Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Having recently spent two days on the above course, I thought that a wee bit of feedback may assist others.
Two instructors, eight students (one FTA), two days.
It is not cheap (I think £180, but have wiped it from my memory) - I did try and get my Club to fund it, but that was unsuccessful. The NRA have (following a couple of 'incidents') introduced a 'disclaimer' form, for those using home-loads on MOD/NRA ranges. The natural progression to this, is some form of recognised training.
I did ask "Who in the Club 'signs' off on hand loaders?" That is rather vague; in some Clubs the Secretary may have no actually experience of hand loading and it would appear that each hand loader signs off on their own recognisance.
Whether you think that a good or bad thing is irrelevant really, it is the reality of the direction of travel for shooters.
Anyhoo.
Some students had travelled from far flung corners of the Empire, and were staying either at Bisley or locally for a couple of nights. For those that do have a way to travel, a word of warning - the days are long, and I would not fancy a drive back down to Cornwall at the end of it.
Day 1.
Classroom and Power Point. It is what it is.
You can follow the Power Point in your manual.
Tea, Coffee and biscuits are provided. Bring your lunch or eat on site - there are several venues available.
The instructors try not to finish each day late, but they are full days.
Day 2.
The day starts with the examination. Yeah, you heard me - an examination...
Warning.
This is done by 'grabbing' a QR code on your phone, and then completing the examination on your phone. I had never used a QR code, and so had to be shown how to do this. More importantly, reading the questions and the associated charts on your phone screen was (for me) difficult. It cost me a point when I misread 44grams as 44grains. Ask for the paper version of the examination if you think it will help you. I didn't and I should have.
Coffee break.
Final chapters of the manual and then the practical of making ten rounds of ammunition - the rounds are all .308 and all component parts are provided.
The kit is (deliberately) basic (some of the trimmers need replacing and the Instructors are aware), it is designed to help new re-loaders understand the process.
A new electronic dispenser was available (for demonstration), and this was quite interesting for me, because I still use the beam scales at home, but this looked quite decent.
Once you have made your rounds, it was off down to the 200 yard range, and lob them at the target. You can if you wish, bring your own rifle to do this.
One of the Instructors fired ten GGG factory rounds, as a reference, and then we all fired off our rounds to compare.
Very nice to see the Labradar in action.
Whilst the primary objective of the course is safety, the consistency of your loads is what you are aiming for.
Then back to the classroom for an hour or so, on load development, and a discussion on long distance shooting (very interesting) and how to properly set up your rifle and scope.
It was getting dark, when the course wrapped up, and I had a long way to drive home - not as long as some mind you...
The instructors said that training at Bisley is a 'loss maker'. That may well be true.
Did I learn something?
Plenty. Including not to use QR codes on your phone to sit an examination.
Value for money?
I would say yes, but I do love a course.
For those new to reloading it is (in my view) a must. For those who have some experience, I thought it two days well spent.
Two instructors, eight students (one FTA), two days.
It is not cheap (I think £180, but have wiped it from my memory) - I did try and get my Club to fund it, but that was unsuccessful. The NRA have (following a couple of 'incidents') introduced a 'disclaimer' form, for those using home-loads on MOD/NRA ranges. The natural progression to this, is some form of recognised training.
I did ask "Who in the Club 'signs' off on hand loaders?" That is rather vague; in some Clubs the Secretary may have no actually experience of hand loading and it would appear that each hand loader signs off on their own recognisance.
Whether you think that a good or bad thing is irrelevant really, it is the reality of the direction of travel for shooters.
Anyhoo.
Some students had travelled from far flung corners of the Empire, and were staying either at Bisley or locally for a couple of nights. For those that do have a way to travel, a word of warning - the days are long, and I would not fancy a drive back down to Cornwall at the end of it.
Day 1.
Classroom and Power Point. It is what it is.
You can follow the Power Point in your manual.
Tea, Coffee and biscuits are provided. Bring your lunch or eat on site - there are several venues available.
The instructors try not to finish each day late, but they are full days.
Day 2.
The day starts with the examination. Yeah, you heard me - an examination...
Warning.
This is done by 'grabbing' a QR code on your phone, and then completing the examination on your phone. I had never used a QR code, and so had to be shown how to do this. More importantly, reading the questions and the associated charts on your phone screen was (for me) difficult. It cost me a point when I misread 44grams as 44grains. Ask for the paper version of the examination if you think it will help you. I didn't and I should have.
Coffee break.
Final chapters of the manual and then the practical of making ten rounds of ammunition - the rounds are all .308 and all component parts are provided.
The kit is (deliberately) basic (some of the trimmers need replacing and the Instructors are aware), it is designed to help new re-loaders understand the process.
A new electronic dispenser was available (for demonstration), and this was quite interesting for me, because I still use the beam scales at home, but this looked quite decent.
Once you have made your rounds, it was off down to the 200 yard range, and lob them at the target. You can if you wish, bring your own rifle to do this.
One of the Instructors fired ten GGG factory rounds, as a reference, and then we all fired off our rounds to compare.
Very nice to see the Labradar in action.
Whilst the primary objective of the course is safety, the consistency of your loads is what you are aiming for.
Then back to the classroom for an hour or so, on load development, and a discussion on long distance shooting (very interesting) and how to properly set up your rifle and scope.
It was getting dark, when the course wrapped up, and I had a long way to drive home - not as long as some mind you...
The instructors said that training at Bisley is a 'loss maker'. That may well be true.
Did I learn something?
Plenty. Including not to use QR codes on your phone to sit an examination.
Value for money?
I would say yes, but I do love a course.
For those new to reloading it is (in my view) a must. For those who have some experience, I thought it two days well spent.
with different ability, skills and knowledge, some of us have been reloading for many years since the days of pistols others it may be at the very beginning of that journey and then such a course has its merits but so would mentoring with an experienced reloader.
- granted not compulsory to the wider range of shooters. 
