As TR Captain for the Association it is my job to guide members through the etiquette of conducting a simple shoot at Bisley using a Lee Enfield rifle fitted with target sights.
Target rifle is the non-military aspect of shooting, invariably done in the Association’s case with a Lee Enfield military rifle fitted with after-market sights from one of the famous British manufactures, e.g. AJ & AG Parker or Parker-Hale.
The Commonwealth has also produced a rich source of target sights for the Enfield rifle, especially from Australia which includes the Famous Central sight (copied in the UK by AE Clarke) and the Rawson sight.
The TR Section is essentially divided into three classes for competition which are calibre orientated.
Those rifles having a calibre of ˑ303 are shot under the guise of Service Rifle B, (SR”b”) which we then further classify as either:
“Vintage” (Pre 1903 design) for Long Lee Enfield’s with target sights
“Classic” (Pre 1919 design) which naturally enough means the venerably old smelly when fitted with target sights.
“Veteran” (Pre 1945 design) The No.4. Has more than proved itself an excellent target rifle during the post war years when the Commonwealth could once again return to peace time target rifle shooting.
The Canadians in particular have embraced the No.4 which they made in many thousands at the Long Branch arsenal resulting in the famous DCRA conversions.
“Transitional Target Rifle” (Post 1969 design) this class shot by the Association oddly enough includes a variety of manufactures not all of them Commonwealth or British, but many that supplied the Axis armies of the Second World War.
They all have one thing in common, and that is they have all been ex-military rifles which have been converted to accept the 7ˑ62mm NATO cartridge for target rifle use.
This is indeed rich territory for the researcher; with many familiar names like Mauser and some unfamiliar ones like Kongsberg, and the mere mention of the Whitaker Special makes this author go weak at the knees!
The TR Section hosts LERA’s annual Mid-Range match which is open to all classes of rifle in the Association, including “as issue” SMLE’s & No.4’s.
This is the only event where TR and SR”b” rifles are shot alongside service rifles.
It is envisaged that there will be quarterly TR & SR”b” only days from 2018 for those members whose primary interests are the aforementioned disciplines.
Mick Kelly
TR Captain.
