Hello from Oxfordshire

[Dark Skies]

Hello David. I've spoken to a number of people who share our concerns and surprise regarding the new portal. I don't recall their plans being put out to members to vote on - it just seems to have happened. Maybe I was just out of the loop.

The way things are going I may not be shooting gallery at Bisley. My MOD competence certificate expired at the end of last year. I had assumed, given my local club's membership consists of 75% NRA full members that we were affiliated and our club secretary could sign my form. Seems not - apparently affiliation would cost the club about £850 and that was seen as too much money for too few benefits. I'd have thought having so many full members would have qualified our club for a reduction - indeed 'free' would seem fair.

I now find myself having to travel all the way to Bisley to fork out about £40 for two sessions to obtain a piece of paper to prove that after some thirty years of shooting that I am still safe to shoot on MOD ranges. Given the awful traffic you have to deal with to get to Bisley and that I only usually get to shoot about once a month this latest piece of fee-based flummery has initiated thoughts of just giving up on Bisley and the NRA and simply shooting at local clubs with gallery and long-barreled pistol firearms.

[DavidRees]

The Shooting Certificate nonsense is not the idea of the NRA, I gather, but the MOD. I would agree, however, that the mechanism by which it is issued in many cases leaves a great deal to be desired. There does appear to be a tendency to make money from the process, which is definitely NOT the way to promote the sport to wider audiences. Some NRA-affiliated clubs charge a fee for the S.C., others simply issue them to the shooters who go to Bisley, who they have assessed as being competent. But £40 for a 2 day course, when the shooter has been active for the length of time you have, is taking liberties.

David.

[Dark Skies]

Hi David. From what I gather it's twenty pounds a pop. However, if you intend to shoot galley and full bore then two ranges are involved - Melville and Short Siberia - two bookings = £40

I just feel that when your primary club is the NRA and you've been a member for some eighteen years paying quite substantial range fees per visit that at some point the NRA ought to offer something for FREE. Whenever there is a new set of rules / obligations my main club appears to do rather well out of the situation. And certainly when you're a member of a local club of which a high proportion of its members are NRA full members that affiliation would only incur a peppercorn fee. When you live some distance from Bisley one can't help thinking that the people that benefit the most are those well off types in Surrey and London. I pay a lot for very little use.

[karen]

Um someone at your local club has got it wrong unless your local club has hundreds of members?

Club affiliation for one of the clubs I belong to (around 100 members although some not currently shooting and 80%-ish full NRA members) was

NRA £126.50
Insurance 216.50

I would suggest that you ask your club sec to give the NRA a call and see what they say as £850 is far too much if you have 75% full members. It might just be that someone has misread the form and thinks you pay £8 for each member which isn't the case.

Which club is it? You can pm me if you like

Love

Karen

[Dark Skies]

Thanks Karen. I have to say that I thought £850 an insane amount. Your post even had me wondering if I had made a mistake
What me? shurely shome mishtake! :)

So I checked his email to me and what he actually said was:

"When we looked into NRA affiliation it was going to cost over £800 per annum with very little benefit to the majority of club members."

It's likely that the £850 quoted was revealed in a later discussion. I knew I hadn't plucked that figure randomly out of the sky.

In the light of your post I've forwarded on your reply for him to look at. If you could PM me with a contact point I could forward it to him so that perhaps he could get in touch and re-evaluate. Thanks.

[dromia]

Even at £340 odd it is only worth a club joining if it is booking MoD ranges or shooting at Bisley. Unfortunately you are over a barrel if your club wants to shoot on MoD ranges as membership is obligatory. Still pricey for a few Shooters cards.

[Christel]

Users need 15 posts to their name before they can use the PM system.

Meaningful posts.

[karen]

Ah does that mean my PM to Dark Skies won't have worked?

Love

karen

[dromia]

Yes.

The email button will work though.

[karen]

Um unless I post my email address on a public forum how do I email him? Or am I missing something?

Or I could wait for Dark Skies to make another 8 posts? :lol:

Love

karen