Club Historical & Current Activities

The club was formed in 1975 originally as a 6 Yard/10 Metre indoor match club but it wasn't long before an outdoor range was found and outdoor shooting catered for. The club is one of the oldest dedicated airgun clubs in the UK and we try to offer our members the opportunity to participate in all airgun disciplines in a safe and friendly environment.

Field Target

After the first FT shoot was held in 1981, the club took an active interest and as the first FT targets did not react in any way (stickers would be placed on the metal plate to indicate a hit), one of our members used this as a business opportunity to market a knockdown target and so Nockover Targets was born! These targets are now BFTA standard and used in just about every FT and Hunter style shoot in the UK. The club can boast several members both past and present who have shot to the highest standards in FT up to world class level. We usually put on an FT open around Easter each year and all are welcome.

Hunter

This style of shooting was introduced to the public for the first time in 1994 as an alternative to FT with the purpose of encouraging all airgun shooters to participate and not just those with expensive scopes and rifles. The basic rules are no sitting, no adjusting your scope or stock between shots and part of your body touching a peg. Targets may be partially hidden but accessible to all. Scoring is 2 points for a knockdown, 1 for a hit on metal and 0 for a complete miss. This style of comp was an immediate hit with our members and as in FT, many have excelled at Regional level. Hunter shoots were soon adopted by other clubs in our region (CSFTA) and remain very popular to this day. The CSFTA Winter Hunter League has been running for several years with up to 12 teams competing over a series of 6 meetings. Basingstoke have also used varying experimental formats including an 80 shot marathon (comps usually consist of 30 shots), using a marked box that the whole body must fit into rather than a peg and painting the whole target a natural colour, including the hit zone. The club has participated in this style of shooting since the beginning and Hunter shoots remain the most popular discipline with our members. We even have dedicated "spring" or "recoiling" rifle only competitions to keep the purists happy.

Hunter Pistol

This is a variation of the above but shot with air pistols. Rules are exactly the same with the exception that shoulder stocks, match pistols and magnifying sights are not allowed (although red dots and other non magnifying sights are). Targets are various reacting items such as skittles, discs, bars and bells and may also be partially hidden. We try to put on at least one club shoot a year as well as side shoots at our opens.

Pneumatic Powered Pistols - PPP

When CO2 powered air weapons came "off ticket", (historically CO2 powered weapons where only allowed on a full fire arms certificate), in 1997, the club held an open shoot, once again using the skittles, discs, bars and bells mentioned above but shot against the clock. We were fortunate enough to obtain trade sponsorship in 1998 and held a National Open which was well supported by competitors from all over the UK.

10 Metre Match

The club originally started as a 6 yard Match club before moving onto 10m and interest in this style of shooting has remained constant throughout. Whilst past members have shot for the UK in both National and International competitions, please don't think you must shoot to this standard as all competitors are graded according to ability and you will only compete against others of a similar ability to yourself. We have an indoor facility on Tuesday evenings which is used September through to May each year whilst in the summer months, we use our outdoor range during the lighter evenings.

Side/Club Shoots

We have offered the following in the past: Open sights, Vintage airgun, Gamble, Snooker, 3 Positional, Dump and Decoy Shell shooting. The emphasis being placed on safety and fun. Although we offer all of our members the opportunity to compete in as many disciplines as they wish to, it is important to remember that enjoying shooting in a safe environment is the primary facility we offer. If you wish to spend club days plinking on our range as some 70% of our members do, then you are most welcome to do so. All of our club targets are available for members' use so you can plink or practice to your heart's content.

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