Bedfordshire Smallbore Shooting Association

The Long Range (50m & 100 yards) element of the Bedfordshire County Championships was held at the Bedford range on Sunday, 21st June; combined with the BSSA Grand Slam open shoot. The day was warm/hot and sunny with a light breeze that provided little relief.

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 competitors’ home  ranges in the month preceding the Long Range match.

Detailed results of the 2026 County Championships may be found here.
The winners table is:-

A warm to hot day for the competitors, with the temperature hovering in the high-20s and a light wind that did little to mitigate the heat. Though the breeze would have the occasional kick, just to catch the unwary shot. The overall scores were better than recorded  last year, with several ‘possibles’ scored at both 100yds and 50m.

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

The Bench Rest competition winner was A Campbell with a score of 592 including 14 Xs and the Junior prize was won by O Harris, with a score of 566.

Highest score in the Blind Pairs went to A Campbell and J Duguid with a total of 1179; a consolation prize was also given to the lowest pairing,  J Duguid and K Freeman, with 1003.

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.

There was good turnout for the second BSSA outdoor open of 2026. Though a number of regulars could not make it there were a number of first timers to make a field of 28 prone and 3 benchrest competitors.

Occasionally the Grand Prix coincides with the perfect spring day: warm, a gentle breeze and sunshine; 2026 was not one of those occasions. A chilly north wind kept the temperature in the low-teens, the wind was changeable in both direction and strength and the sky was mainly overcast, though toward the end of the afternoon there were brief periods of sunshine.

The wind proved a challenge for most competitors, though there were periods of calm but when the wind came, it came rapidly. A flag that was limp when the brain said fire, could be horizontal by the time the shot left the barrel (with the supposedly upwind flags still hanging limp). Only two possibles were achieved in the 50m shoot, both by A Class competitors (C Brown and S Betts). Similarly in the 100yds competition perfect scores were achieved by G Haley (X-Class) and C Brown (A Class).

Despite the wind, the competition was close, with several of the winning position having to be settled by countback.

English Match prize winners were:

The Benchrest competition was won by A Campbell, who recorded a score of 591 with 10x; second was K Sheead (589 7x’s).

The blind pairs competition high score was won by the pairing of K Sheead and C Hunter, with a aggregate score of 1177, whilst the low score prizes went to B Parker and Mrs S Day who had an aggregate score of 1046.

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 21st June.

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

There was an excellent turnout for the first BSSA outdoor open of the year, with 44 competitors taking part.

A nice spring day for the first BSSA open-air shoot of 2026. The weather was almost ideal, mild and sunny, if only the wind had been a been lighter; 6-10 mph gusting to 15. Mainly a left to right cross-wind, but enough variability to kept competitors on their toes.

Thanks to the wind, there were only three possibles recorded in the prone competition. Two in the English Match and one in the Optional match. All the  possibles were achieved by X-class shooters..

English Match prize winners were:

The  Junior prize was won by Miss L Spinks with a score of 549. In the pairs competition  the high score prize was won by the pairing of K Sheead and C Hunter, with an aggregate score of 1177; whilst the pairing of pairing of P Harrison and N Roznowski, scoring 946,  received the prize for the lowest score.

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 10th May.

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

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

Date:  Sunday 15th March 2026

Venue: Bedford Range, Clapham Road, Bedford. MK41 6EN

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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.

There was no frost for the sixth, and final, round  of 2024/25 Frostbite League; but it was cold (3°), the rain was persistent and it was dull; at least the wind was mainly light, but the odd gust across the firing point had a decidedly chill feeling.

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 15th March 2026. Details of this competition, including entry forms,  are available here.

A  mild, dull, damp but windless morning for the 5th round of the BSAA Frostbite League. The conditions obviously suited the Beadle pairing, who managed to mop up most of the prizes. Results were:

Competition 1 places decided on countback.

Full results may be found here.

The final round (100yds) of the Frostbite League will take place on the 15th February. There may be couple of spare spaces on the firing point, so if you would like to participate please contact Steve Beadle, OpenShoots@BedsSSA.org.uk or 07429 326669.

A busy weekend at the Bedford Rifle Club range as the BSSA held their indoor meeting. Competitors in the 25 yard rimfire range were offered an eighty shot course for prone, benchrest or lightweight sport rifle (standing), whilst the 10  metre air range offered a sixty or one hundred and twenty shot course of fire for air rifle and pistol; a thirty or sixty shot course for supported rifle or pistol; and a forty shot course for Sporter rifle.

Medal winners in the 80 shot 25 yard competitions were:

K Sheead won the Bench Rest competition with a score of 800 with 27 Xs.

The Ladies prize was won by Mrs W Foith and the Junior by Miss I Heer with a score of 702.

The Blind Pairs competition was won by K Bowley and E Haigh with a combined score of 1579.

The Lightweight Sport Rile contest was won by N Pratt with a score of 669, with Mrs T Beadle second with a score of 642.

Full results may be found here.

In the Airgun competition prize winners were:

 60 Shot Air Pistol  – Class A: S Haynes             556
– Class B: J Clow                  533
– Class C: C Delahoy            492

120 Shot Air Pistol – Class A: S Haynes           1088
– Class B: J Clow                1043
– Class C: D McColl             970

            30 Shot Supported Pistol   : S Cordery            287

60 Shot Supported Pistol   : S Cordery            572

60 Shot Air Rifle  – Class A: C Richards          564

120 Shot Air Rifle  – Class A: C Richards        1140

30 Shot Supported Rifle    : M Parson            275

60 Shot Supported Rifle    : M Parson            551

40 Shot Sporter Rifle          : H Charters         259

The full results may be found here.