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

Last night in my capacity as chairman of one of my shooting clubs I had the pleasure and privilege to attend the above event.

The presentations were made by Brigadier GK Bibby CBE, Commander 15 (North East) Brigade. The shooting teams achievements were truly amazing both in the full bore and small arena's, national and international and are far too many to list here but are truly impressive.

Three of the cadets also gave us two excellent presentations, one about a trip to the Army Cadet Leader Instructor Marksman Course - Canada - 2011 and the other about the Great Britain Under 19 Team to South Africa - March/April 2012.

It was a real privilege to be able to share in the pride and success of these people and see what can be achieved with enthusiastic, dedicated and trained support. The people running the shooting team are obviously dedicated and committed but it just goes to show what can be achieved by the right people in the right place at the right time. There was a real feeling of a shooting "hot house" and evidence of success begeting success. Recognition also should be given to all the support from parents, sponsors and employers without which nothing of this scale could have been achieved.

Upon speaking to the young people after the presentations the real problem seemed to be how they would continue their sport in the "civilian" world especially in relation to full bore shooting as there are real barriers of cost, access and the statutory requirements for holding firearms for young people just starting out in their adult lives.

This is the reason why we need regional shooting resources as a priority so as to allow these young shooters to grow and develop and see shooting as something civilians do not just something one did in the Cadet Force.

There were nigh on 50 young shooters there impassioned by the sport and supported by their families and friends who were all pro shooting because of what it is giving their children, but in the main they see it as something the Cadet Force not something to do out side it. Here we are missing a great trick in not being able to convert all this skill, passion and commitment to shooting into the civilian shooting arena.

Shooters at this level need far better civilian opportunity for shooting than a monthly 100/200 yrd pop with a point and bang club at Catterick. Organisations like the Durham Army Cadet Force are doing all the developmental spade work for us but we and our national bodies are ignoring this opportunity and we do so at our peril.

Once again my thanks to all involved with the Durham ACF shooting team and I look forward to hearing of greater successes in the future. I am sorry that if you continue living in the North East then your opportunities to excel in civilian shooting will be very limited.

Exactly! My son has been shooting with the county ACF for the last year or so. In May there was a big cadet shoot locally at which some 80 plus cadets took part. It struck me that what should have happened is that the local shooting clubs gave them each a letter along the lines of: 'We hope you enjoyed your cadet shoot and that this has introduced you to the exciting sport of target shooting. If you would like to pursue your shooting in a civilian environment you are invited to..... visit this club or come to this open day.....'

This isn't just hot air; I'm on with something to try and make this happen in future.

Another side to this though is that the ACF won't allow civilians to help them. I volunteered my services but apparently it just doesn't compute.

Watcher wrote: Another side to this though is that the ACF won't allow civilians to help them. I volunteered my services but apparently it just doesn't compute.

That's strange, you should be able to volunteer as an Adult Instructor.

http://armycadets.com/volunteer-with-us ... unteering/

Back to OP. These Cadets (and other kids not in uniform) are the next generation of shooters. If we don't have the infrastructure (and encouragement) in place to support them into the "adult" scene, shooting will die.

My son is keen to join the local Air Cadet Flight - only 4 years until he's old enough. By the he does he should be a pretty good shot - well, better than me at least!

Sandgroper wrote:

Watcher wrote: Another side to this though is that the ACF won't allow civilians to help them. I volunteered my services but apparently it just doesn't compute.

That's strange, you should be able to volunteer as an Adult Instructor.

http://armycadets.com/volunteer-with-us ... unteering/

I suppose I was being a bit too choosy. When I was a kid in the ATC they had a thing called Civilian Instructors. They weren't uniformed and they specialised in particular things. I was hoping to do the same with the ACF i.e. help with their shooting. I'm almost too old for uniformed service and I hung up my uniform some 10 years ago anyway. I've also got a lot on with the Scouts and couldn't do both. It just seems that they (the ACF) are cutting themselves off from a big pool of expertise.

Dromia,

That is a really encouraging and timely post to read, no just that there is a whole group of young shooters but that they are being encouraged to compete and that they are doing so well.

By chance I am currently in the process of joining my local Royal Marine Cadets as an adult Instructor. On looking around their training ship (building to us land lovers) I was really impressed at the facilities on offer and that there were a number of groups actually doing lessons. I have been involved with the scouts and Police Cadets in the past and it was nigh on impossible to get them away from playing football every night, although I will accept that in both those cases we were working out of a school hall with no on site storage facilities.
I hope with being so close to Bisley that they have an active shooting section,

DM

The main problem with converting cadet shooters into 'proper' shooters is that the cadet forces as a whole are happy to stay within their little silo, and with a few notable exceptions such as Durham, they're happy to keep it that way.

Certainly in the ATC there was the Bisley school of thought, which regarded anything other than TR as dodgy, and there was the SR school of thought, which thought anything other than burning off the largest number of rounds in the smallest amount of time (accuracy optional) as something weird to be mocked. Most cadet instructors in my experience fell into the latter school - possibly a function of not being given sufficient coaching training/not having to pay for their ammo!

At higher levels the cadet shooting hierarchy just aren't interested in linking into civilian competitions, unless they can take control and run the event themselves. Those units who do are very much the exception rather than the norm.

And this is all before you get into the realms of military bureaucracy and the ludicrous restrictions the cadet forces impose on themselves...

Gaz,

You are probably right but I think we'll have a go whatever. I'm too old to be worried about grumpy colonels any more!

NRA have three years free membership for youngsters - just call Heather.

Once they are a member they can apply for a Young Shooters Fund loan to help them buy the essentials - we would love it to be a grant but until a millionaire leaves us a big bequest we have to make it an interest free loan over 5 years.

Anyone who wants to donate to the future of shooting or leave us something in their will please contact me

Realistically the clubs should be out there grabbing cadets by the handful to keep them in the sport but unfortunately a lot don't seem to be interested

Love

karen

karen wrote:NRA have three years free membership for youngsters - just call Heather.

Once they are a member they can apply for a Young Shooters Fund loan to help them buy the essentials - we would love it to be a grant but until a millionaire leaves us a big bequest we have to make it an interest free loan over 5 years.

Anyone who wants to donate to the future of shooting or leave us something in their will please contact me

Realistically the clubs should be out there grabbing cadets by the handful to keep them in the sport but unfortunately a lot don't seem to be interested

Love

karen

Karen,

So, if we (Diggle) have a Junior member, he can become an NRA member for free for three years and apply for a loan to buy kit?
What a splendid scheme - what is the age limit (both ends) and the loan limit please?

CHeers
Vince