SWEFTA Benchrest Final 2026 - 17/10/26
Once again the SWEFTA final was held at Budleigh Farm just outside Newton Abbot. The
range is perfectly suited to BR and is used on a regular basis by other clubs and
organisations.
The size of the range allowed the organisers to put out nine benches. This was perfect to
accommodate the twenty four shooters who had qualified from Dartmoor, East Devon,
Purbeck and West Devon, plus a handful of reserve or new shooters and have the
competition both start and finish at a civilised hour… and in daylight!
When I arrived, the scoreboard was already up, with all the competitors names listed in
order of their detail and with the bench numbers they would be shooting from. In my
case, I was in the third detail and would be shooting from benches 1,4 and 7. The briefing
took place pretty much at 9.00 am and first detail started shooting, as planned, at around
9.30am.
It was a chilly morning that soon turned into a sunny day with blue skies and puffy clouds,
but it was clear watching from the sidelines that wind; speed, direction and temperatures
were going to have a major impact on the days scores, and so it proved.
The first detail enjoyed a period of near calm, although it was cold and damp, but as time
progressed, the wind began to very much make its presence felt with all forms of wind
flags, paddles and indicators doing what they do. Failure to pay very close attention to
them was punished immediately.
My first detail, on bench 1, accompanied by three of my club mates, Julian on the bench
to my right, Tom and Eddy further down the firing line. The wind was not strong, although
it was rising and falling as well changing direction extremely rapidly, so much so, that Tom
commented afterwards that the wind direction indicators were not able to move fast
enough, resulting in pellets flying to unexpected and unwelcome places within the
diagram.
Looking at the scores at the end of the first round, there were some high numbers, Mike
Smith from Dartmoor led with a 246 5x, Mark Whiteway, also Dartmoor with a 245 8x,
Tom Jacobs from East Devon with a 243 8x and Paul Salmon, another Dartmoor member
with 243 4x.
By my second detail, on bench 4, things had got a bit more lively, the sun was now right
across the range, the wind had become far more blustery and was shifting so rapidly that
between glancing at the wind flag and releasing the shot, things could have dramatically
changed. I suffered this fate on my last diagram. For the previous nine shots, my wind
paddle had shown very little left or right wind movement and a low PoA just below the ten
ring was producing some good scores. Having checked and checked and checked again
for my last shot, I aimed in the same place as the last shot, released the trigger and saw
the pellet strike high and to the right, in the seven ring…. WUT! Looking at my paddle, it
was being blown horizontal by the sudden blast of wind!
Other details were suffering the same or worse and this was reflected in changing
fortunes up and down the scoreboard, big scorers were Tom with a 244 7x, Paul Salmon
with a 237 9x, me a 239 3x and Martin Hubbard from Purbeck with a 237 4x.
But benchrest is a game of three cards, so it was all about the third and final detail.
Watching the wind prior to putting out my wind flag and taking my rests and rifle to my
bench, it really was giving everyone a pretty hard time. Strong blasts in one direction
followed by a complete lull, then a gentle breeze straight towards the firing line. Or worse
a blast in one direction turning 180 degrees and blasting in the opposite direction, and
any other variation or permutation you can think of.
Then we were called to take our gear to our benches.
I put my rests and pellets on bench 7, put my wind flags out and waited for the command
to get my rifle. Once everyone was settled, the whistle blew and the final twenty minutes
commenced.
With the wind going literally all over the place, I sat and puzzled, then shot a few sighters,
then a few more, then risked a shot at a scoring diagram. To my left, Tom said afterwards
that he did not fire a shot for eight minutes! It is very easy to get disheartened in
conditions like this, as reading and predicting the wind is almost impossible. The job
being made harder by the sheer speed with which the wind was changing. I had both
triumphs and disasters on my last card and just tried to limit the damage as much as
possible, as did everyone else. At the end of the final detail the top shots were Paul
Salmon with a 242 7x, Martin with a 241 4x, Tom with a 239 4x, Mark Whiteway with a
238 8x and Simon Houseman with the same score but with 4x.
The plate shooters had their last detail and then it was time to hand out the awards.
Plate
1st M Cannarella with 681 5x, 2nd Ian Nicol with 678 8x and 3rd D Hilsdon with (the
somewhat satanic) 666 7x.
SWEFTA Final
1st Tom Jacobs with 726 19x, 2nd Paul Salmon with 722 20x and 3rd Martin Hubbard
with 716 13x.
Club Champions were Dartmoor Marksmen.
Me? I was 4th with 708 19x. Not quite with the pro’s yet, but catching up.
Massive thanks must go to Simon Houseman, Rob Meatyard and Paul Salmon for the
time and effort they have put in behind the scenes and for running the shoot today that
went smoother than a smooth thing covered in silk.
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