Does anyone find that...

[Vulpes]

they don't fit in at gun clubs? I've been to several over the years, but never really ended up making it into a long term thing. I've been thinking about joining another, but I just don't know if I can make the commitment. I get sick of the tech-geeks, boredom and inflexibility.

 

[spandit]

Don't own guns so never belonged to a club but doesn't membership make licensing easier?

 

[Biker]

It's the same in pretty much any club, if your face doesn't fit you can't get past the clique barrier and into the inner fold. I felt a bit like that when I was in the retained Fire Brigade, you had the old hands and their little chums and you had the newbies orbiting about on the fringes.

About gun clubs though, I'm wondering if it doesn't come down to sheer snobbery. They simply look down there noses at oiks who bring along their Uzi 9mm and the plasma rifle in the phase four range.

 

[hedgerowpete]

Yes i know how you feel, its true, the closest range to me is an in door 25m range and it only has 6 spots to shoot from and all are busy for non members etc, there is a brilliant range over at warwick the down side is getting to it and back doubles the time there,

I wanted to try shoot guns with me and my lad a days clay shooting was what we wanted, talk about rules and obstickals in the way, when i lived in south warwickshire to turn up at any gun range ment your arm was shock off with the greatings. especial with you having a younster.

newbees are the life blood without them the club will grow old and fall apart, youngest are the best thing ever, teach them that what you are doing at your club is good safe fun and you have another supporter even if they dont carry on.

i used to shoot at a range ratly. i went there three times then brought my first shotgun then went to the club and then was given an hours education in the club house on how to clean strip and look after it just for buying a friend a coffee, not one person ever said what and old heap of rubbish, everone realised that at the time that was what i could afford and as such very supportive,one of the best clubs i have ever been to for enthusiasm


the only sorry story was even using my gun the instructor (ex international) could still hit 49/50 where as i could never get past 30!!!!!!!!

 

[Vulpes]

My record is 15 months at an HFT club. I have no idea how I lasted that long because it got boring anyway. Modern disiplines in this country really lack anything to keep them going and expect no encouragement from club members in any way what-so-ever. They're just happy in their bubbles for whatever reason.

 

[rik_uk3]

Most gun clubs are for shooting holes in paper targets and the members do tend to like the technical side of firearms so if you don't then, no, you probably won't fit it.

 

[Large Sack]

Most gun clubs are for shooting holes in paper targets and the members do tend to like the technical side of firearms so if you don't then, no, you probably won't fit it.

At risk of being obvious...and not wishing to trample on the OP but if you are good, you will get automatic entry to the inner sanctum surely? ie you get out there and kick their arses...they will then want you

If you're not into the competitive side of shooting then I would probably venture that what Rik says probably holds true for a lot of clubs.
You might get more comaraderie down your local pub...which isn't a bad place to go after all.

Sack

 

[Buckshot]

I think (mass generalisation here) pure target shooting does have much more snobery than any other type of shooting - including expensive game shoots
I know there are exceptions but the attitude is often one of 'this is proper shooting, go away unclean'
Shame really as they're cutting off thier nose to spite the face in many cases. I agree on the inflexibility aspect. That's one thing that is not present in practical shooting as the point is to make things a little different. See if there's a club near you.

A member of a club is mandatory for your FAC unless you have permission to shoot on land of course

Mark

 

[Fingle]

Until fairly recently (when I let my qualification lapse I should be renewing it in 2012) I taught young'uns to shoot from .177" air rifles through to full bore rifles. I have experienced a wide spread of shooting clubs and have to say the experience varies. The dedicated target mob are pretty technical and geeky, air rifle shooters more so. I have experienced enthusiasm and interest to outright hostility at clay shooting clubs and grounds. The friendliest bunch where the black powder shooters at Kingsbury, Warwickshire. I think the cliquishness is a thing more about clubs generally than shooters specifically, this goes for sports, social and even drinking clubs. The only club I fitted in at was a Police club that has now sadly disbanded, they let non Police types join and didn't take themselves too seriously despite having some cracking competitive shots. I think because most of the punters where Police or service types they lived with a rank system every day rather than seeing power and authority through their hobby. I guess I'm saying yeah I don't fit in at gun clubs!

Fingle

 

[cbrdave]

I went to join my local rifle club, told them i have my own .177 air rifle and hunt, they where ok with that but kept asking if i was interested in live firing rifles, told them not really and they started being a bit off handed, then tried their 10metre rifle range with their diopter site target rifle, fired the allowed 7 shots and they where surprised i was a better shot than their best target shooter, told them if i couldnt shoot a target at 10metres and hit it perfectly every time i wouldnt hunt, I was asked what distances i shoot out to and when i told them i shot out to 50metres they thought i was joking and then said i must pay £6 every time i came for 6months (bearing in mind you have to go atleast twice a week to prove you are serious about the commitment), if you are liked and they want you in the club only then they will let you pay £120 for the year!

 

[hedgerowpete]

At risk of being obvious...and not wishing to trample on the OP but if you are good, you will get automatic entry to the inner sanctum surely? ie you get out there and kick their arses...they will then want you

If you're not into the competitive side of shooting then I would probably venture that what Rik says probably holds true for a lot of clubs.
You might get more comaraderie down your local pub...which isn't a bad place to go after all.

Sack

only in the black country can you turn up with an air rifle and shoot it in a pub ( bell shooting) and more than once i have seen a shotgun bag behind a bar in a country pub as someone has stopped off on the way home.

in brum they just hold onto thier shotguns but keep them under there coats, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

warwick range is good for allowing people to just have fun, you can bring your own resetable targets if you want as well as your own spinners and paper targets etc and you can set them up on the range in the lane to use, razor sharp safety with a great sence of enjoyment as very helpfull to boot

 

[lannyman8]

very funny at some places, i once went to brush up a little at Lakenheath (clay shooting) club, before the game season was in full swing, loads of oytey toytey types in tweed, looking down at me in my realtree jacket, with the £ 5-10 k guns....

well just shows really good fitted guns and loads of money dont make you hit targets, i smash about 75 out of 100, the tofs hit 100 between 5 of them then sloped off heads down..... the poor man wins....

if its a shotgun you have get yourself round the farms to ask if you can do some pest control, look smart have some id insurance and certificate with you to prove your honist and real not going to cause trouble.....

i feel your pain, i have not been shooting for years now, i cant afford clubs (and don t like them anyway) but no farmers round here want people to shoot for them.....

hope this helps.

chris.

 

[sumpy00]

Unfortunately, it is all down to the club itself. You can spend a long time trying to find the right one to suit your needs. I have been lucky since being posted to Norfolk, my local airgun club is a very friendly place and after the first year I became the club treasurer. I would say the majority of the members are old boys enjoying their retirement, we can shoot at the club any day apart from Sundays. Well worth the £25 a year. It doesn't matter what gun you own, as long as it is below the 12ft/lb limit. No snobbery allowed. One chap even coached my two kids on his £800 prized rifle. If the majority are up their own arses then just walk away, their loss.
Rob

 

[vizsla]

I once went on a shooting range at a game fair there were quite alot of us in the cue all talking and having a laugh at each other but there were 3 guys and with very hitech rifles that looked more like some sort of futue ray guns that didnt speek to any of us and stood there very pompus anyway we wernt taking it too seriously but managed a good score. Then it was the turn of one of them he spent 10 minuits geting comfy he had a been bag on the but of the gun and a bipod on the front altering his sights for every shot anyway he couldnt hit a barn door. There was alot of muttering. He finished his go got up and stormed off and the other two didnt bother.
Personly i cant stand prats like that.
Id say get yourself some rough shooting land and practice there instead away from the click

 

[Laurentius]

Never fired a gun in my life not even sure if I'd be allowed to own one.

Belonged to an archery club a few years back, definitely did not fit in there.

 

[Everything Mac]

No. I can't say I've had a bad experience at gun clubs.

People who shoot are in my experience, generally very friendly.

 

[BillyBlade]

No. I can't say I've had a bad experience at gun clubs.

People who shoot are in my experience, generally very friendly.

This. Mine couldn't have been more welcoming. Regards the boredom factor, well, last Saturday we did a practical shoot, against the clock, obstacles, double taps only etc. Great fun.
A far cry from endlessly putting holes in paper targets. In fact, if thats what it was, I'd not be there.

Saying that, the club has a healthy ratio of ex forces, so maybe that helps?

 

[Vulpes]

Easier said than done. I've tried the knocking on doors approach and always been turned away or had the "I don't know where the land owner is" answer.

Used to have a friend that had a large portion of his father's estate, but that all got sold off some time ago now. I also used to blast everything in his Mum's garden, which included a small piece of woodland, with an old cast iron bath tub in it! Good times...good times...

Personally, I find things to be better further East. The land and the woodlands belong to the people and hunting and shooting are not rich men's sports. Habitats are managed by the hunting associations - they provide the free labour and work the land when needed and they have the run of some of the most beautiful lands I've ever seen. There's no such thing as tweed wearing snobs where I'm talking about. Everyone wears surplus gear and the occasional bit of real tree. A nice slice of heaven...pity my language skills suck!

 

[Vulpes]

I remember once my old club said they got permission to shoot rats after hours in a car park near me...hmmm...

 

[Large Sack]

I remember once my old club said they got permission to shoot rats after hours in a car park near me...hmmm...

I once worked in Harrods for a holiday job (when the Crusades were in the news) and on Boxing day it was tradition for the directors to invite special guests to a shoot. The shoot was held in the depository which runs beneath South Kensington and all the way to beneath Hyde Park (at least as I remember it). The quarry were the rats, the weapons were .410s and special shin pads were issued to the guests to stop any shot that might ricochet. Sorry Vulpes, I know it's off topic but you reminded me of it with your post. Hunting,shooting, fishing is in our blood...no matter which end of the scale you are at

ATB
Sack