World Benchrest Championship
| World Benchrest Championship | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Benchrest shooting |
| Frequency | Biennial |
| Location(s) | Various |
| Inaugurated | 1991 |
| Participants | National teams from WBSF member countries |
| Website | worldbenchrest |
The World Benchrest Championship (WBC) is a biennial international benchrest shooting competition organised by the World Benchrest Shooting Federation (WBSF). First held in 1991 in Fréjus, France, the championship brings together national teams from WBSF member countries to compete in precision rifle shooting at distances of 100 and 200 yards (91 and 183 metres).[1]
History
The concept of a world benchrest championship was first proposed by American barrel maker Walt Berger and French shooter Hervé Du Plessis in 1990. Together they devised the format that remains largely in use: a Light Varmint match, a Heavy Varmint match, and a novelty shoot, contested by national teams.[1]
The inaugural 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 administered by the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (NBRSA). In 2001, following a meeting of delegates at the WBC in Nelson, New Zealand, the World Benchrest Shooting Federation was formed as an independent governing body. Graeme Smith of New Zealand was elected as the inaugural president, with Alan Peake of Australia as secretary.[1]
The championship has been held every two years since its inception, with the exception of a four-year gap between 2019 and 2023 caused by 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.[2]
As of 2025, the WBSF represents 35 member countries.[3]
Format
Competition is contested in two main rifle classes: Light Varmint (maximum weight 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg)) and Heavy Varmint (maximum weight 13.5 pounds (6.1 kg)). Competitors fire five-shot groups at 100 and 200 yards, with results measured as the average group size in inches. The individual Two-Gun Grand Aggregate combines all four aggregates (LV 100, LV 200, HV 100, HV 200) to determine the overall individual champion.[4]
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. The Two-Gun Teams trophy is the championship's most prestigious team award.[1]
In 2023, the Walt Berger Legacy Championship was introduced, named after the championship's co-founder. It adds a supplementary aggregate to the four standard WBC aggregates to determine the Legacy Champion.[5]
Editions
| 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 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 | data needed | ||
| 17 | 2025 | United States
|
St. Louis | Bench Rest Rifle Club of St. Louis | Wayne Campbell | United States
|
Notable competitors
American shooter Tony Boyer won the individual Two-Gun at the inaugural championship in 1991 and again in 1995, making him the first repeat individual champion. Wayne Campbell of the United States has won the individual Two-Gun three times (2003, 2015, 2025) and Mike Ratigan twice (1999, 2007).[6][5]
The United States has dominated the team competition, winning the Two-Gun Teams trophy at every championship except 2009 and 2017, both of which were won by Australia.[7]
The 2019 championship, hosted at the Rosebud Silhouette and Benchrest Club near Calgary, Alberta, was the first WBC held in Canada. The event drew approximately 90 competitors from around the world and was directed by Canadian benchrest competitor Rick Pollock.[8]
See also
- Benchrest shooting
- World Benchrest Shooting Federation
- National Bench Rest Shooters Association
- International Benchrest Shooters
- Precision shooting
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "History". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ "WBC-16 change of venue – from South Africa to France". National Bench Rest Shooters Association. 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ "Country List". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Events List". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "2025 World Championship results". Benchrest Central Forums. 2025-09. Retrieved 2026-03-23. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Summary – WBC Individual 2 Gun Winners". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "WBC Team Winners". World Benchrest Shooting Federation. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ McDermott, Todd (2019-07-18). "Sharpest shooters battle it out at 2019 World Benchrest Championship". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
External links
This article "World Benchrest Championship" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:World Benchrest Championship. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
