time the wind tapes seemed confused as to what they should be indicating.

Results for the day’s competition 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:

Full results, including the league standings, may be found here.

The next BSSA Open meeting is the English Match (60 shots at 50m) competition for prone and benchrest rifle to be held on the 16th March 2025. Details of this competition, including entry forms,  are available here.

A frosty  start to the morning for Round 5 of 2024/25 Frostbite League. However, despite the thermometer reading 2°C the light wind and winter sun made for quite pleasant conditions on the firing point.

Results for the day’s competition were:

Full results, including the current league standings, may be found here.

The sixth, and final, round (100yd) of the Frostbite League will take place on the 16th 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.

The next BSSA Open meeting is the English Match (60 shots at 50m) competition for prone and benchrest rifle to be held on the 16th March 2025. Details of this competition, including entry forms,  are available here.