Shooting Overview
Target shooting is, as its name implies, the
sport of shooting at artificial targets as opposed to live quarry. It is
an International sport, featured at the Olympic, Paralympics and
Commonwealth Games. The game is about marksmanship skill; the ability to
repeatedly place shots in as small an area as possible in the centre of
the target. Real guns firing real projectiles are used so the activity
takes place on appropriately designed ranges and safety is of prime
importance. This focus on safety makes target shooting amongst the
safest of all sports and shooting develops in its participants a strong
safety culture with a self-disciplined approach to the handling of
hazardous objects.
As in many aspects of athletics, shooters
compete as much against themselves for the satisfaction of improving
their own performance as to be ‘the best on the day’. Shooting is both
an individual and a team sport and is one in which people of both
genders and a very wide age range can compete on equal terms. The sport
can be enjoyed by wheelchair users and, with modified equipment, by the
blind. Success in the sport involves learning fine control of the body
and, less obviously, also of the mind in order to overcome the stresses
of competition.
The most accessible form of the sport uses air
rifles and air pistols and needs a range just 6 yards (5.5 metres) long.
It is possible to set up a safe six-yard air gun range in almost any
Scout HQ. A greater challenge is presented by the more difficult targets
used at 10 metres, still a distance which many Scout Headquarters can
accommodate. The rifles and pistols used in this branch of the sport do
not require any form of police-issued Firearms certificate, making this
the most straightforward type of target shooting to administer within
the Scout Group or District( other than in Northern Ireland, where a
Firearms Certificate is required). Scouting has a National Scout Air
Rifle Championships and excels in this branch of the sport. Currently
there are several Scouts and Explorer Scouts in the Great Britain
development squads.
There is a type of air rifle shooting, called
Field Target, which takes place outdoors at targets set at a variety of
distances. The rifles used will generally be fitted with telescopic
sights. This may be pursued as a Scout activity, either within Scouting
or with a local club. The targets in use in this form of the sport are
generally set into silhouettes of animals or birds which fall when the
target is hit. Plain disc "spinners" and circular targets set into plain
geometrical shapes are available but are less commonly found in
non-Scout clubs.
Target shooting is also carried out using
‘small-bore’ rifles firing 0.22 inch ‘rimfire’ cartridges at ranges
typically from 15 yards (13.7m) to 100 metres. Usually, ranges of 25
yards and less are indoors and those from 50 m upwards are outdoors,
where the effects of the weather (most notably the wind!) present
additional challenges. For this type of shooting the rifles used require
Firearm Certificates (issued by the police) and the ranges need to be
officially approved for safety. For these reasons the activity must be
followed through a Home Office Approved Rifle Club. There are a few such
clubs established within Scouting, but in most cases Scouts should
contact their nearest rifle club. The National Small-bore Rifle
Association offers a ‘Clubfinder’ service and will be pleased to put you
in touch.
Long Range Target shooting takes place on
outdoor ranges (generally those owned by the Ministry of Defence) at
distances measured in many hundreds of yards and here the effects of the
weather become really significant.
The above was taken from scout
base
http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/ps/activities/factfile.php?ID=68
Air Rifle shooting takes place on Sunday
evenings. We aim to teach all that shoot Responsibility, Discipline and an
Understanding of Air Rifles and Air Pistols. We are governed by the Scout
rules and regulations as laid down in P.O.R.
Rules (9.37)
All leaders that take Scouts shooting MUST
have the National Small-bore Rifle Association Youth Proficiency Scheme
Tutors Diploma as a minimum Qualification. We are lucky in Keynsham that
some of our leaders are more highly qualified.
All Young persons under the age of 18 must
fill a
Parental Permission form
before shooting.
Any Leader or Helper or any person over
the age of 18 must fill out a
declaration to shoot form, This is a legal
requirement.
Ranges will be built accordingly the the
NSRA's YPS scheme and the Scout Fact sheet
fs120004.
Keynsham Scout Shooting Club
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