Thread: J M Wilkinson Shoots

Greetings All,
Following some of the recent posts on target shooting I thought that some may be interested in some details of the J M Wilkinson postal shoots that were run by NZDA branches, at least until recently.

Hopefully you can see from the pictures that the target is a deer silhouette without any scoring rings. Scoring is done using the plastic sheet with the rings on it laid over the target after shooting. There have been a number of variations in rules since I first shot it in 1981 but currently it is shot over the standard 4 positions at 100 metres or yards. Rifles are any centrefire rifle up to 4.1 kg and scopes to a maximum of 12 power. No slings, butt hooks or palm rests allowed. It should be of interest to the average hunter but seem to have just about faded away like most target shooting. Our branch last shot it in 2019, perhaps for the last time.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Following some of the recent posts on target shooting I thought that some may be interested in some details of the J M Wilkinson postal shoots that were run by NZDA branches, at least until recently.
Attachment 164387Attachment 164388
Hopefully you can see from the pictures that the target is a deer silhouette without any scoring rings. Scoring is done using the plastic sheet with the rings on it laid over the target after shooting. There have been a number of variations in rules since I first shot it in 1981 but currently it is shot over the standard 4 positions at 100 metres or yards. Rifles are any centrefire rifle up to 4.1 kg and scopes to a maximum of 12 power. No slings, butt hooks or palm rests allowed. It should be of interest to the average hunter but seem to have just about faded away like most target shooting. Our branch last shot it in 2019, perhaps for the last time.
Regards Grandpamac.

It is a pity. I wonder if it because the average hunting rifle nowadays have much bigger scopes and gadgets attached to it which meant that less and less people are able to compete because their gear excluded them from participating.

Would be great to get more of these competitions going again.


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Originally Posted by janleroux

It is a pity. I wonder if it because the average hunting rifle nowadays have much bigger scopes and gadgets attached to it which meant that less and less people are able to compete because their gear excluded them from participating.

Would be great to get more of these competitions going again.


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Thanks Janleroux,
The deer targets are still used for the annual Taruarau Shoot between Taihape and Hawkes Bay Branches (Napier and Hastings) but there are only two or less branches still entering the postal shoot. I think that the target shooters are not interested due to the imprecise aiming point and most hunters have never heard of it. Also you need to build your own targets for which you need templates to make sure they are all the same so all that effort for one shoot pa seems a lot. The weight limit is actually 4.5 kg.
Regards Grandpamac.

The average NZDA member is not interested in target shooting pop down to any DA range on the monthly shoot and see how many turn up
a very small percent of the members bother,
There is a move to start a Regional Hunters Shoot competition it has been run a few times at the Tokoroa Sport Shooting Complex
with good results, It is along the the lines of the old Prize shoots we use to have in the 70's to 90's
The new format is open to all not just NZDA members so there is no excuse not to take part.

Originally Posted by shooternz

The average NZDA member is not interested in target shooting pop down to any DA range on the monthly shoot and see how many turn up
a very small percent of the members bother,
There is a move to start a Regional Hunters Shoot competition it has been run a few times at the Tokoroa Sport Shooting Complex
with good results, It is along the the lines of the old Prize shoots we use to have in the 70's to 90's
The new format is open to all not just NZDA members so there is no excuse not to take part.

Greetings Shooternz,
I turned up at the Taupo monthly shoot last month and there was only the Rangemaster and I there. The pistol club looked pretty busy though. I am a member of Hastings and Taupo as I live in HB but target shooting seems to have bitten the dust here. I also belong to another Shooters Group but most only seem to be interested in shooting prone with a rest. Not that I am any good at target shooting, I just enjoy it even with just the two of us. Will look up the Regional Hunters comp.
Regards Grandpamac.

I joined the South Auckland Deerstalkers in 1971, Mainly to shoot competition shoots did 3P and 4P Running Boar, Running Deer at 100 metres
and Silhouette later joined the Pistol club and Clevedon Fullbore rifle club nothing improves your shooting like competing in serious matches.

@shooternz I shot 22rf silhouette at the Ararimu range for several years with the Small Game Shooters Club. Around 1988.

Nothing like silhouettes to deflate people. As you're well aware, either you get a "hit" or a big fat zero/miss. No 10, 9, 8 etc stuff.
We had visitors turn up with super flash gear, struggled to hit a silhouette, and never came back, which was a shame really, as that's inline with my performance when I started.

We alternated, which was good, silhouettes one shoot, paper (NZDA targets?) the next shoot. Paper was standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone, out to 100yds.
Couldn't do all positions and ranges in one day so cycled thru over several shoots to complete sequence.

Wish I could shoot as well now as I did then. Shot hunter class, 4x scope limit, Anschutz sporter.

Lived in ararimu in the late 80s early 90s, never knew there was a range there always went down to ness Valley near clevedon to shoot competitively at the antique arms range.
Or do you mean the other ararimu?

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Lived in ararimu in the late 80s early 90s, never knew there was a range there always went down to ness Valley near clevedon to shoot competitively at the antique arms range.
Or do you mean the other ararimu?

Ararimu as in out from Bombay.
The Small Game Shooters moved from the Ararimu range to the Antique Arms range. Shooting there was like shooting on the surface of the moon, being a working quarry. The club slowly folded after that.

The move from Ararimu was either a falling out with the Deerstalkers or maybe housing encroachment. Cannot recall which.

Interestingly the cops also used the Ararimu range. We always knew when they had had a shoot as we would find live pistol ammo on the range.

@grandpamac In my youth also attended several Deerstalkers national shoots. Whitemans Valley and Ohariu Valley. They were particularly boozy gatherings. Hopefully not tolerated nowadays.

I have competed the JM Wilkinson postal shoot a few times - though years ago now. Was a good format as it was just hunter class - no slings, no jackets, no heavy rifles, etc. Just you and your rifle.
I shot NZDA rimfire silhouette as well as part of the NZDA branch at the time. You get really good and your standing shooting, trigger control, and patience.

NZDA matches are, for the most part, fairly static and are based around the standard 4 unsupported shooting positions (prone, sitting, kneeling, and standing). These events are excellent at teaching and demonstrating shooting fundamentals - natural point of aim, trigger control, position fundamentals, patience, etc.

But I also agree for the most part national level NZDA shooting matches seem to be dying out. This is pretty sad really as NZDA is one of the few organisations in NZ able to take on widespread shooting training. I have not been significantly involved for a few years now so my comments are likely out of date. But i feel the NZDA matches have not "aged well" - basically they haven't moved with the shooting community. For example, most hunters will get a rest if shooting prone these days (day pack, bipod, anything really).

Look at the duckshooters clay target events, IPSC pistol shooting, Service Rifle (before the semi ban), and now the practical rifle events coming up. I think NZDA would be well served to take on a rimfire NRL22 match as a start.

Originally Posted by zimmer

@shooternz I shot 22rf silhouette at the Ararimu range for several years with the Small Game Shooters Club. Around 1988.

Nothing like silhouettes to deflate people. As you're well aware, either you get a "hit" or a big fat zero/miss. No 10, 9, 8 etc stuff.
We had visitors turn up with super flash gear, struggled to hit a silhouette, and never came back, which was a shame really, as that's inline with my performance when I started.

We alternated, which was good, silhouettes one shoot, paper (NZDA targets?) the next shoot. Paper was standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone, out to 100yds.

Couldn't do all positions and ranges in one day so cycled thru over several shoots to complete sequence.

Wish I could shoot as well now as I did then. Shot hunter class, 4x scope limit, Anschutz sporter.

Yeah I shot there for 25 years, I think I am the only person that shot in the competition between the Deerstalkers and Small Game for both sides
Geoff Brewer still runs what is left of the Small game as The Tokoroa Rifle Silhouette Club they shoot the third weekend of the month

Greetings All,
Thanks for your replies, likes and mentions. I think my first target shoot was in 1981 using my standard Remington 700 ADL with a 2.5 power Tasco scope and a hard plastic butt plate. Loads were full power either 180 or 150 grain. 20 to 30 shooters turned up to most shoots on the now lost Roy's Hill range. Reading through the replies sees the same story repeated with loss of interest and loss of ranges. Most of my shooting is on a local range that has shotgun, pistol and rifle clubs using it. It is not open to the public, only the clubs and there is no target shooting program. The Wilkinson was last shot by the two Hawkes Bay NZDA branches in May 2019 and only the Taruarau shoot still uses the deer target to my knowledge. I would love to know if there are any others.
Regards Grandpamac.

South Canty and North Otago branches have held a combined Wilkinson shoot the last few years.

Sth Canty at least was also taking part in it on their own prior to that.

Also using the deer targets still I believe.