• michaelwhapples1Michael Whapples from Leicestershire is blind and shoots air rifle.  In 2011 he was the first British shooter ever to compete at the Open European Shooting Championships for the Vision Impaired, held at Nitra, Slovakia. 

    Read More
  • scoutwithprosthesis1This young Scout was born without a left hand.  When he took an interest in shooting, which is very popular in the Scout movement, Hampshire Scouts helped his local club to find a solution. 
    Read More

  • vicmorris1Vic Morris lives in south Wales and is paralysed from the neck down as the result of an accident.  With the aid of an 'equaliser' device invented by his coach, John Kelman, Vic shoots pistol and rifle. 
    Read More

  • Di CoatesDeanna (Di) Coates lives in Hampshire, shoots air rifle from a wheelchair, and is one of our most successful disabled international athletes. 
    Read More

  • peterbreheny1Peter Breheny from Derbyshire shoots benchrest rifle.  He has Kennedy's Disease, a progressive wasting condition that has weakened his limbs. 
    Read More

  • stewartnangle1Stewart Nangle, a Lancastrian, is pictured shooting .22 pistol.  What the photograph does not show is that at the time one of his legs was fitted with a metal frame that was bolted into the bones. 
    Read More

  • MattSkelhon1Matt Skelhon shot to fame when he grabbed gold at the Bejiing Paralympic Games and proved it was no fluke by claiming silver and bronze at London 2012.

    Read More
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Competitions

Opportunities for competing

One of the really great things about target shooting as a sport is that for many competitions disabled and less-able participants compete against the fully able; they are not restricted only to competing against other disabled people.  This degree of integration is pretty well unique amongst mainstream sports. 

Even so, there are some disciplines that are not accessible to some or all disabled participants.  The reasons for this state of affairs are many and various, and some are easier to address than others.  It might be that the technical requirements of the discipline are such that to amend them to accommodate disabilities would destroy the whole nature of the event for everyone.  On the other hand, it might simply be that no-one with a particular type of disability has expressed an interest in a discipline, so it had never occurred to anyone to introduce some simple adjustments that would make it accessible.   Whatever the reason, the DSP is encouraging the opening up of as many disciplines as possible to people with disabilities. 

In the meantime, we can give details of competition opportunities that we are aware of.  The information in this section covers domestic events up to Home Country International level.  Information on full international matches can be found under International Events

 Readers of this who know of competitions that could be included here are welcome to pass the information on to us to be added to the relevant list. 

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant governing bodies' websites.   

Airgun Competitions

Air Rifle and Air Pistol

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites.   

Anyone who holds an NSRA Dispensation can take part in all competitions run under NSRA rules.  All of the competitions run by the Association are listed in its Handbook, a copy of which is given to every affiliated club; entry forms are also sent to all clubs.  Details of local leagues and open meetings held under NSRA rules will be available from clubs.  Many competitions are postal, shot at local ranges on targets that are then sent to an independent person who scores them and produces the results.  Listed below are shoulder-to-shoulder competitions which are known to be accessible/integrated. 

  • The British Airgun Championships, organised by the NSRA in February, are shot under ISSF and IPC rules, and shooters who cannot comply with one or the other may not compete.  However, the Championships include integrated competitions, and the individual British Champion titles for SH1 and SH2 classified shooters. 
  • The Geoff Partridge Memorial Shoot is held in January under NSRA rules at the West Midlands Regional Shooting Centre in Wolverhampton.  It is a fully integrated open meeting. 
  • The British Blind/VI Championship is held in March, also at the WMRSC.
  • The Dwarf National Games are held in April at the WMRSC and include airgun competitions. 
  • The Scouts’ National Shooting Championship is held at the Lord Roberts Centre in October.  It includes airgun competitions and is fully integrated. 
  • The Scottish Air Rifle Blind Shooting Championship is held in August at Denwood, and includes a Home Countries International match.
  • Blackburn R&PC began hosting disabled shooting open meetings in 2010. 

Benchrest Competitions

Full-bore, .22 and Airgun Benchrest 

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites. 

This is an exceptionally accessible discipline for shooters with disabilities, and most competitions will include a fair number of them.  There are no competitions specifically for disabled shooters.  Information on all available competitions can be obtained from the UKBR22 and UKBRA.

An announcement by the NSRA about benchrest competitions in 2012, after the association assumed the mantle of NGB for the .22 and air disciplines, is available as a download.

Blind/VI Competitions

Blind + Visually Impaired (Air Rifle)

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites.   

A postal league is organised by Tony Taylor, Manager of the WMRSC at Aldersley.  Listed below are shoulder-to-shoulder competitions. 

  • The British Blind/VI Championship is held in March, also at the WMRSC.
  • The Scottish Air Rifle Blind Shooting Championship is held in August at Denwood, and includes a Home Countries International match.

Clay Target Competitions

Clay Target - Skeet, Down the Line, Sport

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites. 

Open shoots in all Clay Target disciplines are held by shooting grounds throughout the country under the CPSA Rules.  Competitors entering these must be able to shoot with conventional equipment and techniques.  A comprehensive fixture list is maintained on the CPSA website

The following competitions are open to shooters with disabilities that prevent them from shooting conventionally.

  • The Disabled Shooters Group organises regional shoots from March to October specifically for disabled competitors and their carers.  All competitions are 75 birds (25 each Skeet, Down the Line and Sport).  Details of these can be found on the DSG website.   
  • The Riverside Shooting Ground at Bidford-on-Avon in Warwickshire, runs Clay Target events for people with disabilities, including regular shoots for Sportability. 

Crossbow Competitions

Match, Field and Sport Crossbow

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites. 

Match Crossbow

Shooters in this discipline may enter 10m Air Rifle competitions run by the NSRA, and consequently a less-able or disabled shooter who has a Dispensation may take part in them.   Details are set out in Airgun Competitions.

Target or Field Crossbow

Competitions under National Crossbow Federation rules are open to competitors with disabilities; there are separate classes for those who shoot Assisted disciplines.  Information on the events here are is on the NCF website

  • Competitions are held at clubs in the Midlands and Gloucestershire.
  • The NCF holds separate National Championships for Outdoor, 10m Indoor and 18m Indoor disciplines. 
  • In conjunction with the Wolverhampton Association for Disabled Sport the NCF runs integrated competitions open to able-bodied, disabled, assisted, blind/VI and amputee crossbow shooters.  

Sport Crossbow

This is a new discipline being developed under the aegis of the NSRA.  As soon as competitions are available for it information will be published here.

Field Target Competitions

Field Target

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites.

This branch of target shooting takes place outdoors in fields and wooded areas.  Consequently there is an inevitable lack of accessibility, especially for wheelchair users and these with significant mobility.  Competitors must be able to shoot with conventional equipment and techniques under the British Field Target Association Rules.  On that basis shooters with disabilities can take part in competitions.

  • BFTA organises a number of annual competitions, details of which are on its website:
    • Championship Meetings at BFTA’s principal venue in Newbury:
      • Individual Championship in April
      • Inter-Regional Match in April
      • Masters Championship in October
      • Annual Showdown in October
    • Grand Prix matches held at venues all over the country throughout Spring and Summer.
  • There are nine Field Target regional associations, all of which run a wide range of leagues and open shoots throughout the year.  Details of these are on the regional associations’ websites, which can be accessed via the Clubfinder/Regions menu on the BFTA website.

Full-bore Competitions

Full-bore Target Rifle and F Class

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites.

This is a prone shooting discipline, and accordingly is reasonably accessible to people who have mild to moderate disabilities.  Competitors must be able to shoot with conventional equipment and techniques for the relevant discipline under the NRA Rules.  Nearly all full-bore competitions are listed on the NRA’s website.

  • The NRA’s principal championship meeting takes place in July at Bisley Camp. 
  • Many other competitions are held at Bisley by the NRA and by other organisations and clubs. 
  • F Class competitions take place at Bisley Camp, Diggle Ranges and Blair Atholl.  Details are available from the NRA and F Class UK.

Smallbore Competitions

.22 Rifle and Pistol

Many of the open and championship meetings mentioned in this section appear in the Diary, with contacts, and location information.  Otherwise details can be obtained via the relevant organisations' websites.

Anyone who holds an NSRA Dispensation can take part in all competitions run under NSRA rules.  All of the competitions run by the Association are listed in its Handbook, a copy of which is given to every affiliated club; entry forms are also sent to all clubs.  Details of local leagues and open meetings held under NSRA rules will be available from clubs.  Many competitions are postal, shot at local ranges on targets that are then sent to an independent person who scores them and produces the results.  Below are shoulder-to-shoulder competitions which are known to be accessible/integrated. 

  • The Bisley Rifle Meeting (which includes the British Championship), the Scottish Rifle Meeting and the National Pistol Meeting are all run by the NSRA and disabled shooters who hold Dispensations are fully integrated.  The outdoor ranges are not very accessible for wheelchair users, but some of the Bisley Rifle Meeting matches are held in the Lord Roberts Centre which is fully accessible. 
  • Many other open meetings and championships are held by clubs and county associations all over the country – nearly all of them under NSRA rules, so shooters with Dispensations can take part.  Details of most of these events can be obtained from the association’s website, or The Rifleman magazine. 

Hot News!

DSP Videos

Videos on disabled target shooting now on Vimeo and YouTube. You are invited to contribute your videos.

Please Do Our Surveys!

survey Information about people and facilities is vital to our work (and funding). YOU can help by completing our People and Clubs/Grounds Surveys.

£250,000 for Clubs!

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Read about the huge increase in Sport England investment in grass-roots target shooting. 

International Development

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Read about how we are hoping to expand the range of international competitions open to disabled shooters, and let us know if you can help.  

Helpful Stuff

Vision for Shooters

For most shooters, being able to see well enough to aim accurately is the key to our sport. Our Vision Section has lots of information to help all shooters who have vision problems, great or small.

Funding Guidance & Information

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Need information on funding for any aspect of disabled target shooting?  Check out the extensive Funding section on this site. 

Advice for Clubs

EFDS Inclusion Hub is a free on-line resource created by the English Federation of Disability Sport for clubs that wish to become more disabled-friendly and include more disabled people in their activities.
More information

Disability Awareness

For those encountering people who have various types of disabilities, we offer a round-up of some on-line advice and videos that may help to put everyone at their ease.