Team training continues ahead of Long and Short Range title defence

West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council (WIFBSC) Long and Short Range defending champions, Guyana, will be aiming to retain their titles when they host this year’s championships which forms part of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA) 150th Anniversary celebrations from October 9-15.
Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud who has sat at the helm of this nation’s dominance throughout the region has disclosed that Team practice will continue to be the focus of the region’s marksmen leading up to next month’s competition which will see participation from Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, USA, Scotland, Wales and the Falkland Islands.

The last Team practice session took place on Sunday last at the Timehri Rifle Range and Persaud informed that the scores recorded were impressive and augers well for the upcoming 150th championships.
Persaud and countryman Lennox Braithwaite recently returned from competing at the Canadian National Championships, their participation being partly funded by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA).
The duo recorded some impressive scores Persaud reported while both also recorded four possibles each while notching scores of one off that is 49 and 74. Persaud’s four possibles were – 75:7 in the Army and Navy shoot where he won the silver medal with this shoot losing out on the Gold by a single V. He shot 50:6 in the Macdougal 300 meters, 50:4 at the Macdougal 500 yards and 50:4 at the Beckett 300 meter.
Braithwaite’s possible’s were 50:5 in the Macdougal 500 yards, 50:5 in the Brick 600 yards. In the Gibson 600 yards he shot 50:8 and 50:5 in the Hayhurst 500yards.
Persaud also had scores of 74:8 at the Long Range Challenge 1, 74:8 in the Ottawa Regiment, 74:11 at the LR Challenge 3, 49:7 in the Gooderham 500, 49:5 in the Gooderham 600, 49:7 in the Tilton 300m, 49:9 at the Beckett 800m, 49:3 in the Brick 600, 49:5 in the Gibson 600 and 74:4 in the Gatineau 900 meters.
Braithwaite’s one off scores recorded were 49:5 in the President’s 600 yards, 49:5 at the Macdougal 300 meter and 49:3 in the Tilton 300 meter.
The Captain also informed that Braithwaite, who did a course on re-loading ammunition a few year ago did the reloading of ammunition alongside a former Guyana top marksman, Paul Archer who now resides in Toronto, Canada for the shooters to save on cost and to improve on accuracy.
“The reloads turned out to be fantastic and once done properly will improve accuracy and keep the cost of ammunition down. Reloading of target quality ammunition is being done by shooters from all over the world from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa, hence their dominance of target rifle shooting.”
“It is however not being done in the Caribbean as yet. It brings the cost of shooting down by 50% where one round of factory made ammunition could cost as much as USD $1.50 to $2.00.”
Participation in Canada Persaud informed forms part of the duo’s training for the Commonwealth Games next year in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
“We plan to go to the CSF in Australia immediately after our 150th since it is an exact course of fire as the CG 2018 and shot on the same range. Most of the other Countries will be there having a test run. This was part of our training programme which was submitted to GOA, two years ago.”
Five shooters were initially shortlisted by the GuyanaNRA but it has now been whittled down to Persaud and Braithwaite who would have been this nation’s reps at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, two year ago.
At those games, the duo placed 6th in the pair’s event finishing 5 points off the bronze medal.