A brief history of target shooting

The Crimea War and the Indian Mutiny demonstrated that the weapons, organization and training of the British Army were inadequate. It was, however, the threat of invasion by Napoleon III in the 1840s that inspired the creation of the Volunteer Movement, which in turn led to the birth of target shooting as a civilian sport. The Volunteer Corps was formed from all levels of society, much removed from the traditional working class roots of the regular army, and this social mix has given target shooting (particularly target rifle at Bisley) traditions in much the same way as the sports of cricket and rugby.

Disasters suffered by the British army in the opening months of the Anglo-Boer War late in 1899 spawned the Civilian Rifle Club movement in England. The British Army suffered a series of setbacks at the hands of outnumbered civilians - unlike anything the nation had witnessed hitherto. One of the shocking revelations of the war was the poor standard of marksmanship in the army compared to that of the Boers. The latter grew up hunting and riding; each burgher provided his own horse and rifle when he joined his commando. These expert game shots, partial to the bolt-action Mauser repeater, exacted a heavy toll on British troops, who were often ordered to advance in long lines as if fighting lightly-armed tribesmen.

The CRC, stimulated by lessons learned in the War, had been widely discussed in the newspapers, and the desire of civilians to become proficient in the use of the rifle without having to join a military organization was at last encouraged. The War Office granted concessions on the purchase cost of Government rifles and ammunition, and club members were exempted from having to hold gun licences. To enjoy these concessions rifle clubs in Great Britain had to affiliate to the National Rifle Association, and a list of all club members had to be sent each year to the General Officer commanding the district in which the club was located. Thus the military authorities had up-to-date information on target shooting enthusiasts throughout the country for possible use in a national emergency.

Field-Marshall Lord Roberts VC (right), who had commanded the British Forces in South Africa, campaigned to establish a rifle club in every town and village in Great Britain. Though this objective was never reached, many new clubs were formed, although the stringent safety regulations governing the building of full-bore ranges made it necessary for clubs to come to an arrangement with the military authorities to use the existing service ranges.

Miniature rifle clubs (.22) had a much easier range design and such clubs increased rapidly in both town and rural districts. This led to the formation of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs Small-bore Rifle Association, now the NSRA, which took over organising competitive .22 target shooting from the NRA.

The Boer War also changed ideas regarding the firing positions, which were in general use in target shooting. These had more or less conformed to military requirements; standing, kneeling, and sitting prevailing in the Service Rifle competitions and in general range practice. The prone or lying position was largely confined to the longer distances.

In the early months of the South African War, the British troops sustained many casualties through failing adequately to conceal themselves in action. The advantages of the prone position became abundantly evident and, as a consequence, the other firing positions were superseded as the main form of competitive shooting other than in a few events primarily for the Armed Forces. The prone position dominates the sport in the English-speaking world.

The First World War soon showed the value of the civilian rifle club movement. The NRA was authorized by the War Office to form a school of musketry at Bisley Camp to train musketry instructors. The school proved invaluable, and over 15,000 instructors were trained during the war. Younger NRA members on active service turned their knowledge of target shooting to good purpose as snipers, many of them being seconded to sniping schools as instructors. The NRA report for 1916 included the following statement:

"Every penny spent by marksmen has been an investment towards war needs, for without Bisley there would have been no organization ready, to which Lord Kitchener could have turned for aid".

In the Second World War the NRA again played its part, training instructors in sniping.