Bell Target Shooting

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Simon Everett
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One of the things I have done is to start a Bell Target shooting club in Uttoxeter. We shoot in a local social club, many clubs shoot in pubs and social clubs. With them all being closed obviously shooting has been suspended, but we are trying to maintain interest by shooting at home, those of us who have a yard, shed or suitable corridor/room to set a target up. Bell target shooting was the most populist activity this country has ever had, in its heyday more people shot bell target than played darts, football or went fishing. Probably because of its availability in the pubs and clubs - in the years between the Boer War and World War One Birmingham alone (and Brum was about half the size it is now) there were over 1200 bell target shooting clubs! This little video I made from 3 clips I shot of myself shooting. It was shot on my D4s and I am still trying to find out about how to shoot video. I don't understand frame rates and stuff, so at the moment I am using A priority, because I can and at least I end up with something, not nothing. The other problem is of course I have to guess if I am actually in the frame or not. I haven't worked that one out yet either.

The editing is done on what I have, Windows media maker.... I have 'Shotcut', but I can't understand the tutorial and I have not managed to do a single step of editing on it yet. I can't remember what to do when.... by the time I have finished listening to the tutorial I have forgotten what you do to load the video clip into it. I am slowly writing it down so I can refer to it.

Any help on how I can do this kind of thing better will be gratefully received. I am not changing from my D4s, because it is what I am used to using for photography and I have the means to process the pictures, which are the important bit at the moment.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU42G-U-_B4&t=5s
 
DemiLion said:
I think that a bit of research would show that per capita, it was almost certainly archery.
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Competitive archery wasn't. Just taking part, possibly, but I will wager that if we include 'folks with an airgun at home' the same as 'folks with a bow and arrow at home', simply because of the population increase the numbers would dwarf archery. I bet there were more people from the 65 million population with an airgun in the house than there were archers within the 6 or 7 million population from the golden age of archery.
 
Is that a FWB 300s you are using?
Had one back in the day for 10m shooting, after that I used a FWB 601 until I gave it up

Seem to recall there was something called Running Boar too, never tried that or Bell shooting
Looks like good fun, shame my shoulders wouldn't be too keen on any of it these days
 
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tijuana taxi said:
Is that a FWB 300s you are using?
Had one back in the day for 10m shooting, after that I used a FWB 601 until I gave it up

Seem to recall there was something called Running Boar too, never tried that or Bell shooting
Looks like good fun, shame my shoulders wouldn't be too keen on any of it these days
Click to expand...

This was the Anschutz 'improved version' of the FWB 300s. It uses a similar recoilless sledge system, but it is contained with a shroud, so the sights don't move, all the movement from recoil takes place inside a 'housing'. The barrel runs on rings, a similar principal to the piston rings in an engine. There are two supporting the barrel along its length. The trigger is NOT attached to the action either, it is attached to the stock and the stock bolts have to be the correct torque, set by the weight of the rifle on a specific tool supplied with it. It is phenomenally accurate, better balanced than the 300s for me at least, but I am not the only one who has said it. The problem was the timing of its launch, just as FWB released the single stroke pneumatics, so while the British Team adopted the Anschutz LG380, it was for a very short period as they then moved over to the pneumatic FWB 600. I have a 603 I use competitively too, but I prefer shooting with the Annie, and I can shoot better with it too!

Funny you mention Running Boar - I have just picked up a proper ISSF 10m Running Boar target setup, in full working order. I shall get it set up and do some footage of that too in time.
 
Thanks, couldn't quite see the rifle clearly, thought it looked a bit different to a 300s that's why I asked.
I remember the Anschutz and there was a Walther too, but FWB seemed to have the lions share of the market.

Enjoyed the video, would like a try at that myself, looks like good fun
Look forward to seeing the Running Boar video, good find getting one complete in working order
 
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As an ex target shooter Rifle/Pistol and Archery I am interested in this, presumably the object is to shoot through the hole in the middle and ring a bell positioned behind the plate.
Looks as if it requires a high degree of skill and accuracy.
 
troutfisher said:
As an ex target shooter Rifle/Pistol and Archery I am interested in this, presumably the object is to shoot through the hole in the middle and ring a bell positioned behind the plate.
Looks as if it requires a high degree of skill and accuracy.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what it is. Shot stood, no supports as per 10m with open or diopter sights and .177 rifles at less than 6ft-lbs, most are set for about 5 - 5.2ft-lbs. Back in the golden era the Lincoln Jefferies underlever that BSA licensed was the tool of choice. In the pubs they used to shoot the length of the bar, whereas nowadays you ask for the pool cue and chalk, in those days you asked for the pub's bell target rifle. There would be a dispensing machine on the wall, put a 1d in and you got 8 pellets - 2 sighters and 6 to count. Open V sights and a 4lb trigger pull, single stage! Like darts teams go from pub to pub and play each other, so there were bell target leagues - the winning team would get a mutton dinner apiece and a flagon of cider for the journey home. :)

It was designed to improve the appalling shooting standard of the British Army. Up until then shooting was the preserve of the gentry and so the 'peasants' and working men were prevented from getting any kind of proficiency. This was shown up in the South African war and Queen Victoria decreed that bell target shooting should be made accessible to the working man... Lord Ednam, a director at BSA and Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement, were the men charged with bringing shooting to the public.

The target was devised to represent a 6-inch target at 100 yards, so as to ensure a good head shot in battle. The hole is 3/8th of an inch and shot at from 6 yards, hence why it is possible to shoot within the pub. The rifles only put out about 5ft-lbs, so a steady aim was required to keep the sights on target during the shot cycle. Some pubs shoot at 7 yards, because they utilise the skittle alley as their bell target range too. The difference is negligible, you don't have to adjust your sights going from one that shoots at 6 yards to one that shoots at 7. A maximum score is 30.6, 5.1 is scored for a clean bell, no pellet mark visible on the plate at all. If you ring the bell but clip the edge on the way through it is 5. The first ring is 1" diameter from the centre of the hole and scores 4, then another inch diameter for the 3 ring and another inch diameter (so 1/2" between the scoring rings) for a 2. If you hit outside the 2 ring it is 0, there is no '1'. Hitting a maximum 6 bells is called a 'possible'. Getting 6 clean bells, even with a modern rifle such as the 300s or 380, or even the 600 series, is very difficult. I have only ever seen it done once and my personal best is a 30.5, which I have done twice, once with the 380, once with my 601.

It really is a testament to those old boys who shot with the Lincoln Jefferies rifles. We have a couple at our club and they still ring bells, usually you can get 3 bells sometimes 4 with them. The craftsmanship that went into those rifles, they are 120 years old and still shooting very, very accurately! I might have a clip of John, one of the old rifle owners, shooting his... I don't think I put it on You Toob... I will see if I can find it for you.
 
Thank you for that, very interesting.It harks back to the days when men (so we are told) had to practice archery on Sundays to ensure a supply of trained archers for military service .
 
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