WAKEFIELD RIFLE AND PISTOL CLUB

Transcription

1 1 st Edition WELCOME TO TARGET SHOOTING A GUIDE TO HELP YOU START FOR MEMBERS OF WAKEFIELD RIFLE AND PISTOL CLUB BY JOHN EMMERSON

2 Welcome to Target Shooting This guide is intended to be read by young and old, who are starting out with Target Shooting in mind as a sport. If some of this guide seems a little simplistic, bear with me, as some young shooters may not understand the language and principles. What disciplines are available Prone and Three positional rifle This is where.22 cal target rifles are used in what is an Olympic discipline. Mainly, this is shot prone (lying down) at distances of 25m, 50m or 100m. Each competitor wears a jacket and a sling to steady the rifle during shooting. A competition which includes standing and kneeling, is also available. At Wakefield, we shoot at 25 yards on our indoor range. Air Pistol and Rifle These disciplines are also on the Olympic list. The rifles and pistols are of.177 cal, and the competitor stands 10m from the target. At Wakefield we have a dedicated four firing point range. This is a very demanding discipline which requires a lot of dedication. It can also be a lot of fun, and a good way to start because no Firearms Certificate is needed, and shooters can go out and buy rifles or pistols, and start straight away. Please note that.22 air rifles and pistols cannot be used on the dedicated range as they will damage the target handling equipment. This area of shooting is particularly suitable for the disabled, and the range is wheelchair friendly. Lightweight Sport Rifle This is not an Olympic discipline. It was started at the Wakefield Rifle and Pistol in 1997 when cartridge pistols were banned. Designed to be able to be shot on ranges with a design template for.22 rimfire. It allowed shooting sports to continue, but with different targets and rules. The rifles are like those commonly used on farms to control vermin. This is where most of our members start. The discipline is now gathering pace, and competitions for shooters of every standard (yes, even beginners) are now available. Don t be afraid to try them. Generally the competition is shot standing unsupported, though there is now a bench resting aspect becoming popular. Gallery Rifle Once again, this is not an Olympic discipline. Without trying to confuse you, some organisations call the Lightweight Sport Rifle, Gallery Rifle Small Bore. In the main this refers to carbines designed to shoot pistol calibre cartridges. So the old style lever action carbines often seen in cowboy films fill this role.

3 However there are some semi automatic rifles which are in pistol calibres which are converted to comply with the UK law so that the action has to be operated between shots. Common calibres are.38,.357 Mag,.44,.44 Magnum and.45 Long Colt. This discipline is developing but can be shot by shooters of any standard, with competitions to reflect this. Black Powder This is for the more advanced shooter as the handling of black powder requires specialist knowledge. It is where those who want to explore the history, and address the challenges of historic firearms. The discipline comes under the rules of the Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain and covers Rifles, shotguns and pistols. At Wakefield Rifle and Pistol Club we only use pistols. These pistols are, as the description says, loaded at the muzzle. If you ask any of our black powder members for a demonstration, I am sure you will be shown how it is done. We cannot get that word big enough! SAFETY Shooting is one of the safest sports around, because we make it so. You might find some of the safety aspects of shooting a little theatrical. We make no apologies for that, as it constantly highlights the safety aspect and reinforces it every time there is movement on or off the range. So where do we start? What is a RANGE OFFICER (RO)? This is the person who is responsible for the running and safety of the range. In competition they dictate specific range instructions, and control the actions of the competitors. The range officer s instructions MUST be obeyed. If the RO is not obvious by wearing a jacket or arm band, then ask who the RO is.

4 DO NOT Handle a firearm, without the RO s permission Take a firearm out of a bag or box, without RO s permission Load a firearm or magazine, without RO s permission Fire a rifle or a pistol, without RO s permission Hand a firearm to another person, without RO s permission Go down the range in front of the firing point, without RO s permission All this sound very intimidating! What is more the RO will usually shout instructions rather loudly. This is mainly because the shooters will be wearing ear protection, so the RO has to be loud to be heard. On the other hand, if you are inexperienced, and do something dangerous. The shout will have two purposes. The first is to make you stop doing the dangerous thing you are doing immediately! The second is that the shout will alert other users of the range that there is a safety issue and they can then take appropriate action to ensure safety. All range instructions must always be immediately obeyed. If the RO shouts STOP,STOP,STOP Do not fire another shot, and put your firearm down on the bench, take one step back to await further instructions. This is an emergency instruction during a course of fire to indicate that there is an emergency on range. Do not unload until you are told to do so, and keep the barrel pointing in a safe direction at all times.

5 If you choose to disobey or argue with the RO, you will be asked to leave the range. RANGE ETIQUETTE (How to behave in the range) Once you get familiar with the process of how the range works and who the people around you are, everything will become easy. But range etiquette must always be adhered to. New members will have to have a firearm issued from the armoury. When that is done the person handing you the firearm will check the breech of the gun and any ammunition container (magazine), and say CLEAR. As you take the gun from them, you must also check the breech is empty and say CLEAR. If the firearm has an optical sight on it, and it needs to be turned on, as all red dots do. Ask to be shown how to do it. Don t forget to turn it off afterwards. In fact every time a firearm changes hands within the range, that ceremony MUST take place. If you find yourself in the club room or are taking instruction in a class environment, the instructor or person holding the firearm MUST prove that gun clear to any person in the same room. The breech of the firearm will be shown to all persons present with the word CLEAR. It is expected that you will respond in the same way. Once you have placed your firearm on the firing point, with the barrel pointing down range. The action must be open and clear. Any magazine, clip or ammunition container for the gun must be empty and alongside for easy inspection. Ammunition must be separate and easily visible. If you do not hold a firearms certificate, DO NOT be tempted take any ammunition away from the range. This is a very serious offence. The RO will then examine all firearms on the firing points to ensure all are safe. You will then hear THE RANGE IS CLEAR, YOU ARE CLEAR TO GO DOWN RANGE AND PUT UP OR CHANGE TARGETS DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO DOWN RANGE WITHOUT HEARING THIS INSTRUCTION.

6 DO NOT TOUCH ANY PART OF THE FIREARM WHILST PEOPLE ARE DOWN RANGE. On return to the firing point by all persons and before any shooting starts you will hear. DEFEND EYES AND EARS PLEASE The RO will then check to see that all persons on the range have suitable eye and ear protection in place. Do not touch the firearm! You will then hear. ALL EYES AND EARS ARE DEFENDED, LOAD AND FIRE WHEN READY Only then can you load the firearm and commence shooting. In competition, there are specific range instructions for whatever discipline is being shot. The range instructions here, are for everyday practice, training and sighting. On completion of a detail you will hear CEASE FIRE BENCH FIREARMS AND STAND BACK That allows the RO to pass between yourself and your firearm to check that it is clear. In black powder situations you may hear CEASE FIRE AND DEMONSTRATE YOUR FIREARM CLEAR TO RANGE STAFF This means that you must show the RO that your pistol has no caps, powder or ball in its mechanism or barrel. Then everything starts all over again.

7 YOUR NEW GUN Having got through your probationary period and been granted full membership. CONGRATULATIONS! You can apply for your firearms certificate now. You may even be allowed to have a key to the range, if you have applied for one. Now you have to get familiar with your new gun. This is where we would ask that before you blow bits of our range to pieces trying to find out where your gun is sighted. You ask advice from a more experienced member as to how you might achieve initial accuracy. Remember all bullets as they leave the firearm are capable of causing serious injury or death. They can also cause serious damage to the range if they hit parts of the range not intended for bullet impact. Please use a proper target in the proper holder, at the proper height. Iron sights may well have been knocked prior to delivery. If the gun is second hand, the sights may well have been removed and replaced. Do not assume that they will put the shot on the target. To an experienced shooter it may well be obvious that a little adjustment is necessary. With Red dot or telescopic sights, it gets event more complicated. Mounting a sight onto a rifle does not mean it will put a shot on the target, or even anywhere near the target. It is better to ask advice if you are inexperienced on how to achieve accuracy. Having made the point of asking advice, I know impatience will rule the heads of some, so I will offer a little advice as to how to sight in an optical sight. Firstly make sure it is mounted properly. If you are doing it yourself for the first time, get it checked before you shoot it please. Mounting it correctly is crucial to it maintaining its point of aim. If in doubt ASK. An old piece of wall paper or and extra large target are useful here. Cover the target board with a light coloured paper. Aim at the centre of the target and take one shot. If there is no shot on the target, do not shoot again at that distance! With the RO go down range to 10 yards and try again. When you see the fall of shot adjust the sights accordingly. If you are so far out, you will need to adjust by quite a few clicks. Every sight is different so it is difficult to guess, but it is not unusual in

8 these circumstances to adjust by up to 50 clicks before the next shot. Be advised by the RO. If you see your shot on the target at first go from the firing point. Start by adjusting one parameter at a time. Elevation is a good start (up and down). Keep firing single shots until the shots are level with the point of aim. Then adjust windage (left and right). Once you are close to the centre put a proper target up and start to adjust for exact point of impact. Once you have sighted your rifle in you can be reasonably certain it will have the same point of impact the next time you pick it up. Some of the cheaper end of the optical sights may need a little readjustment the next time you shoot. You get what you pay for. The more expensive ones will stay on zero. If you happen to have purchased one of the semi-automatic rifles such as the Ruger 10/22, you may feel the need to enjoy rapid fire. That is fine as long as you can control it. The Ruger 10/22 has a magazine which holds 10 rounds (bullets). There is really no competition to see how fast you can fire them off. Please learn accuracy first. When you can reliably place the shots on the target, then you can speed up, if you need to. Ranges are constructed to very specific plans, which are designed to prevent the bullet returning (ricochet) and injuring someone. Our range is designed for standing, kneeling and prone. The target must be lower if you are sat or kneeling, and lower still if you are prone. This is to ensure the bullet travels in a straight line, before it passes through the rubber curtain and hits the backstop. Angles create ricochet and the increased risk of a bullet returning and spoiling someone s day. Finally Shooting is a tremendously challenging sport, with many different competitions to try. You can stay as a club level shooter if you so choose. On the other hand we have members who can take you to International Standard if you have the will to achieve that. It could be you at the next Olympics. But most of all enjoy your chosen sport and be safe. Welcome to our club. John Emmerson President/Chair of Wakefield Rifle and Pistol Club (copyright 4 th Sept 2013)

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