The Phoenix is without doubt the best competition of
the year. It's the successor to the National Pistol
Association meeting, and is held at the National
Shooting Centre at Bisley Camp in Surrey, usually on the
weekend of May Bank Holiday. The whole thing is run by
an incredibly hard working volunteer crew, and it's
really laid-back and friendly.
There's generally about sixty or seventy matches on
offer for all kinds of gallery rifles, muzzle loading
pistols and long barrelled pistols. About a dozen of the
matches are for black powder, including
Bow Street Runner,
Cavalry Officer, MLAGB precision, advancing target,
and various kinds of timed and rapid fire. Finally,
mustn't forget the 100yd muzzle loading revolver match!
The good thing for competitition newcomers, is that
"standard" medals are awarded in the various matches if
you meet the requisite bogey scores, so it's quite
possible to take a really fine medal home from your
first competition.
Apart from the shooting, there's a whole host of other
reasons to go to the shoot. Bisley itself is a fantastic
historical remnant from the colonial era, and is worth a
trip in itself. There's a great trade show in the
pavilion, so you can stock up on all your shooting needs
for the year to come, and there's often a shooting show
allowing non-FAC holders to shoot rifles and carbines
under supervision.
