Torfaen Small-bore Rifle Club - Shooting Club in Pontypool

Torfaen Small-bore Rifle Club was established in the early 1980s with the primary objective of acquiring suitable land for building an outdoor shooting range that would incorporate .22 and air weapon ranges. The club initially drew its membership from local clubs, including South Wales Switchgear, Cwmbran, Spencer Works, and ICI Fibres Pontypool. However, when the sports and social complex of ICI Fibres Pontypool was shut down, the club had to redirect its focus towards finding an alternative shooting range.

Finance was a significant issue for the club, and in its early days, members had to travel long distances to access shooting ranges. When the sports and social complex was closed, the new owners destroyed the original shooting facility to make way for snooker tables, leaving the club without a permanent home. However, after 18 months of being homeless, the club was galvanized, and Gwent Police rifle club and new members joined its ranks.

To survive, the club had to share or borrow facilities from other rifle clubs, including South Wales Switchgear Rifle Club in Blackwood and Invicta Rifle Club in Avonmouth, Bristol. However, negotiations with Torfaen Borough Council proved fruitful, and the club secured a new home under the grandstand at Pontypool Park. With the help of local industry, Torfaen Borough Council, the Sports Council for Wales, and the National Smallbore Rifle Association, the club constructed the new range, which was opened in December 1990. Since then, the club has gone from strength to strength, building its membership and achieving success in national and individual competitions.

Torfaen Small-bore Rifle Club is based in Torfaen