HISTORY

Welcome to the history category

Find out about the history of long-range full-bore rifle shooting. Immerse yourself in the lives of champions, Kings’ & Queens’ Prize winners. Learn about the team’s matches. Discover the links to our military – the ANZAC legends. Discover the treasures of the QRA Museum.  

Vietnam Veterans Day 2023 – BSC

On 18 August, we commemorate Vietnam Veterans’ Day on the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in 1966. We remember the sacrifices of those who died and say thank you to almost 60,000 Australians who served during the 10 years of our involvement in the Vietnam War.

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Roll of Honour Tribute 2023

Edward Frederick Robert Bage was a member of the Engineers Rifle Club in Brisbane. He enlisted and served with the 3rd Field Company Engineers in Egypt and at Gallipoli. Captain Edward Frederick Robert Bage was killed in action on 7 May 1915 at Gallipoli.

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ANZAC DAY 2023

We must never forget the sacrifices made by Australians during the Great War and all other conflicts that followed.  Equally, we must never take for granted the losses suffered by the families that lived on without their loved ones after the various conflicts ended.

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THE MUSEUM

Story time...

The museum covers over 150 years of experiences on and off the range. With a balance of army and sport and the role of our community and how they have shaped the sport of target shooting into the 21st century. Visit the museum and book a tour with one of our ‘legends’ who have lived the tales. 

QUEEN'S HISTORY

WINNER TAKES IT ALL

The King’s/Queen’s Prize started in England in order to increase the ability of Britain’s marksmen following the Crimean War. Queen Victoria inaugurated the first Queens Prize Shoot (England) in 1860 by offering 250 pounds to the best marksmen in Britain. 

Australia’s first Queens was shot in Queensland in 1878.

QUEENS' HISTORY

QUEENS' HISTORY

H.M. The Queen’s Prize

The Queen’s Prize is generally regarded as the most coveted prize in the shooting world. It was first shot for in 1860 when the Sovereign (Queen Victoria) gave a prize of £250 for the winner. This amount has remained unchanged to this day although in the original days, it was a considerable sum. The winner earns the right to have the initials ‘GM’ after his or her name (as you may notice in our team list). As detailed in the section below, there are three stages to the competition, the winners of the second stage earn the initials ‘SM’.

The final stage is shot on the last Saturday of the NRA Imperial meeting held in July. As the climax of the week, it is the most popular day with spectators as shooting becomes a spectator sport. Each of the 100 finalists has a board behind them showing where their shots have gone. A large score board at the top of Stickledown range keeps everyone up to date with the leader as the competitors shoot through the afternoon. After the winner is presented with the Gold badge (pictured below), he or she is chaired off by fellow team mates to the tune of ‘See the Conquering Hero comes’ following a military band and the range officials.

Match Conditions

The Queen’s Prize has three stages with only the top going through to the subsequent one. In most years well over 1000 competitors start off shooting 2 sighters and seven to count at 3, 5 and 600 yards. The top 300 qualify for the Second stage where they shoot 2 sighters and 10 rounds to count. From these 300, only 100 make the final stage. In the final stage, the shooters scores from the second stage are added to the scores they make shooting 2 sighters and fifteen to count at each 900 and 1000 yards.

The NRA UK King's & Queen's Prize Shoot Winners can be found here.

About Us

The Queensland Rifle Association fosters target rifle shooting and firearms training through our clubs.   Different classes of rifle shooting are conducted by our Clubs under the Standard Shooting Rules (SSRs) of the National Rifle Association of Australia (NRAA).

NRAA Quicklinks

Our Location

Belmont Shooting Complex