Air Gun Competition Shooting

We try to incentivise our members to improve their shooting through friendly competition between the members as well as inter club competition by running a number of seasonal competitions. These can be broken down into 2 main categories, Hampshire League and Club Competitions.

Hampshire League

Postal competitions are run through Hampshire Smallbore Rifle & Pistol Association (HSBRPA), catering for 20yd Benchrest and 10m Standing. These competitions are run according to the NSRA (National Smallbore Rifle Association) Competition Rules which can be viewed on the NSRA Website.

Details for the Winter 2026/2027 Competition.

Benchrest Individual Air 20yd Junior & Adult.

Shot primarily with PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic) Air Rifles, particular attention should be paid to the Benchrest Rules, clarified in this NSRA Benchrest Rules Clarification Document.

To ensure a level playing field this competition is scored by accredited club scorers using .22 scoring probes and the Outward Gauging method. More details may be found HERE

Benchrest Individual Springer Air 20yrd Junior & Adult.

Run under the same rules as the Benchrest Ind Air 20yd Junior & Adult competition listed above, but limited to Springer Air Rifles.

10m Air rifle standing Junior & Adult.

Shot primarily with PCP Air Rifles, but limited to a muzzle power of 6Ft/lbs and using only Diopter sights.

To ensure a level playing field this is scored by accredited club scorers using a .177 scoring probe and the Inward Gauging method. More details may be found HERE

10m Air pistol standing Junior & Adult.

Shot with Air Pistols and exactly as it sounds. Shot at 10m with sub-6ft/lb air pistols whilst standing.

NSRA/ELEY Competition

This is a competition which is run through the NSRA and which is sponsored by the famous ammunition manufacturer, ELEY. It is asked that all competitors use ELEY Tenex pellets throughout. The first round is a postal round and is run in-house. Once the first round (4 cards) is complete, NSRA will inform us of the qualifying score which would take a competitor through to the second round which is run in the same way, in-house, 4 cards. Following the completion of that second round for any qualified competitors, the NSRA will then inform us of those who have qualified for the finals which is then run at the ‘Home of British Shooting’ – the famous Lord Roberts Centre at Bisley in Surrey. This final competition is run directly by the NSRA.

A fun benchrest competition where shooters attempt to break matches that are mounted vertically in a wooden block at a range of 20yds.

The number of matches hit without a miss is recorded as the shooters competition score. A magnificent 23 in a row was the winning score of the most recent running of the competition.

Norman’s Challenge

Run in memory of Norman Beckett, a much loved club member and friend who we sadly lost in 2024.

This in-house competition is 20yrd benchrest covering Adult & Junior, Males & Females, PCPs & Springer air rifles.

This competition is run to the same rules as the Hampshire League Benchrest competitions detailed above so the Norman’s Challenge provides a great training ground for shooters to hone their skills before entering the Hampshire League competitions.

Polo Mint Challenge

Run by some of our club members, shooters attempt to shoot through the hole of a number of Polo Mints that are taped to a card at a distance of 20yd, using normal Benchrest rules. The Polo Mint has to remain completely intact to score a point.