Air Rifle

No wind, short range – no excuses. Air Rifle is one of the most technically demanding shooting disciplines out there, requiring acute attention to position; breathing and balance as you seek the 0.5mm bull.

Rugeley members compete in many competitions at individual; club; county and national level. Several have been privileged to represent England, Wales and Great Britain over the years. Our Air Rifle A-Team won Division 1 of the National League in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Men, women and juniors can all take part and enjoy this demanding, but rewarding discipline.

As we have club rifles and pistols available, we strongly recommend new members do not buy air rifles or pistols before joining, but instead spend some time getting to know the club equipment so they can make a more informed choice when it comes to parting with hard earned cash!

A young woman with purple hair aims a match air rifle on a shooting range. She wears a black visor to block light entering the rear of her sights, and a plastic blinder in front of her left eye to help her focus on the sight image.
A young woman aims a match air rifle in competition.
Three young women stand smiling with target air rifles on a finals range. They wear the stiff canvas jackets and trousers used in ISSF competition.
Four young women stand in an airgun range aiming target air rifles at paper targets.
Competitors shoot target air rifles at the British Shooting Air Series competition. Their backs are to the camera and they are wearing special canvas jackets and trousers.

Since 2022, Rugeley has supported British Shooting in bringing the National Finals of the Schools Airgun Championships to Cannock Chase Leisure Centre. Volunteers from the club have covered Range Officer duties and provided other support across the matches.

A man in a high-viz jacket is stood with two ladies. One is standing, the other is in a wheelchair. She is Izzy Bailey, Paralympian. The are posed next to a sign identifying the event as the British Shooting Schools Rifle and Pistol Championships
A group of adults stand in hi-vis jackets at the British Shooting Schools Rifle & Pistol Championships. They are volunteers from a local shooting club helping to run the event.

Range Limits – Please note our ranges are configured for .177 calibre match rifles conforming to NSRA and ISSF competition rules, generating ~6ft.lb of muzzle energy. We do not permit the use of .22 calibre airguns or hunting-oriented air rifles tuned closer to the legal limit of 12ft.lb.