One of the most popular activities we undertake in the ATC is target shooting. All training is undertaken by our staff who are required to study then undertake rigorous examinations. Staff qualify as coaches, range supervisors, weapon instructors, and Conducting Officers.

The first rifle that a cadet will be trained on is the No.8 bolt action rifle. This weapon started life as the Enfield No4 rifle as used during World War II. It was modified to have a shorter barrel and altered to fire the .22 long rifles round instead of the .303. It also no longer takes a box magazine holding 10 rounds - each round must be fed in manually.

"Dry training" is part of a cadet's initial training and they are shown the No8 rifle in detail. The commands and practices used on the range are also explained so that the cadet knows exactly what to expect before they come anywhere near the range. Only after the cadet has successfully passed the Weapon Handling Test (WHT) - which supersedes the Test of Elementary Training (TOET) - will they be taken to the range and allowed to fire ammunition.

The No8 rifle itself is a nice, simple weapon - ideal for training. The sights are simple iron-sights (as with all cadet weapons) and it operates with a manually fed bolt action. There is very little noise from the rifle, though ear defenders are always worn when it is being fired.

Cadets over 14yrs old may fire the L98 Cadet GP rifle (L98).

The L98 is again a modification of an existing design, but in this case it is modified from the standard British rifle on current issue – the Enfield L85A1. It fires the same ammunition (5.56mm) as the L85 but is manually cocked and can only fire one round at a time so it is just like the No.8. The primary difference in operation is that ammunition is supplied in a magazine which is fitted to the rifle rather than loose to be fed by hand each time the rifle is fired.

Since the weapon is different from the No8, firers must be retrained with this weapon and go through dry training and WHT again before they are allowed to fire. You fire rounds of a slightly higher calibre. Because they are high velocity rounds (they travel faster than the speed of sound) they make a louder noise and give a more robust kick in your shoulder.

Due to come back in to service is the L81 rifle. The L81A1 was a slightly modified Parker-Hale M82 rifle but was taken out of service in 1995 for maintenance. It is being reborn as the L81A2 rifle. A step back in complexity, this weapon is very much like the No.8 rifle in operation, though scaled up. It fires the 7.62mm round and is capable of considerable accuracy.