bell target shooting

[air revolution]

hi members i am in the process of starting bell target shooting in 1or 2 of our local pubs-the intention is to use vintage small airguns(bsa cadets)and a bell target.have some good feedback recently,awaiting permission.i'll keep members aware of the situation.it would be nice to get this form of shooting back,and i suspect that pubs will welcome anything to get people through their doors.i'm working on a simplified bell target and when finished then i will make plans available to all members who are interested.perhaps there might a league started and from there on who knows?
regards nik

[Jim McArthur]

Sounds like a great idea for acquainting non-shooters with the sport.

What about safety procedures, though?

Jim

[Jimlad]

Hi
Like the idea, we have been shooting Bell target in pubs & clubs for 100 years with two breaks for the world wars ( Bridgend & District Air Rifle League). Centenary celerbrations 2008. A point of warning, if you are going to use convenional bell targets ( ie Steel Plates ) over six or seven yards you will find with the older rifles, their power will cause the pellets to rebound off the plate into the room, hence we use match rifles FWB 300s & up, etc which at around 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 ft lbs, as the pellet hits the plate they drop, if the target is enclose in a box set back around 4 inches the spent pellets stay in the box.
Jim

[Sadbrewer]

Do you know if the Bell medal,was anything to do with this form of shooting,I have one that was awarded to my Grandfather,but cannot find out its history,
thanks

[Jimlad]

Hi
Search on ' Black Country Bell Target Sooting ' loads of info
Jim

[Rutty]

Sadbrewer,

Do you know if the Bell medal,was anything to do with this form of shooting,I have one that was awarded to my Grandfather,but cannot find out its history,
thanks

The Bell Medal was not directly connected to Bell Target shooting, although it may have been used by some clubs for this purpose. A short history of the medal, written by Brian Woodall of the NSRA, is below:

Competition

The Bell Trophy was presented to the SMRC in 1909 by Mr. Chas. R.E. Bell as a challenge trophy for award at a meeting. The competition was open to any shooter at the meeting for a fee, but those who held The Bell Medal were entitled to take part without entry fee for life. One Bell Medal was given to every club affiliated to the SMRC each year, which could be awarded to a club member on whatever basis the club chose. It was normal for an individual to be awarded the medal only once. A club was required to register the name of the winner with the SMRC and a list of newly-registered winners was published in almost every edition of The Rifleman from 1910 to just after World War 2.

The arrangements continue to this day and the main competition alternates between the NSRA’s Bisley and Scottish Rifle Meetings.

Dates

The Bell Medal was issued from 1909 to 1939. The Bell Medal ceased to be issued to clubs in 1940 as a result if the war, and at that time the award changed to a certificate.


Design

Obverse – An accurate depiction of The Bell Trophy with the words THE BELL MEDAL around the top circumference.

Reverse – Two laurel branches around the edge. The wording in the centre is PRESENTED BY THE SOCIETY OF MINIATURE RIFLE CLUBS.
Dies/design variations The overall design of the medal remained unaltered, but eight different dies of each side have so far been identified. The rim of the medal is flat, but the edge of the rim on each side is sometimes milled.

Size Diameter 39 mm.

Suspension ring, ribbons

The medal was issued without a suspension ring. However examples are known where a recipient has drilled a hole in the medal or attached a suspension ring to the top rim to allow the use of a ribbon.

Engraving

The medals were issued to clubs without engraving, but a small percentage have had details of the winner and year of award added by the club or the recipient.

Metals, etc Bronze. No enamelling.

Medal usage

One issued each year to each club affiliated to the SMRC.
Estimated number issued Between 50,000 and 55,000. The names and clubs of about 15,300 winners are recorded in The Rifleman.
In 2001, the NSRA’s Centenary year, five original SMRC Bell Medals of this type were given to the winners of the five classes in the Bell Competition held at the Bisley Rifle Meeting in addition to the other usual awards.


Other medals used None, but from 1940 a certificate has been issued in place of the medal.

Medals of a different design are issued for the Bell Trophy Competition at the national meeting.

Rgds
Rutty

[smcc]

Does anyone know the origins of "on the bell", i had thought it came from ringing the bell for last orders, but after reading this thread i was wondering if there's a link to hitting the bell.

[thimblehouse]

Hows it all going