Details of
Club membership for Juniors
at Marple Rifle and
Pistol Club
We do have a junior membership at Marple Rifle and Pistol Club for those under the age of 17 and these notes are here to help you decide if our kind of shooting is for you and / or your child. As a rule, we will not accept anyone under the age of 14 for any kind of shooting.
The first point to understand is that being under 17 you will probably have to be brought by an adult who will have to stay with you and return you home at the end of a session. Most juniors come with their parents because their parents are shooting members of the club, it is rare for a junior to find a willing adult to fetch and carry them if they are not an active shooter themselves. Do you have a suitable volunteer?
The second point is that precision target shooting can seem quite boring and indeed it is not at all a spectator sport. We have seen juniors who have been described by their parents as being desperate to come and shoot, lose interest within half an hour of actually seeing what is involved.
The third point is that we are a private members club, we do not employ people to run the range and ensure the safety of specific individuals. In this respect we are quite different say, to a swimming bath, which has resident attendants to safeguard users. Nor are we a municipal training facility like an athletics track which is funded from taxation and which by definition is open to all.
We do not shoot at moving targets, we only use round black on white targets. We do not dress-up in combat clothing, or have badges of rank etc.
We do not allow anyone under the age of 17 to shoot airguns. Children under 17 are normally too weak physically to hold and operate an airgun accurately from the unsupported standing position and all our airgun shooting is done standing without any support. Additionally, as mentioned above, we do not have the manpower to safely supervise juniors on a one-to-one basis as is needed for airgun
Most juniors shoot .22 rimfire rifle from the prone position, as this does not require much physical strength and the gun is further supported by a sling attached to the upper arm. This kind of shooting is done on Mondays and Tuesdays between 19:30 and 21:30
Admittance to the club is on a case-by-case basis and the decision rests with the Range Officers on the night as to whether a person under 17 can be allowed to become a probationary member. The best advice is to make an appointment by telephoning the club on 0161 427 9133 and making a date for a visit. It is much better to come along and see for yourselves than it is to read an article on this website.
In summary, no under 17's for airgun shooting, but other forms of shooting are possible depending on the suitability of the applicant.
Revised 19-Jan-2008.