2017 Wyalkatchem Quigley Down Under 1000-yard Buffalo Shoot
19-20 August 2017 - WARA Range
They heard the buffaloes were on the move and made the long trek to Wyalkatchem again this year. The 2017 Quigley Down Under Shoot was held on August 19 and 20 at the West Australian Rifle Association (WARA) range.
Any financial member of any shooting organisation is most welcome to attend this shoot. Most shoot the rolling-blocks and falling-blocks such as Remingtons, Sharps and Browning High Walls with tall Soule sights in .45-70 or .45-90 single-shot rifles favoured by buffalo hunters on the American plains. Some stick with smokeless powder and others with the traditional black powder full loads to gain the typical 500-grain plus projectiles ringing the full size steel cut-out buffaloes. Only open or peep sights in certain calibres generally available prior to 1894 are allowed.
Six matches are shot with perpetual trophies, SSAA medals and a Top Gun Trophy in memory of Neville ‘The Bandit’ Reeves, a dedicated black powder cowboy shooter who passed away a few years ago. The six main matches were:
Rimfire .22 lever action rifle: 15 rounds from 25 to 125 yards offhand.
Pistol calibre lever action rifle: 15 rounds from 100 to 300 yards offhand.
Rifle calibre lever action rifle: 15 rounds from 200 to 400 yards offhand.
Single Shot ‘The Stand’: 25 rounds 200 to 600 yards off stick supports.
Single Shot Quigley: 12 rounds off stick at 805-yard bucket.
Single shot Buffalo Shoot: 12 rounds off sticks at 1000 yards.
All targets except the Rimfire match and Quigley bucket are shot at a full-size steel replica buffalo target. The 805-yard bucket distance comes from the movie Quigley Down Under but where Quigley used his Sharps rifle to hit a wash bucket, a 4x3ft trapezoid steel target is used for this shoot. The Stand is based on real-life buffalo movement on the plains that shifted so slowly away from the hunters in the 1880s, contributing to their almost complete annihilation until they were eventually protected. Video and sound images are transmitted to the firing line by modern wireless technology to determine target hits as well as traditional spotting scopes.
This year, shooters travelled from several clubs in Perth, Albany and Denmark. The weather conditions were cool for late winter in the mornings with fluky wind conditions and mirage effects making sighting a real challenge. The trophy winners were spread around different shooters and great weekend was enjoyed by all. This year’s winners include:
Rimfire 22 Lever Action Rifle Offhand
1 Undertaker
2 Pinto
3 Remington
Pistol Calibre Lever Action Rifle Offhand
1 JW Hardin
2 Stewy
3 Undertaker
Rifle Calibre Lever Action Rifle Offhand
1 Stewy
2 JW Hardin
3 The Judge
The Stand Single shot rifle
1 Greg (shot a clean match 25/25)
2 Pinto
3 Doolin
Quigley Bucket 805 yards – Single shot rifle
1 Durango
2 Remington
3 Stewy
The Buffalo 1000 yards – Single shot rifle
1 The Judge
2 Durango
3 Remington
Top Gun (best score for six matches) – Neville Reeves Memorial Shield
Stewy
A big thank you goes out to the many people who made this shoot possible including the Wyalkatchem WARA club. Lunch and morning tea was organised by Jan. Judy was our score person and did a great job. Major contributors for the winners include the SSAA for first, second and third place medals, and Durango for substantial cash prizes for the five shoots.