Shooting: The Steps

First Steps

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 rifle 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.

Onwards

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 slighlty 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.

Serious competition

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

The future?

It is planned to replace the L98A1 Cadet GP rifle with a semi-automatic version of the L85A1.

The basic L85A1 rifle can fire semi-automatically (one bullet each time you pull the trigger) or fully-automatically (It keeps firing until you release the trigger or the magazine is empty. The big advantage will be that the rifle will load the next round itself - most of the problems encountered when firing the L98A1 are due to incorrect operation of the manual cocking handle. This replacement will not take place for several years.

Hitting the Target

Although initially each shooter will concentrate at becoming familiar with the weapon, the eventual goal is to hit the target accurately and consistently.
Shooters with the ATC will typically be firing one of the following four practices:

Top Shots

Cadets qualifying to shoot at Bisley and Purbright competitions are amongst the best in the Country. There are several events for individuals and teams. The annual highlight is the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting (ISCRM), a target shooting competition where Air Cadets (ATC) get to compete against members of the ACF (Army Cadet Force) and SCC (Sea Cadet Corps). There are also a number of other National and International target shooting competitions held each year.

The Cadet Inter-Service Skill At Arms Meeting (CISSAM) takes place annually on the ranges at Purbright. Like the rifle meeting at Bisley it is a top level competition for teams and individuals. Matches are fired with L98A1 rifle on long ranges including some with electrically operated targets some of which are designed to fall down when they are hit.

All Air Cadets have the opportunity to take part in competitive target shooting. As well as the national events there are also numerous competitions arranged at Wing level.

There are further competitive events available to ACO members including a postal competition arranged by the RAF (Reserve Forces) Small Arms Association (RAF(RF)SAA) which enables those who are unable to travel to still compete with other throughout the country. Details can be found at: www.raf-rf-saa.org.uk

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Date Last Updated : Monday, April 11, 2005 8:20 PM