Target Shooting Report: Scoped Rifle Nationals 2025 |

Scoped Rifle Nationals Hosted by Rotorua Branch | 14th - 17th March 2025

By Malcolm Perry

Photographed: John Pearce second from left demonstrating the alternative position for kneeling (what Dave calls veterans special) in the Rimfire 3P Nationals. Circled: Open Class C/F medals L to R,Alan Gordon Silver; John Stick Gold; John Pearce Bronze.

Overall we could not have wished for a better 4 days for shooting. For the Silhouette match on Friday not a single target was lost to the wind. Generally entries were higher than last year except on Monday for the 60 shot matches.

Friday 14th 80 shot Metallic Silhouette match

Eight entries, one competitor travelled from Whangarei and arrived at the range before me. He took part all 4 days and had a successful weekend for the first time we have seen him. The top three were ; Gold medal Geoff Brewer after a shoot off with Alan Gordon Silver both on 36 and Bronze to Dave Sheely 31, a shooter known to many but not seen for a while. A full list of results will follow at the end.

Saturday 15th Rimfire 3P @ 50 & 100m.

Although there is an open class and a Hunter class in this event all shooters fire 10 shot matches, which had an interesting turn of events. Dave Sheely was in Open class and his Nephew Daniel a first time competitor was in Hunter class, that did not stop him winning a silver medal in hunter class and scoring better than Uncle Dave. The top three in each class: Hunter class, Gold, Paul DeVille 429; Silver, Daniel Sheely418; Bronze, Krystal Anderson 377, One of 4 competitors from the local Service Rifle club who share our range.

Open Class, Gold Alan Gordon 474.2; silver John Pearce 422.3; Bronze John Stick 414.

Sunday 16th, Centrefire 4P

So called as the Kneeling position shot at 100M and Sitting at 200M. So two distances 100 & 200M. There are two classes which in C/F are quite different, Hunter class fire 5 shot matches Open class 10 shot matches. The weather gods were still treating us favourably and the 12 competitors had a good day. The top three in each class are: Hunter Class, Gold Cam Gray, our wheelchair competitor, 221.3; Silver Paul DeVille 211.1; Bronze Bill McLeod 202.1.

Open Class, Gold John Stick 464.2; Silver Alan Gordon, 460.1; Bronze John Pearce, 453.3;

Monday 17th, 60 shot prone C/F @ 200M

Asingle class in this event, the only event with fewer shooters than last year only 3. For this event the target backer shows 7 200M centres, one for sighters and six for 10 shots each, a time of 1 hour 45 mins is allowed to fire all shots. Gold was won by John Pearce 584.15; Silver Lars Jansen 559.6; Bronze Cam Gray 475.4.

Afternoon a 60 shot R/F prone @ 100M, a similar set up to the morning with 100M targets. The same three shooters who placed in the same order, scores being, gold John 553.8; Silver Lars 513.1; Bronze Cam 436.

That completed the Nationals for this year. I now have some people to thank sincerely, Zac our Rotorua President, who shot the silhouette match then spent the rest of the weekend scoring targets, a job well done. Dennis, who in recent years has taken over a lot of the work I used to do and who in spite of being fully employed in a rather demanding job, managed to set things up to assist us getting underway Friday morning. And last but not least several of the competitors who were very wiling helpers over the weekend. And thank you to all for attending.