Gentlemen (and Ladies):
The Northern Territory Big Game Rifle Club is a reality at last, operating as a discipline of the SSAA Darwin Branch.

We have been meaning to do this for a long time, and have already hosted two Australian National BGR Championships in Darwin during the past decade, the most recent in July of this year.

The Inaugural NT BGR club shoot was held on Sunday 1st December at the Mickett Creek SSAA Range, followed by a BBQ lunch of buffalo-burgers and chilli-buff snags. Roll-up was pretty good considering the prediction of storms, and the short notice postponement from the previous weekend due to the first cyclone of the season heading straight for Darwin! The contested events were Classic Light Nitro, Group 1 Nitro, Group 2 Nitro, and Charging Animal- Territory Style. The latter involves engaging a 75m life-size buffalo or boar target with two shots, then moving ~15m to the next position with action open for 2 shots at a 50m animal target, then another ~15m to engage a 25m target with the final 2 shots. Recorded score is total minus time in seconds! The Charging Animal is a good spectator event, and no surprise that 1st and 2nd place were taken out with British double rifles!

The Alex Henry double 8-bore was on display at the shoot: what a beast! Hopefully loaded cartridges will be available at the January shoot! Members' rifles included a sprinkling of Lee Speeds, Jefferys and Mannlichers amongst the custom Mausers, Weatherbys, and Ruger Safari bolt-rifles, and doubles by Jeffery, Weston, Westley Richards, Rigby, Army & Navy, Paton, and Holland & Holland (Royal SLE, of course!) were present on the line.

A programmed monthly get-together is planned for the NT BGRC at this stage, and the Club has already acquired a CZ-550 in .416 Rigby and a Baikal .30-06 double rifle for use as club guns. A Sabatti .450 NE double is on its way as well, so potential members lacking personal funds for a big-bore rifle will still be able to participate in the appropriate events for the cost of reloading components only. The construction of an adjustable stand-up rest for sighting-in the big-kickers and regulating doubles is also planned for the use of members and guests in the new year.

Anyone in Darwin or regional NT who would like to join the Big Game Rifle cognoscenti should register their interest with the interim committee: ntbiggamerifle(at)gmail.com

Participants in the Inaugural Northern Territory Big Game Rifle shoot held in Darwin yesterday.