National Big Game Rifle Championships
28 July 2007

SSAA Victoria President Bob Cooper opens the BGR
Nationals with a shot from a four-bore Churchill.


Andrew Hepner (Vic) in action with his
10-bore black powder rifle.


Tony Kelly (Vic) using his four-bore Churchill. The Big Game Rifle Nationals were shot at the Eagle Park range, Little River via Melbourne on July 28, 2007. There was a good interstate roll up, with competitors coming from Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. This added to a large local contingent of Victorians to give around 45 competitors in total. This was undoubtedly the best attendance for a BGR Nationals since the discipline’s start in the 1980s. The competitors vided for gold, silver and bronze SSAA National medals, as well as trophies supplied by the Victorian Club.

SSAA Victoria President Bob Cooper opened the shoot and fired the first round of the day. The rifle was a four-bore 4.25" Nitro Express by Churchill, launching a 2080-grain projectile, as well as Bob!

The competition commenced with the traditional events such as Charging Animal, Black Powder Express and Bore Rifles, as well as the three Nitro Express events and Double Rifle.

The big rifles roared all afternoon with the Victorian BGRC President Mr Lance Eastwood (Vic) winning the National Title, followed by Andrew Hepner (Vic) and Clive Haug (Vic) in second and third place.

The Veterans Class was won by Ted Rogers (Qld.). The Ladies Champion was won by Natalie Simpson and the Junior Champion was Justin Garipoli.

The Teams results were Victoria in first place, with Western Australia and New South Wales coming second and third.

Sunday was a casual wind down day, with visitors and interstate travellers trying their hand at shooting Big Game rifles and learning why two barrels are arguably better than one. Plenty of questions on bullets and energy finalised a very successful Nationals.

by Graeme Wright
National Discipline Chairman

Charging Animal					Group One Nitro Express					Double Rifle
1	C Dickson	(Vic)	54		1	N Hibble	(Vic)	168		1	L Eastwood	(Vic)	87
2	G Wright	(Qld)	53		2	C Haug	(Vic)	167		2	M Blasco	(Vic)	86
3	L Eastwood	(Vic)	50		3	G Wright	(Qld)	165		3	M Kraguljac	(Vic)	85
Black Powder Express					Group Two Nitro Express
1	M Sears	(WA)	156		1	L Eastwood	(Vic)	129
2	B Poynton	(Vic)	154		2	G Wright	(Qld)	118
3	W Russell	(Vic)	150		3	M Kraguljac	(Vic)	115
Bore Gun					Group Three Nitro Express
1	J Hepner	(Vic)	119		1	A Hepner	(Vic)	73
2	B Poynton	(Vic)	117		2	C Haug	(Vic)	64
3	L Eastwood	(Vic)	113		3	C Lewis	(Vic)	62

Aggregate Open				Aggregate Veteran				Aggregate Juniors
1	L Eastwood	(Vic)		1	T Rogers	(Qld)		1	J Garipoli	(Vic)
2	A Hepner	(Vic)		2	D Handysides	(SA)		2	B Mcintyre	(Vic)
3	C Haug	(Vic)		3	J Walk	(Qld)		3	D Everson	(Vic)
Aggregate Ladies
1	N Simpson	(Vic)

Victoria BGR President Lance Eastwood, left, is
congratulated on winning the overall prize by BGR
National Discipline Chairman Graeme Wright.

State Teams
1	Victoria	L Eastwood, B Poynton, N Hibble
2	Western Australia	M Sears, B Evans, A Hepner
3	New South Wales	B Pretty, T Kelly, C Haug
4	Queensland	G Wright, T Rogers, J Walk