Glen Innes Pistol Club's new indoor range is one of the 10 best in the nation, according to Commonwealth Games shooter Bruce Favell.
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The range hosted its first competition on the weekend, with nearly 50 competitors travelling from as far as Sydney, Lightning Ridge and the Sunshine Coast to give the facility a try at the Glen Innes club's championships.
"(The range) got excellent reviews from everybody," Favell, of Glen Innes, said.
"Pretty much we have one of the best air pistol ranges outside one of the major metropolitan areas.
"It'd certainly be top ten in Australia. It's bit hard to compete with places like Sydney that ran the Olympics and Brisbane with the Commonwealth games.
"For a country club, for a regional club, it's an excellent facility."
Favell said the shoot fostered a healthy competitive atmosphere, with about a dozen personal best shoots and seven competitors moving up a grade due to their good shooting.
Bruce himself has become a master grade shooter in rapid fire, one of just three master grad competitors in the country, an honour to go with his medals from the Commonwealth games.
With the New England and North Western Zone Championships wrapped up, the club is looking to host another open competition in February next year, a prime opportunity to fine tune their aim before the national championships in Cessnock a few weeks later.
Favell said the club is hoping to be able to improve their other facilities in time as well, even if they can't get them to the high standard of the indoor range.
"We'd like to redevelop some of the other ranges; they're showing their age.
"The work by the members back in the mid-80s is starting to take its toll.
"We'll be looking at some possible grants and putting aside some money to redevelop the other ranges."
Another local pistol club which has recently done up their facility is hoping to be able to draw shooters from across the state.
Emmaville's rifle range is hoping an upgrade of their facility will enable the NSW service pistols title to be held in the town next May.
The Glen Innes pistol club still has a $1000 prize up for grabs for anyone who can outshoot Commonwealth pistol shooting legend Bruce Quick in a five match aggregate.
Bruce Favell described the target score of 28/39 as "not impossible", which is reassuring. The prize has stood for about a year.
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