WA State Muzzleloading Rifle Championships
16-17 October 2010
Part two of the 2010 Muzzle Loading Championships were contested at the Perth Muzzle Loading Club on October 16 and 17. Apart from the flies, conditions were quite good, with 30 keen muzzleloader shooters battling it out over 22 events. It was very hard work starting at 9am each day and shooting until sundown, with hardly a pause in between. We may have to consider fewer events in the future for the older shooters.
The star of the Championships was once again Justen McGowen, winning 10 individual gold medals with another five golds for Aggregates. Surprisingly, there were only three new state records, two shot by Leo Laden and one by Keith McKay. Frank Della performed very well, winning five gold medals, with David Cocking and Leo Laden winning three golds each. Single golds went to Peter Norgard, Keith McKay and John Drummond, with a total of 14 shooters taking home at least one medal. Of special note was the silver medal won by new member Frank Owen and the five medals to Collie shooter Bob Warren. John Drummond from Albany won his only medal, a gold, in the last event of the day, the 200m Prone for Military Rifles as Issued, on a countback with veteran hotshot Paul Buckley.
The best two cards of the Championships were Leo Laden’s record-breaking 89/100 at the 50m Rabbit Snap, and David Cocking’s splendid 98/100 on the 100m Open Bench Rest.
The strangest shot of the weekend was a tumbling .577 Minie that obliterated the bullseye on an adjacent target. At a different time, a different place and with different shooters, the errant shot could easily have been claimed as at least four bulls and nobody would have doubted it!
Kevin Brice did a wonderful job computer scoring, as Vince Haines, the resident computer wizz, was off doing magic with children in Esperance. The range officers and target changers also did an excellent job, including the complete Brown family Colin, Julie, Chloe and Ethan from Northam, Derek Clamesia, Doug Beaman and Mike Gibbs.
The Mitch Cadden Trophy, the aggregate of the first two Military Rifle events, went to Frank Della for the third year in a row. The SSAA Trophy and the Grand Aggregate went to Justen McGowen and the Super Grand Aggregate went to Leo Laden.
| Event | Class | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 50m Off Hand 96 | 1 | F Della 93 | P Norgard 90 | J McGowan 90 |
| 50m Snap 88 | 1 | J McGowan 84 | G Price 81 | P Norgard 80 |
| 100m Bench Rest 93 | 1 | J McGowan 85 | McKay 82 | F Della 75 |
| Military Aggregate 356 | 1 | J McGowan 347 | F Della 326 | P Norgard 309 |
| 50m Off Hand | 2 | J McGowan 93 | F Della 90 | L Laden 85 |
| 50m Snap 94 | 2 | J McGowan 86 | P Norgard 82 | F Della 82 |
| 100m Bench Rest 89 | 2 | P Norgard 82 | F Owen 73 | J McGowan 71 |
| 100 X Sticks 89 | 2 | J McGowan 86 | P Norgard 81 | F Della 73 |
| Traditional Aggregate 352 | 2 | J McGowan 336 | P Norgard 326 | F Della 315 |
| 50m Off Hand 97 | 3 | D Cocking 95 | J McGowan 93 | F Della 89 |
| 50m Snap 94 | 3 | J McGowan 89 | L Laden 83 | F Della 81 |
| 50m Off Hand Rabbit 95 | 3 | F Della 93 | B Warren (C) 93 | J McGowan 91 |
| 50m Rabbit Snap 88 | 3 | Leo Laden 89 R | J McGowan 88 | B Warren (C) 87 |
| 50m Off Hand Aggregate 361 | 3 | J McGowan 361 R | F Della 341 | B Warren (C) 339 |
| 50m Off Hang 96 | F/L | J McGowan 82 | F Della 81 | L Laden 76 |
| 50m Kneeling 94 | F/L | J McGowan 92 | F Della 90 | D Docking 88 |
| 100m Prone 83 | F/L | J McGowan 82 | D Docking 67 | F Della 59 |
| Flint Lock Aggregate 270 | F/L | J McGowan 256 | F Della 230 | D Coking 225 |
| 100m Bench Rest 100 | 3 | D Cocking 98 | K McKay 93 | F Della 91 |
| 100m Prone 98 | 3 | F Della 87 | K McKay 82 | P Buckley 81 |
| 100m 3-Position 88 | 3 | F Della 84 | P Buckley 84 | P Commander 67 |
| 200m Bench Rest 95 | 3 | D Cocking 91 | P Buckley 86 | K McKay 86 |
| Open Aggregate 374 | 3 | F Della 347 | P Buckley 339 | K McKay 328 |
| 200m Prone As Issued 81 | Mil | J Drummond (A) 64 | J McGowan 64 | B Warren (C) 63 |
| 50m Off Hand 80 | B/P | K McKay 84 R | F Turner 83 | M Munninger 81 |
| 100m Bench Rest 74 | B/P | L Laden 86 R | F Turner 82 | K McKay 81 |
| Grand Aggregate 826 | J McGowan 768 | L Laden 705 | G Price 650 | |
| Super Grand Aggregate 2828 | L Laden 2633 | J McGowan 2562 | G Price 2487 |