As you will have seen from the previous posts by Brian and Peter my mate Jim and myself made it down to Bisley for the Phoenix weekend and a good time was had by all.

;
This is the first time I've been to the Phoenix meeting which was first held in 1997 after the banning of legally owned handguns, illegally owned handguns now proliferate in the UK and handgun crime is soaring.
Prior to that it used to be called Pistol AD which was <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>the</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Pistol event in the UK and I used to attend that regularly to shoot my military pistols, those were the days.
The nature of the competitions reflect its handgun history with the majority of the comps coming from pistol disciplines with a lot of standing, timed and moving events.
I entered for two open .303" any rifle events with my newly acquired 1917 BSA No1 Mk111*.
Event one was standing rapid at 100 yrds, kneeling sitting deliberate at 200 yrds and prone deliberate at 300 yrds 10 rounds each to count with two nonconvertible sighters.
Event two was prone deliberate at 400, 500 and 600 yrds 10 rounds to count with three nonconvertable sighters.
Didn't do too well in the first competition as standing and kneeling are not positions I shoot a lot and it was blowing a gale which didn't help, I was also dissapointed with my 300, 400, 500, yrd scores with 43 ex 70 at 300 yrds and then 36.2 and 35.3 at 4 and 500 yrds but I came back onto some kind of form at 600 with a 41.1 ex 50.10. I never expected to be in the medals as being any .303" rifle there were people their shooting target sighted and rested but I was down on my average with no one to blame but myself. Thankfully I'm not a keen competitive shooter so my poor scores did not effect my enjoyment in the slightest.
The ammo was provided as part of the entry fee and was FNM which is now made by Prvi Partizan I understand after FNM went down the tubes.
The weather over the weekend was generally good although it was windy Saturday am with it reaching the 90s on Friday, too hot for me and copious quanitities of beer were consumed at the Arsist Rifles and sundry other clubhouses over the weekend.
I visited the Canadian club house for a couple of jars for the first time and reckon its one of the most beautiful club houses in Bisley. Evidently is was shipped over from Canada and assembled at Bisley.
Unfortunately we couldn't get suitable accomodation on site so we ended up in an hotel in Woking 6 miles away, now there is a shit hole of a place. We traveled from Woking to Brookwood by train and them walked the pleasant 1 1/2 miles to Bisley our rifles we left in the NRA armoury and the car on the camp as the beer intake precluded us from driving.
Managed to get ourselves booked into the cabins for the Imperial and the Trafalgar though.
The trade fair was one of the better ones with plenty of dealers and some interesting kit amongst the shite, especially Enfield shite. Rebuilding and refurbing is now the order of the day. Was tempted by a couple of 7mm early Mausers, some Springfields and a very nice No 2 still complete with the volley sights but having bought a No2 recently I passed and then Brian confessed to having bought it so I look forward to the post and the pictures, nice looking rifle.
My mate Jim treated himself to a Tabatier breech loader so he was a happy man and I managed to keep to my "no purchase 'till I get what I've got shooting policy" just stocking up on odds and sods and original 174 gn .303" flat based bullets.
Anyway onto the pictures which are no doubt more entertaining and informative than my ramblings.
We'll start at Stickledown and the steel plates:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
You see a lot of underlever rifles at the Phoenix.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates4.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Ladies do it too:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... action.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Still on Stickledown we now watch the turning target shooters.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... argets.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Load.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rgets2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rgets3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Make ready.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rgets4.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Watch and shoot! Watch and shoot!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rgets5.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Now you see them.........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rgets6.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
....now you don't.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rgets7.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
A short walk takes us to Melvile where we start with the advancing man. Small bore targets on the left, full bore on the right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ingMan.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Rugers and underlevers.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ngMan2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
and pistols
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ngMan3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Make clear.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ngMan4.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Long barreled pistols are popular too.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... pistol.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... stols2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... stols3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... stols4.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Damn! I pulled the last one to the right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ngMan5.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Shooters galore on Melville.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lville.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
The young 'uns like the spacey Walther .22" bullpup.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... pup221.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Offhand precision.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... cision.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
An offhand shooter of great discrimination and taste, using a target sighted No 5.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 05/No5.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ision1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ision3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
1500 shooters patch up.....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... he1500.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
.....and fight over the brass.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... rbrass.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Now we go next door to the British Sporting Rifle Club and the Bianchi mover.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... Mover2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... iMover.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
The speed plates are also shot here.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... Plates.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Underlevers
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Rugers
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... lates5.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
The last of an era, this is the scoring dials from the running deer range, due to be replaced with digital targets that show the score and fall of shot on computer screens in the shooting hut and are linked directly to stats, ho hum.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ngDeer.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Here we are now at Cheylesmore and the coal burners.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... esmore.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... smore2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... smore3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... smore4.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... smore5.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... smore6.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Century range at last and the long range shoots, this is the 100 yrd standing timed competitions.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... eneral.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
This is the 100yrd line up with everything from coal burners to long range pistol, the shooters using the crossed sticks are shooting a sporting rifle competition. They even had rifled slug competitions at 100 and 200yrds this year.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Now what you've all been waiting for the .303"s
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury4.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... entury.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury2.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Kneeling/sitting at 200 yrds.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury5.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury6.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
I just love the Ross rifle.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury7.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Here's me second from the left at 600yrds on Century surrounded by "F" class shooters.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... ntury8.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Finally WTF are you doing with that camera Jim.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 05/WTF.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
<p>
http://www.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... _Badge.gif" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
Adam.
Why don't you visit .
</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=
http://p089.ezboard.com/bmilsurpafterho ... >dromia</A>
http://www.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... andCLR.gif[/pic] at: 6/17/05 10:27 am
</i>