I have known Bruce my entire life.
Ten years older than me, he introduced me to shooting, and was my mentor in F Class.
Back in the 70's, when I was a little boy i was lucky to spend many nights crawling around the Adelaide Hill Face Zone with Bruce in his short wheel base Land Rover watching him shoot foxes with his .17 Rem.
He had a huge knowledge of firearms, in many different disciplines, and had just about owned every type at one point.
He was very well read, not only shooting, but history - books and the internet, which he searched compulsively.
When he became interested in something he made sure that he understood it completely. He would research, and then test with his own equipment, which he bought very carefully. His keen analytical thought process meant that he would eventually become an authority.
Most of my time with Bruce was on the target range or doing load development. He was a very keen student of groups, and all aspects of acuracy. His vast knowledge about reloading from hunting,
F Class, and Black Powder was not theoretical, he confirmed everything himself.
I only ever went hunting / culling with Bruce once, a couple of years ago - shooting Camels, me with my 375, and he with his 9.3. He loved all aspects, shot placement, tracks, maps, having a sharp knife - he was a real bushman, and he analyzed everything.
Bruce was a deep thinker, loyal, conscientious, and had a wicked sence of humour.
He was a great Mate, and I will miss him terribly.
No more long phone calls with Bruce.
Vale Bruce.
