New to Shooting?
What Are The Differences ?
There are a lot of activities we offer at the Bowral Pistol Club. ISSF Matches, Service Pistol, Single Action, Metallic Silhouette, SSAA Rifle Shooting and lots more – Read our guide to discover the differences in our wonderful sport.
ISSF
The main International Shooting Sport Federation matches are the Rimfire (.22) Standard Pistol Match and the Rimfire and Centrefire Sports Pistol Match. Matches are shot at 25m and have two parts.
The first is a precision component and the second a turning target component where the targets are turned towards the shooter for a short fixed time and then turned away. Typically this is 3 seconds to the shooter and 7 seconds away. In the three seconds the shooter lifts their pistol from 45 degrees, takes aim and fires.
In another match the shooter sees the target for 10 or 20 seconds and fires 5 shots while the target is exposed. Matches consist of a total of 60 shots and are scored out of 600, each shot having a maximum score of 10.
ISSF Matches are shot every Wednesday from 10am and on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. Contact Peter Harris on 0438 851 009.
Service Pistol Match
The main Service Pistol Match shot at Belanglo is the 25m Service Match. Pistols used for the Match are short barrelled centrfire revolvers, typically .38 or 357M calibre.
The Match requires shooters to fire a sequence of shots in various positions (lying, sitting, kneeling and standing) at different ranges (from 8 to 25m), shooting against the clock.
The last stage, for example, requires the shooter to stand infront of a target with a loaded revolver held at waist level; fire five rounds, empty the revolver and reload with another five rounds, fire these from the same crouch position all in 22 seconds.
The match is derived from the way revolvers might be used in ‘Service’ situations, such as shooting round walls and changing targets as you shoot.
Service Pistol Matches are shot on the 1st Sundays of each month. Contact Tomo Mazar on 0418 455 185.
Single Action
Single Action Shooting is one of the fastest growing shooting sports in the world.
Originating in the USA, it requires shooters to use the guns of the Old West – single action Colt Style Revolvers, Lever Action Rifles and Shotguns.Shooters are expected to dress in the style of the Old West and to take on shooting names reminiscent of the period.
Matches are scored on speed and accuracy. Shooting at steel plates, typically some 10 – 20 m away, the shooter is required to use each of their four guns as fast as possible, in prescribed sequence, with severe penalties for misses.
Pistols and rifles are usually in 38/357 or 45 calibre and the shotguns 12g. Strict rules limit the modifications that can be made to guns and to the type of gun used. Various categories exist to even out the shooting, allowing for age, sex, the type of guns used and how they are fired (eg single or two handed).
Single Action shooting takes place on the 1st Sunday of each month. Contact Hank Dykstra on 0418 248 693.
Metallic Silhouette
Metallic Silhouette is a series of matches which involves shooting metal cutouts of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams cut to various scales and set at varying distances from the competitor, depending on the specific match.
All the matches at Bowral Pistol Club are 40 shot matches. The matches can be shot from the standing, prone or creedmore positions. The course of fire consists of 4 banks of 10 metallic silhouettes of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams, plus a swinging sighting target. Targets are set up in order of size.
Each bank must be shot in 2 minutes, in order from left to right. The target must be knocked down or pushed off the target stand in order to score a hit. Shooters are allowed to have a spotter with them, who watches where each shot lands and advises the shooter on corrections to make.
Metallic Silhouette matches shot at Bowral Pistol Club are Field Pistol which consists of two categories (Field Pistol Production and Field Pistol Any Sights) and Rimfire which consists of four categories (Production Revolver, Production, Standing and Unlimited). The rimfire matches are shot with .22 Rimfire (Smallbone) pistols and Field Matches are shot with centrefire (Big Bore) pistols.
Our range is regarded as one of the best in NSW and has hosted Metallic Silhouette National and State Championships numerous times. Additionally, Club Members have been selected to represent Australia internationally in Metallic Silhouette Championships.
Metallic Silhouette shooting takes place on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Contact Peter Carter on 02 4261 7598.
IPSC
In IPSC (Practical Shooting) a variety of target types are used (paper, steel, stationary and moving, scoring targets and penalty targets) There is no set way these targets are arranged or how many targets are used in a match.
The competition organiser creates a number of ‘stages’ to create a shooting challenge that competitors have to solve as accurately and as quickly as possible.
IPSC shooting takes place on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Contact Garry White on 0415 654 463.
Air Pistol
Air pistol shooting provides an convenient entry point to the sport of shooting for many and is a wonderful training for live fire shooting.
Matches are shot in accord with the rules of the Amateur Pistol Association and consist of 60 shots for men and 40 shots for women, at targets set at 10m.
Air Pistol shooting takes place on the 3rd Sunday of each month. Contact Hank Dykstra on 0418 248 693.
Black Powder Pistols
Black powder pistols are shot at Belanglo on the first Wednesday of each month. Either the International Match or a full 40 shot match is completed.
The matches are shot in accordance the rules of the Amateur Pistol Association and have a number of categories to suit different pistol types.
The most popular pistol for these matches are, however, the Ruger Old Army Revolver, a .45 calibre pistol.
For more information about this discipline, please contact the office on 02 4862 1313.
Rifle Shooting
As the name suggests we are primarily a pistol club, but we are approved by the NSW Firearms Registry for rifle shooting and are affiliated to the Sporting Shooters Association for this purpose.
Indeed the Southern Highlands Branch of the SSAA uses the Belanglo Range twice each month for Lever Action and Rimfire Metallic Silhouette Matches.
In addition, lever action rifles are an integral part of the Single Action shooting sport where they are used in conjunction with single action pistols and shotguns.
We have also set up bench rest facilities on two of the bays on our 100m Metallic Silhouette Range and these are extensively used for practice by Members or for the purpose of sighting in rifles.
As our range approval is rated at NATO pistol, shooters can not exceed a muzzle velocity of 1500 ft/sec. We can use on our range up to 12mm/45 calibre.
For more information about this discipline, please contact the office on 02 4862 1313.
Safety Is Our Priority
Shooting –
A Family Sport
Pistol shooting is an enjoyable and safe family sport, open to people from 12 years of age onward. The sport is very safety conscious and strictly controlled by Law.
Information sheets on the owning and storing of guns are available on the NSW Firearms Registry website below.
Please Note
Invitation Only
Vistitors wanting to use our range would be on invitation only, contacting the club by email or phone.