National Rifle Association Journal Spring 2011 Volume XC Number 1
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National Rifle Association Journal Spring 2011 Volume XC Number 1 NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION Contents JOURNAL 2 Charges for 2011 SPRING 2011 3 Notes from the Secretary General VOLUME XC NUMBER 1 6 Shooting Matters – Competitions Published three times a year by the 12 Notes from the Managing Director of NSC National Rifle Association 14 Shooting Matters – Range Operations Bisley, National Shooting Centre 15 Notes from the Director of Training Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB 18 Notes from the Firearms Liaison Officer Telephone: 01483 797777 21 Shooting Discipline Matters 0845 1307620 (local rate) 27 Regional Matters Fax: 01483 797285 30 Forthcoming Tours Range Office: 01483 797777 ext 152 31 Australia Match 2010 Clay Range Office: 01483 797666 34 Imperial Meeting Online Survey E-mail: [email protected] 40 Great Britain Team to Canada 2010 Website: http://www.nra.org.uk 46 Bisley V Club Match 47 We’re Going Green! Chairman: Robin Pizer 48 Long Range Shooting with the .22” Long Secretary General: Glynn Alger Rifle Cartridge Membership Secretary: Heather Webb 54 100 Years Ago Managing Director NSC: Jeremy Staples MRICS 55 F Class at the Imperial Financial Manager: Graham Gold FCCA Editor: Karen Robertson 57 My Bisley Camp Editorial Advisory Panel: 58 Lt Col Charles Robert Crosse CMG MVO Glynn Alger, David Cooper, Tim Elliott, 59 Scottish Rifle eamT to Australia 2010 Colin Judge, Tony de Launay, Steve McDowell, 63 The Enemy Ted Molyneux, David Pollard 64 Letters 65 Obituaries Advertising: 71 Procedure for the General Council Elections Print-Rite, 31 Parklands, Freeland, 72 Trade Members Nr Witney, Oxon OX29 8HX Tel/Fax: 01993 881662 Advertisers index Material for inclusion in the Journal should be sent to: Karen Robertson 29 A1 Hearing National RifleAssociation 18 Ayling Cars Bisley, National Shooting Centre 13 Bisley Live Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0PB 56 Bisley Pavilion Telephone: 01483 797777 ext 146 44 Centra E-mail: [email protected] 30 Norman Clark 38 Diverse Trading Company Production and distribution of the NRA Journal by 5 A Ford Print-Rite, Oxford. 64 Fox Firearms Material for inclusion must reach the Editor before: 2 Greshams School 38 Haring 15 January for Spring issue 1 April for Summer issue 11 HPS Target Rifles Ltd 12 HPS Target Rifles Ltd 1 September for Winter issue bc Midway UK 16 NSRA The Editor reserves the right to determine the contents of the NRA Journal ibc RWS Ammunition and to edit or shorten material for publication. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Publishers. Whilst every care is 10 Andrew Tucker Target Sports taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate, the Publishers 4 TWP Designs assume no responsibility for errors. The publication of advertisements or ifc Viking Arms editorial relating to firearms or associated requisites is not a guarantee that such items are endorsed by the NRA. Whilst every care is taken with Cover photo: The Scottish Long Range Championships at Blair Atholl advertising the Publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting by Phil Leslie. 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 specific 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 ChArges for 2011 by James Ragg, Treasurer The NRA is a charity which, as has been highlighted in previous statements by the Chairman and the Secretary General, has incurred a substantial loss in 2010. It needs, over time, to make good that loss and build financial reserves which will allow it to weather the storms that the future may throw at it. Hard work by Graham Gold, the new head of finance, and his staff, has resulted in an improved position with the bank and I applaud them for all their efforts in resolving the short term cash flow shortage which we experienced in the second half of last year. It is, however, essential that we address the underlying capability of the NRA group to generate a sustainable surplus which will safeguard its future and allow it to continue to play a key part in preserving and developing shooting in the UK as well as running the major shooting events at Bisley which are so important to us. Whilst our executive team continue to make every effort to keep costs down, the fact is that there is no material scope for reducing expenditure without major reductions in the range and quality of services provided to our members. It is apparent to me that the financial improvement which was seen in the years leading up to 2010, although partly arising from improved revenue-generation, was largely achieved at the expense of long, mostly unpaid, overtime hours put in by our dedicated staff and by postponing maintenance work on the fabric of Bisley. This approach has now reached its limit and our facilities and our staff need greater resources applied to them. Work on improving the long-term ability of the NRA to generate income from its assets at Bisley is well advanced but will take some time yet to come to fruition. In the meantime it is the members and other users of Bisley who need to support our charity by each paying a little more for our membership and our use of the ranges. Some of the charges for activities or entries to competitions have remained static or increased only slightly for a number of years, falling well behind inflation. We cannot, in all fairness to you, address the need to catch up with two, three or even four years-worth of inflation in one go but we do need to make a start and have therefore increased most charges by a minimum of 5%. The entry fees for flagship shooting events have been set in previous years without taking into account the costs of permanent staff who administer these events. This needs to change over the course of the next few years so that the subsidy for those shooting these events is gradually withdrawn. For this year the increase will be 5%. Some items, such as the charges for markers, were failing to cover even half of the associated administration costs and were therefore making a loss. The increase here is just over 7% which means that this area should now at least break even. The cost of a Grand Aggregate Imperial Meeting entry has gone up by around seventeen pounds which is just over 5%. This is, however, largely driven by increased ammunition costs, without which the increase is 2.8%, kept low for this year because we are keen to ensure that as many of you as possible continue to participate in our most important event. Some will doubtless say that shooting with the NRA has now become too expensive and give up or go elsewhere. Others will undoubtedly chastise the trustees for not increasing charges further in order to generate funds for developing our sport. I hope however that the fairly modest increases for this year, coupled with our ongoing efforts to secure long-term income sources, meet with the approval of the vast majority of you. 2 notes from the Under the radar ACPO have made several proposals that, if unchallenged, would have the potential to seCretAry generAl cause considerable problems for rifle and pistol clubs. The matters of particular concern are: • Home Office approvals – to allow clubs to hold a wider classification of firearms types, to enable them to ensure new members are adequately by trained and confirmed as safe and competent Glynn in their chosen shooting disciplines. Alger • Club FACs - these are traditionally issued to an individual. The police are concerned that it was not feasible for the FAC holder to be present whenever shooting takes place. In a club environment our position was that it is unrealistic to expect the FAC holder to be present on all occasions. Our proposal is to allow clubs to notify to the police a number of Cumbria and Northumbria Tragedies named club officials able to open and run the As you are aware, the NRA has engaged directly with ranges, allowing members to shoot club firearms Government, the Home Office and the Association using the club FAC. In this way the spirit of the of Chief Police Officers working through the British law is maintained. Shooting Sports Council as the lead for the target • Miniature Rifle Ranges – there is an ambition to shooting bodies, to ensure our sport is protected from increase controls in relation to Section 11(4) of the worst excesses of the anti-gun lobby following the the 1968 Act, which allows a person managing tragedies of Cumbria and Northumberland. or conducting a miniature rifle range or shooting Despite the fact that the Parliamentary debate in gallery to possess rifles and ammunition without December was largely positive, and the Minister the need for a firearms certificate. The proposed James Brokenshire has to date ‘held the line’, insisting solution is to restrict the organisations able to that the Government will not ‘knee jerk’, there is still issue these authorities to the Showman’s Guild, the potential for some quite fundamental changes to the NSRA and the NRA, thus ensuring the legislation relating to: correct conditions to run this type of range are in place. The bodies concerned would supply • Medical checks with GPs the police with details of any applicants so that • Changes to ages that young people can shoot adequate checks are carried out prior to issue.