Hitting the Target

The weekend of April 14^th -16^th saw 20 cadets from A,B,D and E Companies come together at Strensall Ranges for live firing on the Target Rifle. Much was achieved this weekend with cadets progressing their experience of the Target rifle, with grouping practices at 300m.

CFAV were able to mentor and guide their shooting teams, with a number of us developing coaching skills and learning a lot from the vast experience of fellow adult volunteers. It was my first experience of a County shooting weekend and the passion for shooting from both adults and cadets was great to see. It was really enjoyable being part of such a team effort with everyone playing their part to enable training to take place.

Before shooting commenced, cadets received an introduction to the ranges at Strensall with its unique train track and carts system running from range control across the range complex. They had refreshers on how to hold and aim the Target rifle and its component parts. As well as being on the firing point to shoot, all cadets and adults were part of a detail in the butts, which is of course essential for shooting to be able to take place, and a skill in itself to keep everything running smoothly.

For a few cadets it was their first opportunity to fire the target rifle, so some companies were looking at spotting the potential to build their shooting teams. Applying their knowledge of the marksmanship principles and responding to the guidance of their coaches resulted in many cadets achieving impressive results. Both coaches and cadets and staff running the butts could be heard proudly shouting ‘Bullll’ and ‘V bulllll’ to celebrate the firer’s accuracy. Other companies were able to use the weekend to really refine and develop their shooting teams, where a number of cadets have already achieved awesome results in regional, national and even international shooting competitions. More experienced cadets were able to mentor and support their peers through sharing their experiences and techniques with them.

A and B companies were practicing their skills ahead of the 4 Brigade Target Rifle Skill at Arms Meeting with the hope they can replicate last year’s successes.

All cadets should be proud of their efforts this weekend, and special mention to the following three cadets scoring the most points over the shoot – 1^st Place Cdt Cpl Sankey (B Coy) 2nd Place Cdt SSgt Shackleton (E Coy) 3^rd place LCpl Bruce (D Coy).