Civilian Service Rifle in Dorset

Civilian Service Rifle (CSR) may be enormous fun—but it’s not something you can shoot at most ranges. You need firing points at multiple distances, which must be accessed multiple times in a single shooting day. On the targetry side, you need a gallery with hand held targets and reliable smooth target frames. The obvious choices are always Bisley Camp or renting an MOD range. The former is tricky due to its popularity, and the latter is not cheap—plus, it carries the ever-present risk of being cancelled if a military unit suddenly needs it. One day, Mark Ferns—a historic service rifle shooter and TCRA member—was chatting with me about a range he ran in Dorset. It sounded suspiciously like it ticked every box for CSR. After six months of planning, we set a date, and we booked the range. A couple of us headed down the day before the shoot to help Mark set things up. Upon inspection, we found he'd already done most of the work—it looked like a fantastic gallery rifle range. The only thing missing was a “live/clear” red paddle. We made up some Figure 12 handheld targets, and Mark whipped up a red paddle overnight! What impressed us most was the quality of the targetry—especially the handheld targets and the Figure 11 backboards. The EHRR team had clearly put in some serious effort to get the range CSR-ready.With little else to do, we motored into Wareham for dinner and drinks. When we returned to the campsite, we were greeted by Liam Magee, who had driven down from London to support the club. Unfortunately, while TCRA members had been very enthusiastic about “CSR in Dorset,” their diaries were significantly less so. We lost a few key members to family holidays, house moves, and career changes. Given the circumstances, we re-extended our invitation to the Lee Enfield Rifle Association, the High Power Rifle Association, and two other clubs. A few members from LERA and HRA answered the call, and with some support from Ferndown Gun Club (FDGC), our team was complete. Perhaps the most notable LERA member was Peter Cottrell, head of the NRA shooting division and CSR match director. He brought along a butts box with markers and patches—much appreciated! While he joined in a personal capacity, his presence definitely sharpened our focus on detail.

The Match Begins

The first match was shot from 100–400 yards, working backwards. Mark Ferns wanted to experience running a CSR match himself, so we backed him up with Michael Standage—TCRA member and LERA chairman. The first detail featured a strong lineup: Julian Timms, Roy Wade, and Peter Cottrell. While Michael and Mark ran the firing point, I took charge of the radio and butts. We had some new TCRA and FDGC faces, and I jumped in as usual, in true CSR fashion. Jim Gray and Steve Sheldon knew exactly what they were doing. However, when I handed out the handheld targets, there was some consternation among the FDGC club volunteers.

“Do we hold the targets… and they shoot them?” asked a young marker.
“Yes, of course.”
She stared at me in horror.
“Don’t worry,” I reassured her, “it’s all very exciting really.” I demonstrated how the targets are placed on the frames.
She did not seem at all convinced.

The International CSR match

The range mandated five sighting shots. Roy Wade demonstrated how it’s done, grouping four shots through a single spotting disc. As soon as he was done, I threw the disc away. The shoot rolled on: the Belfast Gambol standing at 100, then kneeling at 200. At 300 yards, we had the usual snaps over a frontage, and at 400 yards, shooters engaged two Figure 11 targets—five shots on the left, five on the right. After a quick butt change, we worked through the rest of the course of fire. The morning took longer than expected, as we were working closely with the range volunteers to share CSR knowledge. It was a valuable exchange—we came to appreciate how much experience we had, and how challenging a first CSR match can be for newcomers.

Advances in the Afternoon

“Some of us promised our Mrs a mid afternoon finish” said Roy Wade. 
“Don’t worry it will all be fine” I reassured him.

He looked about as convinced as the young marker. I knew that the afternoon shoot would be swift. I went over to Mark and asked if we might run the “Advance to Contact” match, with him shadowing our RO. Having seen the course of fire, he readily agreed. Michael Standage ran the first detail  and Peter Radcliffe ran the second. Some FDGC volunteers operated the butts back-to-back which allowed us to have 6 people shooting at the same time.  After our stint in the butts we lined up with our feet touching the back fence, rifles made safe. 
“watch out, watch out” shouted Peter. The figure 12 targets appeared and we dashed down to the firing point. As I squinted down my No. 4 and wondered why on earth I had designed a course of fire with such tiny targets at this distance. Never the less, I laid into the target, and watched  the sand splashes of my missed shots, clearly visible to the naked eye. As soon as we were finished, Peter instructed us to make safe. With ten rounds in the magazine but an empty chamber, we advanced slowly across the grassy tussocks. Occasionally Peter would chivvy someone to keep up, but all in all, our advancing line was quite impressive. Fifteen to twenty yards before the firing point the targets flashed up and we dashed forward again. This time the figure 12 was bigger! By the time we got to 100 yards, everybody was sweating in the humidity and breathing rapidly after the dash, the targets came up and I tried to engage every exposure while standing,. I rattled off round after round hoping they were hitting. While this seemed like an age, all four practices had taken less than 10 minutes. The match and the day were over. At exactly 3:04 PM, the final butts detail appeared at the 400-yard firing point, and just like that, the day was over.

Final Results & Reflections

After a team photo, people began to drift away. I stayed behind for a debrief and a well-earned cup of tea before setting off on a scenic drive through the Dorset and Wiltshire countryside in the evening sunshine. Later that night, Michael Standage sent through the scores—and I was blown away. Three shooters scored 182 out of 200 in the international match. Roy Wade edged out Peter Radcliffe on countback. Steve Sheldon, shooting in the Practical Optic category, kept pace with the Service Rifle shooters—an impressive feat, especially since he had to shoot standing at 100 and 200, while others knelt. On the historic front, just two shots separated me and Jim Gray. I look forward to being soundly beaten by him at the next NRA CSR match.

In the second match—the Advance to Contact—there was no separating the top three: Roy Wade, Peter Cottrell, and Peter Radcliffe all tied for first. Overall first place went to Julian Timms.

What’s Next?

The TCRA will be holding another shoot in Spring 2026, followed by a CSR weekend in mid-June 2026. LERA, HRA, and the Mars and Minerva Clubs will all be invited.