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stuarta wrote: ↑Sat Apr 09, 2022 9:02 pm Rifle and pistol clubs have become more and more restrictive, some rules are forced upon them by the Home Office and police but other restrictions by the club committees, I got fed up being told that activities we had done for years were now banned. Even down to banning making a cup of tea!

That does seem to be an unfortunate trend these days, which seems to be counter to the very survival of the sport....quite baffling.

Our club had just taken on a new member from another club who had got fed up with such issues similar to that you mention and was looking for some other like minded shooters to hope to get some enjoyment back.

For pistol I can shoot right handed left or right eye. This year my goal is to teach myself left hand, left eye off-hand rifle, just in case I need to one day...

GeeRam wrote: ↑Sun Apr 10, 2022 2:28 pm

stuarta wrote: ↑Sat Apr 09, 2022 9:02 pm Rifle and pistol clubs have become more and more restrictive, some rules are forced upon them by the Home Office and police but other restrictions by the club committees, I got fed up being told that activities we had done for years were now banned. Even down to banning making a cup of tea!

That does seem to be an unfortunate trend these days, which seems to be counter to the very survival of the sport....quite baffling.

Our club had just taken on a new member from another club who had got fed up with such issues similar to that you mention and was looking for some other like minded shooters to hope to get some enjoyment back.

I think the propaganda campaign against shooting by police and other antigun groups is having a chilling effect. Nobody wants it known that a miscreant belonged to their club. It turned out the Christchurch mosque shooter had been shooting at the local rifle club. You can imagine how that went over. As a result clubs are becoming hugely more selective, careful, rule-obsessed, hidebound - you name the term that suits.

As to making a cup of tea, I am sure there is a rule somewhere from OSH that there is to be no eating or drinking anything at a range, to stop potential lead contamination, and the club is taking that beyond what was intended. Annoying, but potentially understandable. For example, a rule might say that unless suitable washing up facilities are provided, no consumption of food or beverages is permitted, and they have decided that they do not have "suitable washing up facilities". I have seen that sort of thing happen often.

If anything my amount of shooting has increased - but it has increased towards something. With goals of trying to make the squad for Team GB at the Mini-Rifle World Shoot next year, my volume of shooting has increased exponentially. As matches come up, my training ramps up.
April is a bit of a lull in an otherwise full year of competition both, NRA & UKPSA minirifle and some LBP comps.

Becoming a dad last year makes this level of shooting intensity a bit of a nause for the mrs, but so far, she's been very supportive!