This is a very interesting branch of the shooting sports and better yet is still relatively inexpensive to be competitive in. The firearms used are usually original but may be copies of the original of modern manufacture but always “in the spirit of the original”. The courses of fire are often identical or are closely based upon original military/civilian competitions of the period. In competition, the firearms are divided according to the date of design and cartridge case.

            Vintage – pre-1891
            Classic – pre-1959
            Veteran – 1919-1945

Leatherhead Rifle Club runs both “fullbore” and “smallbore” competitions at Bisley and on its home range throughout the year. Examples include our “Service Rifle” competition, a multi-stage including compulsory rebels at 200 yards using service rifles datelined to 1945, “Sniper Rifle” using scoped service rifles datelined to 1945 at 200 yards, “Sporting Rifle” shot on the Running Deer range at Bisley using civilian sporting rifles, miniature (.22RF) competitions with both Military and Target classes.

We also regularly field a team in an international inter-club competition using only Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifles (the service rifle that perhaps your dad or granddad spoke about) the other clubs being in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. We do have club rifles available for those members who don’t have their own. LRC encourages ALL its members to participate in all branches of the shooting sports and to “have a go” at historic shooting. For those who try the club competitions and fancy trying more of the same, LRC encourages its members to participate in the Historic competitions run by other clubs/major organisations: The Imperial Meeting’s “Historic Weekend” and the “Trafalgar Meeting” run at Bisley by the National Rifle Association; the “Historic Weekend” of the smallbore meeting run National Smallbore Rifle Association; the various open competitions run by the Historic Breechloading Smallarms Association and also the Lee Enfield Rifle Association.

Please come and give it a try, you might just like it. Dust off that old .303.