The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

How do you know if a person has served?

Good point. Difficult to explain in words. With one or two you only have to 'Look and Listen'.

Anyone want comment on the dress sense vs public perception of these recent matches?

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 152&type=1

or this one?

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 152&type=1

How about this one ?

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 152&type=1

My understanding is Bisley is still a prescribed military place? so the only people allowed to wear uniform are indeed serving military or cadets / TVR. The danger area is MoD property & without it the place shuts. Every time a round leaves the danger area (i believe they have been known to) there is an investigation. So does MoD want to be branded as the cause because it came from the NRA side vs the Pirbright & all the shooters were seen in DPM etc?

Certainty when Help for Heroes were running fund-raising shoots on Pirbright the rules to participate were clear 'No Items of uniform' whatsoever were to be worn or face being denied access to / ejected from the range.

All the events on the NRA page look like great fun, I kinda feel that the odd bit - jacket / trousers seems ok, boots i cant see any objection but the head to toe always seems to get negative comments from the 'uninitiated'.

We can be evangelistic about shooting, tell of our human rights to wear DPM, even pragmatic in its suitability for the conditions, but the perception of shooting in GB is just important & some elements of society will be only to happy to use the image of head to toe DPM et-al against us when they want to or are given the opportunity.

Prejudice is everywhere & just waiting to have a go........

Are those photos a fair sample rate for Bisley? If so, I don't see a problem, it's just the odd person.

HALODIN wrote:Are those photos a fair sample rate for Bisley? If so, I don't see a problem, it's just the odd person.

I agree. My understanding of a uniform obviously differs. A ragbag collection of practical milsurp clothing doesn't constitute a uniform. I suspect the members of the uninitiated public are more concerned with the large rifle in a person's hands and no amount of tweed is going to smooth that over. You're either a posh git that likes killing fluffy things or a gun nut.

I suspect all that needs to happen is educating the public that people dress this way because it's practical to do so, both in terms of shooting in bad whether and in terms of cost. Job done.

HALODIN wrote:Are those photos a fair sample rate for Bisley? If so, I don't see a problem, it's just the odd person.

To be fair the first 2 are probably more than a typical clubs shooting Sunday on Century & the last one is the Imperial TR so there will be virtually none. Which ok is held in July when the need for X-military heavy duty kit is (Usually!) less, but then again even in spring autumn they don't use it which might suggest the alternatives (walking, sailing & some specifically designed for shooting kit) is quite sufficient by comparison?

& I feel that undermines the argument that x forces kit because its cheap, good, effective etc - is the shooters 1st choice? & so I guess people choose what they wear for more reasons than practicality, cost etc?

When I first joined our club I remember being slightly apprehensive, wondering if the place would be filled with survivalist nutjobs dressed with red bandannas and face paint. I was quite pleased I was the only one.

Look, I'm sure they do, but in these volumes I really don't see an issue.

I think a lot of people wear military jackets for the simple reasons that they are relatively cheap, rugged and in the case of winter jackets warm.I have a Russian Border Guard jacket that I have worn in vile weather at Sennybridge and was very glad I had it.If its warm I usually shoot in a t-shirt.There are a couple of folks that have turned up at my local club in full on tactical gear but they don't usually wear it again.

hitchphil wrote: then again even in spring autumn they don't use it which might suggest the alternatives (walking, sailing & some specifically designed for shooting kit) is quite sufficient by comparison?

& I feel that undermines the argument that x forces kit because its cheap, good, effective etc - is the shooters 1st choice? & so I guess people choose what they wear for more reasons than practicality, cost etc?

that only undermines the fact some other stuff may work as well, it does not undermine the 'cheap' part....

compare issue boot prices to walking boot prices.

compare a nice comfy surplus jacket to a sailing type coat

waterproofs... etc etc. stuff made for walking , sailing, shooting etc, is NOT cheap. surplus gear is.

last pair of combats i bought were under a tenner, fitted me perfectly. last pair of trousers i bought from anywhere (inc workman type trousers) all above £30 just as a quick comparison. i'm sure someone would start complaining if people started arriving to the range in tracksuit trousers or jogging bottoms