Getting Started

Give it a Try!

Target rifle shooting is a safe, challenging and rewarding sport for men, women and junior participants (from 12 years old). It is not uncommon to see men, women, young and old compete side by side at our competitions.

Disciplines include:

• Air Rifle - .177Cal (10m Distance, shot standing up)
• Prone Rifle - .22Cal (20m, 50m & 90m Distance, shot laying in the prone position)
• Bench Rest - .22Cal (20m, 50m & 90m Distance, shot sitting with rifle resting on a bench)
• Three Positional - .22Cal (50m Distance, including standing, kneeling and prone positions)

Shooters can therefore look forward to many years of competitive shooting with some still very competitive well past retirement.

Our competitions take place all over Victoria, so you also get to see many parts of the state you may not have previously been to.

As you may have gathered, the fact members can be competitive for many, many years, means that shooting can and has a really great social aspect to it. Those who are more serious about their sport can aspire to the Oceania's, Commonwealth Games - and even the Olympics.

Safety

Our sport is extremely proud of the safety record that has been achieved by the diligence of club officials and members alike. Each event has a qualified range officer who supervisors and instructs competitors, monitors the range and ensures all rifles are checked and cleared before allowing any person forward of the firing point. There has never been a fatality or injury in our sport. An insurance broker once told us that we were his best kept secret!

How Do I Get Involved?

It is easy to get involved. Just go to our 'clubs' page (see above or the link below), find the club nearest to you and give them a call or drop them an email.

They will then let you know when they are open, and it is a simple matter of turning up then! An experienced member will then explain to you how the club functions and let you try shooting out so that you can see what it is about. The cost of this will be very small (it will vary from club to club). You can then either come back to try it out again, or join up. Some clubs may have 'probationary' or waiting periods but you will be welcome to come back to the club as soon as you become a member.

The minimum age for membership is 12 years. If you fall between 12 and 18, you will need your parent or guardian to give you permission to try shooting out.

Club members will also help steer you through the licensing approval processes.

Please note you cannot try the sport out or become a member if you are a 'prohibited person' under the Firearms Act. Generally speaking, a prohibited person is someone who has been jailed recently or is subject to a domestic violence order.