Hemswell shooting club was founded in 1993 when an old 25m RAF practice range was converted for civilian use. The club is licensed to shoot Smallbore and Fullbore including 30 calibre rifles, Airguns and Black powder. The range is accessible to its members seven days a week between the hours of 8am to 9pm on the condition that at least two full members are present at the club before shooting can commence for safety purposes.
Members are encouraged to take part in competitions however members can also shoot for pleasure and are not forced to take part in anything that they do not wish to participate in. Many disciplines are practiced including free standing (light weight sport rifle), prone and bench rest.
Competitions are run in house including black powder days and fullbore days, however the majority of competitions are run by external bodies that Hemswell Shooting Club has an affiliation to, these competitions include Smallbore, Fullbore and Black powder and cover all the disciplines that the club provides for. Affiliated bodies include NSRA and LSRA with other bodies and clubs being NRA, phoenix postal league and Scunthorpe and District Airgun Club.
Hemswell Shooting Club members have won many trophies in competitions across all disciplines and members have taken part in county and intercounty shoots that take place across the country also winning trophies and achieving good results at a country wide level.
We hope you will find our website informative and if you would like to find out more or arrange a visit please Contact Us on the relevant page.
Below you will find details of upcoming events either hosted at Hemswell Shooting Club or other target ranges, If there is more specific information such as entry forms, it will be in the table below the events list
Hemswell shooting club offers a range of membership options that run from the 1st April to the 31st March every year, please see the table below for the membership options that are available and the conditions of each choice. Each Membership choice has a one off joining fee to cover the administration of processing the membership application.
Membership Option | Price | Conditions |
---|---|---|
Single | £70 per year + £10 one off joining fee | Single membership is available to any adult 18 and over wishing to join alone. |
Junior | £25 for the first 6 months and then £45 per year | Junior membership is available for anyone under the age of 18. Please note any junior members must be supervised by a parent / guardian (18 years +). There is no charge for parents / guardians supervising a junior member while the junior member is at the club. For further details please contact the club directly. |
Family | £105 per year + £10 one off joining fee | Family membership is available so that parents can bring juniors to the club, the criteria of a family membership is as follows: Two adults Mum and Dad or Dad and partner or Mum and partner, Any number of Sons and Daughters under 18, When Sons and Daughters reach 18 they must have their own membership, All must be living at the same address. |
Air Weapons | £45 per year + £10 one off joining fee | Air weapons membership is available to anyone wishing to join alone but do not wish to shoot anything other than air weapons. |
Visitor | £5 per visit | See notes below on Visitors. |
For non-members to visit the club Home Office regulations state that all shooting clubs must only have 12 Guest Days per year where none members can come to the range to see if they would like to become members. All Guests interested in coming to a guest day will be asked to provide their full name, address, place and date of birth as the regulations also state that all shooting clubs submit a clearance request to the police for the guest at least 48 hours before they intend to come on a guest day.
Hemswell Shooting Club has a guest day every month as per the table below:
If you would like to know more on membership please contact us and we will be pleased to assist you.
Hemswell Shooting Club is always happy to hear from people who might be interested in taking up target shooting as a hobby and become members of our club.
PLEASE NOTE: that Hemswell is a member only club and we are not licensed or insured to offer Stag or Hen parties or any other event-based booking such as corporate events or birthday parties so please only contact us if you are interested in becoming a member and would like to arrange to come and see the facilities and talk to us about membership options.
If you have questions you might find the FAQ’s below helpful but if you still have anything you would like to know please do not hesitate to contact us and we will endeavour to assist you with your query.
Chairman: David Naylor
Treasurer: Ian Graham
Secretary: Robin Cooke
Committee Member: Rob Ward
Committee Member: Steve Powell
Committee Member: Dominic Jaques
Committee Member: Angela Jaques
Committee Member: Bob Parkinson
Committee Member: Ann Rose
Webmaster: David Markham
All shooting clubs are different, and all disciplines are different, so this can affect what you will need to be a member of Hemswell Shooting Club depending on what you are interested in participating in.
Once you have visited the club and decided on whether you are interested in becoming a member you will be required to fill in the membership form and any other related documents to start the process of joining the club. Once the initial paperwork has been filled in and any necessary checks made you will become a probationary member where you will be taught range safety and instructed on the proper use of firearms while you are using them at the club. As a probationary member you will have the opportunity to try different shooting disciplines, so you can decide which one you are most interested in participating in and which ones you are likely to participate in once you are a full member.
Once you have served the probationary period and any checks have been made and the club is happy that you are suitable to be a member of a shooting club you will become a full member of the club. The probationary period is mandatory in the law of the UK and the law states that the period should not be less than three months, however individual clubs can stipulate a longer period if they wish to do so, Hemswell Shooting Club only requires the stated UK law of three months.
Once you are a full member of the club you can then apply for a Firearms Certificate to possess a Firearm to shoot at the club. This is where you will apply to own the firearms you will need to participate in the disciplines you are interested in. Each discipline requires different equipment, so it will depend on what you are looking to participate in as to the equipment you will need. There is more information on disciplines and their equipment on a separate question below.
Hemswell Shooting Club can offer new and probationary members advice, support and training to help get them started in the shooting sport. Once you are a probationary member you will be required to attend when a full member of the club is available to guide and instruct you and provide a firearm for you to use, you can start trying the different disciplines to decide which ones you are likely to participate in.
Hemswell Shooting Club can offer a club rifle for the Lightweight Sport Rifle discipline and the club has qualified coaches that can instruct you in this discipline using the club rifle to help you learn about the techniques and the safe and responsible use of a firearm. Hemswell Shooting Club unfortunately cannot offer a club firearm for all the disciplines however other members of the club are friendly and willing to allow you to have a shoot with their firearm so that you can experience what the discipline involves.
Talking with other members and the person who is instructing you as a probationer is a good way of learning techniques and what is involved in a discipline, and other members are willing to share their knowledge and help you to improve in your chosen disciplines. The person who is instructing you as a probationer is there to guide and advise you in the safe and responsible use of a firearm and how to conduct yourself on the range while shooting is commencing.
Once you are a full member you can attend the range like any other full member, two full members in attendance always before shooting can commence. Members that have been instructing you are not required anymore to attend the range with you. Other members are still there to offer advice, guidance, training and help with your application for a firearms certificate.
There are several disciplines that Hemswell Shooting Club members participate in and each one is listed below:
Prone Rifle as the name may suggest is the discipline of shooting a rifle in a laid down position. The position is laid on your stomach using your legs to provide stability and your arms to support the rifle with the use of a strap that runs from the rifle to your arm that is supporting the front of the rifle. This discipline can require a fair amount of equipment to shoot in competition as the aim is to hold the rifle in as tighter position as possible to reduce movement and increase accuracy. To shoot this discipline a shooter usually requires a jacket that holds the body tightly to provide stability. A full list of equipment could include a Prone Rifle, a jacket, a strap to support the rifle, elbow pads, a glove for the supporting hand on the rifle front. Other equipment may be required including ammunition.
Lightweight Sport Rifle is the discipline of shooting a light weight rifle in a standing position supporting the rifle only with your arms and body with no other support from a bench or other solid supporting object. Lightweight Sport Rifle does not require a lot of equipment as a shooter only requires a rifle that matches the disciplines requirements and ammunition.
Bench Rest Rifle is the discipline of shooting a rifle that is supported on a flat rest that supports the front of the rifle and the shooter can only support the rear of the rifle while firing, this discipline is conducted in the seated position from a stool or chair, Bench rest does not require a lot of equipment but equipment could include as a minimum a rifle that meets the discipline requirements, a rest that meets the requirements and ammunition.
Black Powder / Muzzle Loading is the discipline of shooting a Muzzle Loading firearm from a standing position with no support other than your arms and body. Muzzle Loading firearms require loading equipment, powder and percussion caps to be fired as they do not fire pre-made cartridges. They also require cleaning equipment as they require cleaning after use.
Airguns include air rifles and air pistols, however air pistols do not tend to be very effective at the range of 25m that Hemswell Shooting Club has. Air rifles and air pistols are usually fired from a free-standing position where the Airgun is supported using your body and arms only. Airguns have a range of systems of operation so different airguns require different amounts of equipment, but the basics will include cleaning equipment and pellets.
Firearms Law can vary slightly from police authority to police authority however the law in the UK according to the UK Government Guide on Firearms Licensing Law can be found BY CLICKING HERE
At Hemswell Shooting Club members under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Yes – all facilities can be accessed by a wheel chair with relative ease however grassy areas could be more difficult in bad weather when changing targets or crossing the car parking area. Doors are only a standard width also, but a wheel chair should be able to get through.
At Hemswell Shooting Club you can use firearms up to .30 and .45 calibre this includes .308 and .45-70 calibres. By UK Law calibres bigger than .22 Long Rifle cannot be semi-automatic and all automatic firearms are illegal in the UK, therefore all calibres larger than .22 Long Rifle are single action i.e. bolt action or lever action where only one round can be fired before the firearm must be reloaded, ammunition can be held in a magazine but the action must not self-load a new round after firing. New members and probationary members are started on the .22 Long Rifle until they are considered proficient with a firearm then they are encouraged to try other calibres so that they have experience and can form an idea of what firearms they may wish to hold on their firearms certificate when they apply for one.
Hemswell shooting club is located in Hemswell Business Park at Hemswell Cliff in Lincolnshire. The Club is located at the back of the site and is only accessible via Airfield Road that passes to the left of the main hangers. The club is marked on the embedded Google map below and the get directions link will take you to Google maps to direct you to Airfield road.
Get Directions Here On Google MapsSite Main Entrance
Range Car Park
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