BR 101 Introduction to BR - May 10, 2025 at Rosebud

[rpollock]

The Rosebud Silhouette & Benchrest Club is pleased to announce it will hold a BR 101 Clinic on May 10, 2025 at the club.

This clinic provides an introduction to competitive Benchrest shooting. The focus will be on short range (100-200 yd) group shooting using center fire BR rifles.

This clinic will appeal to the accuracy enthusiast who is serious about entering the world of competitive BR shooting. The Clinic will provide the first of many steps in learning to shoot BR at a regional, national and world level. The clinic is available to shooters who have not taken the clinic in previous years. You do not have to be a Rosebud member to attend.

The Clinic takes the better part of a full day, so you will need to plan accordingly. We will start at around 9:00 AM with part of the morning taken up in the clubhouse discussing the basics of Benchrest shooting, such as suitable cartridges, rifles, reloading, the match format, among many other topics. We will also use the morning to set up wind flags and bench rest equipment such as front rest and rear bags.

There will be a 30 minute lunch break and then in the afternoon there will be informal shooting instruction on the rifle range. Students will shoot using state of the art BR rifles and rests, wind flags, and all other associated equipment. This will also be a good time to see what cartridge reloading at the range is all about, and to see how to clean a rifle bore to BR standards.

Note: This clinic is not an introductory rifle shooting type of course, you will need to have your PAL and some experience shooting rifles. It is also not about field shooting, or long range hunting for example. It is about learning what it will take to be able to shoot bullets through the same hole at 100 and 200 yards.

For this Clinic the coaches will supply the rifles and ammo, along with all the other equipment necessary to shoot a match. A coach will be assigned to each student. There is no need to bring your own rifle or sand bags etc., the coaches will provide that. Note the coaches are current and past members of the club who are top level shooters in their own right.

All you need to do is bring your hearing protection, eye protection, lunch and refreshments. We expect to be done at about 4:00 PM.

Check this thread for a video of the last time we held this Clinic:  https://benchrestforum.ca/index.php?topic=1882.msg7258#msg7258

Depending on availability of spare rifles, coaches etc we will likely limit this to about 20 shooters. I would recommend people sign up early.

To register please contact me at the e-mail below, also feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Rick Pollock
rickpollock@shaw.ca

[Rundltrain]

Great post Rick. What a great way to introduce new shooters to our sport....and it appears to have been well attended. Once a shooter has a chance to actually shoot a dedicated benchrest rifle off a solid bench and state of the art rests, then sees the tiny group forming, it's hard to believe!. You want to do this again and again. Looks like the sport is growing in western Canada, no doubt due in part to the great range and shooters who help make this clinic and take time to promote Benchrest.

[rpollock]

Stan, we have had great results with the clinics. The first one was 2011, one of the very first signups was Hugh Williamson if you can imagine! Now look at him, you have no chance of keeping him off the rifle range. A number of the current and past members of our World Championship Team have come through BR101. I am not saying we are the best shooters or coaches, but people need good information that gives them a path forward in the sport. Otherwise people will only come out a few times and you never see them again.

I will keep saying this, I think we have the best kept secret in the shooting sports. Once people have a chance to sit behind a BR rifle with a little bit of coaching on flags and gun handling and start to see the bullets go through the same hole, a certain percentage will be hooked for life. That can be as low as 1 in 10 some years, but other years we hook 2-3 who never look back. Before we started this program we were down to about 8 shooters at our local matches. Last year I think we had 24 at one shoot.

Without a doubt we are the only region in Canada or the world for that matter that shows any growth at all in BR. Without my fellow coaches and a mutual desire to see the sport grow, we couldn't have the success we have. Kudos to everyone involved and to Rosebud Club for making the range available.

Rick

[Rundltrain]

Great observations Rick. I wish we had more shooters becoming involved, but I also understand their reservations. Some of that might be the high cost of equipment. I sometimes wonder if after seeing a BAT actioned, carbon Fibre, low center of gravity, stock, mounting a very expensive scope; that a person feels there is no way they could ever afford that. And you have to have "that" to be competitive. So why bother. Not so! An old school rifle with a Panda or Farley action, can be very competitive. A good barrel is a must, but all my equipment is old school, and I like Sightron scopes. They work well. And a used 36X leupold, for example,  would be an excellent choice.I have seen some great, affordable, rifles for sale on this site. Much of what I use was made available by attending shoots and asking around if competitors had items they no longer use. Just go to a shoot and watch. Or if you have some more basic equipment; attend a shoot and try. How you place is not the goal. Just trying to shoot a small group each relay; is very rewarding. And the knowledge will grow with every attempt. And if the desire is there, you can make it work!

[rpollock]

A spot has opened up for the BR 101 on May 10th. If you would like to be involved send me an email at rickpollock@shaw.ca Please keep in mind this clinic is for those interested in exploring the path to competitive BR shooting. It does not cover ELR, F-Class or hunting topics.

For anyone who hasn't seen it it, here is a video about BR that was produced at the Rosebud Club: https://youtu.be/I1QN4vCITBQ

[rpollock]

The BR101 is in the bag. We had 17 students and 9 coaches. From all accounts it was a terrific day, with a number of students making 5 shot groups in the 2's and a lot of information to contemplate on the drive home home.

Many thanks to the coaches for donating a Saturday to help push people down the slippery slope of BR. That includes: Rob, Tim, William, Hugh, Bob, Larry, Steve and Brent.

Of course thanks to the Rosebud Club for making the range available for the day.

Rick

[duceman]

thanks to all the coaches for giving their day, especially this close to heading south for a big shoot. friends that attended were very impressed and thankful for the education.

[chuck roast]

A huge thanks to Rick, Rob, all of the other coaches and to the Rosebud club. I learned a lot and had a great time. Now I need to get a BR rifle!