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Confirmed Range Dates for 2023

8th April, Bisley, Wallace Morning only, 1000x

9th April, Blair Atholl, West Atholl Long Range Practice Day, 900x and 1000x

21st April, Blair Atholl, Practice afternoon

22nd and 23rd April, Blair Atholl, Scottish Spring Meeting

5th May, Bisley, Wallace Day, Morning 1000x, Afternoon 1100x and 1200x

6th and 7th May, Bisley, Combined Spring Meetings

3rd June Bisley, Wallace Morning only, 1200x

6th July, Bisley, Lex Lyons Match

7th July Bisley, Any Rifle competitions

8th – 12th July, Bisley, Imperial Meeting

9th and 10th September, Blair Atholl, Scottish Autumn Meeting

23rd and 24th September, Blair Atholl, English Autumn Meeting

Colin McEachran QC MBE

We are very sorry to announce the death of NRCoS member Colin McEachran QC MBE. Colin died at home on Saturday 21 May.

Colin was actively shooting until very recently and worked tirelessly to help our sport in Scotland. He started shooting at Glenalmond College and continued at Oxford University where he shot in the Chancellors Match against Cambridge in 1960 and 1961. He came second in the Grand Aggregate in 1966 and represented Scotland in the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch where he won a silver medal. A veteran of many of the great matches such as the Empire match, the Kolapore and the Palma, Colin was a mainstay of numerous GB teams and tours. He shot his first National match for Scotland in 1961 and would represent Scotland on a further 23 occasions in the National and 20 occasions in the MacKinnon. Colin also turned his hand to Match Rifle and shot for Scotland in four Elcho matches. Chairing the Scottish Rifle Association between 1981 to 1990, Colin was also heavily involved with the organisation of Commonwealth Games shooting events and was Director of Shooting for the 1986 Edinburgh Games, he was also the Scottish team manager for the for 1998 games in Kuala Lumpur.

Colin was vice chair of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland from 1991 and then Chairman from 1995 to 1999. He was instrumental in bringing the primary disciplines together to form the Scottish Target Shooting Federation, an organisation he was to chair between 2002 and 2006.

Latterly, Colin was instrumental in the formation of STS, which would become the new umbrella organisation for target shooting sports in Scotland. In 2018 Colin received the MBE for services to Target Shooting and to Commonwealth Games Scotland.

Bisley Spring Meeting 2022

Match Report

As comes the start of May, so follows the Combined Clubs Spring Meeting at Bisley. The National Rifle Club of Scotland was well-represented, with 14 Scots taking their place among the 76 competitors. A convivial dinner on Friday night in Elcho Lodge, skilfully catered by Silke Lohmann, kicked off the weekend and provided an opportunity to build some team spirit, to rival - or, some would suggest, surpass - that being fostered among the Woomera team elsewhere on Camp.

This was the first Spring Meeting to take place under standard procedure since Covid struck, but not all was quite as normal: the overheated global ammunition market meant that many people’s usual bullet of choice was unavailable, with Lapua 220s and Berger 210s among the options stepping into the breach. Despite the potential for difficulties, Scots quickly demonstrated that they were up to the challenge of embracing Match Rifle’s experimental roots.

Amid reasonably gentle fishtailing winds on Saturday morning, Zoe Woodroffe was one of just four possibles at 1000 yards, while Iain Thomson was one of only three at 1100. By the time we began shooting at 1200, winds - now from the right - were fast changing, dropping to zero before jumping back up in a matter of moments. Mike Buchanan put in the highest score on the range, 74.12. As match riflemen and women of all nationalities assembled in the garden of the English VIII for a reception after shooting, Angus McLeod led the Scots, on the satisfying score of 222.22 - in third place overall, divided from first and second by a handful of Vs. Only one V behind him was Iain Thomson, while three more Scots followed in the top 10: Ron Scaglione on 221.27, Mike Buchanan on 220.29, and Zoe Woodroffe on 220.26.

Dinner in the Surrey on Saturday night to raise money for the GB Match Rifle team’s tour to Australia in the autumn was an excellent occasion, as the charity auction gave some Scots an opportunity to demonstrate their generosity (or perhaps their shrewd eye for a bargain).

Sunday morning saw some higher scores, whether due to gentle conditions, or cobwebs successfully swept away on Saturday. Ron Scaglione, Jon Sweet, Guy Blakeney, Will Meldrum, Jim McAllister, and Keith Baxby provided six of the 11 possibles - Ron, Jon and Guy all with 11 Vs. This was to prove a false guide to the rest of the day, however. Already at 1100 the winds were picking up and proving more challenging, so that Jon Sweet’s 75.08 was one of only two possibles, while Angus McLeod, Guy Blakeney, Ron Scaglione and Will Meldrum provided four of the five 74s on the range. At 1200 things were harder still: with fast-changing winds at times coming from behind the firing point, all competitors were stretched and challenged. Only five shooters managed to break 70, among them Will Meldrum on 70.02 - cementing a solid performance all day, and winning the Martin Smith Challenge Cup for the Sunday Aggregate, a point ahead of 2nd placed Guy Blakeney.

Once the overall scores for the weekend has been added up, Scotland’s success was clear. Ron Scaglione came second overall, his 439.47 11Vs short of winner Nick Tremlett. Ron therefore also won the Scottish Eight Cup, followed by Iain Thomson on 436.43 and Mike Buchanan on 435.51. Mike placed second in the LD Ranken Memorial Trophy for the 1200 yard aggregate, five Vs ahead of Will Meldrum who took third. Zoe Woodroffe came second in the Powell Ladies’ Trophy, with 428.46. Ron, Iain, and Mike were joined in the top ten by Will Meldrum (435.37), Angus McLeod (432.46), and Guy Blakeney (430.44): an excellent result, and a promising sign for the rest of the season. Six out of the top ten, not much room for the English, Irish and Welsh!

Thanks to the English VIII for their organisation and to all at Bisley for ensuring the Meeting was not just good shooting but good fun as well.

Thomas Nightingale

Bullet's view of Glen Tilt.

Video courtesy of Guy Blakeney.

Blair Atholl Spring Meeting 2022

Match Report

22, 23 and 24 April

Up to 18 Match Riflemen, one F Classer and an Any Rifle enjoyed three days of exceptional early spring weather and in parts, exceptionally difficult shooting, in Glen Tilt. The sun shone for the most part, the wind blew coldly and erratically from the northeast, there was snow on the high tops and most unusually, dust devils on the roads. We were a month earlier than usual so probably got off extremely lightly. It was a hugely enjoyable weekend, apart from 1244 on Saturday.

Friday’s practice afternoon was well attended, and two distances were shot by 11 firers. We were delighted to be joined by Kate Hampton a new resident of Blair Atholl and an even newer MR practitioner who we hope to see more of.

Saturday dawned without a cloud in the sky. 987 yards had moderate by steady winds which saw two 100s and most competitors in the mid to high 90s. 1114 yards followed much the same pattern, but the winds were more difficult to read with attendant traps for the unwary and unobservant. 1233 yards sorted the sheep from the goats, especially in the first detail. The wind seemed to be totally unreadable with a 6 minute wind bracket and fluctuations after every shot which didn’t show on the flags. After such punishment the calm of the Atholl Arms for the traditional dinner was more than welcome. At the day’s end the leader board had Guy Blakeney leading with an excellent 285.26, followed by Ron Scaglione on 283.25 and Angus McLeod on 281.26.

Sunday morning was cold and cloudy, but with the same keen north easterly wind. Shooting was an altogether calmer affair, although surprisingly there were only two 75s at 987x. 1114x was more testing with a 4 minute bracket and 1233x was nearly readable. The almost zero temperatures (including wind chill) of the early morning were replaced by glorious sunshine and shirt sleeves by lunchtime.

In the end Guy Blakeney swept the board with 504.51 ahead of Ron Scaglione with 498.47. Mike Buchanan on 495.54 had overtaken Angus McLeod on 492.42. Guy secured the top scores on both days and the 1233 aggregate as well as the Crawford Cup. Norman Clark won the Visitors Trophy and Mark Crichton Maitland the Craigfillan Tyro Trophy.

Our thanks go to Tim Kidner for running a faultless meeting; to West Atholl Rifle Club for allowing us to shoot on what proved itself again to be the most beautiful and most difficult range, and to Ron Scaglione and his crew for ensuring we had targets to shoot at when we expected them and working screens to see the (not always welcome) results.