The History of Target Rifle Shooting. By Philip Bourjaily

Wars and threats of war have been the formative influences on target shooting in Britain.
The Crimea and the Indian Mutiny demonstrated that the weapons, organization and training of the British Army were inadequate. It was, however, the threat of invasion by Napoleon III in the 1840’s that inspired the creation of the Volunteer Movement, which in turn led to the birth of target shooting as a civilian sport. The Volunteer Corps was formed from all levels of society, much removed from the traditional working class roots of the regular army, and this social mix has given target shooting (particularly target rifle at Bisley) its strong traditions in much the same way as the sports of cricket and rugby.

The South African campaign of the 1890’s, in which the weaknesses of British marksmanship were highlighted, awakened a more general interest in rifle shooting throughout Great Britain and the then Colonies and the value of accurate shooting received new appreciation. Hitherto, young men (like many things the sport was, at the time, almost exclusively a male domain) had little opportunity of even handling a rifle unless he belonged to one of the Military Auxiliary organizations. Consequently, many of the newly formed volunteer army who went to South Africa had received little training in the use of weapons.

The Boer War also changed ideas regarding the firing positions, which were in general use in target shooting. These had more or less conformed to military requirements; standing, kneeling, and sitting prevailing in the Service Rifle competitions and in general range practice. The prone or lying position was largely confined to the longer distances. In the early months of the South African War, the British troops sustained many casualties through failing adequately to conceal themselves in action. The advantages of the prone position became abundantly evident and, as a consequence, the other firing positions were superseded as the main form of competitive shooting other than in a few events primarily for the Armed Forces.

Two men who would later found rifle clubs early in the movement were among the many who followed the course of the war with great anxiety:
Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Conan Doyle

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THE civilian rifle club movement in England grew out of the disasters of the first months of the Anglo-Boer War late in 1899. The British Army suffered a series of reverses at the hands of outnumbered civilians unlike anything the nation had witnessed in the prior years. One of the shocking revelations of the war was the poor standard of marksmanship in the army compared to that of the Boers. The Boers grew up hunting and riding; each burgher provided his own horse and rifle when he joined his commando. These expert game shots, partial to the bolt-action Mauser repeater, took a heavy toll on British troops often ordered to advance in long lines as if fighting lightly armed tribesmen.

The CRC movement, stimulated by lessons learned in the War; had been widely discussed in the newspapers.
The desire of civilians to become proficient in the use of the rifle without having to join a military organization was at last appreciated and encouraged. The War Office on the purchase cost of Government rifles and ammunition granted concessions, and club members were exempted from having to hold gun licenses. To enjoy these concessions rifle clubs in Great Britain had to affiliate to the National Rifle Association, and a list of all club members had to be sent each year to the General Officer Commanding the District in which the club was located. Thus the military authorities had up-to-date information on target shooting enthusiasts throughout the country for possible use in a national emergency.

Field-Marshal Lord Roberts V.C., (right) who had commanded the British Forces in South Africa, strongly supported a campaign to establish a rifle club in every town and village in Great Britain. Though this objective was never reached, many new clubs were formed, though the stringent safety regulations governing the building of full-Bore ranges made it necessary for clubs to come to an arrangement with the military authorities to use the existing Service ranges. Miniature Rifle Clubs (.22 in.) had a much easier range problem and such clubs increased rapidly in both town and rural districts. This led to the formation of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs Small-bore Rifle Association), (now the National which relieved the N.R.A. of the organization of competitive .22 in. target shooting.

The First World War soon showed the value of the civilian rifle club movement. The N.R.A. was authorized by the War Office to form a school of musketry at Bisley Camp to train musketry instructors. The school proved invaluable, and over 15,000 instructors were trained during the War. Younger members of the N.R.A. on active service turned their knowledge of target shooting to good purpose as snipers, many of them being seconded to sniping schools as instructors. The N.R.A. report for 1916 included the following statement:

"Every penny spent by marksmen has been an investment towards war needs, for without Bisley there would have been no organization ready, to which Lord Kitchener could have turned for aid".

In the Second World War the NRA again played its part, training instructors in sniping.

In the later years of the war anti-aircraft training was carried out at Bisley.