Author: Mike Kelly

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MRPC Skeet Match August 2025

What a day!!!

August 3rd: The sun was shining, the clays were turning to dust, and the BBQ was a smokin’!
 
A couple dozen of the boys were looking to get tuned up today before they go to another province to show what we got!  And tuned up they did!  Our great Shaw had but one flaw, Rob was on the job, Brian was flyin’, Bernie was on a journey and Savitzski was frisky, making the top 5!  Hundreds of dusted clays, good food, great conversation!  

Results Senior Division:

1st Rob Ledrew
2nd Bryan Laymee
3rd Bernie MacPhay 
4th Mike Kelly
5th Kaz Savitzski

Results overall

1st Shaw Lundrigan 
2nd Rob Ledrew
3rd Bryan Laymee. 
 
We are blessed, we have one of the best gun clubs in the country!

Photos:

Click on thumbnail to enlarge

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2nd MRPC PRS (Precision Rifle Shoot) in 2025

Does it get any better?

Lots of laughs, great competition, a delicious lunch, and fun shooting on a beautiful summer day!
 
Metro’s .22 NRL (kind of)  Rifle match’s this weekend brought out a diverse group of competitors from Halifax to Sydney Mines, from 14 to 74 years of age (Happy Birthday to our Treasurer Richard Rose) , all out to improve their ability with a rifle while enjoying the competition! And improve they did, what a match!
 
Gary and Joe set up 6 different stages for the competition that proved to be challenging. From shooting off the top of a wobbly tire at 4” plates at 50m; man that was tough! On to a dueling tree, with microscopic targets, at 25m then out to prone 100m shots, then shooting through ports!!! We were runnin’ and gunin’ with steel plates a clanking! It was awesome!
 
These .22 Matches are the future of the shooting sports, they are challenging, you’re moving and they don’t require ‘special equipment’; you don’t have to be a millionaire to compete! If you have a .22 rifle you’re a competitor! Great example Saturday: 14 year old Liam Decoast decimated the 50m gongs shooting a stock 10/22 with a 3 x 9 scope! He tied with individuals shooting $4,000 guns! It ain’t the tools people – it’s the carpenter; you have an extra $10, don’t save it for years to buy an Anchütz, buy .22LR ammo now and your shooting will greatly improve!
 
On a personal note, I’m very proud of what the Metro Rifle and Pistol Club has accomplished these last few years. We have a million dollar facility at our disposal. We have increased our membership, with one of the highest percentages of RSO’s in the Country. We offer FREE rifle coaching every Friday evening, and FREE Pistol coaching Wednesday evenings, and with a dedicated group of volunteers, we are now offering top quality competitions in a communal environment. All this for $75 a year! We have the BEST club in the country!
 
P.S. Competitors loved this match so much they wanted a provincial’s!
Metro is now hosting a provincial competition in NRL .22 Rifle! Saturday October 4th. Free training and practice every Friday evening 4:00pm till 1/2 hour before dusk. See you there!

A picture is worth a thousand words

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge

Results

Youth Division

Gold – Liam Decoast
 

Seniors (over 55) Open Division

Gold – Olaf Kuehlmann
Silver – Peter Campbell
Bronze – Joe MacHoll
 

Senior (over 55) Production Division

Gold – Mike Kelly
Silver – John MacQueen
Bronze – Richard Rose
 

Semi Auto Division

Gold – Mike Holland
Silver – Troy Leblanc
Bronze – James, McQuade
 

Open Division

Gold – Justin Ward
 

Overall (Match Score)

Gold – Mike Kelly
Silver – Olaf Kuehlmann
Bronze – A 3 way tie!!! (Great Shooters eh!)
John MacQeen
Mike Holland
Justin Ward
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The Hunter Challenge (Top Shot 2024)

The match that almost wasn’t

For over half a century I’ve been listening to hunters talking, “shot that deer a mile away” and “I hit geese flying at 100 yards all the time!”
With so many exceptional hunters in Nova Scotia, we decided it was time to have a match to prove how exceptional we are!
Only a couple dozen of the very best and mentally tough, yet humble, came out to go Hunter against Hunter! Hunters in the Youth Division came from as far as Annapolis Valley, and we had Skeet shooters from PEI, all looking for the prestige that comes from winning… and that $500.00 Cash Prize for 1st Place!
 
Lots of people talk the talk, but our competitors came out on a frigid Sunday morning, Dec. 8th and walked the walk! Sure, I got lots of emails saying “We should cancel” and “It’s too cold”, but those people stayed home and got pedicures while they watched “The View”. They missed the toughest and most attended match in the history of the Metro Rifle Pistol Club! It was awesome!
On a personal note, what really fulfilled me as match director, was hunters watching other hunters shooting and then yelling advice! Cries of “your bullets are hitting just above the steel plates, aim lower” or “your shots are below the birds” were being yelled routinely! Hunters were actually helping other hunters shoot better, and get higher scores! It was a match of congeniality and comradery at its finest, and I was glad to be a part of such a prestigious event!
Next year’s date is September 13th! Mark it in your calendar now!
 
1st Place – $500.00
2nd Place – $300.00
3rd Place – $200.00
Applications open June 1st, limited to 50 people, I’ll see you there… if you’re tough enough!
 
Match Results
 
Youth Division
1st – Nathan Kelly (East Bay)
2nd – Tristen Speiran (Annapolis Valley)
 
Master Class
1st – Mike Kelly (East Bay)
2nd – Shaw Lundergen (Lock Lomond)
3rd – Allan MacLeod (P.E.I.)
 
Expert Class
1st – Robert Ledrew (Grand Mira)
Tied 2nd – John MacQueen (Sydney)
Tied 2nd – Richard Rose (North Sydney)
3rd – Noah Anderson (North Sydney)
 
Marksman Class
1st – Jack McCarron (Sydney River)
2nd – Fred Martell (North Sydney)
3rd – Sheldon Whitty (Gardiner)
 
Tyro Class
1st – Joe McHoll (Gabarus)
Tied 2nd – Peter Campbell (Sydney)
Tied 2nd – Allan MacEachern (Sydney)
3rd – Richard Young (East Bay)
 

Have a look!

Click on a photo to open the gallery

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PPC Provincial Championships 2024

MRPC Participants

Metro Rifle and Pistol Club Dominates Competition

The Nova Scotia Rifle Association (NSRA) held the annual PPC (Police Pistol Combat) on Sunday, September 29th. It was originally developed as a training tool for police officers, teaching them to shoot at a black silhouette target.

What happend

If you’re older, you probably remember the classic Hallmark Greeting Card TV commercials featuring the now-famous quote, “Hallmark, when you care enough to send the very best.” Last Sunday evening, that’s exactly what they called us: The Hallmark Team! Metro cared enough about winning to send our very best—and win we did!

As the last embers of our campfire died, dawn broke on this Sunday morning rife with anticipation. The crisp morning air was charged with intensity. From the moment the sun broke the horizon, the team instinctively knew it would be a record-breaking day—and indeed it was.
Gary had coffee and eggs going just after sunrise, Mike was organizing trigger weights, and Joe was plotting strategies. Sven and Lars were setting up target stands as Chris pulled into the parking lot, searching for a gun to shoot in the match. Soon, competitors began trickling in. Nearly two dozen shooters, the best from clubs across the province, arrived with determination in their eyes, envisioning the coveted trophy and gold medal in their home display cases.

The Match

The match started fast with a mag dump and smokin’ hot reloads on the fly. Rapid-fire rounds and lightning-fast reloads filled the air with the sound of continuous gunfire. Brass casings flew in all directions. As the competition progressed, targets were moved to increasingly challenging distances, separating the skilled from the novice.
Despite the grueling morning, the Metro team clawed their way to the top, maintaining high scores and becoming the favorites to win. However, the outcome of any competition can be unpredictable.

Lunch

One NSRA member, who was starting a restaurant in Dartmouth (koshio.ca), delivered exceptional sushi. Bob’s homemade burgers were equally impressive, complemented by BBQ sausages and his wife’s delicious cookies. Ohhh – good stuff. As competitors slowly made their way back to the range, some wondered if the hearty meal was a strategy to slow down the competition. Nevertheless, the Metro team pressed on, determined to maintain their excellence throughout the afternoon.
Then as I slowly waddled out to the range it dawned on me, that was their strategy, feed us till we almost burst; slow us down and put us to sleep! Would it work?

The afternoon

Full to the gills we shot on, maintaining our excellence! At the end of the day, The Metro Rifle and Pistol Club had attained victory! We managed to take home, not silver, not gold, but BOTH gold and silver in EVERY DIVISION!!!

Competition Highlights

Marksman Division
Gold: Gary Latimer (1196/1500)
Silver: Mike Holland (1183/1500)
Expert Division
Gold: Lars Kummer (1414/1500)
Silver: Sven Kummer (1405/1500)
Masters Division
Gold: Mike Kelly (1464/1500)
Silver: Joe MacHoll (1384/1500)

Bottom Line

The Metro Rifle and Pistol Club’s remarkable achievement of winning both gold and silver medals in every division is a feat unseen in the competition for nearly half a century.
The gods of the shoot smiled down upon us that day! We dominated the competition!! We earned that title “The Hallmark Team”! It was an awe inspiring day and I was proud to be a member of that team! But next year … we want the bronze metals too! Training starts spring 2025! Ya goin’ to run with the big dogs or stay home in the porch!

Photo Impressions

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2024 NSRA Open Rifle Precision Match

Wind

A Thrilling Display of Marksmanship

The 2024 Nova Scotia Rifle Association (NSRA) Open Precision Rifle Match, held at Bull Meadow Range Complex near Halifax, proved to be an exhilarating event that showcased the province’s top marksmen. The competition, which took place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, drew participants from various clubs across Nova Scotia, with Metro Rifle & Pistol Club making a particularly strong showing.

Challenging Conditions and Impressive Performances

Competitors faced formidable challenges, including targets positioned over half a kilometre away, just waiting to ‘pop’ over a crest for a few seconds, and unpredictable wind conditions. Despite these obstacles, several shooters demonstrated exceptional skill and composure.

Our own ‘Gary the Great’ burrowed in the grass on the ridge like a Saskatchewan prairie dog! His ‘Cadex’, one of the finest rifles known to man, at the ready, waiting…

Dead Eye Joe, with his trusty ‘laser’, dialed in just at a little over 2 MOA for the 500m shot. His laser and a razor sharp focus, in anticipation of what’s to come…

Lars, the backbone of the Canadian Forces Shooting Team, a direct descendent of Mars himself, behind his smoke pole firing a honkin’ big .168 grain pill! Anxiously awaiting the fog to lift to send a single round to its mark…

Chris King, described as a seasoned hunter, achieved a remarkable “possible” at 500 meters (all 5 shots in the bull), earning him an on-the-spot medal for his outstanding performance.

Gary, narrowly missed a silver medal due to a single shot affected by what observers called “freak winds”.

Me… I was loading bullets in the parking lot!

Diverse Challenges and Equipment

The match featured a variety of challenges, including a target at 800m, shooting the first shot (“cold bore”) with no sighter at 500m, and moving targets at extreme distances, which tested the limits of even the most experienced shooters:

▪ 2 misses on a moving target (friggin’ freak wind change!) cost Joe a bronze medal.
▪  I had a jam after the first round on a stage, that was costly!!!

Metro Club’s Strong Showing

With big Mike’s coaching, the Metro Rifle & Pistol Club had an impressive outing, securing 4th, 5th, and 6th places in the open class. In the “Classic” .308 Winchester category, Metro Club members claimed 4th and 11th positions, demonstrating the club’s depth of talent. Smoking results!!!

Camaraderie and Celebration

Following the intense competition, participants gathered for a well-deserved celebration, enjoying steaks and beverages while recounting the day’s events. What a great start to the long weekend! 
The 2024 NSRA Open Precision Rifle Match not only showcased individual marksmanship but also highlighted the growing popularity and competitiveness of precision rifle shooting in Nova Scotia.

Mike Kelly
MRPC President

Photos:
Courtesy of Mike Holland and Mike Kelly

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Sept. 24, 2023 – PPC Provincials

Firsts and Firsts -  Part 2

Warm guns back in their cases after a great evening practice: Sitting around the campfire, cooking, talking to friends, laughing. I imagine that’s the future, the founders of the Nova Scotia Rifle Association had hoped for way back in 1860; they wouldn’t be disappointed.
 
That’s exactly how Metro started the PPC Provincials.  Joe, Andy, Terry, Jack and Stephanie, Gary, and myself were grilling steaks, potatoes, chanterelles picked earlier in the day, now drenched in butter, on hot maple coals. We laughed and poked fun at each other about missed shots and other screw-ups we had under the pressure of practice. And Gary, who looked like 50 Cent with all the bling; 2 precision rifle medals around his neck from the afternoon shoot! Silver in the open and Bronze in the Mountford-Twinning match. Ohhh Metro just rocks the Mainland eh!
 
When the campfire weened so did we, into tents right on the range that night. It was a great evening, a cheap relaxing way to prepare for the Provincials the next day. 
 
As the first flickers of sunlight pierced through the trees, you could feel anticipation in the air!  Everyone was up rarin’ to go!  PPC Provincials attract a mishmash of talent from all the shooting sports, all striving for excellence. PPC is the culmination, the mixed martial arts so to speak, of the pistol shooter world. All the sports think they will dominate because of their speed or accuracy; However all the sports get reminded of Mike Tyson’s immortal words “no plan survives the first shot!”
 
Free Pistol champions, like NSRA’s own Bullseye Bob Selig, thinking accuracy will be the key to winning the match… but will it…
The IPSC Shooter‘s, like Hnatiuk’s own Fast Felix (Chris) think their speed will dominate… will that prove true…
Newbies like Cracker Jack McCarron, his Stephanie cheerleading in the background, believe sheer tenacity will guide him towards victory; but the outcome is far from determined, it’s fragile really!
 
The leaders during the match were in a constant state of flux with scores bouncing up and down faster than a hospital elevator on a full moon Friday night!  In the end, Terry took Bronze, Joe Silver, and I took the Gold.  All our scores were close, it could have been any of us that took that Gold!

Age and experience turned out to be of the most valued asset; combined, our competitive shooting experience is starting to get close to a century!  Andy missed the podium by but a handful of points, and took 4th, Gary took 7th overall with newbie Jack on his heels is now ranked 8th in Nova Scotia!  Again, Metro shined bright taking 6 of the top 8 spots in the 2023 PPC Provincial Championship!  We are the dominant shooting club in Atlantic Canada!  What a great wrap to a summer shooting season!

A great big thanks goes out to Daniel Zaenker at the NSRA for hosting this match!  It was AWESOME Daniel!!!
 

Regards 

Mike

PPC 2023 Provincials Match Results
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NSRA Gammell + Sirtonski Matches – Sept. 9, 2023

Fast, and Furious Firsts

The older I get the more I take joy in the simple pleasures of life, like attending events, spending time with friends, shooting.  Metro R&P recently received an invitation from the Nova Scotia Rifle Association (NSRA).  The NSRA Handgun Section Chair Daniel Zaenker put on the Nova Scotia Provincials (Gammell Memorial) for the Olympic Sport of Rapid Fire Pistol, on Saturday morning past and also another match, the Sirtonski Cup in the afternoon. My self and Joe MacHoll went as ambassadors for Metro. Joe journeying up from the Cape Friday and camped right on the range, I drove to Halifax in the wee morning hours. 

At Sunup, Joe started a fire, then put on a pot of coffee and breakfast.  As the sun climbed higher competitors started to trickle in, their first sight being ‘Quick Draw Joe’ with a coffee sitting by a fire as he slowly drawled, “Mornin”; Man it was a scene out of a Western. 

It’s the simple things, like watching the loss of all hope in the eyes of the mainlanders upon seeing Joe. It’s the simple things, like overhearing whispers, “The Capers showed… lost another one…”. Yes it’s the simple things that I find pleasure in as I age. 🤣

As always, Metro R&P put on a great showing, we were in the Metals for the sport of Olympic rapid fire pistol. Shooting 5 targets, a third of a football field away, in 4 seconds, from the draw is something let me tell ya! Especially when athletes that compete on the National Circuit arrive, like Glenn from Pictou and René from Quebec! That puts tension on the competitors! How did it pan out? Well, we actually won the event, keeping a provincial record score intact and taking home the Cup… again…

The Sirtonski Cup was a new experience for Joe and I as neither of us had shot it before or even knew the complicated course of fire. It went from very precise headshots behind hostage targets to smokin’ hot-speed shooting requiring multiple targets while changing magazines, to man-against-man shoot-offs. That separates the ‘wheat from the chaff’ man let me tell ya! Shooting a shot with an audience behind you hootin’, knowing full well if you miss you are out; shooting until only one person is left! Bob Selig, a legend at the Bull Meadow Range won that round by a quarter of an inch! Whoo!

Since we weren’t really sure about the match and the different stages we just shot all ‘bulls-eye’s’ (almost). Needless to say… We medaled. Actually, we won that trophy and, coincidentally, set the Provincial record score for the event as well. Yes as I age, I find solace in the simple things in life…

Regards 

Mike

Click on photo to enlarge
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Canadian Firearms Safety Courses (CFSC) on Cape Breton Island (Fall 2023)

There will be Canadian Firearms Safety Courses (CFSC) on Cape Breton Island:

September

CFSC
Monday, Sept 18 & Thursday 21st
6:00-11:30 both evenings
East Bay Firehall (by the Post Office)
3542 East Bay Highway,
East Bay, N.S.
B1J 1A3

—————————————————————

October

CFSC
Monday, Oct. 2nd and & Thursday 5th
6:00-11:30 both evenings
East Bay Firehall (by the Post Office)
3542 East Bay Highway,
East Bay, N.S.
B1J 1A3

CFSC
Monday 16 and Thursday 19th
6:00-11:30 both evenings
East Bay Firehall (by the Post Office)
3542 East Bay Highway,
East Bay, N.S.
B1J 1A3

CFSC
Monday 23 and Thursday 26th
6:00-11:30 both evenings
East Bay Firehall (by the Post Office)
3542 East Bay Highway,
East Bay, N.S.
B1J 1A3

Register here: https://firearmsafety.online-compliance.com/RegisterB.php?selection=courseid&courseid=914&categoryid=32

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2023 NSRA McDonald Challenge / Selig Free Pistol Match

Another two glorious matches on the mainland and another glorious showing for the Metro R&P Club!

It started in the morning with the ISSF 25m Standard Pistol Match. Shooting 12 times 5 rounds in 150, 20 and 10 seconds. One hell of a competition, scores were flipping back and forth like a sail in a hurricane! The leads changed multiple times over the course of the match but when the dust settled youth won out!

Young wiper snapper René DeHaitre (NSRA) nudged into first place on the last target’s in the 10 second runs to capture the cup! Sometimes the young do something right! This years McDonald Cup champion was René Dehaitre, Silver Medalist me (Mike Kelly), Glenn Hicks took a point from our own Joe MacHoll to take bronze. 

The afternoon ISSF match, the Selig 50m Free Pistol Match: Same order as in the morning. After many years the trophies stay on the Mainland for the next 12 months  😁

Great Fun, Great Sportsmen, good food (a fantastic BBQ with homemade burgers, sausages, hot dogs, beverages, and deserts), and overall an awesome match! Thanks Daniel for hosting and the NSRA!

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2023 PPC Training

The Club is sending a Team to the PPC Match (Provincials) in Halifax
PPC – Police Practical Combat Shooting
 
Since the 1940’s this was the required shooting qualification for Law Enforcement. It is shot with a service sidearm, centerfire revolver traditionally but most now use centerfire semiautomatic pistols. Red Dot sights are  allowed the last few years because Police are now using them. Recently .22 caliber rimfire pistols became an allowed firearm as well. Rimfire pistols shoot the same course of fire but aren’t able to win the Provincial Trophy, only centerfire pistols compete for this. 
 

Combat Pistol Course – An Introduction
Wednesday, August 23rd, 5:00 pm. Limited to 12 people. Email to register: president@metroriflepistolclub.ca

Practice Times:
Wednesday, Sept. 6th 5:00 pm till dusk
Wednesday, Sept. 13th 5:00 pm till dusk

PPC Provincials

NSRA Bull Meadow Range
Sunday, Sept. 24th 9:00 am

The course of Fire for PPC Matches

Stage 1 (1st event)
12 shots from 5m Standing
3shots in 3 seconds
3 shots, reload and 3 more in 10 seconds
3shots in 3 seconds

Stage 2
12 shots from 7m Standing
6 shots reload 6 in 20 seconds

Stage 3
12 shots from 15m Standing
6 shots reload 6 in 20 seconds

Stage 4
18 shots 25m kneeling – Standing
6 shots kneeling(1) in 30 seconds
12 shots standing no support 35s

Stage 5
12 shots 25m standing
6 shots reload 6 shots in 35 s

Stage 6
24 shots 50m standing supported (1), sitting(1) & prone(1)
6 shots left hand supported 6 R hand 80s
6 shots sitting, go prone 6 shots 80 s.

Stage 7
12 shots 25m standing (sup)(1)
6 shots left hand reload 6 shots R, 60s

Stage 8
12 shots 3m standing
2 shots right hand 2s for both. 3 times.
Reload
2 shots left hand 2s for both. 3 times

Stage 9
12 shots 7m standing unsupported
Shoot 6 reload, shoot 6 more in 20s.

Stage 10
18 shots 25m kneeling(1) and standing supported (1)
6 shots kneeling in 30s
6 shots right hand (sup), reload 6 left

Stage 11
6 shots 25m kneeling (1)
6 shots kneeling in 12 seconds

(1) means you can be aimed on the target when the match starts.

150 rounds total for the match.

©2025 Metro Rifle & Pistol Club