National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom

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The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom (NRA) is the governing body of full bore rifle and pistol shooting in the United Kingdom.

A steering group, formed from senior representatives of the three governing bodies of the major governing bodies, the NRA, the National Smallbore Rifle Association and the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association, have affirmed their commitment to progressing towards a unified body that will best represent the interests of target shooting sports in the UK. The new organisation will be known as the National Association of Target Shooting Sports, (NATSS). This move is intended to co-incide with the opening of the UK's firearms register (see Gun politics in the United Kingdom) and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

[edit] The National Shooting Centre

The principal ranges used at Bisley today are as originally laid out in 1890 to accommodate modern full-bore rifle shooting. Century Range provides 108 points at distances up to 600 yards. Stickledown is the largest long range in the UK with firing points from 800 to 1200 yards. There is also the Short Siberia range with points at 100 and 200 yards (Siberia was originally an 800 yard range), and the running deer range enabling the shooting of moving targets at up to 100 metres.

Pistol shooting was also well accommodated with Melville, Cheylesmore and Winans ranges. The original Cheylesmore range was opened for the 1948 Olympic games. Recently relocated, it still facilitates 30 lanes at 25 metres. To cater for the increased popularity of pistol shooting, Melville range, also offering 30 lanes for shooting at both 25 and 50 metres, was opened in 1983 and Winans with 20 lanes at 25 metres opened in 1993. The pistol ranges are now mostly used for gallery rifle and mini rifle competitions which have taken over from pistol shooting since its demise in the UK.

Clay shooting has taken place at Bisley since the early 1920s. The facilities were greatly expanded to accommodate the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, when the National Clay Shooting Centre was opened. The NCSC offers world class facilities for DTL, Skeet, ABT, Double Trap and Universal Trench.