black powder

The Black Powder, Lightweight Sporting Rifle,
Gallery Rifle, Carbine and pistol page

Recent changes to legislation - Jan 2012

NEW -Storage of Shooters Powders - HSE change regulations

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has released a certificate of exemption to allow storage of up to a maximum of 15 kilos of shooters' powder on premises without a storage licence or registration.

The change follows work by the British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC) with the HSE and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Home loaders of rifle and shotgun ammunition now have greater flexibility to acquire more nitrocellulose-based (smokeless) powder. Savings can be achieved in bulk purchase and the need to apply for a potentially expensive registration for their premises is removed. Traders will also benefit from the exemption. However if you wish to stock over 15 kilos of any shooters' powder you will still have to register your premises. A certificate is still required for the purchase and storage of black powder.

Copy of the Certificate and explanatory note are on the Documents page and can be printed off from there.

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New Postal Competition for 2012.
For the first time in its history, the NSRA will be organising, on a trial basis, an Individual Postal League in the 2012 Summer season.

The league will be in Lightweight Sport Rifle, the course of fire being LSR Standing Any Sights at 20 yards or 25 metres. Participation is limited to shooters who are not registered as members of teams in the equivalent Club Team competition (LSR Standing Any Sights Team League - Comp. 150). Entry form on the Competitions page - button on the left.

Part of the benefit of the new league will be that competitors will be eligible for inclusion in the RWS National Ranking, as published annually in The Rifleman, which has previously been limited to those who shoot in the Club Team League.

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Entry forms and details for competition shoots can be found by clicking the Competitons button on the left

The Black Powder section of the club shoots at various times on the 25m pistol range where the members use a variety of guns. These include Black powder Rifles, muskets and pistols. Also used are pistol calibre carbines, defined as having a barrel length of less than 24 inches and chambered for a centre-fire pistol cartridge. Gallery rifles are also used. There are a growing number of shooters using long barreled pistols. These are revolvers available in .22, 357, 44 and 45acp having a minimum 300mm long barrel with 600mm overall length.

The main time for shooting is a Saturday morning and you'd be more than welcome to turn up and talk to the members who shoot these sort of guns. For further details and information, please contact Alf at: email

It is important that all members, no matter how old or new, observe the strictest and highest degree of safety. Always treat guns as if they are loaded, guns must always be kept pointing down the range and the RANGE STANDING ORDERS must be observed at all times.

Some notes are available on shooting Black Powder guns along with the types of gun available from the links on the left of this page. Although mainly dealing with pistols, the advice also applies to any other type of Black Powder gun.

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