Range/Club House
Benfleet & District Rifle & Pistol Club was founded over 80 years ago and is one of the longest established target shooting clubs in the South of England.
The Range is at Lubbards Farm, Hullbridge Road, Rayleigh where we meet every Thursday from 1930hrs to 2200hrs - Range Fee £1 per week.
Photographs of the entrance to the Range to assist any new members to find the location is shown below and click HERE to see a map.
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New Members
Gallery
There are a number of photographs of the Range and its facilities, if any member has any additional photographs that you think may be suitable, please email them to us at info@benfleetrifleclub.com
If you have any news or items of interest, please can you email them to info@benfleetrifleclub.com
Upcoming Events/Competitions
We are primarily a .22 target shooting Club but and get involved in competitions with: Southend & District Small Bore Rifle League, Eastern Region League, Civil Service League and Victoria Rifle Club Carbine League.
Details of any future Events and/or Competitions will be shown here.
Membership
1
Unlike most sports, competition shooting classes are usually split by ability alone regardless of age or gender, and few disabilities will prevent you from competing. It is also relatively inexpensive, with second hand equipment regularly becoming available.
For beginners, the club can provide all of the training and equipment that you will need to start shooting and enter a variety of competitions. This will give you a good opportunity to try some different discipline's and equipment before you decide to buy anything.
If you do not hold a firearms certificate the law requires that you complete a probationary period of membership of not less than three months in which time you will receive training in both safety and marksmanship to a required safe standard. This club has a minimum probationary period of six months for non Firearm Certificate holders.
2
There is no joining fee for probationary members. During your probationary training period all equipment hire & training is free and ammunition & targets are available at low prices from our armoury.
Only when you have satisfactorily completed the probationary period will you be eligible to take up an invitation to become a full member of this club. Upon being accepted as a full member you will be required to pay your membership fee up to the end of the 31st December (pro rata) which is £170 per full year.
If you are interested in applying for membership please contact us using the information on the Contact Page. You will then receive an invitation to visit the club and after being shown around, if you decide that you would like to apply for membership, you will be asked to fill in an application form.
This is then supplied to the police firearms dept. in our area who will perform background & CRB checks before informing us if you are a fit & proper person to have access to firearms. This can take 1-2 months or longer at certain periods and if you were resident outside of the UK this may take longer so please be patient.
Please note that you will be asked for the name and private address of a referee (who cannot be a relative of yours) who will vouch for you and who will be contacted.
We welcome applications for membership from current firearm certificate holders and whilst it is club policy that all prospective members serve a period as a probationary member, providing that their safety is of a good standard the same facilities will be available to you as a full member.
If you're interested in joining please visit our range and after a tour of our facilities you can fill out our membership form which will be submitted to the Police and your details will be placed on our waiting list.
We are always ready to welcome new members to the Club, whether experienced shots or complete beginners.
About Us
Benfleet & District Rifle & Pistol Club have been established since 1935 and have a very proud and long association with the area.
Details below on the current committee arrangements -
The Club is affiliated to the N.S.R.A. our membership number being 12/939, you can view their website by clicking HERE
The Club is additionally registered with the Home Office under reference: CFP11 1/7/4/1/2/3/133
Location:
Our Shooting Range is situated at Lubbards Farm, Hullbridge Road, Rayleigh SS6 9QG the map below may assist you -
Contact Us
We would love to hear from you.
If you wish to ask a general question or enquire about how you join our Club, please select the button below, complete the Web Form and submit it to us.
We will contact you as soon as we can with the information you require.
Alternatively, you can call us or send us an email using the information below.
Email Us
info@benfleetrifleclub.com
Web Form
FAQ’s
Can I just turn up to shoot?
In a word, no. The Law is very specific on this. If you want to shoot a firearm in the UK you will have to apply for membership & have police checks completed on you. There is no such thing in the UK as turning up to a range and being able to hire a firearm. For membership details please visit us for a tour of our facilities and we can talk about the joining procedure.
Do you hold Open Days for non-Firearm Certificate Holders to have-a-go?
Sorry no. Only the National Rifle Association at Bisley in Surrey has dispensation from the Home Office to hold 'Open Days 'at which anyone can turn up to shoot after registering a few weeks beforehand and signing a declaration that they are not a prohibited person under the Firearms Amendment Act. We are allowed to hold Guest Days at which only friends & family of current club members can shoot club firearms under strict supervision but members of the public can only shoot by joining the club. The NRSA are not holding any Open Days this year.
I want to shoot pistols, is this possible?
Since the Dunblane murders in 1996 the rules affecting pistols have changed drastically.
The length of the barrel must be at least 12 inches and the length of the pistol from the breech to the rear of the weapon must be at least 12 inches.
This makes the effective minimum length of a pistol 24 inches or two feet if you prefer. This is to make a pistol more difficult to conceal.
As regards shooting a pistol, on the range, you must have a Firearms Certificate (FAC) that includes provision to own a pistol. This pistol CANNOT lent to another club member to “have a go” unless that member has provision for a pistol on their FAC. You may let another member hold the pistol so they may get the feel of the pistol.
- Provided that it is confirmed to be unloaded of all ammunition and has no magazine installed
or
- The chamber is completely empty if it is a revolver type of pistol.
I'm a member of another club, can I shoot at your range?
If you have your FAC & your membership card for your main club - no problem. As this is a facility meant for Home Office approved club members to complete competition cards when away from their main club they have a maximum of three visits to the club in any year.
Rules On Gunbuying And Licencing In The UK
To buy a shotgun in Britain you need to hold a Shotgun Certificate, and to buy a rifle you need to hold a Fire Arm Certificate. You can ask for forms for these from your local police station or use this link to Essex Police.
You can also contact your local police firearms team, who will advise you what you need to fill those forms out to their satisfaction. They may also want to see a 'good reason' for you wanting a gun, such as membership of Benfleet gun club or for pest control. They usually want to see that you will keep your gun or guns in a secure place, such as a steel gun cabinet bolted to a wall. You have to store ammunition separately.
A shotgun is described as a smooth-bore gun (not being an air-weapon) which has a barrel not less than 24 inches with a bore diameter not exceeding 2 inches. A firearm usually describes a cartridge-loading, rifled-barrel longarm (rifle) with a barrel not shorter than 300mm. Overall length of the firearm must not be less than 600mm unless it is a muzzle loader. Firearms include: muzzle-loading rifles or pistols; shotguns with a magazine capacity greater than three; airguns with power ratings exceeding 12 ft/lbs for rifles and 6ft/lbs for pistols; and historic pistols kept at home as part of a collection or kept at a designated historic site and used for non-competitive target practice.
People who apply for a Firearm Certificate for a rifle or muzzle-loading pistol from 1 October 1997 need to be a member of a rifle or muzzle-loading pistol club approved by the Home Office or Scottish Office under the Firearms Acts if they intend to use the gun for target shooting only. Muzzle loaders are now the only legal useable handguns available to UK shooters (apart from the historic cartridge firing handguns kept at designated sites). However, in order to conduct your shooting you will need a supply of blackpowder which as a classified explosive, has its own restrictions requiring the acquisition of a blackpowder certificate from your local police force.
It is an offence to fire a gun within 50 feet of a roadway, public footpath or bridleway if by doing so any member of the public is endangered. It is an offence to carry a loaded gun in a public place without good reason. An gun may be considered loaded even if the bullets (or pellets in the case of air rifles) are in a detached magazine.
The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use
Welcome to Benfleet & District Rifle & Pistol Club’s website. If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with - and be bound by - the following terms and conditions of use. These govern Benfleet & District Rifle & Pistol Club’s relationship with you in relation to this website.
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January, 2024
Terms & Conditions
All Enquiries: info@benfleetrifleclub.com
Alan Buxton
Chairman
Karen Shimmen
Secretary
Alan Grange
Treasurer
To buy a shotgun in Britain you need to hold a Shotgun Certificate, and to buy a rifle you need to hold a Fire Arm Certificate. You can ask for forms for these from your local Police Station. As most things currently are accessible via the Internet, below is the link to Essex Police where you can find information about obtaining a gun licence or renewing an existing one in addition to other relevant information.
Ask also to speak to your local Police firearms Liaison Officer, who will tell you what you need to fill those forms out to his or her satisfaction. They may also want to see a 'good reason' for you wanting a gun, such as membership of Benfleet Pistol & Rifle Club or for pest control. They usually want to see that you will keep your gun or guns in a secure place, such as a steel gun cabinet bolted to a wall. You have to store ammunition separately.
James Hewitt Committee Member
Sean Butler
Committee Member
Richard Jennings Committee Member
Sean Butler
Committee Member
Ken Barnard Committee Member
Currently our membership waiting list is full and we are not accepting any new applications.
If you are still interested in joining us please leave your details on the “Contact Us” form and we will hold them on record. We will make contact when you have moved up the list and a space becomes available.