I t was another great shoot in Canberra, very competitive as usual, lot's of whinging about the wind, heat and mirage but most of all lot's of fun and banter.

You can read the full match report here

The 2026 AD shoot was my 44th (where have the years gone?) and it is still one of the benchrest highlights of the year. Yes, we are down on numbers, but it was pleasing to see some new faces there and some of these folks did pretty well. The running of the shoot is a credit to the Tobler family, without them it simply would not be happening. Carolyn as usual ran the target crew to perfection. Special mention for Aiden who drove all the way from WA just to do this task.

OK, the conditions were tough with heat and mirage and tricky winds but it makes for an interesting shoot. Benchresters should mark their calendars for next years shoot - you won't regret it.

I was the Newbie on the range. I did not do so well, but learnt loads. Thank you for all that helped and supported me. It really was a tough competition that took me out of my comfort zone. I have already nominated for the Nationals in Coffs. For all those that achieved top honours Congratulations!

I look forward to competing again soon.

It was great to meet you at the shoot, Dave. I’m looking forward to seeing you at Coffs for the Nationals. If you have any questions in the lead-up to the competition, please feel free to reach out — I’m sure you’ll find plenty of helpful answers within this community.

I was a new shooter at the Canberra shoot too, in fact it was my first comp. There was a lot to absorb, not just the shooting skills required, but also the “in-club house” processes of rifle cleaning, reloading etc. I’d like to thank everyone involved in the organising and running of the shoot, you all did an incredible job!!
The friendliness and support from all of the shooters I spoke to was fantastic, it provided lots of encouragement to come back and do better next time.