When did you start Benchrest?

Joined SSAA in September 1975 and shot first match at Para Range in a Hunter Class event.

What was your first BR Rifle?

In 1978 purchased a used rifle – a Remington chambered in .222 Rem by Nev Madden then trading as PSECO
The first group I fired out of it was a .195

Who have influenced and assisted you?

In the early days of my competition shooting the biggest influence and mentor was fellow South Australian Syd Miller who was the proverbial font of knowledge in all things firearms. His condition reading skills were also priceless– his most lasting lesson was watch conditions all over the range and not just in your zone. In later years the guru for me has been Stuart Elliott who I have had many great conversations with on a myriad of subjects including tuning, condition reading, flags, velocity and the general philosophy of shooting and competition. Stuart has well honed communication skills giving him the ability to impart knowledge, truths and principles of benchrest as well as being a competitor in a concise and meaningful way.

When did you get your first Hall of Fame point?

By winning the HV 200 yard Agg at the 1986 Nationals held at Para which happened to be State South Australia's Centenary year.

What year did you qualify?

I qualified at 1990 Nationals at Para getting 10 points by winning 200 yard in Sporter to become HOF #11 just hours ahead of #12(Stuart Elliott) and #13 Brendan Atkinson) so it was party time after the last event for what was termed in some quarters the 3 Stooges.

Where do you shoot most?

Canberra is my current home range. Whilst resident in S.A. it was Para.
My shooting interests outside group benchrest are Fly, 1000 yard and F Class matches and shoot these disciplines on a regular basis. Won the Pro Cal Challenge Fly event in 2005 and in F Class won SA title twice, the inaugural ACT Open, Ungarie 3 times and numerous club events.
In addition I am a keen hunter and involved in conservation programs that contribute to the preservation of wildlife.

What ranges to you like and dislike and why?

Likes -Para is up there as for a couple of decades was home turf and from a sentimental view recorded my 1 and 10 points there.
Silverdale as have amassed most points at that range plus it was the venue for my National 4 Gun title in 1988.
Dislikes – Little River. Brisbane also ranks in this category but only since the addition of all the walls and structures that take away the legitimacy of reading conditions.

Which matches do you most like to attend each year?

Australia Day and Portland as the atmosphere and social aspects are great and even if conditions or your shooting performance is far from what you would want one still has a convivial time.

Do you have any interest outside shooting?

Yes – am passionate about amateur radio hence the aerials on the car and house. This is a past time that has enthusiasts world wide and via this medium have spoken to people in far flung corners of the globe and have even tried Morse code in Italian.
Also have interest in computers. About here National Scorer, Max tells Benchrest Bulletin that the program that replaced the pencil and calculator and computerised the benchrest score sheets in the mid 1980’s was designed by Alan for a CPM machine or a DOS80 written in GWBasic still works in XP in 2009 a tribute to Alan’s talent in this sphere.

Have you shot overseas, when, where and how did you go?

Yes – represented at WBC1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.Over the years the personal cost in $ in terms for travel, accommodation, logistics and components have been considerable but have not regretted or begrudged one cent.
1991 - WBC1 Frejus France with 96 competitors LV G/A 21, HV 200 Agg 2nd, HV G/A 3rd and 2 Gun 4th.
1993 - WBC2 Kokkola Finland and with 97 in LV, 99 in HV, 22 countries LV Top 2
1995 – WBC3 Brisbane Australia 64 competitors, 7 countries LV100 Agg 3rd, HV 100 Best A group .106 and best of yardage,HV 100 best D group .141 and Winner of HV 100 Agg .2082 and member of 2 Gun Team that came 4 overall.
1997 - WBC4 Phoenix Arizona USA, 121 shooters and 16 countries, HV 100 Agg 7. 300 yard event held after the main events 18.
1999 – Dobiacco Italy Member of 2 Gun Team that ran 6th.
2001 - Nelson NZ 78 competitors and 11 countries, LV 100 best group of the agg .091 a world record for WBC events and the first “screamer” I had shot in a registered match.

What is your current equipment?

A rifle called “The Black Gun” that is very special to me as it is the basic hardware I got all my Points with. It is a Remington XP100 with a Treloar stock and over the years has been fitted with many makes of barrel – Tobler, Maddco, Shilen, Kreiger. Now days it is topped with a 36X Leupold but in earlier times when Sporter had a scope limitation a 12x Leupold for the class that had been boosted from 10x by Wally Siebert.
The other Benchrest rifle is a Panda with dual port (won in Super Shoot at Portland) with a Speedy Gonzales stock, Maddco barrel and Sightron 36x scope.

What is your philosophy for benchrest?

I never try to beat anyone, my main aim is to shoot the smallest possible groups and aggregate and if that is good enough to be at the pointy end so be it. Also never go near the score sheet to see where I am running in the field or take notice of the fortune tellers who are anxious to let you know what size group your need to beat so and so - I just switch off.

What advice do you have for new shooters?

Get the best gear available – don’t scrimp on anything.
Watch the winning shooters and copy their techniques.
Ask loads of questions. The people who can shoot will be happy to help. Forget the others.
Make a point of watching conditions and flags over the whole range and not just in front of you so that
you can see what is coming to effect groups.

Footnote – Alan Peake, affectionately know as Piki passed away on 25 February, 2009 after a short but brave battle with cancer.

Vale Alan Peake