Ideas needed ASAP

[bobbob]

Sorry I've been quiet recently but the events at work have kinds overtaken me a bit. It's Chris's last day here today and I'm a bit emotional - to say the least!
Heather

Best wishes to you and Chris, good luck with finding new employment.

[kennyc]

Something that regularly crops up on another website that I frequent are enquiries from sporting shooters looking for somewhere in the south east to zero their sporting rifles. Other website members often very generously offer the use of their own zeroing “ranges” or direct the person to a club that may be able to help them out, and occasionally direct them to commercial ranges that charge in the region of £10 - £15 per hour. The general perception being that it is far too complex to consider using Bisley as there are too any hoops to jump through first. I wonder if there is any way that Bisley could easily accommodate such requests and if operating a zeroing facility for sporting rifles under controlled conditions would be profitable to the NRA and beneficial to shooting in general.

Such an operation could possibly be run by appointment only using a 100 or 200 yard range perhaps baffled or even a tube range????

What about the, er, "Zero Range" that exists at Bisley specifically for zeroing? Is there some sort of impediment to people using that? As far as I recall it is as cheap as chips!

at £4.50 for a target card that is calibrated for 2 specific rounds I'm not so sure about that! (of course during comps I have paid a lot less, but its still quite a cost for something thats going to take at best 15 minutes) and the zero range very rarely has a queue outside!
I use a privately owned range, thats £5 an hour or £10 for 3 hours, and its a 50/100 yrd range with a covered firing point, the downside is its a fair drive from me, but with a couple of rifles to sight new scopes onto its a good day out.
Bisley could do with more 100 yrd targets and covered firing points, I say this as we as a club have to book a year in advance to guarantee access to Short Siberia on a Sunday morning. personally I would like to see all of Short Siberia given over to 100 yrd targets and the 200 yrd people moved to century, on the grounds that unless you have a marker (or that enormous spotting scope that turns up from time to time) then 200 yrds is not much use for solo zeroing, and often Siberia is chock a block and yet Century empty.

[Dangermouse]

Back to the original Question,

As a local shooter that has Bisley on my doorstep it is frustrating not to have any evening shooting available locally. I am not sure what the CNC Police are going to end up building, but should it be suitable, evening sessions would be attractive. I know John tried to run something a few seasons back but they were more afternoon sessions and working guys found it difficult to get to.
Even if full bore shooting was not available, having Melville or something similar available in the evening for air pistol/iron plate shooting would be something.

Evening courses would also be interesting, no need to actually shoot if learning about re loading, rifle maintenance, pre RO course (or whatever) classes and possibly even lectures on any number of topics.

The NRA/Bisley merchandise is not all that great and limited amounts are available on camp. Recently it was pointed out that people attend Bisley from all over the world, I am sure that they would like to take something away with them. Not to mention the open days, where there must be a market for baseball caps and keyring type merchandise to the "happy to have visited and had a go brigade". You only have to see the size of the souvenir shops that are on the exit to every leisure attraction that I take the kids to to see the market for such (cheap) stuff.
Shooters like their patches, and I am sure that if there was a patch for every Phoenix or National GRAW comp I entered, I would have bought them. The tin competitors badges which are worn year after year are an example to prove my case.

DM

[kingburyshot]

Things that would make the long round trip worth while.
Range office targets with lots of notice on the website so there is time to fit it in around other things.
A range office mcqueens on a couple of weekends? Enjoy the competition but it is hard to find outside the Bisley meeting.
Explain to the members what the other events at Bisley are, both the hog rally and the hot rod meeting are worth a walk round.
An hourly rate on a 100 yd sporting rifle zero range.
Each club on site to take a turn being duty club of the week providing tea, meal acess to some facilites to general visitors.

[IainWR]

Back to the original Question,

...

Even if full bore shooting was not available, having Melville or something similar available in the evening for air pistol/iron plate shooting would be something.

Evening courses would also be interesting, no need to actually shoot if learning about re loading, rifle maintenance, pre RO course (or whatever) classes and possibly even lectures on any number of topics.

The NRA/Bisley merchandise is not all that great and limited amounts are available on camp. Recently it was pointed out that people attend Bisley from all over the world, I am sure that they would like to take something away with them. Not to mention the open days, where there must be a market for baseball caps and keyring type merchandise to the "happy to have visited and had a go brigade". You only have to see the size of the souvenir shops that are on the exit to every leisure attraction that I take the kids to to see the market for such (cheap) stuff.
Shooters like their patches, and I am sure that if there was a patch for every Phoenix or National GRAW comp I entered, I would have bought them. The tin competitors badges which are worn year after year are an example to prove my case.

DM

Good points there. The field target airgun guys shoot just about every evening, sometimes staying really quite late. They would be glad to see you I'm sure - on the left hand side between Chelyesmore and Melville. There is extensive refurbishment of the GR ranges planned - getting some floodlights may be in the realms of the possible.

Evening courses - why not? Mostly the facilities just sit there. Might as well do something if there is demand. Christel can you point me at a way of runnning a little survey to see what might be of most interest from DMs list and anything else I come up with?

A souvenir of having visited and had a go - may I point you here?

http://sa12.gbrt.org.uk/

Phoenix / GRAW patches - I will pass that on to the match organisers.

Thanks

Iain

[Christel]

Iain, do you mean a poll on the forum?

[John25]

Tried evening shooting, most who turned up? Three.

Most weeks I was on my own.

Then the tree huggers moaned about the moths and the air gunners moaned about the pop overs (I was never fully convinced) so we had to stop.

If it goes ahead (hope it does) let's hope someone is prepared to run it.

Either the Range Office will need to be manned or a staff member will have to attend.

H&S dragon!


stgeo

[Dangermouse]

Re the evening shooting, John perhaps you can remind me of the times but as I remember it, perhaps I read it wrong, it was late afternoon and did not give me enough time to get home from work, collect my gear and attend the range.
I would envisage that it would start slowly, perhaps once a month, then if there was a call for it possibly more often. Certainly with me working shifts I would not be able to attend every one but I would like to improve my gallery rifle skills outside of competition.

Re the consumables & souvenirs, these need to be available in quantity on site - perhaps the main office when competitions are on so that competitors will see them. I feel that a web based shop, although it has it's merits would fail to catch impulse buys - perhaps a range of Bisley perfume for the guilty feeling male who needs to take his wife something home?

DM

[John25]

DM. 1730-1900 (Martin Farnans hours) It was a bl... Struggle to get that!

New regime now, I honestly hope it works, I might even offer to RO!

[Dangermouse]

Later than I thought but still a struggle for a working man to attend,

fingers crossed,

DM