CLAY target shooters will see the results of having their shotgun stocks correctly fitted when Cloncurry Gun Club hosts the G. E. and J. J. Done Memorial 100 Target Shoot on Sunday.
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After stock maker Dennis Harwood flew to Cloncurry last weekend to assist shooters with stock fitting at last weekend's coaching event, many competitors will be using the altered shotguns in competition for the first time, hopefully with improved scores as a result.
Mr Harwood is one of only two stock makers in Queensland and Cloncurry Gun Club secretary Jim Molloy said being able to utilise Mr Harwood's expertise had been a boon for the sport in the North West.
"To have someone of Dennis' ability come to Cloncurry and donate his time to the sport is invaluable," Mr Molloy said.
"Twenty-eight shooters from affiliated clubs, including Mount Isa, Normanton and Cooktown, attended the weekend, with most having some type of adjustment made to their gun."
Fourteen shooters had minor work carried out, including changing the length and pitch of stock as well as fitting new recoil pads.
Mr Harwood also took three stocks with him back to Brisbane for major works, one of which is booked in as a full stock rebuild for a junior shooter.
As well as having gun fittings throughout the weekend, the event also included coaching from Mr Harwood, Wayne and Dianne Reeves from Normanton, and Mick McGill from Mount Isa.
Mr Molloy said the sport was thriving in Cloncurry.
"With such a large number of new shooters in Cloncurry, the weekend was imperative for those needing to learn the art of clay target shooting," he said.
Membership at the club has exploded from 10 to about 30 shooters recently, and the club encourages shooters of all ages and abilities.
"We have members ranging in age from our juniors, who are 12 and 17, to people in their sixties," Mr Molloy said.
The North West region has produced some of the finest shooters in the country, with several representing both Queensland and Australia, and Mr Molloy said the weekend's success went a long way towards ensuring the sport was still strong going forward.
"The coaching weekend was a huge success and Cloncurry Gun Club has to thank everyone involved, especially Xstrata Ernest Henry Mine for flying the stock fitter up for the event and the Wilson family who supplied saws and sanders for Dennis to use," he said.
Sunday's G. E. and J. J. Done Memorial 100 Target Shoot starts 9am.
