Precision Small-bore Rifle, Air Rifle and Air Pistol Target Shooting are 'OLYMPIC SPORTS'
Precision Small-bore Rifle, Air Rifle and Air Pistol Target Shooting are 'OLYMPIC SPORTS'
What is small-bore rifle shooting?
Small-bore rifle shooting, involves the use of .22 calibre target rifles firing .22 rimfire ammunition at paper, cardboard or electronic targets at distances from 15 to 25 yards indoors and at 50 yards, 50 metres and 100 yards outdoors.
The practical skills involved are very similar to those used for both full-bore and air rifle shooting with the main difference being the type of rifle and ammunition used.
Small-bore Target Rifle Shooting can be divided into 2 categories, Prone and 3 Position commonly referred to as 3P. Prone shooting is obviously done in the lying down position; 3P is done 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, unless they have started with the air rifle, which is predominantly shot standing.
Two up and coming variations of the sport are Benchrest and Lightweight Sport Rifle.
For some people shooting is a recreational sport to be enjoyed with friends. For others it is an intense challenge requiring discipline, mental control and effort, with the goal of competing at club, county or international level.
Rifle shooting is one of a small number of sports that is open to almost anyone irrespective of any disabilities, age, gender and fitness, which do not by themselves define who will be good or bad at shooting as they do with some other sports.
History of Small-bore Target Shooting
Firearms first appeared in the 13th century. Guns however did not become reliable until Reverand Forsythe produced chemical explosives which ignited when struck with a hammer and Mr Whitworth came up with a rifling system which meant bullets could travel further than a few feet.
Target shooting was needed as a means to train soldiers to shoot accurately. Using paper targets was a cheap way to test the accuracy of the soldier.
In the Boer War, many British soldiers lost their lives due to the Boers (Dutch for “Farmers”) being able to shoot British soldiers from long distances. This lead to Major-General Luard and Earl Roberts recommending that working men should be able to shoot a rifle, so that Britain could defend itself against invasion. .22 rifles were chosen as it was cheap and could be shot indoors.
This lead to the formation of the “Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs” (later the NSRA) with its British long range championship being known as the Earl Roberts.
In the First World War civilian rifle clubs were used to train the infantry.
These days the sport has become world wide and the association with the army has become less important. Target shooting has been an Olympic sport since 1894. During the last 6 commonwealth games, British target shooters have won 131 medals (41 Gold’s).
Mick Gault has won 18 medals in pistol target shooting at the last 6 commonwealth games, including 9 gold medals (a record number of gold’s for any one competitor at the commonwealth games).
The next few sections describe the path taken from the early beginnings through to the sport that is recognised today covering the events, key governing bodies as well as some of the main manufacturers of Small-bore rifles and equipment.
Pre 1900
During the 1800s shooting clubs and organisations developed into national shooting federations. International shooting competitions were first held at the 1896 Summer Olympics, and the first World Championships were a year later in 1897.
The rifles used in competitions were either military or hunting rifles and the companies who make Small-bore rifles for sports shooting today were only just starting out.
1900 - 1910
In the United Kingdom rifle shooting as a civilian sport was growing from a military requirement. Around the time of the second Boer war (1899 - 1902) a need arose in the United Kingdom to increase the shooting ability of the general population in the event that the regular army could not withstand an invasion.
In these early years there were not many formally recognised rifle clubs and those that did exist were made up from Volunteers (the organisation now known as the Territorial army) using outdoor ranges with military rifles.
In 1900 the British Rifle League was created, followed a year later by the Society of Working Men’s Rifle Clubs (S.M.R.C.) and it was decided that civilians could learn to shoot using the comparatively cheap "miniature" (small-bore) rifles and ammunition instead of the standard service rifle. This made shooting more available to the wider population by reducing the cost of rifles by the fact that rifles of .22 calibre were readily available at modest cost, a sporting type rifle could be purchased for £1.00 or less at the time – this is roughly equal to £100 today, and the safety requirements for rifle ranges were easier to satisfy for the smaller rifles than they were for high calibre service rifles.
The cost of a gun licence at the time was 10 shillings per year, almost £50 today, and this presented a considerable barrier to shooting for most people. When the rules changed in 1906 people were exempt from paying the licence fee if they were members of a club affiliated to the British Rifle League thus making shooting as a hobby even more accessible.
The first international governing body for shooting appeared in 1907 with the joining together of a number of national associations, the name of this union was Union International de Tir (UIT - known in English as the ISU) with new members joining over the following years. The name changed in 1998 to The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
1910 – 1930
By the outbreak of war in 1914 a large number of UK civilians had learnt the skills of shooting because of the clubs supported by the S.M.R.C. and many of these people were willing to put these skills to use in the service of their country.
Following the end of the war in 1918 rifle clubs in the UK suffered from a combination of increased legislation for shooting and a reduced number of club members because many of them had lost their lives in the war. The S.M.R.C. continued to work to increase the interest in Small-bore rifle shooting and slowly over time the clubs began to revive.
The 1920 Olympics had the highest number of shooting events held since the Games began with 21 different events, this was followed in 1921 with a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow the ISSF to govern the shooting events in the future games, thus starting the relationship that continues to exist in 2017.
The end of this period saw the interest in Small-bore shooting increase and attendance at national and international events was very good. However, this caused some problems for the still new relationship between the ISSF and IOC. ISSF World Championship events awarded prize money and this went against the IOC amateur standards. The disagreement between the two governing bodies was such that shooting was excluded from the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.
During this time, both Anschutz and Walther continued to design and manufacture new types of guns, but neither had started to work on Small-bore Target rifles.
1930 – 1950
In the last few years before the Second World War the World Championships provided the stage for the first woman entrant in an international event, Catherine Woodring shot for the USA team and helped the team win the gold medal. During the same period between the wars shooting in the UK had grown once again into a common sport with over 2000 clubs and 60 County Associations across the country.
With Europe once more at war the number of affiliated Clubs in the United Kingdom increased aided by the formation of the Home Guard which is responsible for the founding of many of the clubs that exist today. The S.M.R.C. again assisted with training and range certification work and again, as in 1914, tribute was paid to them in the House of Commons, by the Secretary of State for War.
By the end of 1945 there were over 4,000 affiliated clubs and other organisations in the S.M.R.C., of which 1,000 were former Home Guard Units. In 1947 the S.M.R.C. changed its name to the National Small-bore Rifle Association (N.S.R.A.) which remains today the Governing body for Small-bore rifle shooting in the UK.
1950 – Today
With the sport fully established on the world stage the next half century provided the developments that turned the sport into what it is today. New competitions appeared at both National and International levels, more event types were added to existing competitions and new associations formed to help facilitate the development of new and experienced shooters.
In the UK, the post war years saw a decline in the number of clubs affiliated to the N.S.R.A. As the Home guard units were disbanded and the core purpose of Small-bore rifle shooting changed from the need to defend the country into a solely recreational sport, the total number of clubs dropped to around 1000. Despite the reduction in the number of clubs, shooting remains a very popular sport with thousands of people competing at levels from beginner through to world class.
For the newcomer, club equipment and qualified instruction is available.
Structure of Small-bore Precision Target Shooting
Club members can shoot in club teams in postal league competitions, knock out competitions and shoulder to shoulder "open" competition shoots, club championships, national championship. They can also be picked to represent, club, county, home country and British teams.
Postal address
Bedford Rifle Club Clapham Road Bedford Bedfordshire MK41 6EN
Postal address
Bedford Rifle Club Clapham Road Bedford Bedfordshire MK41 6EN