Any Target Shooters out there?

Yes brother I compete every weekend sporting target clays & use my network for night stays. Norfolk this week. Must be discrete thought" frowned upon 😜

Used to shoot years ago when OH was serving overseas, we had a ladies club. Haven't done any for years, though we do have a range in the village.

I'm target shooting most times I post on here. 

Yes Carisenior!  I'm a bit too old now but used to shoot small bore when I was younger, - up to County standard , but then changed to full bore and again did quite well, shooting at Bisley a couple of times a year.

Then it changed a bit, The Job I was in (The Police) got to hear of my private successes and posted me as an experiment on a Royal Marines Sniper Course at CTCRM Lympston in Devon.   It was the best and most enjoyable course that I have ever been on, but also the hardest physically.  I passed out with the highest grade, but had to report to my masters that the course was totally unsuited to our needs.

There is hardly any point in spending hours creeping through the grass and undergrowth and getting into a concealed firing position, when our rules of engagement required us to shout "Armed Police Stop" at the top of our voices before firing!

Nevertheless by the end of 1975 I was the Force Firearms co-ordinator and practising shooting rifles and Full bore pistol almost daily.   I totally spoilt my love of shooting, it had become a job instead of a pleasurable sport and I soon gave up competition shooting.

Then along came the notorious mass killings culminating in the Hungerford and Dunblane affair's.  And even though I was still a Police firearms Officer I had to surrender my lovely Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum and browning 9MM High Power .  That legislation was totally unnecessary,= the existing legislation adequately covered it but the forces in the areas of the atrocities had not properly enforced the law.  So people like me who were pursuing a legitimate sport had to surrender their weapons.

That would have been fine if it had solved the problem, but the truth is that today, if I wanted to buy a gun I could buy a serviceable one in any of our major cities for £50 - £100. A lot less than I paid for mine in 1978.

TF

Pretty pointless responding to this thread! But I note that the OP was 2.5 years ago. so I guess that I shouldn't be surprised!

TF

Hardly worth joining a shooting club. Just move to London and you can experience as much shooting as you want. Mostly with handguns. No license or registration required,------- just join a gang. 

K 

A very good point K. See my final para on post 22/08

TF

No I don't think it was pointless TF! You are a man of many parts!! I agree that the fallout from Hungerford was totally unnecessary and a knee jerk reaction. As you so rightly say, the existing legislation at the time had the incident covered. Not at all surprised that the course with the marines was the best you have ever been on- they are a terrific bunch of guys- mad as a box of frogs, but great guys. You must have had some great laughs. My eldest son was in the Navy and introduced me to some of them- I still burst out laughing when I think of the military humour! 

I agree re the military humour!  On that course were 6 Royal marines, 4 para's and two Policemen!  The Para's were by far the maddest! ( but I suppose that anyone happy to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft, must be mad)!  But those 4 often chose to demonstrate it!  Most of our cam & Concealment and stalking exercises were carried out on Woodbury Common, and we were usually driven there in the back of a 3 tonner.  Once on common tracks the para's tended to amuse themselves by jumping out of the 3 tonner whilst it was still being driven at quite a respectable speed!

The RM guys might have been great guys but the Para's were madder than two boxes of frogs!

I have nothing but total respect for the Royal Marines. It showed in the quality of the course Instructors who of course could shout and swear with the best of them. But one of their most serious accusations and the one taken to most heart by the course members was to be told " Smith (or Whatever name) That's unacceptable, you are not being professional, and letting the Corps down"  - Ive seen grown men almost reduced to tears by that accusation!

Going back to the 1st para above, whilst we were usually driven to the exercises in the back of 3 tonners, funnily enough the expected lorries almost never returned to pick us up after the exercise. It must have looked quite funny, to passing motorists, seeing 12 men, all dressed up as trees, double marching back to Lympstone!

TF

I'm into FT, Air rifleField  target shooting.  Great fun: