FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. I don't own my own rifle, can I still join ? We have club rifles /shotguns for all parts of the Club for new members, including air rifles, air pistols, shotguns for clays, shotguns for practical shotgun disciplines, smallbore and fullbore rifles for our rifle range. We also have bows and arrows for archery, and even axes for the axe throwing stands
2. Can I come and have a look ? We'd be delighted to show you around, but because we are an active shooting club, we'd like you to make an appointment first, and not just to turn up. Use the contact sheet for this
3. I've never shot before so can I come and try ? We offer guest experiences for most parts of the Club. There are some age limitations on some of the activities but if you're interested in trying, get in touch and we'll guide you appropriately
4. Can I join if I'm a novice ? Of course..... if you want to handle firearms, you will serve a probationary period of up to 6 months during which you'll be instructed in the safe use of firearms. If you don't want to handle firearms, you can join the Club to use the air range, archery, and axe throwing - there is no probationary period for this
5. How much does it cost ? Guest Experiences start at £20, and ADULT membership is £140 per year. Discounts are available for over 65, registered disabled, spouse/partner of members, and over 18 in fulltime education. Under 18 fee is £25 per year as part of an ADULT membership
6. What is the probationary period ? If you do not hold a Firearm Certificate and are not already a full member of another Home Office Approved club, you will serve a 6 month probationary period. During this time you will be coached and instructed in the safe use of firearms, proper range procedures, and we expect you to attend a minimum of 6 occasions. At the end of the successful completion of your probationary period, you will be converted to Full membership at which point you will be able to apply for your own Firearms Certificate
2. Can I come and have a look ? We'd be delighted to show you around, but because we are an active shooting club, we'd like you to make an appointment first, and not just to turn up. Use the contact sheet for this
3. I've never shot before so can I come and try ? We offer guest experiences for most parts of the Club. There are some age limitations on some of the activities but if you're interested in trying, get in touch and we'll guide you appropriately
4. Can I join if I'm a novice ? Of course..... if you want to handle firearms, you will serve a probationary period of up to 6 months during which you'll be instructed in the safe use of firearms. If you don't want to handle firearms, you can join the Club to use the air range, archery, and axe throwing - there is no probationary period for this
5. How much does it cost ? Guest Experiences start at £20, and ADULT membership is £140 per year. Discounts are available for over 65, registered disabled, spouse/partner of members, and over 18 in fulltime education. Under 18 fee is £25 per year as part of an ADULT membership
6. What is the probationary period ? If you do not hold a Firearm Certificate and are not already a full member of another Home Office Approved club, you will serve a 6 month probationary period. During this time you will be coached and instructed in the safe use of firearms, proper range procedures, and we expect you to attend a minimum of 6 occasions. At the end of the successful completion of your probationary period, you will be converted to Full membership at which point you will be able to apply for your own Firearms Certificate
7. What shooting facilities do you have ? For 2024 we are developing a new area to house our archery and axe throwing sports. There will be archery ranges at 25 and 50m and axe throwing area where two target stands are available to try this interesting sport.
We have a wonderful 50m air range with covered firing point and two fullbore ranges at 25m and 50m
8. Do you compete ? We run internal competitions through the year and we have members who take part in regional and national competitions. We also run a range of Theme Days to give members the chance to try new and exciting firearms that they may not have seen or used before
9. Do you shoot at other ranges ? We have a very active schedule of off-site shoots including the National Shooting Centre at Bisley where we shoot generally at 600 yards and 1000/1200 yards. We also use local MoD ranges (Barton Road, Cambridge & Thetford CGR/ETR) and we try get at least one booking at these ranges each month.
We have access to a wonderful 100, 200, 300m range at Euston Estate Rifle Range, and we also arrange ultra long range shoots at specialist ranges like Orion Firearms Training and WMS Firearms Training in Wales, and Gardners Guns Eskdalemuir Range in Scotland. These ranges provide shooting out to 1 mile and beyond
10. Where exactly are you located ? We are between the villages of Mepal and Sutton, near Ely in Cambridgeshire on the A142. We are located on the former World War 2 airfield, RAF Mepal. You can get detailed directions here
11. Do you have a toilet ? We do. We have converted a shipping container to provide male and female toilets. We are also converting another container to provide a space to make a cuppa and take a rest from your shooting activities. We hope to have this up and running by the end of February 2023
12. Do you cater for disabled shooters ? We're acutely aware that shooting is a sport/pastime that anyone can take part in, and we are very focussed on opening up more of our club to shooters of all abilities. In 2023 we are very excited to be running a taster session for visually impaired people to try air rifle shooting with the support of the NSRA (National Smallbore Rifle Association)
13. I've never heard of you before, are you a new club ? Our Club has been running since 1979, so no, we're not new. We have an excellent history and are well respected in the shooting fraternity and in the firearms licensing arena.