Shooting

One of the activities that you are able to participate in as a member of the ATC is shooting. One you know how to do it correctly, this is a very enjoyable activity, and with practice, you can become a very good shot, earning you ATC and RAF Marksman's badges, and maybe if your good enough, the Cadet Hundred badge. Most shooting takes place of 25yd Ranges. Some are indoor, some are outdoor.

Safety is paramount, and all of the range officer have to pass a rigorous course to maintain these high standards. Safety drills are the backbone of the dray training that the cadets go through. These weapons are not toys, and this is drilled into cadets.

" Shootings great. I Like to fire the L98, its a proper weapon. I don't like the .22 (No.8) its too heavy and cumbersome and is too much of a pain. I Think that the L98 is brilliant though, your able to do all sorts or practices really easily like rapid, and snap. Although there's a slight kick, I think that its the noise of the weapon that really makes new cadets a bit nervous about the weapon, although once they get to fire, they want to do it again and again. " - Anon

As a squadron, we try to get as much range time as possible.

Whilst going shooting you can gain one of two marksmanship badges if you reach the qualifying standard..

ATC Marksman RAF Marksman Cadet One Hundred

The cadet 100 Badge is awarded to the top 100 cadets across the 3 cadet forces

Rifles

The corps uses two standard types of rifle, the No. 8 (.22 Caliber) rifle, and the Cadet General Purpose Rifle, the L98.

The No. 8 Rifle This weapon, as far as I'm aware, has been converted from a rifle which used to fire the much larger 7.62mm round. It is a bolt action rifle, with no magazine. This rifle is quite heavy rifle, which poses quite a problem to most younger cadets. You are able to fire this weapon at the age of 13y 3m after completing dry training to a sufficient standard.

The L98 A1 This is a single shot version of the Enfield L85, or SA80, the standard rifle of the British armed services. The most noticeable differences between this and the SA80 include no gas parts, so the weapon must be cocked every round, a larger cocking handle, a different muzzle, and no selector switch. It differs from the No. 8 rifle in that it uses a magazine. This means that the weapon suffers from a lot let movement when loading each consecutive round - very important for a good group. You are allowed to fire this weapon from the age of 14y 6m after completing dry training to a certain standard. It is much lighter that the No. 8, and in my opinion, is a lot more comfortable to use. Standard practices with the L98 are grouping, rapid, snap, and application.