Over the past 6 weeks, Leaders from both the 5th Dartford Scouts Group’s Scouts and Explorers have been instructing our scouts to become proficient in the sport of air rifle target shooting. The course concluded with an exam, in which a minimum of 70% must be attained before progressing to the shooting part of the test. We are proud to announce that every attendee passed the theory exam and progressed to the shoot off. The “Shoot off” consisted of a practice card upon which as many “sighting” shots could be fired in a limited time period, in order for the participants to familiarise themselves with the rifle they had been allocated. Thereafter, a further 4 cards were issued where 5 pellets were shot at each.
In order to grade the participant’s capability, the NSRA created the following grade bands.
50 to 109 – Skilled Shot
110 to 149 – Marksman
150 – 174 – Expert Shot
175+ Master Shot
We were pleased with the level of competence we saw this year, with many scouts hitting excellent scores, but a special mention to Jess and Joe who achieved “Master Shot” – The highest possible grade within the NSRA’s YPS scheme which only a three of 5th Dartford Scout Group has attained previously. Jess is now our high record holder, beating our previous holder, Chris, by 9 points. Thankfully, both these scouts and almost all who attended the course will be representing Dartford at this year’s annual National Scout’s Rifle Target Shooting Competition at NSRA Bisley next weekend
