When did you start Benchrest and join SSAA

I first started shooting at the age of 14 at the original Baulkham Hills Range whilst tagging along with my brothers Phill and Ken and used their rifles.

Would have liked to have joined SSAA then but had to wait until 1953 when I turned 16 as the Association’s Junior membership at that time was restricted to youngsters between the ages of 16 and 18 years.

Who helped you in the early days?

My brothers plus learned a lot from other older shooters in various disciplines as I was shooting a lot of Small Bore at St. Ives and Baulkham Hills and Shot Gun at Bankstown and Windsor in addition to Benchrest.

This was a time when rifle accuracy, bullet manufacture and hand loading improvements were in their infancy with limited components were available.

What was your first Benchrest rifle?

A Donaldson Wasp on a 98 Mauser with a heavy Sako barrel set in a 4” thumbhole stock with a 10X Pecar scope atop.

Please give us a précis of your involvement outside scoring but within the Association

Was in the work force and made a small contribution to the construction of the original benchrest range at Baulkham Hills which was the first benchrest range in Australia. Then around 1960 a re-vamped second range was built at the same venue had a heavy involvement with that construction and also took part in the building of ranges at Narrabeen and Silverdale.

In the early 1960s the Association was a loose conglomeration and I was part of a team of committee people that started numerous branches in NSW, including Crookwell.This same team was despatched to Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Canberra to establish and constitute their respective State bodies. Once these bodies were consolidated it was decided to formalise a National body consisting of delegates of the constituted State bodies and again was part of the formalisation of said body. Around about this time I was made a Life Member of SSAA (NSW).

How did you get into scoring?

In 1965 the Association decided to hold the first National Benchrest Championships, on a postal basis, and as I didn’t have a light rifle I considered competitive volunteered to do the scoring.

Bulletin note – Quote from May 1966 ASJ – a letter from then SSAA(Qld) President, Harry Madden in relationy to these titles.
“There is one man, Max Coady, of the SSAA NSW; to whom all who participated in these Championships should be grateful. Max Coady undertook the difficult and onerous task of measuring the competitors’ groups, a job he completed with alacrity and precision.
Anyone who has measured benchrest groups will appreciate the work entailed in measuring something like 150 targets, and then calculating the aggregate scores. Thank you Max for devoting so much of your leisure time to the common weal in undertaking this tedious task.”

From 1966 onward I was asked to score major events like Nationals that were 4 target events. In 1972 was appointed National Benchrest Scorer, Benchrest Awards Secretary and keeper of all records, positions I still hold and carry out to-day (2009). In 1973 National titles went to 10 target matches and I have scored every National Championships, since with the exception of 1979 in WA.
In 1965 the target count was 150 a long way in arrears of over 3,000 targets scored at the 2009 Nationals.

Have you been involved internationally?

Yes, although have never shot overseas have been involved in scoring on an international basis both here and overseas. In the 1970s SSAA benchrest shooters took part in International Postal matches – countries involved over the years were USA, Canada, Italy, and Germany.

I was responsible for sorting the targets of the best five in each class contested from all the states of Australia, scoring and collating the team aggregates. After exchanging targets with the US scoring committee in 1971 they were so impressed with the accuracy of the measuring was never asked to submit the actual targets again, except when a world record was shot.

Was asked to score for N.Z Benchrest at the World Championships they hosted and Oceania events in Nelson in 2001. Again in 2003 was scorer at Oceania Games in Wellington and have been asked to return in 2010 for the Pacific Rim Championships in Rotarua.

Scored at World Benchrest Championships that Brisbane hosted in 1995 and as Australia has just been awarded the same World Benchrest titles in 2013 scheduled for Silverdale have been asked to score again and hopefully can fulfil the honour.

Will you give us a brief description of your scoring machine

About 40 years ago (around 1979) I had a target measuring machine built that could measure to .001” as there was nothing, outside a standard vernier that could provide the accuracy that was required. The machine had an 8X eye piece and a 2” dial micrometer on a wooden base. The eye piece is still there but now it has a digital read out on a more compact Perspex base.

Induction into Benchrest Hall of Fame and other awards?

The induction came as a complete surprise but nice to know ones efforts are appreciated and I wear my #19 with pride. Bulletin note - quote from ASJ July 1999 “Max has been scorer and keeper of records, for more years than anyone wishes to remember and in that time has attended dozens of Nationals and
scored tens of thousands of targets.” Make that since 1964 and add at all levels to World Championship status. As mentioned before Max was awarded NSW Life Membership in the 1960s, then National Life Membership in1999 mirroring that awarded to my father “Pop” Coady in 1973 and then in 2000 The Australia Sports medal.

Where do you shoot most?

I started to compete in matches again about 15 years ago after purchasing a Remington in PPC that sits in an RTM alloy stock and now find I am shooting more since I retired that I ever shot in the earlier years.

Normally shoot in Canberra as it is only about 1 ½ hours away from home. Compete in the monthly benchrest event at SSAA Canberra and F Class and 1,000 yard events at Canberra Rifle Club. In recent times have been shooting Fly events at Tamworth, Batemans Bay, Canberra, Little River and Brisbane.

Which matches do you like most?

Matches I Iike best are LV and HV NSW State Titles at Silverdale, LV and HV Banana Coast at Coffs Harbour and the LV and HV Coady Classic at Silverdale.
BB Note: The latter event is a match dedicated to the Coady family as a tribute to their involvement to not only benchrest but the shooting sports as a whole.

What is your current equipment?

Currently use a 30-06 sleeved Remington with Kreiger barrel, McMillan stock and 36X Weaver smithed by Keith Hills for Fly, 1,000 yard and F class events.
6PPC Remington action, RTM alloy stock, smithed by Steve Sori for standard LV and HV Benchrest. .257 Roberts hunting rifle built by Bill Marden Snr over 40 years ago that still looks good! .222Rem, Sako 460 action with full Mannlicher stock. I still have the first rifle I ever owned a .22LR Lithgow, Brno#2, 22LR BSA Martini that gets a run a couple of times a year and Nikko U/O Shot gun.

What are your interests outside the shooting sports?

Since I retired from full time work play Lawn Bowls as a Pennant player and Team Manager.

With your heavy involvement in scoring, do you have any other shooting desires?

If I had the time and money would like to shoot every states LV & HV titles. To shoot a National championship is a real ambition – I am always there but have never shot this event and to do so would give me a sense of completion which is something I like to achieve in everything. I like completion in everything I do.

What is your philosophy towards Benchrest?

One should never give up – even if a disastrous group does happen. Every shoot should teach you something – even when you lose, don’t lose the lesson. Once a shot is fired on the business target, it is there forever. There is nothing you can do about it, except get on with it. Do your very best. Thank you, Brendan Atkinson for this quote.

What advice would you give new shooters?

My advice to juniors is give shooting a go, borrow your father’s gear and compete with him, it is
something that Father and son or daughter can do, and you can and will be competitive, with everyone at the shoot, whether 14 or 84 years old, we all compete at the same time in the same event, there is not a lot of sporting events that this can be done at. If Father will not lend his gear go with Grandpa.

We sadly lost MAX 23/02/2024