Trial Sessions / Induction

NOTE: This section is for anyone interested in taking up the sport of target shooting. If you are a member of another club and wish to join us a truncated version is available.

In order to give dedicated coaching for the whole session(s) they will be undertaken on a 1-2-1 basis with a club instructor or club coach to allow you to decide if smallbore shooting is the sport for you. These sessions are undertaken outside of normal club opening hours so that range time is not restricted while you wait for other shooters to finish. These sessions also act as an induction to the club and target shooting in general.

Payment is required on the commencement of the first session and covers: registration, police check, use of all club equipment, targets, ammunition, and the two week induction / trial itself. If, on completion of the induction / trial, you do not wish to continue, you are committed to nothing more.

Everything is supplied so there are no additional costs. A quantity of ammunition is included in this cost. Any ammunition left at the end of the trial will be reserved for you if you decide to continue and join the club.

Each session will last 2 hours and will be on a 1-2-1 basis with one of our club instructors or coaches who are DBS checked. These sessions will normally include a maximum of 2-3 candidates.

Sessions are run on the basis of two consecutive Wednesday or Thursdays. If you cannot make Wed / Thu due to work etc we offer Saturday or Sunday afternoons as a single 4-hour session with a break in the middle. The process generally runs as follows:

ID Check, 7:30pm - Contact our Secretary and make an appointment to visit the club on a normal Tuesday or Friday evening for the ID check. Bring a photo ID such as driving licence, passport, or school ID (juniors). We will show you around and answer any questions you may have. For juniors we do require at least one parent present so they get to see who we are and what we do and can ask any questions they may have.

This session is not part of the course but the police ID check is a legal requirement as we are a live fire club in addition to air rifle and air pistol. The police check usually takes about 10 days.

Note: Week #1 will not necessarily be one calender week after the ID Check.

Inductions are normally run on:

  • the first and second Wednesday of the month (Two 2-hour sessions).
    • .22 Rifle
  • the first and second Thursday of the month (Two 2-hour sessions).
    • .22 Rifle
  • the second Saturday of the month.
    • .22 Rifle (One 4-hour session)
    • Air Rifle/Pistol (One 3-hour session)
  • the first Sunday of the month
    • .22 Rifle (One 4-hour session)
    • Air Rifle / Pistol (One 3-hour session)

Once you ID check has been completed you will be able to login to Coacha and book the induction of your choice. Check Coacha for actual dates as they may vary from the normal timings given above. A brief description of what the inductions will cover is given below.

.22 Rifle Induction / Trial

Week #1, 7:30-9:30pm - Introduction and safety briefing. On completion of the safety briefing we will select a suitable .22 rifle for you. Once selected, you'll be briefed on how to use it. The .22 rifle will be fitted with a bipod so that you do not need to hold it up yourself. You will then move to the range and spend the rest of the session getting used to:

  • pointing it in the right direction,
  • loading it,
  • holding it still, and
  • squeezing the trigger!

Week #3 will follow one calender week after Week #2 so you don't forget all that you learned in the first session!

Week #2, 7:30-9:30pm - A review of what was learnt in session #1. You will then progress to:

  • having a jacket and sling fitted to provide a stable shooting position. These serve the same function as the bipod so that you do not need to support the rifle yourself. If you get on really well:
  • we may even introduce you to the spotting scope!
  • Booking system. So you can book time on the range. It also allows us to see that you are coming so we can have an Instructor/Coach available to look after you.

Weekend Induction - If weekday evenings are not suitable for you we offer a combined Week #1 / Week #2 session on a weekend afternoon which is 4 hours. There is a break half way through and you might even get a cup of tea and a biscuit !

Air Rifle and Pistol Induction / Trial

Weekend Induction - Due to the availability of our air instructors these inductions will normally take place at a weekend.

New air gun shooters will be required to undertake the 3-hour induction / trial which covers the following:

  • Safety briefing
  • Introduction to the air range
  • Introduction to air guns
  • Air gun set up
  • Clothing
  • Position / stance
  • Breathing / Trigger theory
  • Shooting
  • Club etiquette
  • Summary and debrief

Next Step

OK I've completed the induction / trial. Now what?

The purpose of the induction / trial is to allow you to get a good taste of target shooting and what it entails and to see if it's a sport that you'd like to continue with. If, on completion of the induction / trial, you do not wish to continue, you are committed to nothing more.

If you decide to continue, you will need to complete an application form so that you can become a probationary member. Further details are available here.