T
DID YOU KNOW? 40 DofE-specific
he new air rifles adult training introduced in 2012 courses were run are light, easy to in 2014/15 use and considerably more cadet-friendly than the old model, says Lt Richard Stebbings, Northumbria’s County Shooting Officer. “An air rifle is a starter rifle. It is a fantastic way for smaller or more junior cadets to learn the basic principles of shooting before progressing to .22 rimfire and target rifles,” he says. “And you can have more cadets firing at once, which means they get more time Lt Richard Stebbings, shooting. There is no limit to the number of lanes you Northumbria’s County can run on an air rifle range, providing you have the Shooting Officer space. At weekend camps we have set up outdoor air rifle ranges with up to 20 lanes, which means that you it out before you start.” Then it is a matter of planning can get a lot more cadets shooting. Even indoors, if training sessions. you have enough space, it’s relatively easy to set up a “It depends on the level of training, but usually six-lane range, which will cater for more cadets than you’d start with basic grouping and marksmanship the average small-bore range, which usually has only principles. Once they’ve mastered that you can start three lanes, and takes no more staff to run it.” doing competition-style shooting. There are Council More shooting opportunities means happier cadets; for Cadet Rifle Shooting (CCRS) Commonwealth more than 80 per cent of cadets say that they joined matches that any cadet in the UK or Commonwealth the ACF because they wanted to learn to shoot, while countries can enter, so you can compete against around three-quarters say that they want to do more teams from overseas.” of it, says 28-year-old Richard, who joined as a cadet There is no international travel needed: it’s a postal in 2000 before becoming an adult instructor in 2005. competition and you send your cadets’ targets in to be scored, so their results can be compared with those of their fellow cadets from abroad. “They can then Mastering the basics see how they are doing against people in Canada, The range itself can be much cheaper than many New Zealand and so on. Some of them look the other people realise. “There is an approved air rifle screen, cadets up on Facebook and chat to them.” which is a three-lane portable screen for standing, An element of competition and progression kneeling and prone shooting, but it is very expensive is important to all shooting. Cadets like to push at about £850,” says Richard. “But you can make your themselves and see how they are improving, so own nine-lane range using the template in JSP 403 – shooting in competitions – even with air rifles – gives the range construction pamphlet, which has all the them a huge incentive to try to do better. Shooting detail you need – for around £200.” can also be a good way to help cadets see the value of JSP 403 is freely available on the .GOV website, so working towards their APC, adds Richard. it’s easy to get the information you need. The template “Star levels can be quite difficult for junior for an outdoor air rifle range, which does not require a cadets to understand, but seeing an activity and complicated backstop, is in the cadet ranges pamphlet saying ‘I want to do that’ is a much bigger carrot (AC 71855-C). than simply getting a badge. They like earning the Building your own screen is not difficult and badge but it is the practical benefits that really get should only take a day to put together. “It’s just them interested.” hessian, some half-inch plywood and a few other bits and bobs. The material costs are very small. If you wanted a three-lane range it would only cost about FIND OUT MORE £75. Once it’s built all you need to do is produce a risk Find out about CCRS competitions at ccrs.org.uk assessment and you’re ready to go, although I would and the ACF’s shooting activities at armycadets. always invite a training safety adviser (TSA) to check com/become-a-cadet/what-youll-do/shooting
IN IT TO WIN IT FROM AIR RIFLES TO CLAY TARGET SHOOTING THE COUNCIL FOR Cadet Rifle Shooting, founded in 1969, is a charity that both coordinates and advises on cadet shooting matters. It runs competitions in five categories: 1. Air rifle 2. Small bore (.22) 3. Cadet GP rifle (5.56) 4. Full bore (7.62) target rifle 5. Clay target shooting Adult coaching is not permitted during air rifle competitions, except by special permission, as the rules state that the ability to coach is a “necessary part” of cadets’ training. Many categories offer multiple competition options. For instance, cadets competing in small bore shooting enter different competitions according to whether or not their rifles are fitted with hand stops. Clay target shooting, meanwhile, can offer talented cadets a route into Olympic competition; John Offord, the team GB Olympic Trap Manager, presented the prizes at this year’s event, held at Cambridge Gun Club in Cottenham. Source and more information: www.ccrs.org.uk
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