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National Rifle Association Journal Spring 2008 Volume LXXXVII Number 1 NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION CONTENTS JOURNAL 2 Notes from the Secretary General SPRING 2008 4 Notes from the Director of Shooting VOLUME LXXXVII NUMBER 1 10 Notes from the Managing Director of NSC 12 Notes from the Director of Training Published three times a year by the 14 Regional Matters National Rifl e Association 19 Notes from the Firearms Liaison Offi cer Bisley, National Shooting Centre 21 National Shooting Week Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB 22 Shooting Discipline Matters Telephone: 01483 797777 24 NRA Rifl e Club Hundred 0845 1307620 (local rate) 26 What exactly does John Gardener do? Fax: 01483 797285 28 NRA Tramway and London and South Range Offi ce: 01483 797777 ext 152 Western Railway 36 Shooting Mentors (Aunts and Uncles Clay Range Offi ce: 01483 797666 Scheme) E-mail: [email protected] 37 Dolphin Lodge Website: http://www.nra.org.uk 38 Imperial Meeting 2008 Chairman: Bill Richards 40 Introducing our New Chairman Secretary General: Glynn Alger 42 Muzzle Energy Membership Secretary: Heather Webb 44 Woodstock Rifl e and Pistol Club 45 CLA Game Fair Managing Director NSC: Jeremy Staples MRICS 46 The First Canadian Rifl e Team Director of Shooting: Martin Farnan MBE TD 49 OBE for Mick Gault Financial Manager: Bruce Pollard ACA 50 General Council and Committee Attendance Editor: Karen Robertson 51 Procedure for General Council Elections Editorial Advisory Panel: 52 100 Years Ago Glynn Alger, Colin Judge, Tony de Launay, 55 T Rex and the Hakosaur Ted Molyneux, Carol Painting, Robert Stafford 56 Obituaries Advertising: 60 Letters 62 NRA Signs up to Bingolotto Print-Rite, 31 Parklands, Freeland, 63 Trade Members Nr Witney, Oxon OX29 8HX 64 Members Page Tel/Fax: 01993 881662 Material for inclusion in the Journal should be sent to: ADVERTISERS INDEX Karen Robertson National Rifl e Association 41 Bisley Pavilion Bisley, National Shooting Centre 48 Border Barrels Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB 48 Centra Telephone: 01483 797777 ext 146 17 Churchleys Gun Shop E-mail: [email protected] 15 Norman Clark 10 Coconut Court Production and distribution of the NRA Journal by 43 Diverse Trading Company Print-Rite, Oxford. bc Edgar Brothers 51 A Ford Material for inclusion must reach the Editor before: 47 Fox Firearms 1 April for Summer issue 43 Haring 1 September for Winter issue 11 HPS Target Rifl es Ltd 15 January for Spring issue 45 Imperial Security Products ibc Midway UK 20 NSRA The Editor reserves the right to determine the contents of the NRA Journal 9 Surrey Guns and to edit or shorten material for publication. The views expressed by 18 Andrew Tucker Target Sports contributors are not necessarily those of the Publishers. Whilst every care is 19 TWP Designs taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate, the Publishers assume no responsibility for errors. The publication of advertisements or ifc Viking Arms editorial relating to fi rearms or associated requisites is not a guarantee that such items are endorsed by the NRA. Whilst every care is taken with Cover photo: Bill Ellis of the Highpower Rifl e Association competing advertising the Publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting in the NRA Civilian Service Rifl e Meeting held on Sunday 2 March unsatisfactory transactions. Artwork originated by the NRA Journal for its at Bisley. Photo by Iain Robertson. customers will remain under the copyright of the NRA Journal and may only be reproduced with specifi c permission. Every possible care will be taken of Expected publication dates manuscripts and photographs but the Publishers cannot accept responsibility Spring End of February for any loss or damage however caused. The NRA Journal reserves copyright Summer Middle of May on all material contained in the Journal. Winter October/November 1 NOTES FROM THE issues by keeping young people shooting, through schools and the cadet movement, by introducing the SECRETARY GENERAL cadet rifl e, thus acting as a feeder into target shooting, ensuring that, compared with elsewhere in the world, target rifl e remains healthy in the UK. The National Rifl e Association has, for a long time, had a policy of supporting youth because this ensures the future health of shooting in the UK. For instance, the UK has resisted the move to hand-loaded ammunition by in its major events to ensure young shooters are not deterred by the need to source or make hand-loads and Glynn to make sure they can compete on equal terms. We Alger have stuck to this decision, despite criticism, because we have seen fi rst-hand the adverse effect this has had on youth shooting in other countries. The latest threat to TR shooting in the UK is posed by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifl e Muzzle Energy Associations (ICFRA) and the determination to fundamentally change the sport by making shooting The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has recently informed increasingly technical, thus expensive. In recent the NRA that the MoD is not prepared to accept any times we have seen ICFRA approve the introduction risk arising from civilians using MoD ranges (which of eagle-eye sights, reduction in trigger weights and includes Bisley). The NRA is in the process of agreeing changes to conditions around rifl e weights. In our the procedures that will allow clubs to continue survey regarding eagle eye sights, young shooters shooting on MoD ranges. Additional procedures on expressed grave concern about the expense issue. The the range will apply to those using rifl e/ammunition NRA could not approve a reduction in trigger weights combinations exceeding 4500 Joules muzzle energy at a time when we have to introduce exhaustive safety - broadly, the larger and more powerful loads in F measures to enable civilians to continue to shoot on Class and Match Rifl e. Negotiations with MoD are military ranges. We have been and will be derided ongoing. Please read the article on page 42 for the for not supporting the changes to international rules. latest details. More importantly these changes have the potential History Repeating Itself? to adversely affect the ability of overseas visitors to Up until the 1970s most target shooters used compete in the UK. common equipment based upon the service rifle The end result of the drive towards a more and more and ammunition. As a result there was a common technical sport is, inevitably, the contraction of that understanding among the target shooting community sport. whether a serviceman, reservist, cadet, club, county, There seems to be a fundamental view in ICFRA that regional, national or international shot, that everyone ‘if you are having trouble shooting straight there is used basically the same equipment and could compete a technical answer to solve it.’ This may work for a at their desired level but, at the same time, understand few but it has dire consequences for any intentions to the drivers of others in the sport. broaden the appeal of our sport. During the early 70s the NRA was presented with a dilemma with the move to Self Loading Rifl es by the Luck of the Irish military. The new service rifl e was not accurate up to As you may be aware there is currently a dispute distances of 1000 yards, hence in target rifl e circles there between the various factions that wish to be recognised was a decision to move to more bespoke designs for as representing Ireland. The main protagonists are long range shooting, which effectively split the sport the Irish Rifl e Club (IRC) (formerly the Irish Rifl e into factions, divided by differences in equipment. Association (IRA)) and the newly formed National Effectively this decision changed a cohesive sport, Rifl e Association of Ireland (NRAI). The background where nearly everyone used the same type of rifl es, to this dispute is that the IRC has a long history into a divided one as TR, in particular, became more (traceable back to 1867) and traditionally acted as the and more technical and expensive. At a domestic level selectors of any Ireland (All Ireland) teams. Effectively the sport would probably have remained healthier if the IRC for years have selected representatives from there had been a decision to introduce some sort of both north and south of the border to represent Ireland ‘standard rifl e’ for all, to allow competition to continue in international competitions. on a level playing fi eld. However, with a change in the law in the Republic However, we are where we are. In the interim, those recently there has been an increased interest in involved in the sport have addressed some of the shooting sports. The NRAI was created in the Republic 2 of Ireland and quite rightly asked to be recognised. However, they identifi ed fi ve key priorities for the Both parties approached the NRA to adjudicate as to new body to succeed: who had the authority to select teams. The Association • Protection of the sport adopted a view that it was not in a position to make such a decision in that the NRAI and the IRC had • Repositioning of the sport in the media and claims that each interfered with the other. public perception Our advice to both parties was that they should • Introduction of sports shooting in schools talk to each other and come to an agreement similar • Widening and increasing membership to that which exists in Rugby Union, whereby the Republic and Northern Ireland have come to a mutual • Protecting the heritage of the sport agreement over a selection process. As is usual in these Basically we are being told that if we get better at circumstances one party or the other will probably publicising, marketing and protecting our sport to take things badly and assume one is taking sides.