Last update 18 January 2012
This is an expanding list of frequently or pertinent
questions:-
You must bring hearing protection; either ear defenders or ear plugs.
You should bring lunch; the shoot divides itself into a morning session when we shoot at 300 yards, and an afternoon session at 500 yards. Each session consists of at least two details; in the first details those not shooting, mark targets, and in the second those that marked, shoot; those that shot, mark. Each session takes about an hour. Of course the members spend additional time setting up, and tearing down the range; target to and from the target shed, range safety flags etc.
You should arrive at least half an hour before the
'start time'; i.e. 9:30 for 10:00, so that you may be slotted into the
proceedings, get a preliminary safety briefing, see and get seen by the
members.
Additionally we will have to decide whether you wish to shoot TR or F style, or differently at each range. This takes time.
In
each session, you will have an opportunity to shoot towards the end of
the second detail. You will receive personal supervision; this is both
for safety reasons, and necessary coaching in a skill you have never
previously experienced.
In the first detail of the first session, you will observe how we shoot from behind the firers at the firing point. You will observe the safety proceedures, and you will observer how people shoot, how we record scores, the challenge of target shooting etc.
Having shot, had lunch, you will, in the first detail after lunch, accompany the butt party and will aid them marking the targets in the butts. You will learn how to mark, again with one to one tuition.
At last, you will return to the 500x firing point for the second detail, and again be given opportunity shoot. Having shot, you will observe the tearing down of the range and depart to mull over your experiences.
Joining a shooting club isn't just a matter of turning up and filling in a membership form. Although beginners are allowed to join. Each year the Club applies to the Regional Police permission to hold a number of 'Guest' days. This gives the Police the opportunity to attend such days as they deem necessary. It is during 'Guest' days that beginners may attend. Consult the Programme page for a list of 'Guest' dates.
Beginners will be supervised at all times by an appointed experienced Full Club Member and must follow their instructions.
All shooting clubs including Fife & Kinross Full-Bore Rifle Club have specific membership requirements that new members must meet before they can join. This includes being sponsored by an existing club member. Before being granted full membership, beginners will usually have to go through a 'probationary period' minimum of three months. This probationary period may be waived if the applicant is already a Full Member of an Approved Shooting Club (such details will be verified). As part of the application process and probationary period, you'll need to let the club know if you've ever tried to apply for a firearm or shotgun certificate and been rejected. You will also be required to provide 'Referees' to verify your character (such details will also be verified).
Police are very aware of the possibility of people joining a club so that they can own a firearm, and keep in contact with approved clubs (in Scotland it's by the Scottish Executive). For this reason, the club will keep track of how often members attend club shoots. If a probationer/member hasn't shot at the club for 12 months, the police will be told of this, and will investigate accordingly.
If you have attended many of the Club shoots during the probationary period and shown to be of a safe and reliable personage, the Club Committee will make a decision as to whether you will be granted Full Membership. If on the other hand this is not the case you will be refused Membership. In either case the Police will be informed as to the outcome.
On becoming a Full Member and you are subsequently granted a Firearms Certificate (N.B one of the FAC Application Form Referees must an Official of the Club) by your local Police Authority thence obtain you own firearm you are required to have its use logged by the Club at each of the shoots you use it at.
The process is somewhat more simple, as you are might imagine. Merely approach the club, fill in an application form. There is the probationary period and then full membership.
If you have any questions then please follow
this link,
where there is an application for membership form.
Anyone wishing to shoot under the auspicies of the club (member, guest etc.) must be able to confirm the following:- I am not prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition by virtue of Section 21 of the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended) (Section 21 relates to individuals who have served a custodial sentence of 3 months or more; applicants should however satisfy themselves as to the content of this legislation.) Also note that the Firearms acts require clubs to advise the police of any application to join a firearms club.
The target has marked upon it a number of rings. As the capability of shooters and their equipment has improved, those rings have been made smaller. Originally and until the 1970s we had 5 scoring areas. In the 1970s to further separate scores an inner 'Vee' ring scoring 5.1 was introduced. The capabilities of an F class rifle are such that even the Vee bull is too generous, and a smaller mark was introduced. [For F&K, for 2009, as decided after the AGM, TR-F remains on the TR target]
The target is marked from centre outwards with differing green / red coloured discs. The scorer applies the score appropriate to the discipline followed by the shooter in the score card. Therefore :-
| F-open | F-TR | TR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disc Colour | score | score | score | |||
| Green | Vee | 5.1 | Vee | 5.1 | Vee | 5.1 |
| Red | Bull | 5 | ||||
| Green | Inner | 4 | Bull | 5 | Bull | 5 |
| Red | Magpie | 3 | Inner | 4 | Inner | 4 |
| Green | Outer | 2 | Magpie | 3 | Magpie | 3 |
| Red | Hit | 1 | Outer | 2 | Outer | 2 |
| Green | - | - | Hit | 1 | Hit | 1 |
A photograph of a marker, in the butts, and his target is available on the gallery page of photograpghs.
Beyond the legal issue of you using expanding ammunition in your stalking rifle, and target rifle shooting is required to not use expanding ammunition, there is the issue that we shoot at 300 & 500 yards. Further using calibres outside of 223R & 308W, would mean your stalking rifle would not be competive against (say) 6.5x284, or 6.5x55 Swedish. In my opinion you would be better served by approaching one of the other clubs that use the BSA facility.
This is more a matter of the impact of legislation than
attitude of the club. The club only has a few members.
None of the members have Disclosure
Scotland accreditation. Hence the club is
unable to act in-loco
parentis, and minors must be accompanied by a parent or
guardian.
The club has 3 rifles [TR-5.56NATO, TR-7.62NATO,
TR-F-7.62NATO] for use by members, free of charge. The club
also stocks 7.62 & 5.56 ammunition for members, at
cost. However, please note, that to ensure these are
available on
the range for your use, the club officials need to be contacted in good
time. [A photograph of the ammunition we use is available here.]
On the range there are a number of tasks that must be completed to enable anyone at all to shoot. Therefore there is a reasonable expectation that if you are not shooting, then you are marking, etc. These tasks include setting up the range, 'Range-Officer'-ing, marking, clearing away the range after shooting. The Blairadam range requires range flags be positioned at the top of the hill (about a 20 minute climb), and at the north and south extremeties. When clearing away the range, it is necessary to rake the sand up into the shot holes of the stop butt. As can be seen this requires colaborative efforts on all attendees, and the day's CRO will endeavour to share the load appropriately, but it is never possible to guarantee that each participant will merely do one marking detail.
A photograph of a marker, in the butts, and
his target is available here.
Plot sheets include boxes to record the elevation, wind, your score and numerous other things. One of the more difficult but useful features are the grapghs; the elevation graph (L or R of the main diagram), and the windage graph (below the diagram.) As these graphs are built up they show trends and the limits of the conditions.
Alternatively one could be like the South Africans who
disregard plot
sheets and spend all their non shooting time glued to the spotting
'scope, tracking the mirage. In RSA there is much mirage, and quick
changing light airs; the veldt is high up and dry, unlike Bisley that
is nearly at sea level and as moist air. SA shooters, if they
plot at all, will merely record whether they missed up/down/L/R using
marks on an 'X'! Australians and Americans do not plot, for
they string shoot, and tend to chase the spotting disc: - shoot, target
down, target up, oops missed ½R, add ½L, shoot, and repeat.
The following example plots
sheets are believed to be free for
personal use; as 
Perhaps this should say, Isn't full-bore shooting
expensive? Of
course that begs the question of what is expensive! For sure
shooting costs more than playing football on a public pitch, and
shooting costs more than golf on many public links. However
compared to many pursuits, golf at a private club, anything to do with
horses, or anything to do with an internal combustion engine or
sailing, shooting is not more expensive. I have just read that most
well known championship golf courses
charge £300 per round! [Carnoustie, Turnburry, Lytham, Hoylake etc.]
Running costs at less than
£1-00 per bang, to cover the ammunition, barrel wear, etc;
i.e ~£30 per day. Equipment costs could approach about £4000 if one
went immediately for
the
best of rifle, 'scope, and other equipment. By way of a
contrast,
the last rifle I purchased, cost just £50-00 and even after rebarreling
I had change from just a few hundred pounds. My jacket cost me $70-00
[second hand]. And
shooting
equipment does not become obsolete; the rifle I purchased in 1979 is
still competitive; i.e. accurate. And of course one does not need to purchase all
the things we target shooters seem to end up with. In fact
sometimes I think having less means having to carry less on the range
which is a good thing!
Dangerous to whom? The participant? The general public near
the
range? The general public at large? In all cases the short answer is
[Target Rifle] shooting is not dangerous. My personal longer answer is
...
Which ever way you look at it, the statistics show that target
rifle
shooting is not dangerous, primarily because the Target Rifle shooting
community manages that danger.
Concerning the individual, shooting is not classified as a dangerous
sport in the way that [say] skiing, climbing etc is; as demonstated by
insurance underwriting rates. Shooters take safety seriously [hence the
Range Rules, which are published on this site.] Hence that danger to
the participant is controlled. Second, by law, before a firearm may be
sold it must be proofed at the Proof House. At the Proof House, the
firearm is tested with an over powerful load, so that having passed
that the firer can be sure of the ability of the firearm to handle
standard ammunition safely. Hence that danger to the participant is
controlled. [The Proof House, Proof acts etc, exist because in days of
old, metallurgy was a less exact engineering discipline and there was a
real risk that firearms might not cope with their ammunition.]
Concerning the general public near the range, again there is near zero
risk. Rifle ranges, and the range orders used on ranges ensure shooting
poses absolutely minimal risk to the public. Range geometry is designed
to prevent escape of projectiles outside of the designed danger area.
Further 99+% of target rifle shots go into the 'black' - never mind the
whole target face - and hence are trapped in the bullet trap made of
tons of sand in stop butt. So walking in the danger area, whilst target
shooting was in progress, would be safer than crossing a busy road. But
then again if any one is seen entering the danger area shooting stops -
see the range rules. In fact, target shooters are more a danger to the
general public when motoring on the public highway to and from their
sports ground (the range), than when they are when on the range.
Concerning the general public at large, again look at the statistics.
For instance, perversely, the number of injuries due to firearms has
gone up, even after pistols were outlawed. See the latest Scottish
figures. Why? Because criminals still have access to firearms and have
little practical problem acquiring them. The law is followed
mainly or only by law abiding citizens. Shooters, keenly aware of the
priviledge
of their FACs, are amongst the most law abiding citizens there are.
Just why, as a society, we do little about one [3000+ per
year],
whilst being parnoid about the other [~1 per year] is beyond me. That
is not to say that legally held firearms have not caused some terrible
events, it is just the proportionality of the response that concerns
me. Again using the road anology, in Britain, you are more at risk of
harm when crossing the highway than you are from firearms.
At the [2009] BSA AGM, the issue of cars on the range was
raised once
again, and there is now some clarity of what the rules are.
But first some back ground:- The lease that the BSA holds for use of the field, which the BSA inherited from TAVRA, covers use of the firing points and a small strip at the left hand edge of the field. The TAVRA right of vehicular access for was presumed to be one Bedford truck that could deliver and remove stores [e.g. amunition] and act as an ambulance. For the first 20 years of my membership of F&K, F&K managed without any vehicles on the range. And that was not because the membership was younger; we had then retirees - sadly now passed on, such as Tim MacMillan, Bert Schnazel etc. It is only in recent years that members have taken vehicles on to the range, and in increasing numbers.
At the meeting, it was mentioned that the owner of the field [Mr
Meikland] had sought
out a member of the BSA committee and that he was 'really
agitated' and had said 'sort it out or else I shall
padlock the
gate'. Perhaps because in the
past few years the field was used for animals this has not been an
issue, but this year it
is an issue for it is a commercial crop. It is most important
that clubs & members using the BSA facility do not abuse the
terms of BSA's lease nor damage relationships with the owners,
especially because the BSA hopes to negotiate an extension to the
lease.
Hence the following extra range orders: -
Whether that means that the one vechicle shall be a 4x4, I
leave to other drivers to decide; I, for one, do not
drive my [saloon] car up the range. The BSA AGM further discussed the
issue of car parking -- in the
field. It is felt that parking cars at the bottom of the field (i.e.
the triangular area bounded the gate, the acoustic wall and the fence,
approximately) was OK, if treated as a priviledge for it is
not a right. However again that has to be interpreted
sensibly, for damaging any crops would
be mega-unhelpful to the interests of shooters using the range.
Brian Woodroffe
sec/treas. 21/May/2009
Additionally,
the owner of the Binn wood has raised the issue
of the [commercial] damage to timber and to chain saws due to bullets
embedded in trees.
I know most [all?] of these bullets have been found to be 9mm [i.e.
military origin]. However you are reminded that the only place to fire
bullets at is into the target
face, or if zeroing or blowing off,
into the sand.
The range safety certificate is granted on the premise that, and the
regulations are formulated around the premise that all shots are fired
into the stop butt, and the purpose of the danger area is merely to
capture ricochets.
Brian Woodroffe
sec/treas. 2/Jan/2010
F&K shoots in the following classes, as defined by bodies such as the NRA, with bullet weights and targets as follows :-
Whilst there is a paucity of numbers, F/Tr scores will be classified together with F-open. Tr & Tr/F will be separately classified.
