The World Benchrest
Championships in France By Vince Bottomley
The World Benchrest Championship is held every two years and last time, it was in South Africa and the next one will be in Australia, so this year, for we Brits it was conveniently close – hop across the Channel then 300 miles to the venue. Travelling by car means that you can take all the gear you are likely to need – plus a few bits you probably won’t!
The Range Firstly, a word about the venue. Volmerange Les Mines is a small village on the French/Luxembourg border. The ‘Les Mines’ bit refers to the now-redundant iron ore mines on which the village was founded but sadly the ore ran out and all that remains is a vast, empty processing plant. If you wish, you can visit the mines with the local Department of Tourism.
So, what could the Government provide to replace the iron industry? What about a shooting complex - yes, really - catering for every shooting sport from crossbow, pistol, smallbore and of course, benchrest – all contained in a large concrete box, or series of boxes to be more precise.
The range was constructed in 1999 and I shot in a similar range at Torres de Segra in Spain for the 2006 Europeans but what our American and Australian friends made of it, I can only imagine. Having said that, I heard not one word of complaint from anyone - the facilities were absolutely first rate with an on- site restaurant, clean toilets, plentiful parking and extensive reloading/cleaning area.
World Championship Benchrest
Benchrest is now without doubt the most ‘worldly’ of all rifle shooting disciplines with over 30 countries affiliated to the WBSF (World Benchrest Shooting Federation) and no less than 21 countries taking part in these Championships, including Columbia, Argentina, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Philippines and most European countries. With 160 competitors and 36 four-man teams, it was easily the biggest Championship so far.
Official practice on the Sunday and Monday gave us a chance to get used to shooting in this baffled, open-topped concrete box – attempting to read a wind coming from above! The high temperatures (for we Brits) – around 30 degrees – prompted some adjustment to powder-loads but generally winds were light, if switchy and thankfully – no mirage.
In the UK, benchrest is a minority discipline and the ‘Worlds’ are our opportunity to rub shoulders with the ‘greats’ of benchrest from the USA – Tony Boyer (the undisputed king), Gene Bukys (the current World Champion), Mike Ratigan, Wayne Campbell (former World Champions) and ‘new kid on the block’ Jack Neary - who has generously shared some of the secrets of benchrest shooting via You Tube. What’s more, the USA teams were staying at the same hotel as the Brits, together with the Australian and Canadian Teams.
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