The 13th
annual Safari Rifle Challenge is in the books. Here is a recap of this year’s
event made by The Western News speaking with Jay Sheffield. Jay is the Match Director of the Safari Rifle Challenge
World Championships:
The Libby Rod and Gun Club recently hosted the 13th annual Safari Rifle Challenge. The big bore rifle competition drew shooters from MT, ID, WA, OR, NV, AZ, TX, CO, and Canada. They came armed with everything from .375 and .416 caliber bolt actions to custom .600 Nitro Express and 10 Bore Double Rifles.
The ten different stages required shooters to engage everything from photo realistic life size moving Cape Buffalo targets down to small steel plates, all at distances from 30-120 yards.
Two of the events that proved to be very popular this year were the life size photo target of a fast-charging Rhinoceros powered by a modified ATV, and the "charging water jugs" event where two competitors must shoot the three one-gallon water jugs swinging from a cart racing towards them. Some jugs were shot so close that even the spectators got wet from the spray!
Match
director Jay Sheffield said that the competition would not happen without the
help of the numerous volunteers who show up every year to set the various stage
scenarios and to immediately repair severely damaged targets, all with the
efficiency of a NASCAR pit crew.
The
competition is also the main fundraising event for the youth participants of
the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). Seven high school age members of the
team came out to assist with scoring, target set up and to provide some
youthful energy to several of the rope-towed moving targets.
Four of the team's parents also provided a catered meal for the shooters and guests. Each year the match competitors prove to be extremely generous to the youth shooting programs and this year was no exception.
The events primary sponsor, Shawn Joyce of Diizche Safari Adventures provided the first-place trophy of a Bronze Lion as well as a large number of great items for the raffle table.
While many
participants also quietly made cash donations, the gentleman who brought the
.600 Nitro Express double rifle offered other competitors a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to shoot that rifle for $50 a shot with all proceeds going to the
youth shooting team.
With factory
ammo normally selling for $100 per round, a dozen adventurous folks took
advantage of the unique opportunity to launch a .620 caliber, 900-grain bullet
at over 2050 feet per second as it generated over 8,400 foot-pounds of energy.
They quickly raised $600 while earning themselves a few bruised shoulders in the
process.
The final
tally of funds raised to support the SCTP youth shooting team was over $2,300.
When the
dust finally settled, Libby’s John Harma (center) was declared the winner with
a score of 193/220. It was exceptional shooting considering that all shots were
taken offhand and several of the ten-rings were only one inch in diameter.
Many of the competitors had attended the shoot in previous years and all were impressed by the dramatic expansion of the Lincoln County range facility and the improvements to its infrastructure.
The Libby Rod and Gun Club, the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners and our local National Forest Service Supervisors Office have all worked together to create what is truly the finest free public range in the state of Montana.
The
competition is held every year on the second Saturday in June.
For those
who own a safari rifle in caliber .375 or larger and would like to shoot
against some of the best in the country, contact safaririflechallenge@yahoo.com for
more information.
