On Saturday 23rd March, a group of Army Cadets travelled down to the Pirbright ranges to improve their shooting and work their way to the 4 Star qualification and practice for upcoming cadet marksmanship competitions.

We started the day bright and early at 6.30am and made a quick departure from Royal Russell to the range. Once we got there, we wasted no time in setting up the Figure 11 targets so we could start firing as soon as possible. Initially we conducted CLF GP6, which is where we Zero our rifles at 100m to ensure the sights are set correctly. After zeroing we continued firing from 100m in alternative positions. It is safe to say we were all a bit rusty at first! However, after a few practices, thankfully we all improved and were able to progress. Throughout the day, we completed a variety of shoots, including shooting from 200m and 300m which was quite challenging! After a brief lunch under the Gazebo (and getting caught in the golf ball sized hail), we also completed some advance to contact march and shoots. This is where we ran 100m and then started engaging the targets. This helps us to control our breathing and improve our aim while shooting.

Special shout out to Staff Sergeant Harrison who managed to get 29 out of 30 rounds on his target during our hardest shoot! Although we were all exhausted by the end of the day, we all had a wonderful day successfully qualifying at 4 Star Marksmanship with lots of laughs and development throughout the day.

Thank you to Captain Quick for being the Range Conducting Officer and planning this day. Also thanks to Captain Fisher, Lieutenant Blows, Sergeant Greenwood and Sergeant Wickes for taking the time to supervise and support us on the range.

Next up – Easter Camp in April.

Sergeant A Yasothar