Oh Canada! 2019 World Benchrest Championship in Alberta
The most accurate shooters on the planet competed in Canada last week at the 2019 World Benchrest Championship. Conducted at the beautiful Rosebud Silhouette and Benchrest Club in Alberta, Canada, this major event drew shooters from 20+ nations. After some practice days, shooters assembled with National Flags for the Opening Ceremony on the 17th. The matches ran from the 17th through Sunday the 21st. Then competitors assembled at the McPhail Center, Canada Olympic Park, for the individual and team awards. Overall, it was a great event, but with one sad loss — Faye Boyer passed away this week after being hospitalized during the match.
Don’t be deceived by some of these beautiful photos — conditions were often very tough at this event, with stormy clouds and unpredictable winds. Joel Nader mastered those difficult conditions with a strong performance, securing the overall Two-Gun Title. Congratulations to Joel Nader the 2019 Two-Gun World Champion. Bill Mitchell was second overall in the Two-Gun. Team USA C (Harvey Baker, Gary Bristow, Jeff Graves, Jack Neary) won overall Two-Gun team honors, with Team USA A (Walt Berger, Wayne Campbell, Joel Nader, Bob Scarbrough Jr.) taking second. In third place was Australia Team A (Brendan Atkinson, Darren Parsons, Ean Parsons, Steve Sori). You can find complete day-by-day results, Overall Results, and Team Results on the WBC Website.
Here is the Top 20 Equipment List (Click Image for full-size PDF):
As you might expect, the top shooters favored BAT Actions, and cut-rifled barrels from Krieger and Bartlein. Vihtavuori N133 powder was used by almost all, as were Federal 205m primers. However, shooters employed a huge variety of bullet types. Two-Gun Winner Joel Nader shot his own Nader 68-grainers. About half of the Top 20 competitors in each class (HV and LV) used tuners.
Sad Loss of Faye Boyer after WBC
During the course of the WBC, Fay Boyer, a respected Hall of Fame competitor, and beloved wife of benchrest legend Tony Boyer, experienced a medical emergency. She was rushed to the hospital. Sadly, her condition worsened and she passed away on July 25th. All of us in the shooting community mourn her loss, and give our condolences to Tony and the Boyer family. IBS President Jeff Stover posted: “This is terrible news. Faye was a wonderful lady, and one of the nicest persons you would ever meet. So sorry for Tony and his family.”
Faye and Tony Boyer, in younger daysBecause of his wife’s medical emergency, Tony Boyer had to leave the competition. Filling in for Tony on one of the USA 4-man teams was Walt Berger (below), founder of Berger Bullets. Competing with borrowed equipment, Walt, now 90, did a great job, finishing 17th out of a field of 83 of the best in the world. On the last day, Walt concluded the event with a teen Agg at 200!
The NRA-ILA states: “The entire system has been shown to be an [unconstitutional] excessive burden on law-abiding gun owners with little to no law enforcement value. California ammunition retailers were given little if any guidance from the state explaining the procedures for processing ammunition sales, amounting to mass confusion throughout the state.”
The CRPA would also like to thank the following California ammunition retailers who supported Monday’s filing by providing declarations regarding the effect California’s ammunition sales restrictions have had on their businesses:
