NATIONAL RIFLE JOURNAL ASSOCIATION Summer 2018 – Volume XCVII No. 2 £4.25£4.25 OLYMPIC DREAMS Following GB’s pistol shooters on the road to Tokyo SHOOTING FESTIVAL! Disciplines galore at the Phoenix BIRMINGHAM BISLEY BIG CALIBRES ON CAMP GLEVE MONO REVIEW NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION Summer 2018 – Volume XCVII No. 2 5 WELCOME 40 2020 VISION Andrew Mercer hails another glorious How Great Britain’s pistol team is preparing summer of shooting for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo 6 NEWS Essential updates, from potential firearms 44 MONO UNDER THE MICROSCOPE licence fee rises to the Inter Counties 2018 We assess the F-Class version of the Gleve Mono rifle 9 TREASURY REPORT Treasurer Derek Lowe comments on a pleasing financial performance for the 47DI SCIPLINE UPDATE: CADETS National Rifle Association Everything that’s new on the CCRS front, from discipline rep Robert Bruce 13 IntERNATIONAL DEBUT The Target Shotgun matches at the Phoenix 48 NEW RECRUitS included a first-ever international match, reports James Harris What the NRA is doing to encourage interest among young shooters 16 DISCIPLINE GROWTH Cover photo by Paul Deach The Practical Pistol events at the Phoenix 50 THE BIG STUFF demonstrated just how healthy this Managing editor: Colin Fallon A history of the use of big calibres at Bisley Sub-editor: Alex Summersby discipline is Graphic design: Harriet Knight Advertising sales: 18 PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY 52 F CLASS NEWS [email protected] Scenes from the various ranges and Everything F Class shooters need to know Contributors: Robert Bruce, Rebecca disciplines involved in the Phoenix Carnell, Robin Carter, Nic Couldrey, Chris this summer, from David Kent Dyers, Brian Fox, James Harris, Frank Harriss, Raf Jah, David Lacey, David Kent, 20 OnE OF A KIND Derek Lowe, Katia Malcaus Cooper, Rob Why the 300m Championships is an event 54 REGIONAL DEVELOPMEntS Mitchell, Des Parr, Derek Stimpson like no other – and why you should try it Nic Couldrey gives an update on regional Stock photography: Lee Bowditch, Paul ranges around the UK Deach, Matt Limb, James Marchington 23 MAGIC IN THE MIDLANDS We report from the second ever NRA chief executive: Andrew Mercer Birmingham Bisley 56 OBitUARIES Chairman: John Webster Remembering the lives of Haddon Donald Address: National Rifle Association, Bisley, Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB 27 MATCH REPORTS and James Thompson T: 01483 797777 F: 01483 797285 Shoots from up and down the land, from W: www.nra.org.uk the Cobweb Buster to the Ibis Rifle Club To contact the NRA editorial committee, Open Meeting 58E CAL NDAR please email: [email protected] Plan your shoots for the rest of 2018 with The NRA Journal is published on behalf of 30IN SPORT G SUCCESS the Marksman’s Calendar the National Rifle Association by Future plc. There’s a special honour for sporting rifle Address: Units 1 & 2, Sugarbrook Court, Aston Road, Bromsgrove, Worcs B60 3EX shooters proficient at 500m or more – we 60 RESULTS T: 01225 442244 reveal what it is Our full classified results service from the E: [email protected] 32 An EVEnt OF CALIBRE Phoenix, the Birmingham Bisley and more All contents © 2018 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, Some big calibres were on show at the stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. inaugural SRHB range day 62I NOT CES 34 A KUT ABOVE THE REST Essential updates for NRA members The Kut El Amara is a shoot of unique appeal for historic service rifle fans. Raf Jah 64 TRADE MEMBERS was there The full NRA trade member list 38 IMPERIAL 2019 Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne 66 MESSAGE 10 company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford A look ahead to the 150th anniversary of London Stock Exchange Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand A chat with three-time Queen’s Prize winner (symbol: FUTR) the Imperial Meeting and the celebrations www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 taking place to mark this milestone David Calvert National Rifle Association 3 Chief Executive | WELCOME Promoting the sport NRA CEO Andrew Mercer comments that we should all be doing more to spread positive messages about shooting and engage non-shooters he government published the delayed that shooting is a proper sport enjoyed by Offensive Weapons Bill in early June nearly a million decent and responsible Tand paid scant attention to the 8,000 people. We will be seeking ‘good news’ stories or so responses to the consultation paper of any type of target shooting to promote from the shooting community. The first through our social media channels. reading of the Bill was followed a week later At Bisley we are working our way through by the second reading, allowing just enough the Imperial meeting. It is always a pleasure time for us to send out briefing notes to MPs. to welcome the services teams to our ranges, Hansard’s report included a good number of and I was delighted to meet competitors from positive comments, particularly in support Oman, Canada, USA, Germany as well as of the use of .50" calibre rifles in target the Royal Navy, RAF and British Army. It is shooting; we are working up amendments to wrong to name a favourite child or shooting present as the Bill progresses. competition, but a special mention must be If a shooter wishes to place a camera or The Bill risks setting a dangerous made of the Military Adaptive Championship, sensor on their target or the mantlet, precedent as it proposes banning certain which attracted a record number of injured they will have to expose a part of their firearms without evidence or credible service personnel this year. Melville range was body above the mantlet to do so, or arrive justification. I am grateful for the support we the venue for a cracking day of competition, before the commencement of shooting and received from NRA members who contacted supported by a large number of volunteers. remain until cessation. The temptation to their MPs to express their concerns; many of Our friends from the MLAGB once again ‘quickly remove the device’ presents a risk. the comments made in Parliament originated provided the opportunity to experience A system failure during shooting will from this correspondence. the magic of black powder; the infectious undoubtedly result in an attempt at repair. The proposals are a result, in part, of a enthusiasm of Paul Wolpe, Allan Whiffin and Equipment presented above the mantlet is wider problem, namely that shooting is Paul Roberts added much to a successful day. a ricochet risk irrespective of advertising. poorly understood or recognised by the public Facebook is our medium of choice to A ricochet induced by equipment installed at large. Responsibility for this lies with the publicise these and most events; to my on the target could deflect a bullet into the shooting community; for too long we have surprise, a relatively recent initiative of markers’ gallery. With markers operating on grumbled among ourselves and promoted posting live streams has proved very popular neighbouring lanes, this is not acceptable. our own favoured form of shooting to our and regularly attracts over 2,000 views. A strike on any equipment on the mantlet supporters. The shooting community is The introduction of electronic targetry on will reduce velocity, increasing the likelihood enormous with 2.25 million legally held Century and Stickledown ranges has been a of ricochet into the markers’ gallery. firearms across the UK; however, I can find resounding success. The ability to view the fall scant effort invested in promoting shooting of shot almost immediately makes the ranges Finally, it is worth mentioning the current to those who neither know nor care about it. much more efficient but more importantly it lack of shooting at the 2022 Commonwealth We the NRA are as guilty as any; while our gives an accurate read-out of the strike and, Games, to be hosted by Birmingham. There social media channels are ‘liked’ by 30,000 now that most of the teething problems have has been much chest-beating and blame- individuals and have a weekly reach of up to been resolved, is less likely to let you down on shedding on this matter, but the simple fact 200,000, our output largely aims to garner the a Saturday morning than a marker. is that Birmingham have yet to be persuaded attention of the target shooting community. We continue to monitor target system to include shooting in their Games. We Having belatedly realised our lack of technology, and are acutely aware of other have offered Bisley as a venue, applying the effort in this area, we are now working up systems, some of which are designed for logic that facilities deemed good enough a carefully crafted programme to promote personal use and relatively cheap to buy. for Manchester in 2002, with modest target shooting to those who do not know We are receiving an increasing number of investment, would surely suit Birmingham or care about the sport. Our expectations requests to place such items on our targets, in 2022. We continue to press for shooting to are modest; we do not seek to recruit new or on the mantlet. Our denial is causing some be included in the Games and plan to engage members or encourage participation in our frustration and, in defence of the range staff, with the Games delivery team once they are sport, but aspire to inform the wider public I feel I must explain my reasoning.