NRA probationer

[IainWR]

Paul, and all

You had experience, you got an assessment for someone with experience. If you don't have experience, you are not entitled to SSC by assessment - you have to complete the probationers course.

The system is complicated for two reasons.

People arrive with levels of experience ranging from never seen a gun to member of world championship team (those are mostly South Africans, seeing as they won 1 in the last 6 and we won the other 5).

The law lays down requirements concieved by people with little understanding of the sport.

We do our best to minimise the hoops you have to jump through, but sometimes we get it wrong, and sometimes you just have to jump.

Iain

[Mattnall]

The NRA hold PSG/TSG and CSR matches

? No idea what you are talking about.

PSG Practical Shotgun
TSG Target shotgun
CSR Civilian service rifle.

All are of a more dynamic nature.
If mackie's interested I'd have guessed he'd have known.

[Alpha1]

Alpha1 wrote:


Quote:

The NRA hold PSG/TSG and CSR matches

? No idea what you are talking about.

PSG Practical Shotgun
TSG Target shotgun
CSR Civilian service rifle.

Thank you.

[paulbradley]

My partner now wishes to take up shooting after a guest day. She has no previous experience. As we are on a very limited budget what would people suggest her route be to a safe shooter card? Could she join a club at Bisley and receive the required training cheaper? Or would she need a card to shoot at said club anyway? This is one area where shooting sport really suffers. Most sports can be started fairly cheaply and training is given as part of the clubs membership. With shooting one is looking at considerable outlay without knowing if it is something you will continue to enjoy. There must be a lot of people who would love to give shooting a go but are put off by cost/bureaucracy. If I were new to shooting now I doubt I would ever have started as the whole process of starting up is quite intimidating. This is one reason we have so few up and coming young shooters.

[JonC]

Easiest way is to find a local club to you that has a fullbore section that shoots at Bisley. That way you can shoot locally possible on a smallbore or pistol calibre range, and do SSC for whatever you want to shoot at Bisley.

Other option is to join a club that only shoots at Bisley that can do the intro / probation and SSC. Club fees for this kind of club can be as little as £100 a year including 6ish shoots and markers (not ammo), they would do the SSC as part of their probationary system, normally not an extra charge.

To be honest having seen some muppets that turn up to my clubs open days I believe there does need to be training and some hoops to jump through.

How much is membership of your club?

[paulbradley]

I'm a member of a local club (£100 a year). I will ask them about her joining. I'm also a member of OSM at Bisley (£150 a year) and I shoot with the NRASC which is pay on the day (£20 per half day). The latter requires NRA membership and safe shooter card. Not sure about OSM.. I will ask them too. I have nothing against jumping through a few hoops, I just want them to be cheaper hoops!! Although it may well put off undesirables from joining I think a better way would be a short interview and references. Many good candidates will be put off by initial outlay for a sport they are not even sure they will like enough to carry on with. My partner may spend £300-400 just to get an opportunity to have a couple of range days and get a real feel for shooting. What if she decides it isn't for her. That is a lot of money to waste. I would love to see more guest days and basic training for new shooters included in NRA membership. In the end more shooters means more money for the NRA and more political power for shooters overall. I want to see young female shooters winning nationals and featuring in tabloids and media in a positive way. The only way that can happen is if starting up becomes more accessible for low budgets.

[Hauptman]

"I would love to see more guest days and basic training for new shooters included in NRA membership. In the end more shooters means more money for the NRA and more political power for shooters overall. I want to see young female shooters winning nationals and featuring in tabloids and media in a positive way. The only way that can happen is if starting up becomes more accessible for low budgets".

clapclap clapclap clapclap

You have it in a nutshell, Paul.

H/man

[karen]

The OSM is the cheapest way to start if she isn't 100% sure and you get a good range of shooting and a lovely clubhouse to socialise in. Once she has passed their probationary course she can then join the NRA and the NRASC as a full member through the club route.

[paulbradley]

Thanks! I will contact the clubs and let you know how I get on.

[IainWR]

Joining the NRA by assessment (ie waiving the probationary process because you meet one of the Home Office criteria to do so) costs, if I've got our membership department's process right, £15. For that, you get someone like me to walk you round Bisley for half a day (with up to 4 students) explaining all the quirks of shooting on one of the most complicated range complexes on the planet, and you fire a few shots in a couple of environments to demonstrate that you are not ignorant (no blame in being ignorant, just as long as you recognise that you are). Provided that you absorb the lesson properly, and of course nearly everyone does, you are signed up as competent in the Bisley environment and because you have met the HO criteria, we can make you a full member there and then. There have been people who have completed the process by mid-morning (usually because they have been the only student) and have been out on the ranges with a NRA firearm before lunch.

Iain