The First Miniature Rifle Range Opens at Farnham
With the increasing interest in civilian shooting, ways were being sought to make shooting more accessible by moving away from the reliance on the large ranges used by the Volunteers.
The idea of the miniature range was to use lower powered rifles; but not by moving to the now popular smallbore rifle of .22 inch calibre. Instead the standard fullbore rifle was to be loaded with cartridges containing substantially less propellant than normal, the cartridges being reloaded for further shooting.
Lady Mary Arkwright yesterday fired the first shot in a novel miniature rifle range, which has been established at Farnham, as the basis of operations of a military and civilian rifle club which has been started in that town. This is the first club which has been established in the country to use service rifles, with full bore ammunition, and it is claimed for the system, which has been patented by Major Richards, of Kingston Barracks, that it more nearly approximates to actual range practice than anything yet invented. Many years ago Brigadier-General John Davis tried this system in connection with the troops which he commanded belonging to the Surrey Brigade. At his own expense he has kept ranges going for the benefit of his men, and he has succeeded in producing many excellent shots. Not only at Kingston has the system been tried, but lately during the mobilisation of militia at Gosport. It is claimed that evidence can be produced to show that a regulation standard of efficiency in shooting can be brought about in six weeks.
The Farnham Club has built for itself a range suitable for the use of men firing from Government service weapons projectiles of service calibre with reduced charges, and a little arsenal for the manufacture of ammunition at a small cost forms part of its equipment. The empty cartridge cases are recharged by the members them- selves, the apparatus for which has been presented by General Davis. At the opening ceremony yesterday the empty cases were filled and recapped as the shooting went on, the cost working out at 3d. per ten rounds. Lord Methuen and many officers of note have approached the War Office with the idea of introducing to the service this system of rifle practice, so as to meet to some extent the difficulties which prevail in finding shooting accommodation at ordinary ranges.
Transcript from Nottingham Evening Post 20/12/1900
British Library Newspaper Archive