Smallbore Target
This is a sport for all ages and abilities from 12 to 80+ . Men and women shoot on a equal basis although there are some separate competitions for men, women and juniors.
.22 shooting is one of the least expensive ways of shooting, as a beginner you would not need any equipment to start, as all that you would need including the rifle, shooting jacket and glove are avaible at the club. This type of shooting is done in the prone position but there are other disciplines for .22 shooting they are usually standing and kneeling position. The club does have factilities for this.
You don’t have to be a top shot to get into a team because all the teams shoot against other teams who are on or about the same average as yourself. To be picked for a team from starting as a novice shooter is to attend the clubs on the days that is devoted to .22 rifle shooting where you will be given help and instruction and hopefully you then will attain a good average over a given amount of cards. The teams are usually A, B, C, D, E and F depending on how may teams your club has – A being the best team. So say you start in team D and your shooting average increases over the seasons you will progress to the higher teams and with practice get to shoot for your county or even your country.Most of the shooting is done on the the indoor 25 yard range We also have 2 outdoor ranges which enable us to shoot at 50 metres, 50 and 100 yards. Competitions are also shot at these distances in the same way as the other leagues but mainly in the summer months.
There are some long distance competitions that are shot in the winter called would you believe ‘The Polar Bear Shoot .22’ !!
The club is entered in various leagues on a postal basis that means we enter teams in these leagues that are run the NRSA our national controlling body , the Hampshire Rifle Association and the Surrey Rifle Association. We shoot the cards (targets) at our own range. These are sent to a person who scores the cards and sends the results to all the teams in the league.
This is a very basic run down on the .22 shooting at the club as with all sport it is not always as easy as it looks but once mastered it is very satisfying at whatever level you do obtain in your shooting career.