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Today was my first day as RCO and it was at the Thetford gallery range which I had never shot at...Hmmm... this had the 'interesting' stamp on it and I was not sure what the shooting format was let alone what to expect.

Good news, I had a grand welcome form the Range warden who gave me lots of very worthwhile and handy tips, talked me through completing the Land Log 906A and general range details such as the danger zones, car parking, barriers and gates. The RCO I was with is a very experienced chap and so between them I was made to feel very comfortable with the days shooting. We alternated as RCO's at 300 and the 600 which means one shot, one RCO's we then signed over in the 906A and exchange roles before moving back to 600 and repeating the whole procedure. We had just under 30 shooters which was certainly manageable when split between the firing point and Butts and I was made to feel welcome at all times despite only knowing a few shooters.

About the club: This was Grove Small Arms Club which is one of the largest clubs in East Anglia and I have to say you would be hard pushed to meet a nice bunch of people. Well worth a look if you are in the general area and looking for a club covering the majority of disciplines and shooting out to 1200 yards.

About the range: Thetford gallery is a Defence Estates range located to the South East of Thetford, it has firing points from 100-600 in stunning scenery with well maintained Butts and Firing points, certainly one of the best, if not the best DE range I have visited.

Roll on the next time

Nice one David. Glad it went well for you.

James

Well done Ovenpaa, you can pat yourself on your shoulder for that one.

First time shooting for me at Thetford range and I have to say I found it a lovely venue.
The butts were very well maintained and the frames very well oiled so not hard work to get up and down at all.
For anyone who has been shooting at Barton Road they will know what I am talking about, those frames are a nightmare.

Range warden was a really helpful chap by the name of Tim, they normally are very helpful. Thank you for the very helpful intro you gave Ovenpaa.
Toilets at the range warden office complex and also at the butts.

One can park the car next to where one is shooting so no need to haul gear a long distance.

The firing line itself is really spacious, a lot better than Barton Road which to me always seems a little cramped once you get all your gear on the firing line and you are doubling up.

I'll go there again!

Well done you, it's nerve wracking the first time, isn't it?

Well done Dave

Yes it is a bit nerve wracking first time and I am aware of a small mistake I made during comms with the Butt party. Luckily the Viking was on radio in the butts and I quickly rescinded my request (When to raise the frames) not a show stopper - just a very minor detail but I will not do it again, this is how we learn

One thing I was slow at was telling the relevant frame they could stand down once shooting had finished. Again a lesson learnt.

Looking back on it now it went very smoothly for me and that was entirely down to the support of the other RCO and the shooters. It was also nice to be thanked by some of the shooters

Wait till you get a smart arrse that challenges you or will not leave the range when told to do so...by you.

Politely advised a tw@t on the range last Tuesday not to handle his weapon when people were down range changing targets.

No argument.

:shock:

Robin128 wrote:Wait till you get a smart arrse that challenges you or will not leave the range when told to do so...by you.

Well I sincerely hope a range under my control never ever degenerates to that stage :(

I would call a 'stop stop stop' and safely clear all other shooters from the firing point as quickly as possible and hopefully resolve the issue, however if there was the slightest doubt regarding the stability of the shooter in question I would ask another RCO to call the police.

The good news is I am unusually within spitting distance on some highly experienced and knowledgeable RCO's and hopefully will not ever find myself in such a position.