Tag: NSRA

NSRA PR Open Match

Get Ready for the NSRA PR Open: Challenge Yourself at 800 Meters!

Mark your calendars for July 12, 2025!

Location: Bull Meadow “A” Range, Upper Rawdon, NS 

Registration: 08:15 am at the target gallery

The Nova Scotia Rifle Association (NSRA) is hosting the PR (Precision Rifle) Open—a dynamic competition designed to test your marksmanship, focus, and grit. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or new to the sport, this is your chance to learn, push your limits, connect with fellow shooters, and enjoy a day of friendly rivalry.

Why You Should Join this match?

  • Open to All: You don’t need to be an NSRA member to participate. Bring your friends and introduce them to the excitement of precision rifle shooting!
  • Affordable Entry: The cost is just $30, making it accessible for everyone who wants to take their skills to the next level.
  • Challenging Course of Fire: From rapid-fire at 200M to deliberate shots at 700M and fast-paced snap shooting at 800M, this event will keep you on your toes and help you grow as a shooter.
  • Classic & Open Classes: Compete in the Classic class (.308 and .223) or test your edge in the Open class (6.5mm and 6mm). There’s a spot for every style and skill level.
  • Community & Camaraderie: Competitive shooting isn’t just about hitting the target—it’s about building friendships, learning from each other, and celebrating every improvement.

What to Expect

  • Approximately 42 rounds plus sighters required—so bring enough ammo and be ready for action.
  • A quality scope is a must as you’ll be engaging targets out to 800 meters.
  • Diverse shooting challenges: From Fig 14 and Fig 11 targets to moving and snap exposures, you’ll encounter a variety of real-world marksmanship tests.

Course of Fire Highlights

  • 500M – 1 shot on Fig 14
  • 200M rapid – 5 rounds in 30 seconds
  • 300M & 400M snap – 5 x 3-second exposures each
  • 400M mover – 5 exposures at walking speed
  • 500M snap – 5 x 3-second exposures
  • 600M harassing fire – 2 minutes
  • 700M deliberate – 5 rounds in 6.5 minutes
  • 800M snap – 5 x 5-second exposures

Why Precision Rifle?

Precision rifle competitions are about more than just scores—they’re about personal growth, discipline, and the thrill of overcoming new challenges. Every round fired is a chance to learn, adapt, and improve. Events like the PR Open foster a welcoming environment where everyone, from newcomers to veterans, can share tips, celebrate achievements, and inspire one another to keep aiming higher.

Ready to Take the Shot?

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting rifle competitions. Sharpen your skills, meet fellow enthusiasts, and experience the satisfaction of hitting targets at distances at the Bull Meadow Range you never thought possible.

I can’t wait to see you on the firing line.

If you plan on attending either let Gary Latimer know at gwlatimer@gmail.com or nsraserviceconditions@gmail.com.

Email me if you have any questions or want to participate. We will also find a way to get you there. Travelling together is much more fun. Most of us go on Friday, stay on site in a tent (campfire in the evening!) and drive home Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Shoot straight,

Gary Latimer
Rifle Section Coordinator

www.metroriflepistolclub.ca

2025 McDonald / Selig Open Matches (NSRA – 22LR)

McDonald Challenge Match
This is an ISSF .22 calibre 25m Standard Pistol Match. It is shot one handed and may be shot with either a pistol or revolver.​

20 Precision shots – 4 relays of 5 shots. They are taken over 150 seconds for each relay.
20 Timed shots. 4 relays of 5 shots. They are taken over 20 seconds for each relay.
20 Rapid shots. 4 relays of 5 shots. They are taken over 10 seconds for each relay.

SELIG Free Pistol Match

This is a .22 calibre, one handed shoot. 60 shots in 2 hours. It is shot at a distance of 50m.

Bull Meadow Range Complex
East Hants, NS B0N 1P0
Canada

Details at: https://www.nsrifle.org/

2025 NSRA Open Handgun Matches

NSRA will be hosting two Open Handgun matches.

When: Sunday, July 20th
Where: Bull Meadow Range Complex, B-Range

Range Set Up: 8:00 am
Registration: 8:30 am (for the morning match)

Match 1
Gammell Memorial – ISSF 25m Rapid Fire

Match begins at 9:00 am.
Shot with a pistol or revolver in caliber 22LR.
Shot one-handed.

4 times 5 shots in 8 seconds.
4 times 5 shots in 6 seconds.
4 times 5 shots in 4 seconds.

A total of 60 rounds on target + sighters

(There will be no alibis. Try to bring a gun that is clean enough to function reliably and combine it with quality ammo)

There is a a BBQ planned for around noon.

Match 2
Sirtonski Memorial – Centerfire Pistol

Match begins at 1:00 pm.

Shot with a centerfire pistol or revolver at distances between 5m and 35m.

100 rounds should be sufficient.

Please bring:

  • a holster
  • 2 magazines if you are shooting a semi-auto
  • at least 1 speed loader if you are shooting a revolver
  • a shooting mat if you need one (there will be some shooting prone, kneeling, sitting from the range floor)

Infos at: https://www.nsrifle.org/handgun-match-descriptions

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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

2024 Open Precision Rifle Match (NSRA)

PR NSRA Open Match Nova Scotia Rifle Association

Date: Saturday, September 6th, 2024 – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location: Bull Meadow “A” Range, Upper Rawdon, NS 

Registration: 08:15 am at the target gallery
Match fee: $30.00 for non-members; $20.00 for members

MRPC members register with Gary Latimer: gwlatimer@gmail.com

Eligibility rules:
– No NSRA membership required.
– NSRA Precision Rifle Rules.

Course of fire (might be slightly different this year): 

– Everyone shoots the 500m 1-shot match  
– Relay 1 shoots the 200m Rapid, 300m Snap, 400m Snap and 400m Mover matches 
– Switch Relays 
– Relay 2 shoots the 200m Rapid, 300m Snap, 400m Snap and 400m Mover matches 
– lunch 
– Relay 1 shoots the 500m Snap, 600m HF, 700m Deliberate and the 800m Snap matches 
– Switch Relays 
– Relay 2 shoots the 500m Snap, 600m HF, 700m

-CANCELLED- 2024 McDonald / Selig Open Matches (NSRA – 22LR)

+++ CANCELLED +++

McDonald Challenge Match
This is an ISSF .22 calibre 25m Standard Pistol Match. It is shot one handed and may be shot with either a pistol or revolver.​

20 Precision shots – 4 relays of 5 shots. They are taken over 150 seconds for each relay.
20 Timed shots. 4 relays of 5 shots. They are taken over 20 seconds for each relay.
20 Rapid shots. 4 relays of 5 shots. They are taken over 10 seconds for each relay.

SELIG Free Pistol Match

This is a .22 calibre, one handed shoot. 60 shots in 2 hours. It is shot at a distance of 50m.

Bull Meadow Range Complex
East Hants, NS B0N 1P0
Canada

Details at: https://www.nsrifle.org/events-2

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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

NSRA Open Handgun Matches

NSRA will be hosting two Open Handgun matches.

When: Saturday, September 9th, 2023
Where: Bull Meadow Range Complex, B-Range

Range Set Up: 8:00 am
Registration: 8:30 am (for the morning match)

Match 1
Gammell Memorial – ISSF 25m Rapid Fire

Match begins at 9:00 am.
Shot with a pistol or revolver in caliber 22LR.
Shot one-handed.

4 times 5 shots in 8 seconds.
4 times 5 shots in 6 seconds.
4 times 5 shots in 4 seconds.

A total of 60 rounds on target + sighters

(There will be no alibis. Try to bring a gun that is clean enough to function reliably and combine it with quality ammo)

There is a a BBQ planned for around noon.

Match 2
Sirtonski Memorial – Centerfire Pistol

Match begins at 1:00 pm.

Shot with a centerfire pistol or revolver at distances between 5m and 35m.

100 rounds should be sufficient.

Please bring:

  • a holster
  • 2 magazines if you are shooting a semi-auto
  • at least 1 speed loader if you are shooting a revolver
  • a shooting mat if you need one (there will be some shooting prone, kneeling, sitting from the range floor)

Infos at: https://www.nsrifle.org/handgun-match-descriptions

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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!

©2025 Metro Rifle & Pistol Club