The Disciplines we shoot
Small-Bore Rifle
Precision small-bore rifle shooting involves the use of .22 calibre target rifles fired at paper targets at 25 yards indoors, and at 50 metres and 100 yards outdoors.
Small-bore target rifle shooting is divided into two categories: prone and 3 position, commonly referred to as 3P. Prone shooting is done lying down; 3P is conducted in the prone, kneeling and standing positions.
Prone shooting has the largest following in this country and is usually the position in which the beginner starts. There is however one up-and-coming variation of the precision sport: bench rest. This is shot from a bench in the sitting position and the weight of the rifle is taken by a rest. The shooter controls the precision release of the shot.
This is particularly suited to those with disabilities which may mean that they have difficulty with the heavy rifles. An extensive range of dispensations are also available.
Lightweight Sports Rifle
Gallery Rifle
This sport similarly uses the same 0.22 calibre rifle but in a lighter stock and with a shorter barrel. It is designed to do away with the heavy rifles and jackets of the precision shooting, and is a challenge on your core body position and trigger release as it is shot from the standing position.
It is designed to take a rifle “out of the box”, with magazine feed, either bolt action or semi-automatic, and with iron or telescopic Sights. Targets are normally shot at a distance of 20 yards; specialist jackets gloves or slings are not permitted under competition rules.
This type of rifle also lends itself to time-limit competitions of which there are a number, each specifying a time limit for the release of shots.
The gallery rifle discipline uses rifles similar in size to the lightweight sports rifles but chambered for centrefire pistol rounds (.38/.357 mag or .44 mag), with energy limits to comply with our range. These centrefire rifles are usually underlever types with a tubular magazine under the barrel which take a lot of skill and dexterity to shoot well in competition, but they’re great fun.
Sights are either open sights, telescopic sights or red dot sights on the gallery rifles and competitions are designed to accommodate the type of sight, but most people shooting competitively use optics.
Muzzle Loading Firearms
A muzzle-loading gun is loaded – as the name implies – from the muzzle by pouring a measured amount of gunpowder down the barrel, then ramming a bullet on top of the gunpowder. This is then fired in one of a number of different ways, depending on the type of firearm.
Muzzle-loading revolvers are also very popular for target shooting, with many different designs in production. Most of these are faithful reproductions of original, historic guns, and this represents an opportunity for anyone interested in the history of these guns to buy and use them without having to pay a great deal of money for the original.
The process of loading these firearms requires both the range and the clubroom so numbers are limited, but this discipline poses significant challenges in developing load consistency in addition to the accuracy requirement.
This discipline is normally undertaken after you are proficient with one of the other disciplines
