National Rifle Association Journal Spring 2009 Volume LXXXVIII Number 1 NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION CONTENTS JOURNAL 2 Notes from the Secretary General SPRING 2009 4 Notes from the Director of Shooting VOLUME LXXXVIII NUMBER 1 10 Notes from the Managing Director of NSC 11 Notes from the Director of Training Published three times a year by the 13 Bisley Clock Tower Appeal National Rifl e Association 14 Shooting Discipline Matters Bisley, National Shooting Centre 21 Regional Matters Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB 22 Forthcoming Tours 23 Telephone: 01483 797777 Paul Monaghan - Trainee Aussie! 24 How a Team was Built 0845 1307620 (local rate) 28 RAFTRC Tour to New Zealand Fax: 01483 797285 31 NRA Club 100 Results Range Offi ce: 01483 797777 ext 152 32 The Maxim Machine Gun Comes to Bisley Clay Range Offi ce: 01483 797666 33 Introducing Our New Chairman E-mail: [email protected] 34 History of Ricochet Rifl e Club Website: http://www.nra.org.uk 36 Are You Addressing the Target? 37 Chairman: Robin Pizer Walch Pistols - Request for Information 38 From the Range Offi ce Secretary General: Glynn Alger 39 National Technical Offi cers for the Olympics Membership Secretary: Heather Webb 40 The Five Misses that Scored 25.4 Managing Director NSC: Jeremy Staples MRICS 42 Sight Optics Director of Shooting: Martin Farnan MBE TD 43 Your TRID and what to do with it! Financial Manager: Bruce Pollard ACA 44 100 Years Ago Editor: Karen Robertson 46 TRex - Refl ections After a Chilling Break Editorial Advisory Panel: 48 LMRA Tour to the West Indies Glynn Alger, David Cooper, Tim Elliott, 53 Update from Brigitte Rushmore Colin Judge, Tony de Launay, Steve McDowell, 54 Imperial Meeting 2009 - Costs Ted Molyneux, David Pollard 55 Young Shooters’ Fund 58 Procedure for General Council Elections Advertising: 59 Imperial Meeting 2009 - Ammunition Print-Rite, 31 Parklands, Freeland, 62 NATSS - An Evaluation and Suggestion Nr Witney, Oxon OX29 8HX 64 England Team to the USA 2008 Tel/Fax: 01993 881662 69 Obituaries 76 Letters Material for inclusion in the Journal should be sent to: 78 Summary Accounts Karen Robertson 79 Trade Members National Rifl e Association 80 Members Page Bisley, National Shooting Centre Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB ADVERTISERS INDEX Telephone: 01483 797777 ext 146 41 Bisley Pavilion E-mail: [email protected] 52 Centra 14 Norman Clark Production and distribution of the NRA Journal by 51 Diverse Trading Company Print-Rite, Oxford. bc Edgar Brothers 58 A Ford Material for inclusion must reach the Editor before: 20 Fox Firearms 1 April for Summer issue 51 Haring 1 September for Winter issue 45 HPS Target Rifl es Ltd 15 January for Spring issue ibc Midway UK 68 NSRA The Editor reserves the right to determine the contents of the NRA Journal 63 Old Sergeants Mess Rifl e Club and to edit or shorten material for publication. The views expressed by 46 Andrew Tucker Target Sports contributors are not necessarily those of the Publishers. Whilst every care is 10 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: David Dimbleby fi res the Maxim Machine Gun (see advertising the Publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting page 32 for article). Photo by Karen Robertson. unsatisfactory transactions. Artwork originated by the NRA Journal for its 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 bound to fail if the “Bisley Rifle Club” prevails. The NRA’s importance is that it has the gravitas to SECRETARY GENERAL persuade all the other bodies to come together to create a large signifi cant shooting organisation in terms of the sport and being able to infl uence the political landscape. On its own, the NRA has lots of history and it used to be able to bring influence to bear through its membership. Those days are gone and we can no by longer attract senior politicians or members of the military to represent us. We used to run an event Glynn that appeared on the social calendar along with Alger Henley and others. We are not even on the public radar today. As a sport we represent 6000 individual members and possibly 17000 others through their clubs. On this basis we are not a highly signifi cant organisation. In a sporting context the Palma World Championships may attract 10 teams to take part, National Association of Target Shooting Sports while ISSF disciplines attract 150 countries to compete. Recently a number of members have started to express In international fullbore shooting terms we are a big concern about the spectre of joining NATSS. NATSS fi sh in a small pond. is about doing something shooting has been unable If we wish to protect, promote and grow fullbore to do before, acting co-operatively to protect the sport shooting we have proven that we cannot do it as a as a whole. If you look at the results of both the NRA stand-alone organisation even when we own a jewel survey, carried out two years ago, and the more recent in the crown like Bisley. Our future is intrinsically version run by the consultants Performance Matters, linked with the other target shooting bodies if we are the outcome is consistent in that most shooters appear to punch our weight in future. to want a single national body. NATSS has not decided that we will become a They believe, going forward, that it makes sense to join single national body but it is committed to looking the various elements of the sport together at one level at the possibilities. At the highest levels within the to make it easier to join and shoot and at another level organisations concerned, there is a recognition that the to make sure the messages being sent to politicians formation of a single national body would be a good are consistent and in the interest of the whole sport thing but no one is as yet convinced it can happen not minor factions. because there are infl uential elements within all three The horrible truth is that the current national bodies national bodies that will not support it. have largely failed to represent the interests of shooters What a single national body looks like has not been because they fail to appreciate the wider picture and decided. It could be a loose federation or it could act only within the limited confi nes of their small be something more profound. Whatever the desired piece of the sport. Pistol shooting was a victim of outcome it must be approved by the three NGB boards this approach. Since then we have seen our rights as and then by the wider membership. Let us face it, if the shooters increasingly eroded as the authorities nibble interests of fullbore shooting at and away from Bisley away on the margins with changes to legislation and are not accounted for, the whole idea of a merger will interpretations of guidance that make the sport more not fl y. Perhaps it is time for the quiet majority to be diffi cult in which to join and to take part. When you heard for once? look outside the UK at the position of the UN and the EU on civilian ownership of fi rearms policy the picture Whole Sport Funding is equally worrying. The CEOs of the CPSA, NSRA and the NRA have worked hard since June 2008, with John Perry of There are those within the NRA who choose to ignore NATSS, to put together a Whole Sport funding plan. these realities, having taken a fatalistic approach to As you are probably aware target shooting was life, which in terms of ambition is limited to being awarded £750,000 by Sport England to be spent over able to shoot within their own lifetime. The NRA the next four years on the development of shooting has wider responsibilities to safeguard the sport for at the grass roots level. As a result of being able to future generations. demonstrate that the NGBs can work together, we To me the NRA is important because it has the have been successful in attracting money from central opportunity to make all the difference for shooting Government for the fi rst time to help with the wider across the UK. However, in its present form, it is development of shooting sports. 2 The plan put forward by the Associations was we were dismayed to learn that KPMG had not been comprehensive looking to deliver to a modernisation informed about our plans, in fact quite the reverse. agenda. Decisions on how the money is to be The NRA, after much debate, decided that, on a prioritised have not yet been fi nalised with Sport matter of principle, we would make sure our case England. The major proposal that will probably get was considered by the Olympic authorities. We approval is the appointment of Regional Development wrote letters of complaint to the Olympics Minister Offi cers who will be responsible for supporting clubs and the Minister for Sport.