The first time you fired a weapon.

[Talk Wrench]

Swinderby.

I pulled the SLR tightly into my shoulder, adjusted my breathing, lined up the sights and squeezed the trigger.

One second later a blood red tear rolled down my face.

I wasn't holding the weapon tightly enough.

 

[Oldstacker]

Same place, terrified, squeezed the trigger, wondered where the hell the round had gone because I couldn't see any difference in the target.....

 

[Gonterseed]

First time i fired a "weapon" was a 12 gauge shotgun. I was 14 and was knocked back onto my back. I felt a right cnut because the other people around were those who were ex special services and brave enough to hunt driven grouse...

By the time I joined up the warnings about the SLR were accepted and well respected by me.

 

[muttywhitedog]

My dad used to take me "ratting" at a local river bank with an air rifle. Dont think I ever hit a rat.

That said, shooting in the RAF was one of the things I was good at, and it used to piss the rocks off immensely during my time on a rock Sqn, that this "Guin" could out-shoot most of these wannabe SAS-types.

 

[Past Engineering]

As a youngster when visiting my grandfather’s house I also got taught to use a small bore shotgun for ratting purposes.

While at boarding school I joined the Army cadets, only because the RAF cadets liked sitting in classrooms and talking about doing things and marching, with the Army cadets we got to go to camps and try out some of the training like parachuting basics, then we went on a outdoor exercise as a patrol armed with 303’s and a magazine of blanks and had great fun ambushing people and trying to avoid getting ambushed.

After joining up I enjoyed shooting so much that I spent the first 10 odd years on various station shooting teams and attending Bisley each year, my ‘speciality’ was the L39 target rifle, followed by the SMG, both disciplines earning me some decent medals, I enjoyed the 9 mm browning pistol but was not a top shooter and had to include the SLR as that was the main weapon, I, like many, earned the right to wear the following in the earlier years and then we were told to remove them, cannot remember when that decision was made:

https://royalairforce.wyedeanstores...alification-machine-machine embroidered-badge

I was bored once doing the annual shooting down the range and targeted the crotch of the target blowing a nice hole out of that area, rock was not impressed telling me that I had missed, my response that the enemy was just as dead/incapacitated and that had I been running that a lot of the shots would be higher up on the body mass and would render the enemy equally as out of action, he was not amused.

Do they still use the electronic shooting ranges that was introduced at RAF Cottesmore around 98/99?

 

[Talk Wrench]

As a youngster when visiting my grandfather’s house I also got taught to use a small bore shotgun for ratting purposes.

While at boarding school I joined the Army cadets, only because the RAF cadets liked sitting in classrooms and talking about doing things and marching, with the Army cadets we got to go to camps and try out some of the training like parachuting basics, then we went on a outdoor exercise as a patrol armed with 303’s and a magazine of blanks and had great fun ambushing people and trying to avoid getting ambushed.

After joining up I enjoyed shooting so much that I spent the first 10 odd years on various station shooting teams and attending Bisley each year, my ‘speciality’ was the L39 target rifle, followed by the SMG, both disciplines earning me some decent medals, I enjoyed the 9 mm browning pistol but was not a top shooter and had to include the SLR as that was the main weapon, I, like many, earned the right to wear the following in the earlier years and then we were told to remove them, cannot remember when that decision was made:

https://royalairforce.wyedeanstores.com/royal-air-force-marksman-qualification-machine-machine embroidered-badge

I was bored once doing the annual shooting down the range and targeted the crotch of the target blowing a nice hole out of that area, rock was not impressed telling me that I had missed, my response that the enemy was just as dead/incapacitated and that had I been running that a lot of the shots would be higher up on the body mass and would render the enemy equally as out of action, he was not amused.

Do they still use the electronic shooting ranges that was introduced at RAF Cottesmore around 98/99?

Aah yes, the old marksman badge. I only ever saw Spacey types wearing these and on one of our squadron armourers. He was proper thick and not only could he not tie his own shoelaces, he struggled to put his shoes on the right feet. At least he could shoot straight.

 

[Past Engineering]

Aah yes, the old marksman badge. I only ever saw Spacey types wearing these and on one of our squadron armourers. He was proper thick and not only could he not tie his own shoelaces, he struggled to put his shoes on the right feet. At least he could shoot straight.

What are you trying to say, I know I was not a well educated rigger, but really I was not that bad

 

[Wobbly_Jon]

My very first experience with a bang stick was a .22 sleeved down SMLE Mk4 Army Cadet rifle, apart from the weight there was nothing to it for a 14 year old. Then at some camp or other the regulars let us have a go with an old full bore .303 version, 'kin ell' what a difference and I even managed to hit the target. After that experience SLR's etc were a piece of p**s.

 

[Tin basher]

Swinderby. I pulled the SLR tightly into my shoulder, adjusted my breathing, lined up the sights and squeezed the trigger.

Swinditz and the SLR for me to way back in the day.
TB was a skinny lad back then and my shoulder sported a nice multi coloured bruise the day after my first ever range shoot.

 

[Rigga]

Air Rifle and Shotgun at a mate's and a.303 with Air Cadets. Also fired a GPMG with the spacies at an Army range.

 

[fourteen2two]

22 rifle and 0.303 in school CCF. 0.303 had fair old kick!

 

[J Y Kelly]

At Swinderby SLR .22 conversion no recoil, wasn't really aware that I was firing it. The lad next to me had a blank target, the target of the lad next to him was peppered. Proper SLR was a very different matter. After 22 years I still couldn't hit a cows ar$e with a banjo.

 

[Lux_deluxe]

When we got the go at the SLR .22 conversion shoot at Swinderby, the git in front of me used all the bullets (supposed to be half each), so when I eventually got to shoot the SLR it came as a big shock.

I was actually more accurate with the SLR than the stubby SA80. I'm tall and the SA80 always felt uncomfortable.

Best shoot was the range in the Shetland Islands. We had to stand in the butt and turn the targets by hand. That was fookin' scary when you have SLR bullets firing over your head. I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed these days.

 

[busby1971]

When we got the go at the SLR .22 conversion shoot at Swinderby, the git in front of me used all the bullets (supposed to be half each), so when I eventually got to shoot the SLR it came as a big shock.

I was actually more accurate with the SLR than the stubby SA80. I'm tall and the SA80 always felt uncomfortable.

Best shoot was the range in the Shetland Islands. We had to stand in the butt and turn the targets by hand. That was fookin' scary when you have SLR bullets firing over your head. I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed these days.

Go on one of the longer ranges and you‘ll have GPMG Rounds whizzing past amongst others.

Personally I used to like being the enemy on exercise and just firing off a lot blanks all over the place, a much more relaxed way to use any bang stick.

que comments on firing blanks.

 

[vim_fuego]

I shot a .22 rifle in a local shooting contest as part of a team...it was a fun event that I had a little practice in the yard of a farm shooting a paper target pinned to the barn wall. I think I was around 14. The second time was close after when, with Scouts, we went clay pigeon shooting at the Shap Wells Hotel. I found that I was fairly reasonable at it but was unable to afford to follow it up so had to wait until Swinderby to shoot again. Once I progressed to having to use a pistol my interest went out of the shooting game...I never truly felt that if I had to use it in anger it was going to be much use other than to scream 'here he is...over here'!

 

[Oldstacker]

I once spent an afternoon in a group of around 8 - 9 of us firing huge quantities of life expired (or nearly so) 7.62 & 9mm on the 25 yd range at Waddington. None of the usual " 5 rounds sitting, 5 rounds kneeling, 10 rounds standing" malarkey, just "20 rounds at the target in front - go on" and then reload & repeat). Fun at the time (when the normal annual ammo for an airman was around 30 rounds) but did leave me with a sore shoulder the next day.

 

[twoturning]

SMLE303 (4 mags.) at Bridgnorth (Ouch!), followed by Sten gun (2 mags.), Bren gun (1 mag.). Good old "square-baashing" days!!

 

[Shiny10]

I have a 7 shot 38/357magnum Long Barreled Revolver. Using 38 calibre rounds it is a pleasure to shoot but with 357magnums it becomes a wrist breaking barsteward!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Barch]

Honington early 80s, on the 25 yard range for the annual 'close eyes and hope for the best' session.
Next to me was a steward from the officers mess, all gung how with light blue shirt, puttees, shoes and DPMs.

Along came the rock , tapped on the shoulder and said at the target number 3 , five rounds, standing commence.
Five rounds went in the right direction and we all went down range with a piece of chalk to mark the targets, mine were all within two or three inches but the SAS Soup Jockey next to me hadn't got one on the target.

The Rock started berating him and the steward started arguing that he had demolished target number 2 even though there wasn't a single hole in the little man with gritted teeth.

Then it clicked; the figure 2 at the top of the range wall was no longer there.

 

[Rigga]

In my doting older ages I am now thinking of buying a 22 airgun (circa £250 with a sight) and joining a local club just to have a go again. I could hire a gun club each time but Id prefer to have something zeroed to my poor eyesight.