Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a224683c0b71227c

Jump to content

Draft:World Benchrest Championship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: The forum post and 2 other independent sources are not enough to show that this is notable. Awesomecat (✉ / ✎) 04:08, 24 March 2026 (UTC)


World Benchrest Championship
GenreBenchrest shooting
FrequencyBiennial
LocationVarious
Inaugurated1991
ParticipantsNational teams from WBSF member countries
Websiteworldbenchrest.com

The World Benchrest Championship (WBC) is a biennial international benchrest shooting competition organised by the World Benchrest Shooting Federation (WBSF). At the WBC, national teams compete in precision rifle shooting at distances of 100 and 200 yards (91 and 183 metres).[1] As of 2025, the WBSF represents 35 member countries.[2]

History

[edit]

The championship was first proposed by American bullet maker Walt Berger and French shooter Hervé Du Plessis in 1990.[1] Berger and Du Plessis created the original competition format, which included a Light Varmint match, a Heavy Varmint match, and a novelty shoot.[1][3]

The first championship was held in 1991 at Fréjus, France, with 72 shooters representing 14 national teams. The first individual medal went to Du Plessis of France, while the USA B team of Brad Rosenthal, Faye Boyer, Lou Murdica, and George Kelbly won the Two-Gun Teams trophy.[1]

The championship was initially ran by the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (NBRSA), the sport's primary sanctioning body in the United States.[3] In 2001, the World Benchrest Shooting Federation was formed as an independent governing body for the championship. Graeme Smith of New Zealand was elected as the president, and Alan Peake of Australia as secretary.[1]

The championship has been held every two years, except between 2019 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the South African Benchrest Federation agreed to swap hosting duties with France, moving the 16th championship to Châteauroux, France in 2023 and the 17th to the United States.[4]

Format

[edit]

Benchrest shooting is a sport where competitors shoot at a target from a bench supported by sandbags or specialised rests. The goal is to place all shots fired through the same hole on the target.[5] The sport has minimal equipment restrictions compared to other shooting disciplines. There are no optic or barrel limitations, and beginners compete directly against seasoned veterans. There are also no classifications, handicaps, or gender separations.[5]

The competition has two main rifle classes: Light Varmint (maximum weight 10.5 lbs) and Heavy Varmint (maximum weight 13.5 lbs). Competitors fire five-shot groups at 100 and 200 yards, with results measured as the average group size in inches.[6] Groups are measured from centre to centre of the two farthest-spaced shots, with the bullet diameter subtracted from the overall measurement.[7]

The individual Two-Gun Grand Aggregate combines all four aggregates (LV 100, LV 200, HV 100, HV 200) to determine the overall individual champion. Teams typically consist of four shooters per national team, with countries permitted to enter multiple teams. Team results are determined by the combined aggregates of each team's members.[1]

The Walt Berger Legacy Championship was introduced in 2023 and was named after the championship's co-founder, who died in September 2021.[3] It adds another aggregate to the four main WBC aggregates to determine the Legacy Champion.[8]

Records

[edit]

At the 2009 championship in Pretoria, South Africa, New Zealand shooter Ian Owen set a world record for five-shot group shooting at 300 yards, with a group measuring just 1.191 centimetres centre-to-centre.[9]

Editions

[edit]
WBC Year Host country City Venue Individual 2-Gun winner Country Team winner
1 1991 France Fréjus Fréjus Tony Boyer  United States  United States (B)
2 1993 Finland Kokkola Lohtaja Denny Andrews  United States  United States (A)
3 1995 Australia Brisbane Harry Madden Range Tony Boyer  United States  United States (A)
4 1997 United States Phoenix Ben Avery Ron Hoehn  United States  United States (B)
5 1999 Italy Dobbiaco Dobbiaco Mike Ratigan  United States  United States (B)
6 2001 New Zealand Nelson Nelson Brendan Atkinson  Australia  United States (A)
7 2003 Sweden Umeå Umeå Wayne Campbell  United States  United States (A)
8 2005 United States North Lawrence, Ohio Kelbly's Rifle Range Jari Raudaskoski  Finland  United States (C)
9 2007 Austria Holles Holles Mike Ratigan  United States  United States (C)
10 2009 South Africa Pretoria Krokodilspruit Gene Bukys  United States  Australia (A)
11 2011 France Volmerange-les-Mines Volmerange-les-Mines Gene Bukys  United States  United States (A)
12 2013 Australia Sydney Silverdale Charles Huckeba  United States  United States (A)
13 2015 United States St. Louis Bench Rest Rifle Club of St. Louis Wayne Campbell  United States  United States (B)
14 2017 New Zealand Nelson Packers Creek Mike Conry  United States  Australia (A)
15 2019 Canada Calgary Rosebud Silhouette & Benchrest Club Joel Nader  United States  United States (C)
16 2023 France Châteauroux Châteauroux Joel Nader  United States  United States (B)
17 2025 United States St. Louis Bench Rest Rifle Club of St. Louis Wayne Campbell  United States

Sources: WBSF Events List,[6] WBSF Individual Winners,[10] WBSF Team Winners.[11], CDM WBSF [12]

Notable competitors

[edit]

Tony Boyer won the individual Two-Gun in 1991 and in 1995, making him the first repeat individual champion. Wayne Campbell won the individual Two-Gun in 2003, 2015 and 2025. Gene Bukys also won consecutive titles in 2009 and 2011.[10][8]

The 2019 championship was the first WBC held in Canada. It was hosted at the Rosebud Silhouette and Benchrest Club, near Calgary, Alberta. The event had 90 competitors and was directed by Canadian benchrest competitor Rick Pollock.[13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "History". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  2. ^ "Country List". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  3. ^ a b c "Another Industry Legend Lost:Walt Berger". The Outdoor Wire. 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
  4. ^ "WBC-16 change of venue – from South Africa to France". National Bench Rest Shooters Association. 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  5. ^ a b "Sweating the Details: Bench Rest". GUNS Magazine. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  6. ^ a b "Events List". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  7. ^ Dokken, Brad (2017-12-03). "Walhalla's top gun: Soeby wins 1,000-yard benchrest shooting title". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  8. ^ a b "2025 World Championship results". Benchrest Central Forums. 2025-09-22. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  9. ^ Oldham, Stu (2010-08-14). "Marksman's aim right on world record". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  10. ^ a b "Summary – WBC Individual 2 Gun Winners". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  11. ^ "WBC Team Winners". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  12. ^ "CDM WBSF Benchrest Reportage". Federation Francais de Tir. Retrieved 2026-04-05.
  13. ^ McDermott, Todd (2019-07-18). "Sharpest shooters battle it out at 2019 World Benchrest Championship". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
[edit]
This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.
Categories:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:World_Benchrest_Championship&oldid=1349156930"