Australian Women’s Shooter

Our finished AWS Tikka .243 WIN rifle handmade by Beretta Australia shoots as good as it looks as we brilliantly showcase their firearm customisation service available to all shooters. We review an Aussie Outback Supplies rifle bag that’s exactly what a father and daughter wanted in her first cover. The highest sporting honour has been awarded to Paralympic shooter Libby Kosmala OAM so we touch base with her, while Laetisha Scanlan discusses whether shooting is a dying sport at international level. We also attend a successful SSAA South Australia Girls with Guns – Try Shooting Day and feature the 2022 schedule for Victoria’s fantastic Women on Target events.

We showcase Part 1 of our custom-built AWS Tikka .243 WIN rifle with Beretta Australia, designed from the ground up to suit an intermediate level female shooter for the range and hunting. Join us on different experiences that make up a memorable hunt, whether it’s for a trophy, meat, the testing pursuit itself or a mix of each. The spotlight is shone on a regional Victorian high school where studies are complemented by the sports shooting program. And we extend handy advice from one novice shooter to another, while Olympian Laetisha Scanlan covers training and her advancement over time.

Gemma Dunn provides advice on how to best approach newcomers moving into sports shooting and deliver the right encouragement. New shooter Elise Cox covers her participation at the SSAA range after first acquiring her Firearms Licence. SSAA Academic Bursary Program recipient Emma Belgrove discusses her ‘femininity and firearms’ studies. Proud father Scott Heiman takes his excited young daughter Scout on a hunting trip to camp among the treetops. And Laetisha Scanlan shares her Tokyo Olympics experience, while Renee Barratt wraps up the 2021 Shoot for a Cure NT event.

SSAA member Lecky Mahoney has starred on television and we’ve spoken with the avid shooter about her passion for the sport and ‘golden’ work in Outback Kalgoorlie. Laetisha Scanlan and Gemma Dunn offer in-depth advice on shooting glasses with the help of a sports optometrist. Kath Heiman documents her lifelong involvement with firearms from being a kid in Scotland to hunting becoming a way of life for her family in Australia. And we profile Target Pistol shooter Janet Hoskin, who savours the camaraderie and community engagement at the South Australian SSAA Para range.

Our ‘golden’ milestone 10th edition features Suzy Balogh in honour of her dual shooting gold medal successes in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. We profile the SSAA Life Member and Order of Australia recipient while Suzy covers the ‘Fight-or-Flight’ response to help tackle nerves. Laetisha Scanlan also offers an insight into what the 2021 Tokyo Olympics are likely to look like for competitors. We find the right shooting glasses from industry-leader Wiley X and Michelle Pares’ hands-on approach to safe shooting and hunting when pregnant covers the early stages of expectancy right through to full-term.

Laetisha Scanlan discusses how she keeps a positive frame of mind when competing, no matter what the results. Young SSAA member Zanthie Bailey’s awards list is astounding and we highlight how she’s leading the way for Australia’s next generation of shooters. Part two of our physical tips for shooting looks at strengthening exercises with a focus on getting a solid core for advanced results. Read how hunting for the table brings virtue through the whole field to fork process. And our Ridgeline Micro-Lite short-sleeve tee review demonstrates why it’s a perfect all-round fit for shooting.

Watch our step-by-step video with personal trainer Zoe Aust on SSAA TV!

The 2020 Women of Shooting event was a standout success and we take you behind the scenes. We review the versatile Australian Hunter magazine shirts that are ideal for hunting and fishing. We’ve all had the shooting jitters so columnist Laetisha Scanlan covers pre-shot routine and her simple method for success. Our top five physical fitness tips for shooters sees Part one of two covering the fundamentals for optimal sporting performance. Hunting often receives a bad rap but we reveal how it brought a couple closer together and encourages everyone to give it a go.

Featured is shooter Libby Kosmala’s induction into the SA Sport Hall of Fame thanks to a remarkable 13 medals across a record 12 Paralympic Games. Columnist Laetisha Scanlan provides insight into how a turbulent 2020 has impacted the shooting community. SSAA Conservation and Wildlife Management Queensland member Michelle Pares tries her hand at trapping marauding wild dogs and foxes. Our Ridgeline Kea jacket review highlights its practicality and the added conservation bonus that comes with it. And we wrap up our three-part series on ammunition selection with a look at Pistols and how it abridges the earlier Shotgun and Rifle pieces.