Hemswell Shooting Club’s home is the old 25m RAF Hemswell practice range, it was converted for civilian use and HSC was founded.
RAF Hemswell has a fascinating history officially opening in 1936, playing a cruicial part during World War 2 and continued operations right up to the mid 1970s.
Today, the club is a second home to a large number of members and the range is licensed to shoot Smallbore and Fullbore including .30 calibre rifles, Airguns and Black powder.
The range is accessible to its members 7 days a week including Bank Holidays, between the hours of 8am to 9pm (until 11pm in May to September).
Members can shoot at the range during these times provided at least two full members are present for safety and insurance purposes.
Members can just shoot for pleasure and are not forced to take part in anything that they do not wish to participate in however we encourage our members to get involved in competitions which may interest them.
If competing is of interest we can accomodate many disciplines such as free standing (Light-Weight Sport Rifle or LSR), Prone, Bench Rest, Target Shotgun & Practical Shooting.
Trophies, Hemswell Shooting Club ©
Lee Enfield No.4, B. Carrick ©
We host in house competitions such as the disciplines above, black powder days and themed smallbore & fullbore days
Many competitions are run by external bodies that Hemswell Shooting Club has an affiliation to, these competitions include Smallbore, Fullbore and Black powder.
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.
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.
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.
Shotguns aren't just for clay pigeons! Target shotgun is another increasingly popular discipline in the shooting sport.
Section 1 (FAC) and Section 2 (SGC) shotguns can be used for target shotgun.
At Hemswell SC, we use paper/card targets just like Target Rifle and can be shot using the full 25m or even at closer ranges.
The club is affiliated with the NTSA and has a number of NTSA registered members.
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.
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 Prone Rifle, a Specialized Jacket, a Strap to support the rifle, Elbow Pads and a Glove for the supporting hand on the rifle front.
Lightweight Sport Rifle (LSR) 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.
Practical shooting is the increasingly popular discipline of using various types of target such as scored or "knock down" where different set-ups and sequences are designed.
Typically in the UK .22 self-loading rifles and Section 1 shotguns (FAC) are used, sometimes LBPs or even air pistols.
The designed courses are most often carried out standing but can include crouched and prone positions and include challanges such as shooting through or around frames.
These events are always conducted by UKPSA registered members.
Practical shooting is the increasingly popular discipline of using various types of target such as scored or "knock down" where different set-ups and sequences are designed.
Typically in the UK .22 self-loading rifles and Section 1 shotguns (FAC) are used, sometimes LBPs or even air pistols.
The designed courses are most often carried out standing but can include crouched and prone positions and include challanges such as shooting through or around frames.
These events are always conducted by UKPSA registered members.
