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National Shooting Centre

Coordinates: 51°18′55″N 0°39′04″W / 51.3153°N 0.651°W / 51.3153; -0.651
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National Shooting Centre
Bisley Camp, Bisley Ranges
Century Range at the NSC
Map
LocationQueen's Road, Bisley, Surrey, UK
Public transitBrookwood station
OwnerNational Rifle Association
OperatorNational Rifle Association, National Smallbore Rifle Association
Current useShooting Sports
Construction
Opened1890 (1890)
Renovated2002 Commonwealth Games
Website
nationalshootingcentre.co.uk

The National Shooting Centre is the UK's largest shooting sports complex, comprising several shooting ranges as well as the large "Bisley Camp" complex of accommodation, clubhouses and support services. The centre is located near the village of Bisley in Surrey from which it takes its colloquial name "Bisley ranges". The site is wholly owned by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NSC is the trading name of the facility.[1]

History

The NRA Imperial Meeting (the Association's National Championship) was first held at Wimbledon Common in 1860.[2] In 1890, the village of Bisley became the location for the NRA Imperial Meeting (the Association's National Championship).[3] The headquarters of the British NRA was also moved from Wimbledon to Bisley Camp at that time.[4]

Bisley hosted most of the shooting events in the 1908 Olympic Games, and all the shooting for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.[5] During the 2012 Olympic Games the shooting was held at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich.[6]

As well as the rifle ranges, there are two clay target shooting complexes; The National Clay Shooting Centre, which caters for 'trap' disciplines such as Skeet and DTL, and Bisley Shooting Ground, which caters for sporting clays, or simulated game shooting.[7]

Bisley is famous within shooting circles and has been described as the Marksman's Mecca.[8][9] Some of the buildings within the grounds are from the Victorian era, having been transported there in the re-location from Wimbledon Common. These had been erected annually, but were now sited permanently. The clock tower, Fulton's Gun Shop and the Exhibition Pavilion are particularly fine examples which survive to this day. Several buildings on the site are listed, including Fulton's, and the Macdonald Stewart Pavilion.[10] Better known as "Canada House", the Pavilion was constructed in 1897 by the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association as a home-away-from-home for the Canadian national team when they attended the Imperial Meeting.[11]

  • NRA Headquarters
    NRA Headquarters
  • Bisley clock tower
    Bisley clock tower
  • Fulton's Gun Shop
    Fulton's Gun Shop
  • Macdonald-Stewart Pavilion (Canada House)
    Macdonald-Stewart Pavilion (Canada House)
  • London and Middlesex Rifle Association
    London and Middlesex Rifle Association
Photograph of a train carriage at a disused station
The former Bisley Camp station, now Dark Horse Rifle Club. Accommodation is provided in the sleeper carriage

The camp once had its own railway branch line which ran from nearby Brookwood station, and was known as the 'Bisley Bullet'.[12][13]

In 1894 Colt, the US firearms manufacturer, introduced and sold the Bisley Model of its famous Single Action Army revolver specifically designed for target shooting. This revolver featured a longer grip, a wider hammer spur, a wider trigger and adjustable sights. It was offered in a variety of calibres including .32–20, .38–40, .45 Colt, .44-40.[14][15][16]

It is also the location of Army Operational Shooting Competition, in which members of the British army compete for the Queen's Medal.[17]

Ranges

The National Shooting Centre has a number of ranges to cater for differing firearms and shooting disciplines.[18]

Short Siberia

Short Siberia is situated furthest away from the main Camp area on the far side of Century Range. It is a rifle range with 27 x 100 yard targets and 9 x 200 yard targets.

Century Range

Photograph of a wide shooting range with shooters firing at bullseye targets
Century Range from the 600 yard firing point with shooters firing at 500 yards

Century Range was the first range built at Bisley when the NRA moved here in 1890. It has 108 targets and firing points at distances between 100 and 600 yards. Century Range is also the home of the 300 m discipline and the new NRA electronic targets at Butt 19.

Stickledown Range

A 1200 yard shooting range with wind flags flying
Stickledown Range from the 1200 yard firing point

The longest range on the Bisley Complex, Stickledown is a Gallery Range with 50 targets to be shot at distances from 800 to 1200 yards. Stickledown is also the home of the Bisley Buffalo. Following successful trials in the Spring of 2017, the NRA purchased 11 electronic targets for installation on Stickledown.

The Bisley Buffalo

The NRA has installed a steel silhouette of a buffalo on its Stickledown range, allowing Bisley shooters the chance to use a reactive target at long range for the first time[citation needed]. "Target 51" on Stickledown consists of a 2.4 m x 1.7 m steel buffalo silhouette, painted white. It is available from 800 yds, 900 yds and 1,000 yds and was installed after consultation with the Single Shot Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Club of Great Britain. Any rifle that fits within the existing Stickledown range restrictions may be used to engage the buffalo.

Zero range

This range is 71' 7" in distance and is available for fullbore rifle prone shooting only. This range is only available to shooters who are also booked to use another range, as it is intended solely for the safe zeroing of a rifle prior to use. This range has four prone-only bays.

Winans range

Situated next to the zero range, Winans is a no danger area (NDA) range divided into two independent bays. Bay A offers 10 turning targets out to 25 m. Bay B offers 6 static targets out to 25 m and contains a high velocity canopy and rubber granulate trap. Both bays are suitable for gallery rifle and pistol shooting as well as shotgun slug.

Melville range

Melville range has a total of five bays. One bay contains seven targets with retrievable mechanisms out to 50 m. Four bays offer gallery rifle and pistol turning targets at 25 and 50 metres. Gallery rifles and pistols only can be shot on this range. Prone .22 calibre rifles can be shot by special arrangement.

Cheylesmore range

Cheylesmore range is a 25 m no danger area range for gallery rifles and pistols.

Range restrictions

Rifle restrictions

A maximum muzzle velocity of 1,000 metres per second (3,300 ft/s), a maximum muzzle energy of 4500 J (3319 ft lb).[1]

A maximum muzzle velocity of 655 metres per second (2,150 ft/s), a maximum muzzle energy of 2030J (1496 ft lb).[1]

High muzzle energy firearms restrictions

A maximum muzzle velocity of 1,000 metres per second (3,300 ft/s), a maximum muzzle energy of 7000 J (5160 ft lb).[1] For these there are additional zeroing procedures

  • The "famous Century Range at Bisley" is used in target practice by James Bond in Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights" (1962)[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Range Regulations". NRA. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  2. ^ "The National Rifle Association — Proposed Removal — Wimbledon Common — Observations". House of Lords. 8 August 1887. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Bisley" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 5. BISLEY, a village of Surrey, England, 3 1/2 m. N.W. of Woking. The ranges of the National Rifle Association were transferred from Wimbledon here in 1890.
  4. ^ "Wimbledon Common & Putney Heath". London Biodiversity Partnership. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  5. ^ 1908 Summer Olympics official report. The British Olympic Council, p. 254.
  6. ^ "Shooters up in arms at choice of Woolwich for London Olympics". The Guardian. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  7. ^ "First and Foremost". Fieldsports Journal. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  8. ^ David James (15 July 1949). "Ashburton Day". The Spectator. p. 10. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  9. ^ "The Marksman's Mecca". British Pathé. British Pathé. 19 July 1923. Archived from the original (Video) on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Fulton's Gun Shop". Historic England. Historic England. Retrieved 2 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "The Macdonald Stewart Pavilion". Historic England. Historic England. Retrieved 2 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Iain Wakefield (16 June 2017). "The Bisley Bullet Bites The Dust" (PDF). Woking History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Bullet train to Bisley". Woking News & Mail. Woking News & Mail. 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  14. ^ Wiley Clapp (10 July 2012). "The Colt Bisley". American Rifleman. National Rifle Association of America. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  15. ^ Alan Garbers (2019). "The Bisley Revolver". Guns Magazine. FMG Publications. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  16. ^ Model Guns
  17. ^ Roger So Far: The First 100 Years of the Royal Corps of Signals. The History Press. 2020. p. 255. ISBN 978-0750995412.
  18. ^ "Target Shooting". National Shooting Centre. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  19. ^ "50 years of Octopussy and The Living Daylights". Ian Fleming. Retrieved 1 November 2022.

51°18′55″N 0°39′04″W / 51.3153°N 0.651°W / 51.3153; -0.651

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