Holsworthy Rifle Club’s Jim Bailey has claimed his sixth Queen’s Prize with a solid performance at the NSW Rifle Association event held at the Anzac Rifle Range at Malabar last week.
Bailey overcame strong competition on the last range from West Wallsend Rifle Club’s Duncan Davies, who won the McIntosh Shoot and the Grand Aggregate during the five days of competition.
In a close group at the top of the Queen’s Prize scores, Davies’ 496.63 was less than a point behind Bailey who scored 497.51 to earn the honour of being carried in ceremonial chair to receive his prize from Federal Member for Bennelong, John Alexander.
“The competition was very strong,” said Bailey. “We had State and Australian champion shooters so it was good to come out on top.”
NSW Rifle Association executive officer, Ken Cooke, said he was pleased with the turn out with shooters from rural and city-based NRAA affiliated clubs all over the country competing over the five days.
“Entries were up,” he said. “We had 205 shooters which is 60 more than we were expecting so we were quite pleased. There were strong entries in Full Bore and we had quite a few in F-Class.”
“It was a fantastic event as well and came down to the last range, which was good from a spectator’s perspective.”
After the two-day McIntosh Shoot, named after late stalwart of Canberra Rifle Club, Jim McIntosh, the Queen’s Prize was conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Both are shot on 300m, 500m, 600m, 700m and 800m ranges during the course of the event, with the aggregates from each determining the winner.
Bailey said that the wind on day two of the Queen’s event, over the 300m and 600m ranges, was testing for all shooters, but was where he built a two-point lead over Brisbane’s James Spence and went four points over Davies.
“The wind was quite strong but I got a few points lead there, so that’s probably where I won it,” he said.
For those shooting in windy conditions, Bailey had this advice: “Just take your time. I used up the time I had waiting for a gap in the wind buffeting to take the shot.”
Bailey is now hoping to add the Queen’s Prize in South Australia on October 5-7 and then the ACT event November 15-17 to his two for this year.
Points from South Australia go towards selection for the Commonwealth Games, however, Bailey is just shy in the overall standings and even a win there won’t earn him a place.
“I think I’m about fourth in the points and the first two go,” he said, adding that instead his focus would be on the world championships in the United States in 2015.
Meanwhile, the increase in the number of shooters attending the event was an indication the NSWRA is receiving plenty of support from the sport’s grass roots in the wake of recent court cases to try to have the club moved off the Malabar range. A hostile Labor government attempted to evict shooting clubs from the site, a move that was overturned in the Supreme Court which ordered the government of the day to pay costs.
Jim’s load out
Stock: System Gemini
Action: Barnard .308
Barrel: BenchMark 1:11 twist
Projectile: HBC 155 grain
Cases: Norma
Powder: AR2206H, 45 grain
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