We can trace the origins of our club back to when a new rifle range for Bideford Miniature Rifle Club was opened on the 21st May 1906. 111 years later on 28th May 2017, we officially opened the first phase of our new home at Melbury as Bideford Target Shooting Club.

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It's not on record when Bideford Small Bore Rifle Club began shooting at The Moreton House ranges, Bideford. But as of 2012 we are sure we had shot there for over 50 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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With the introduction of the club web site in 2008 and the club actively promoting itself in the local press and later on social media the club soon began to flourish with new members which also brought new ideas. The club's unique courses not just in shooting but also instructing, scoring and range control and the club's progressive attitude saw a surge in new membership applications for the .22 disciplines and also for all the air gun discipline, we also noticed a rise in families attending, Fathers and sons, Mothers and daughters, mums, dads and all the children.

In 2010 the club was given notice that the land and ranges at Moreton House were to be sold and we would need to vacate the premises. As it turned out this was a blessing in disguise!. Our new landlord at Moreton House, Mr Prouse was very understanding and allowed us time to search for a new range and to continue shooting until we had either found something or he needed to politely ask us to leave.

With club membership steadily growing together with successes in Club, County and International standards competition increasing in air and .22 disciplines, it was decided that we should take the bull by the horns and look towards purchasing a site and build something suitable, sustainable, practical and usable for as many people as possible. The search was on for a site that was local enough, the space we needed and the potential for development. In 2012 the ideal location was identified and club members came together to raise the funds before the old Water Treatment Works at Melbury went to public auction, our bid was successful.

It was at this time that the club decided to make two fundamental changes. In recognition of the clubs progressive attitude towards furthering and promoting the sport of target shooting and because the air discipline was now a much bigger part of the club it was decided to change the name of the club from Bideford Small Bore Rifle Club to Bideford Target Shooting Club. The second change was to the club badge and overall identity. A new badge was created that depicts a section of the Bideford Long Bridge (old bridge) with a foresight and target view between an arch of the bridge.