Narpa

**zooma** · 03-01-2013, 08:29 AM

This must be a good thread to bring back the best of air weapons target shooting memories.

Without NARPA it is unlikely that I would have got started in air pistol shooting or formed the target clubs that provided the base for the future target air pistol and rifle shooting in the areas concerned.

6 yard shooting was the ideal way to start target shooting to breed confidence and a good distance to shoot from and to practice at home.

When NARPA sadly "went away" the promotion of 6 yard shooting went with it - along with the sense of belonging to a really friendly family - as wonky donkey eluded to in another thread - the sense of "belonging" was very real and there has never been anything like this since.

**Rutty** · 03-01-2013, 09:57 AM

**p.m.h** · 03-01-2013, 11:26 AM

Is there any reason why NARPA can't be resurrected?

Kind regards,

Phil

**Rutty** · 03-01-2013, 11:34 AM

Is there any reason why NARPA can't be resurrected?

None at all provided that sufficient people are prepared to establish and run it. But it will only succeed if it is providing something for which there is a demand and not merely duplicating what is already there. NARPA ceased to operate because there was insufficient interest in what it was providing.

Rutty

**p.m.h** · 03-01-2013, 11:41 AM

Well, with limited space for many, 6 yards is a very useful competition.

I agree that it shouldn't be resurrected purely on nostalgia, but I am sure with 6 yard comps, etc, there may be enough interested parties.

Kind regards,

Phil

**mickson** · 03-01-2013, 01:22 PM

In its day narpa did a great job & could do again, however we must be carefull not to fragment shooters voices even further with various orginisations for each discipline making it easier for anti shooting campaign's to attack us we could do with one voice like the USA, that is sadly a long way off so i would like to see a new NARPA as part of an existing orginisation, but with enough flexibility to run itself for airgun competitors!
...mike...

**zooma** · 03-01-2013, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Rutty

Any discussion of NARPA has to include mention of the late Frank Spittle who did an enormous amount to promote airgun shooting.

It is also worth noting that NARPA followed a much older defunct body, the National Air Rifle Association (NARA). NARA was primarily concerned with bell target shooting in the Black Country and the midlands. Frank wrote a history of Bell Target that may be found here.

Frank also had a museum of target shooting in the back of his shop:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41003466@N00/4315267197/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41003466@N00/4316004982/

Now sadly no longer on display.

Rutty

Thanks for responding to this thread with so many good references for us to see.

I bought Frank Spittles book "Ring My Bell" and enjoyed it so much I bought a few more - some to give as presents, and to help me win over some local landlords and other property onwers that may be persueded to let us shoot bell target in their pubs and similar.

Franks book does help to fill in a few gaps about NARPA - but I rather suspect there is a but more information for us to discover yet, and I am hoping this thread may help to do just that.

**zooma** · 03-01-2013, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by mickson

In its day narpa did a great job & could do again, however we must be carefull not to fragment shooters voices even further with various orginisations for each discipline making it easier for anti shooting campaign's to attack us we could do with one voice like the USA, that is sadly a long way off so i would like to see a new NARPA as part of an existing orginisation, but with enough flexibility to run itself for airgun competitors!
...mike...

I think we should be OK on this point if we could get enough interest to get NARPA started again. All Clubs would probably need to join the NSRA in any case to get the necessary insurance at a competetive price, and as affiliated members we would be added to the existing membership that gives most of us our voice.

Many members will already be affiliated to the NSRA through their cub mamberships, but NARPA always attracted new blood that the bigger establishment failed to do, so if we ensured that all new NARPA clubs were affiliated to the NSRA right from the start then we should gain more voices for the them to represent.

**p.m.h** · 03-01-2013, 03:43 PM

Would be good to get such an organisation resurrected again.

It can't hurt to have more "official" bodies in order to retain our sport.

You should be able to change the title by editing the post then selecting "go advanced" to the right of "save".

Kind regards,

Phil

**Jimlad** · 03-01-2013, 04:02 PM

Hi All

I think you will find that many of the Leagues/clubs already belong to the NSRA its the easiest way for insurance, my own League ( Bridgend & District Air Rifle League ) has been shooting bell target since 1907 with two breaks for the wars, I have added a couple of pics of trophies, the medal is actually gold and enamel, many trophies at the time were spoons suitably moulded or engraved ( Picture I copied from another site ) the display of trophies are the trophies our league shoot for during the season many of them made of solid silver and dating back to the twenties and thirties the earliest being dated 1909.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...Untitled-4.png
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...Untitled-2.jpg
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/...e/trophies.jpg

website under construction

www.badarl.co.uk

Jim

**zooma** · 03-01-2013, 04:10 PM

[QUOTE=p.m.h;5793272)

You should be able to change the title by editing the post then selecting "go advanced" to the right of "save".

Phil[/QUOTE]

I tried that several times.

Every time I type NARPA in the title it displays as Narpa !...so maybe I did not make a typo after all?

Maybe it's a software thing to do with capital letters with no full stops between them, so I changed the name to read National Air Rifle and Pistol Association instead and that went in OK.

N.A.R.P.A was never written this way, so I used the edit to change to the full title instead.

**wonky donky** · 04-01-2013, 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by Rutty

NARPA ceased to operate because there was insufficient interest in what it was providing.

Rutty

That's not strictly true, NARPA was allegedly crippled by greed & incompetence, Frank Spittle god bless him tried to keep it afloat but there were too many politics involved, so it dwindled away.

Frank Spittle was a good friend to me, I remember him telling me all the ins & outs & goings on within NARPA, he was very upset & annoyed about it all.

Lots of the assets, target changers & alloy sheet back stops, were hidden away in council garages in my area. Bailiffs & court orders were involved I believe!

I won't go into more detail as some parties involved are no longer with us, it would not surprise me to learn of as yet still outstanding debts too.

A real shame!

**RobinC** · 04-01-2013, 10:26 AM

The leading light I remember was Denis Cummins. It was a good organisation for its day, as at the time air was the very poor cousin in the UK only begrudgingly administered by the NSRA, and considered by the smallbore comunity of the day as toys (and some of that still exist!). Although I remember that NARPA did embrace 10 mt a little, I think if it had done so stronger as well as continue with 6 yd and the bell target it may have survived and been to air shooting today what the NSRA still struggles to achieve.
I think we have too many organisations now not helping shooting sport overal, British Shooting, NRA, NSRA, ESSU, and so on to the ISSF, we need one UK body overal with separate discipline sections not more independant splitting.
Robin

**RobF** · 04-01-2013, 11:02 AM

If you're interested in 6yd then DSRPA run leagues with it. (dsrpa.co.uk) Open to all

**RobinC** · 04-01-2013, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by RobF

If you're interested in 6yd then DSRPA run leagues with it. (dsrpa.co.uk) Open to all

Happy new year Rob,

And one of the most simple, efficient, and friendly leagues in the UK with loads of divisions
Robin

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