Bisley 200 Weekend 2022 – 100 DTL Prelim – Bisley Gun Club 29/7/22
Hello from a very warm, sunny, and parched Bisley Gun Club!
If you walk up to the long 1200m rifle range and look beyond the distant line of target plates, you can see the area burned black by the recent wild fires, and where the blaze started making it’s way across the range before being brought under control.
The ground up here is so dry that it feels like you’re walking around on concrete. Everything is brown and dusty. The weather isn’t doing anything the help with that either. Perfect conditions for flying clay targets, but not for personal comfort!
Almost no green grass in sight!
After a short practice session yesterday on the National Clay Shooting Centre’s DTL layouts, it was time to start the weekend proper with the 100 DTL Prelim event.
As an unexpected bonus, I got a very close look at the beautiful Bernie Larkin trophy, awarded to the highest scoring squad over 2 days at the DTL Home International weekend, courtesy of England Team Manager Dave Amos. Some very formidable names are on it, and if I keep up the hard work, maybe one day I’ll be able to join them!
The Bernie Larkin Trophy in all its glory.
This year, the number of shooters on the entry list is way down on what it was last year which is a shame, but it’s understandable with the cost of everything at the moment.
My weekend has started in a carbon copy of last year. A very comfortable 100/296 today, but don’t let that give you the impression that the targets are easy!
They’re actually fantastic, full angles and under power, and you have to work for every one of them. Just a slight dip in concentration and second barrels are very easy to find!
The DTL Elites are doing the job brilliantly. I’m liking them more every time I use them, and they suit my shooting perfectly. Snappy and definite, with great patterns and very little recoil. Catch targets right and there’s nothing left of them!
As an aside to the shooting, Bisley is playing host to the Hot Rod Hay Ride Reunion Show today and tomorrow, so while we were shooting, we had all sorts of lovely old and rumbly American things on 4 wheels making their way around the camp circuit. Some live music too!
A small fraction of the vehicles on site this weekend.
I can certainly say that I’ve never shot clays to a soundtrack of so many V8s before!
Just because there aren’t so many here this weekend doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a formality for me. I have serious opposition in the form of Steve Janes and Martin Jemison over the next 2 days, but if I keep doing what works, and concentrate on correct execution, they will have to produce their best to stay with me.
We’ll see what happens!