Behind the Lens at the GBFCA European F-Class Championships
- Mac
- Sep 11
- 10 min read
Introduction
I started in precision rifle through the PRS game, thinking that was all long range shooting had to offer. Rheumatoid arthritis pushed me to search for something new, and I found Fclass. What began as an adjustment became a love for the rhythm, the precision, and the way every detail matters. Four years ago, if you told me I would be at Bisley filming one of the largest Fclass events in the world, I would have laughed. Yet here I was. The only thing that could have topped it would have been firing my own string, maybe one day. Soon I will have my first fully built Fclass Open rifle from Blake Barrel and Rifle and Fclass Products. That has me more than a little excited.
So with that commitment in mind, the thousands of miles flown, the weeks on the road, and the year of planning felt less like sacrifice and more like belonging. I was not just attending. I was carrying my part of this sport forward.
The UK greeted me three weeks before the Euros. Cameras in hand, I began with the 2025 Precision Rifle 22LR World Championships. That story is told elsewhere, but it set the tone. When the PR22 Worlds wrapped, I stayed. Batteries charged, cards cleared, eyes fixed on Bisley. The European Fclass Championships were circled on my calendar for Friday and Saturday, the two days that would decide the individual titles.
First Impressions of Bisley
Bisley first strikes you as you drive in. The road is lined with trees, almost like a wooded tunnel, and then on the right the wind flags begin to appear. Suddenly the UK NRA sign stands out and you realize you have arrived. The sheer size of the place is overwhelming. Old clubhouses lean with history, narrow roads twist through camp, and then the range itself comes into view, stretching to 1000 yards, a line that feels like it could run forever. Driving up toward the 1000 yard line you crest a hill, and on the right you know you are in the right place with vendors set up, the awards tent standing, and straight ahead down the slope a thousand yards of flags whipping in the wind. Rows of cars and tents from each country line the 1000 yard line, each camp its own outpost. This year 415 competitors from 21 nations filled those firing points. Those shooters represented many countries, including South Africa, USA, Italy, Pakistan, Croatia, Poland, Spain, Canada, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, Luxemburg, Norway, Japan, Slovenia, Ireland, and the four corners of the UK with England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Camps looked like small neighborhoods, flags up, rests and tripods laid out, ammo boxes stacked, and voices from across the globe drifting through the air as everyone searched for their place.
I set up near Team USA, more by chance than design, but it worked out well. Between relays I talked with them about travel, gear, and the bigger picture, the Worlds in 2026, right here on this very range. I walked the line too. Conversations came in fragments: a note about a home range, a surprise about Bisley’s quirks, a grin when I asked what it meant to be here. Different accents, different rifles, and a surprising spirit. Much like at the 2025 Precision Rifle 22LR World Championships, friendships formed quickly and the atmosphere was welcoming. But unlike the Worlds, that friendliness stopped at the firing line. Once the shooter dropped behind the rifle, the tone shifted. Seriousness settled in, and the range felt like a battlefield where each shot mattered.
What is Fclass Shooting?
Fclass is a discipline of precision born from fullbore target shooting. Prone at long range, usually 800, 900, and 1000 yards. Two divisions. In F Open, rifles up to .35 caliber with heavy adjustable rests, total weight capped at 10 kilograms. In F TR, .223 or .308 only, shot off a bipod, rifle plus optics no more than 8.25 kilograms. On paper it looks simple. On the line it is anything but.
Targets are cut into concentric rings. At 1000 yards the X ring in the U.S. and the V bull internationally both measure five inches. That tiny circle decides matches. In the U.S. we score by tens with X count for tie breaks. Internationally the rings are worth fives with a V count added. Both demand perfection. Both leave no room for error. Fclass rewards careful loading, relentless practice, honest wind reading, and the mental discipline to repeat under pressure.
The Structure of the Week
Monday – Practice. Informal strings at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. A day for zeroing, settling nerves, and tuning to Bisley.
Tuesday – SIDHE Aggregate Day 1. Matches at 800 and 900 yards, sponsored by Sidhe SRL Triggers.
Wednesday – SIDHE Aggregate Day 2. Matches at 900 and 1000 yards, part of the same aggregate.
Thursday – Benchmark Bonanza. A 1000 yard match that doubled as Day 3 of the SIDHE Grand Aggregate.
Midweek Aggregate. Scores from Tuesday through Thursday combined to crown the SIDHE Grand Aggregate winner.
Thursday PM – Midweek Rutland Teams. The Dolphin Rutland Teams Championship, two matches at 1000 yards. Eight member teams, medals on the line, and the Bent Barrel trophies up for grabs.
Friday and Saturday – European Individuals. Three matches each day at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. Daily medals and aggregates awarded, with the combined total deciding the European champions. GBFCA Silver Salvers to the top in both F Open and F TR, with engraved glass for the top ten.
Sunday AM – European Teams Championship. Full 16 member squads alongside 8 member combined and private teams. Matches at 900 and 1000 yards.
Sunday PM – Home Nations Challenge. England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland each fielding F Open and F TR squads. Two matches at 1000 yards, national pride in every shot.
Monday – America Match. The finale. National teams of 16 and 8 shooting at 800, 900, and 1000 yards under ICFRA rules. A contest with weight, history, and prestige.
415 competitors entered this year, spread across the midweek competitions and the Europeans. Even with late drop outs, each day put 350 to 400 shooters on the line.
Sponsors and Vendors
Events like this survive on the shoulders of sponsors. Their support builds the match, fills the prize tables, and makes the scale possible. Leading the way were Lapua, Berger, Vihtavuori, and Schmidt and Bender. They were joined by Aim Field Sports, Accuracy Reloading, Wind Zero, SIDHE Triggers, Fclass ES, Dima RS, 1967 Spud Reloading, Rodzilla Rests, Easy Reloading, March, MacDonald Innovations, Joe West Rifle Stocks, Seb Rests, Tune Your Rifle, Armeria Regina, Benchmark Barrels, Tri May Actions, Fox Firearms, and HPS Target Rifles. Bonus prizes came from Clear View Scopes, Cortina Precision, and Delta Carbon Products.
The vendors made their own mark. They set up tents that became crossroads of the event, places where competitors gathered between relays. I spoke with AIM, where I picked up a mat and a 55 inch drag bag built for travel. Deon Optics, March Scopes Europe, showcased new rings developed with Area 419 and bubble levels from MK Machining, now part of the March lineup. Their optics drew steady crowds, everyone wanting a look through the glass. Kowa reminded shooters why their spotting scopes are still the choice for many. There were more I could not reach, but the impression was clear: sponsors and vendors are not side notes, they are woven into the experience of the championship.
Friday – Calm Returns
Friday opened like a reprieve. After rain had torn camps apart and winds had punished shooters earlier in the week, the day broke with soft light and clean air. The ground was still damp and the air cool, so there was little mirage early, just a faint shimmer. This was Day One of the official European Individual Championships, the stage everyone chasing an individual title had come for. Excitement hung in the air, a sense that the real battle was about to begin.
The course worked its way back through 800, 900, and finally 1000 yards. At each distance three shooters shared a lane, all on the line together, rotating shots under a forty minute block. Patience was as important as precision. One fired while the others stayed prone and ready, waiting for their turn in the cycle. Behind them was its own scene: laughter, notes traded quietly, focus building as groups prepared for their chance. Waiting thirty minutes or more between details stretched the day far longer than expected, adding another layer to the challenge. Fatigue set in not just from shooting but from the waiting, the mental load of staying sharp and ready to go back on target.
Looking down the line was unforgettable. Rifles cracked in broken cadence, brass spun, targets rose and fell, and the range pulsed with energy. I had been more familiar with three straight strings at 1000, so watching the movement backward in distance was a treat. Each hundred yards added its own difficulty, and as the day went on the winds built, often saving the hardest conditions for the longest shots. Hundreds of shooters stretched nearly 200 yards across Stickledown, each in their own fight. Through fatigue and shifting skies there were still nods after a clean center, a clenched fist for a string of Xs, and a shoulder sag when a shot drifted wide.
Saturday – Titles Decided
Saturday came with teeth. The flags stiff, mirage folding and bending, and the rhythm of Friday gone. The weather had found its edge. At 800 yards, shooters tried to post anchors before the wind fully came alive. At 900 it turned into chess, flags flicking one way, mirage pulling another. At 1000 it was survival. The best rode the shifts, stringing Xs together. Others bled points, fighting to hold on. The line felt different too. Less chatter. No smiles. Just shooters locked in. By the final strings the wind was running hard, rapid and unpredictable, every shot a gamble.
For me it was also my last day here. The format repeated so I knew where to stand and what I wanted to capture, but I also gave myself a breath. I could sit for a moment, take it in as a fan, and remember why I came. These were shooters I follow online, hear on podcasts, watch in videos. Some I had met before, most I only admired from afar. To see them here, under this pressure, was something I had to slow down and absorb. The day was windier from the start, and by the end I was half surprised the pop ups had not blown away with how hard it ripped downrange. I wrapped my work about thirty minutes before the close, bought an ice cream, and let myself enjoy the last moments of this championship for me.
I knew there was more to come. The team matches. Eight man and sixteen man squads, a format rare in the States, one I had only ever glimpsed once before at a Team USA practice after Southwest Nationals. Missing that was a disappointment. I would have loved to see it play out here at Bisley. Still, as the day ended, I accepted I would not know the winners until later. Fclass posts scores more slowly, but I did not need a printout to know I had witnessed something remarkable. Relief spread over the line, handshakes passed between rivals, and quiet congratulations closed the day. Titles decided by inches and a handful of points.
Reflections
These two days reminded me why this sport holds so much weight. Gear and ammo matter, but they do not carry the day without patience and a clear read of the air. The rifle is only part of the equation. You shoulder it, trust your preparation, and face whatever the wind throws at you. Then you do it again.
The GBFCA, the NRA UK, the volunteers, and the range staff deserve recognition. Moving 415 competitors through a week of matches is a feat of organization and commitment. Bisley is a crown jewel of long range shooting, and when you stand on its line, you feel why. I flew to the UK for the PR22 Worlds. I stayed to finish the story at Bisley. Two different disciplines. Same heartbeat. Precision under pressure. I only had forty eight hours on this line, but they were enough. The storms, the calm, the Saturday wind. The flags, the faces, the history underfoot. To everyone who stood on the line, well done. To the teams and sponsors who made it possible, thank you. And to those who could not be here, I hope this brings you closer to the range.
Match Results: https://gbfclass.com/results/
Match Photos and Videos: https://www.blackplagueprecision.com/portfolio
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Great Article captured the true essence of the event :-)