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]
Bisley Camp, Bisley Ranges | |
![]() Century Range at the NSC | |
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Location | Queen's Road, Bisley, Surrey, UK |
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Public transit | Brookwood station |
Owner | National Rifle Association |
Operator | National Rifle Association, National Smallbore Rifle Association |
Current use | Shooting Sports |
Construction | |
Opened | 1890 (1890) |
Renovated | 2002 Commonwealth Games |
Website | |
nationalshootingcentre |
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]
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]
The National Shooting Centre has a number of ranges to cater for differing firearms and shooting disciplines.[18]
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 is a 25 m no danger area range for gallery rifles and pistols.
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]
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
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.
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