Bedfordshire Smallbore Shooting Association

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.

Entries are now open for the BSSA 25yd and 50m/50yds pairs, and 100yd individual leagues.

Entries for all leagues close on the 4th March, with the first round of the 50m and 100yd leagues to be shot by the 15th April. The first two rounds of the 25yd league are to be shot by the 24th April. Further details and entry form may be found here for the 25 yds, here for the 50m/50yd and here for the 100yd.

Prize winners at the 2024 BSSA Indoor Meeting were:

K Sheead won the Bench Rest competition with a score of 794 and received a prize of £5.
The top Lady was Mrs W Foith, winning £2; top Junior was Miss L T Austin, also winning £5; the Blind Pairs competition was won by K Sheead and K Bowley with a combined score of 1585, they each received £2.

All prizes were in cash and the full results may be found here.

A chilly start (around 2-3°C) for Round 4 of 2023/24 Frostbite League, though the overnight cloud had kept the frost at bay. Variable light and a light wind that varied in both strength and direction, made for tricky conditions.

Results were:

Full results may be found here.

Round 5 (50m) of the Frostbite League will take place on the 4th 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 Indoor Meeting, offering competitions for prone rifle, benchrest rifle and airgun (pistol & rifle) to be held on the 13/14th January 2024 (note this is two weeks earlier than usual). The Airgun event is full, but spaces may still be available for prone and/or benchrest.  Details of this competition, including entry forms,  are available here, for a late entry contact Steve Beadle, 07720 677456.

A mild, damp and dull day for Round 3 of 2023/24 Frostbite League, though the rain, for the most part, held off until the shooting had been completed (but not the packing up).

As usual, Round 3 incorporates the Christmas shoot, five shots in two minutes, with the aim being to miss the elves (-25 points) who are busy decorating the Christmas tree and, if you’re feeling lucky, hit the star (+25 points).  For the benchrest competitors the challenge was greater, as they had to shoot at a reversed target. The winning score was +55 and the lowest -70; someway short of the current record of -92.

Results for the day’s serious competition were:

Round 3 also sees the Half-Way prizes in each class, these are based on the best two 0f the three rounds shot thus far. Winners were:

Full results may be found here.

Round 4 (100yds) of the Frostbite League will take place on the 7th January. The forecast suggests that this could be a mild, wet day, with a bit of wind to contend with.
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 Indoor Meeting, offering competitions for prone rifle, benchrest rifle and airgun (pistol & rifle) to be held on the 13/14th January 2024 (note this is two weeks earlier than usual). Details of this competition, including entry forms,  are available here.