Cheshunt Rifle and Pistol Club
possibly the oldest continuously surviving miniature rifle club in the UK. Set up in 1899 in response to the call from Lord Kitchener for the 'training of young men in the use of arms to defend the realm' the club has been situated in various locations in the Cheshunt area but has been in its current location since the 1960's.
Since then, much has changed including the objects of the club which now are to promote, encourage and to provide facilities for target shooting at all levels and within all authorised shooting disciplines to able and less able members of the community. We have been awarded the status of CASC - Community Amateur Sports Club.
For many years we have provided representatives for national teams in a number of traditional shooting disciplines. Amongst our members we have a number of shooters competing at the highest levels - GB and Internationals.
I was on the committee for several years in the
The Gallery Rifle section
The less able shooter is always welcome and we have qualified coaches and member shooters at all levels who are always ready and willing to help. We are very proud to have once had the late Isabel Newstead MBE as a long standing member. Isabel was a world record holder who frequently represented GB at internationals winning a number of Gold medals including in the Paralympic Games in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
The club has a number of nationally recognised coaches in rifle and pistol shooting, including coaching for the less-abled. Such coaching, to international standard, is provided completely free to members including introductory and refresher courses.
The club is non-profit making and subscriptions are set at a level necessary to cover costs. All maintenance work is carried out by the members. Family membership is encouraged and there are a number of junior members who are in regular competition. The Junior National GB Rifle Squad regularly train at the club.
A number of county open competitions are held here and we are the 'home' range of Hertfordshire County
We are affiliated to the National Small Bore Rifle Association (NSRA), National Rifle Association (NRA), Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain (MLAGB), Hertford Small Bore Rifle Association (HSBRA) and the Middlesex Small Bore Rifle Association (MSBRA). There are other sites with which we have links: British Paraplegic Shooting Association (BPSA)
The Gallery Rifle section
normally shoots on Friday nights with a day long shoot on one Saturday a month. Our members vary in age and experience and are welcoming to new faces. This section has also the most members re the Practical Shoot Gun section
The section runs a training program prior to joining in on the Friday nights. This prepares members for the opportunity to obtain their safety and firearm protocols.
The section shoots .357/.38/.44 calibre under-lever rifles, .22lr semi-automatic rifles and long barrelled pistols (LBP) / long barrelled revolvers (LBR).
We have a rolling Friday program of competitions to shoot the specific firearms but any can be used on any Friday night within safety considerations. There are club guns to use while members are on their probation peroid, or not yet in possession of your own.
The competitions are shot in the clubs six lane, computer controlled turning target system. At distances from 25m to 10m with barricades for support if the shooting detail requires them.
