Welcome to this discussion of some of the shooting disciplines that I like participate in, as well as what I mostly use and where to shoot in the Pretoria area..
So, lets begin:
Where to Shoot
I am a Committee Member of one of the better clubs in the area, namely the Premier Shooting Club. It is situated on the eastern approach to Pretoria, approx. 35km (±22miles) out of town on Zambezi Rd in lush Bushveldt surroundings near the mining town of Cullinan. The Club is on the property of the Premier Diamond Mine and is actually incorporated in the game reserve operated by the Mine.
The Club supports a wide variety of shooting sports, some of which include:
Center Fire Rifle events usually consist of 10 shots and is a combination of silhouette shooting and shots at a life sized target of an animal such as an impala, warthog, springbuck, etc. The particular setup for the day's shoot is decided by the range master and there is no fixed lay-out from shoot to shoot. The goal is to simulate the various hunting conditions found throughout Southern Africa and to allow members to gauge their own proficiency. A scoring system is employed that gives each shooter a percentage out of a theoretical maximum.
Big Bore Rifle events normally consist of 5 timed shots to be fired under 30 seconds at 3 quarter sized depictions of an African elephant set up at 10m, 20m & 30m. That party with the lowest time and highest score takes the honors for the day! Yours truly doesn't participate in this event, as (a) I only have a 45-70Gov - doesn't qualify - and (b) I'm not a sucker for punishment or the incredible flinch that one easily develops with the sort of cannons used for hunting the African elephant!
The Club gets together on the first Saturday of every month for an official club shoot, however, members may apply for a gate key and use the ranges at any other time of the month. The official club shoot normally commences at 13H00 and may extend until it's to dark to see. We have an elegant club house with bar facilities and this feature normally enjoys a great deal of attention after the day's shooting. We also have braai facilities where you and your family can relax in peace and comfort.
For the non-South African visitors: a braai is a barbecue and a popular South African social pastime!
Please feel free to contact me
if you are interested in joining our Club. I'll inform you of the membership
requirements and fee involved.
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This brings me to a pet peeve: People who don't pick up their trash after a plinking session on the range.
Please pick up your rubbish and tattered targets from the range once
your finished, as Range master it becomes an agonizing pain in the backside
to clear up after people who are basically just inconsiderate and lazy.
Neat, clean ranges allows everyone to enjoy their shooting sessions! Please
cooperate!
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We do Silhouette shooting at the Premier Shooting Club, however, it is not according to SAMSSA or IMSSU rules and regulations. The Rimfire Rifle section shoots at chickens at 25m, pigs at 50m, turkeys at 75m and rams at 100m. The Rimfire Handgun section shoots at the same sequence of targets (although the individual targets are larger than for Rifle), but at much closer ranges: 15m, 25m, 35m & 50m.
The most popular Rimfire rifle is undoubtedly the BRNO Mod. 2E 5-shot bolt action 22 LR rimfire rifle. This is closely followed by the Ruger bolt and semi-auto rifles. We often see the odd Krico, Savage and Anschutz rifle as well. Only now and again do we see real class such as the Remington 541T or the Sako Finnfire Varmint!
The most popular handgun on our Rimfire Handgun section is undoubtedly the Browning Target model in 6" configuration. I use a S&W Mod. 41 or a K-22 (depending on what's closest to hand in the safe) and we also have a member who regularly brings his Unique DES 69 along. All of them are great handguns!
The last 3 months I've used my FN manufactured
Browning High Power in Standard Minor Class whilst my 1911 was in for some
modifications. I had better sights fitted, the slide release extended and
a nice beavertail grip safety installed. I'll use this gun in the future.
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Practical Rifle is held at Premier Shooting Club towards the end of the day when most of the other shooting events have finished to allow as many as possible members to participate. The event involves going through three or four of the day's Practical courses but shooting only at the paper IPSC targets, the pepper poppers are removed to prevent damage to the plates by the high velocity rifle rounds.
Minor (223 Rem & 7.62 x 39), major (308 Win / 7.62 NATO & larger) and pistol carbine (9mm Para, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 30 Carbine, etc.) categories are recognized in open and standard class. A variety of rifles are used.
The most popular Minor rifles are undoubtedly the South African manufactured LM 4's and LM 5's (both are copies of the Israeli Galil 5.56 NATO assault rifle), closely followed by the Ruger Mini-14. Now and again we some odd items such as the AK 47 clone, Colt AR-15 or Steyer AUG being used.
The most popular Major rifle is undoubtedly the FN FAL in its various guises, in fact we only recently had a Committee member that participated with a Garand - the first deviation from the FN FAL route ever!
So far, the only pistol carbine in use is the Norinco copy of the Israeli Uzi, the Officers 9 (semi-auto only). I use one of them and they are not very popular for some reason. I suspect it might be to do with the limited reach of the 9mm Para round at long range and the general bulkiness of the carbine itself. I have to admit as well, the bloody thing is a bitch to shoot - rudimentary sights, odd grip angle, uncomfortable fold-up stock and a very unpleasant split cocking handle. On the other hand the attractions are ZERO recoil, almost no muzzle climb and a near bottomless magazine capacity of 32 rounds - no more fumbling with the Mini-14's magazine catch and related problems! It also points surprisingly well!
I did get some time of to go with some friends this year to Kimberley (Northern Cape Province) to hunt some springbuck. I managed to shoot three, the others shot much more - had severe cash limitations to worry about!
I used a Remington M700 VS in 308 Win with 150gr Hornady softpoints at 2700fps. The closest shot was ±80m and the furthest at an estimated 280m.
I'll probably go again next year.
I also got invited to hunt warthog in the Thabazimbi area (Northern Province). Shot two with a Marlin 1894 lever action in 45-70 Govt. stoked with 405gr Remington softpoints at 1700fps. Absolutely devastating pig medicine: 2 shots, 2 piggy's!
Any comments, suggestions or questions ? Mail me at pta_bob@yahoo.com
This page was last updated on Monday, 01 November 1999.