.303 HERITAGE MATCH 2017 A WINNER

Some notes on the day.  On 27 Aug we had a collection of enthusiasts arrive for the umpteenth .303 Heritage Match at the Barrett Creek Range.  The day was excellent for shooting: warm & sunny, with very little breeze. But shooters at the prone or on the bench still had shade to keep them cool, and more importantly, to keep sun glare off their iron sights!

Of special note this year was the very appreciated contribution from the Ymir Volunteer Fire Department through Fire Chief Steven Wood.  The Nelson District Rod & Gun were understandably very concerned about any fire hazard due to extremely long dry weather.  The executive contacted Fire Chief Wood who volunteered to both inspect the Range for fire and also provided a full water bladder for immediate use if any fire should start.  A bunch of buckets were provided by the club members so an old fashioned (and still effective) bucket brigade could deal with any fires whilst the Ymir Volunteer Fire Department was en route. NO fire occurred other than in the very hot chambers of rifles, and the excellent grill cooking provided by Glen McKen.  Neither required fire-fighter attention!  I can say, that as the day warmed up, that bladder full of Ymir Water got to looking more & more like a cool swimming hole than a fire-fighting bladder!

The volunteers did a splendid job with planning, preparation, and operating the Match, although many were first-timers at a lot of the stuff! The cheerful co-operation of all the participants certainly made it all easier. The food provided was first-rate, and timely.   One last note was that with hundreds of rounds fired by relays that continuously changed places, I noted ZERO firearm safety issues.  Kudos to participants and particularly to Range Safety Officer Marvin Paisner for that!

Dan Danforth