A relative newcomer to competition says experienced North Warrnambool Rifle Club members have played a major role in his elevation to the international stage.
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Warrnambool's Tim Free will tour the United Kingdom with the Australian match rifle team next month.
He will compete individual shoots in Scotland - a precursor to the main events in England.
Free, 55, will shoot in the individual competitions in Bisley and could earn a spot on the Australian team to meet Great Britain in the prestigious Woomera Match on the final day of the tour.
He credits Gus Gurry, John Laird and Roley Young for their handy tips since he took up the sport seriously two-and-a-half years ago.
His is also channelling one of the club's late, respected shooters who represented Australia.
"Two-and-a-half years ago I bought my first target rifle which was a bit of an old banger," Free said.
"I bought my current rifle off the late Graham Dyson last year, so I have had that rifle for about 15 months. That's the Real McCoy.
"The story with that rifle is that in 2010, the late Graham Dyson, who was a renowned shooter, went over to Bisley with that rifle.
"It was the first-time in Australian history someone won that title (the Brigadier Trophy) on their first attempt."
Free shoots two disciplines - F-class, which includes a sandbag underneath for stability, and match rifle which is "a configuration where you hold the the rifle yourself".
Small-bore, which involves 22-calibre bullets, can cover distances from 25 metres to 90m.
He'll shoot big-bore, which travels between 1000 and 1500 yards, in the UK.
Free, who works as a chiropractor and has lived in Warrnambool for three decades, said he had an interest in hunting as a teenager and the rifle club, which is based at Lake Gillear, gave him an opportunity to test his aim.
"It is just a different skill set and something you can work on developing yourself," he said.
"It is about developing equipment, ammunition, trial and error, changing one thing at a time to see if it works and then developing your own personal skill."
Young, whose coaching career spans 50 years, said Free was doing the club, which boasts indoor and outdoor facilities, proud.
"He's a rising star - a star already who is going up," he said.
"He's got a good rifle, he's got good intelligence to cope with whatever situation he's in.
"Tim is very receptive to little changes and nuances which enhance things."
Free encouraged anyone interested in the sport to visit its Lake Gillear complex.
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