New to Target Shooting - which club to join????

[BigC]

Hi

I am about to get into pistol target shooting and have joined this forum for some helpful advice. I live in South Herts and wondered which of the nearby clubs would be best to join for pistol target shooting with the aim of entering competitions sometime in the future. West London and South Bucks are also viable locations to consider.

Hope you can help?

BigC

[TheWilding]

It all depends on what competitions you want to enter and why.

As many here know I've only just got into target shooting my self, bought my first pistol last week, but have been plinking rifles for ages in my back garden until I built up some competence with it.

So that got a bit boring, but I still don't feel competent enough to go to my first HFT yet, but I've found theres a whole wealth of postal/email based comps about so long as you have access to a 6yard range.

Theres 2, soon to be 3 , postal comps in this forum, theres loads on the Umarex Boys Club site, these also loads of others around the country that allow you to compete country wide and not have to leave your back garden/garage the fees are also a fair bit cheaper


Good luck which ever route you choose

Sean

[BigC]

Thanks for that.

I hadn't even considered a postal competition to be honest. I just had it in my head that I would just travel to one of the closest to me.

I think I will certainly give it a go as I imagine it removes so of the nerves of competing in a club competition. Saying that though I think I would like to join a club just to meet like minded people. I just wondered if anyone in the south Herts/Bucks/West London Area area could recommend a club with pistol shooting.

How do I find out about the pistol postal competitions?

I am in immediate rush as I am also looking for a high end pistol too - something like a Steyr so I won't be shooting in comps for a bit.

[thirdwheel]

I was in a simmilar position to you in October, wanted to take up air pistol target shooting but did not really know where to start, I'm now hooked and on my way. Here was my way in, bought a cheap but accurate "plinking pistol" and joined up to shoot the 6yd Muscel Power League, shot at home on an an honesty basis. Decided I really liked it but was no good but I had determination to improve and to train, then went out and found a "classic" spring powered target pistol as I love well made mechanical things and did not really like the star was look of my webley alecto. slowly my scores improved and I stress slowly, looked and looked for a club for the same reasons as you cite, and like you joined this fourm - did that early on and got lots of good advice from some very kind helpful people. Gave up on trying to find an air target club as the nearest one was 50 miles away, you really have to look as clubs are shy of letting on they exist because for all sorts of reasons. hook or by crook I stumbled accross a small bore rifle club near me that does not really let itself be known. Found out how to go along and asked if they would let me shoot my air pistol on their indoor range, they were super and I now shoot each week at 10m on their 25M range by putting up a target stand at that distance. Got deeper and deeper into the art of pistol and slowly my scores continued to click up. Joined the Kent postal league via the club and shoot 2 x 30 shot matches a month and the club comp. sec. submits them and the league is posted on the club notice board - I was at the very bottom in the air pistol section at the start but things are looking better now but with that comes the pressure! Then I decided to go for it and get a modern PCP that has been fun as I love toys. My wife had a go at 6yds at home with my alecto and loved it but she is left handed and has mini hands. She bought a HW40 SSP and joined the MPL, we now have a match every evening at 6ysd - such a stress buster from the madness of work! Hole gets deeper as she wanted to shoot at 10m too so another modern pcp arrives and off to germany for a LH grip for it. 10m is too long for home so found somewhere in a lockup we could practice. Lots of advice still being freely given via the internet.
Praticing and training continue with both PCP and the MPL pistiols on a 75 / 25 basis weighted towards the pcp and we are now doing a few open meetings and doing very badly as the standard out there is very high. Last month shooting her hw40 she pulls it all together and kept calm when it all started to go well on the MPL comp cards and shot a really good score - she is beginning to beat me quite often now. We have also signed up to shoot the Dorset postal league but that has to be shot at a club and whitnessed then the scores are sent off.
So what I'm saying / encouraging you to do is just get started and enjoy it doing the simple and cheaper / available stuff first and develop it.
Look at the MPL and the pistols we are shooting choose one and get hold of one, contact Zooma sign up and you are on the slippery slope.

Best cheers
George

[Hemmers]

Useful thread.

In particular you want the NSRA club finder, and drop them a line (Contact Details on that page) as their Club Finder has just been rebuilt and isn't fully populated yet, but they'll send you a comprehensive list from their database.

hook or by crook I stumbled accross a small bore rifle club near me that does not really let itself be known. Found out how to go along and asked if they would let me shoot my air pistol on their indoor range,

Yeah, that's why it good to ask the NSRA for a comprehensive list - they'll send you a comprehensive one that includes the clubs who ask not to go on the online club finder.

[BigC]

Hi George

Thanks for a very interesting and inspiring account of your and your wife's introduction into target pistol shooting.

A funny thing happened yesterday as my wife locked herself out of the car as she was parked up outside this hall and someone came out to offer help and to cut a long story short the hall was used by a gun club!

So some investigation throught the club list when I send off it might reveal this club.

Although I was planning on starting lower down the gun specification route, I am one of those guys where if I give myself the best bit of kit I can afford then any issues lie with me and therefore it makes me want to improve. In addition, the better the gun the quicker I hope to see some improvements.

My logic might be wrong but this is likely to be the route I'll take. And like you I hope to be completely hooked with either on line competitions or shooting at a club or both!

Thanks

Carlo

[BigC]

Hi Hemmers

Thanks for the NSRA link. I will contact them and get a list and hopefully join a local club.

Cheers

Carlo

[KeithW]

Short answer to your question - Lea Valley Airgun club (Hertford) do pistol shooting. I suggest you go along there and I'm sure you'll find plenty of people who can help and advise you, and if they don't do the sort of pistol shooting you are interested in they'll point you in the right direction.

[BigC]

Hi KeithW

Thanks for the link to LVAC. I've had a look at their website and it seems like quite a nice club so I will head over soon and seek some advice.

Cheers

Carlo