The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-02-01, Page 15i
leisure, features ai
Serving over 25,000 homes in Listowel, Wingham, Mount Forest, Milverton, Elmira, Palmerston, Harriston, • Brussels, Atwood,•Monkton, Millbank, Newton, Clifford, Wallenstein, ;Drayton, Moorefield and Arthur. Wednesday, February 1, 1984
ON TARGET—Art Brown is one of about ten bowmen who use
the Listowel Rifle and Revolver Club firing range to practice ar-
chery. Art's claim to fame around the club is his souvenir ar-
Rifle club
by Patrick Raftis
When the Listowel Rifle . and Revolver
Club was formed back in November of 1927,
an article in The Listowel Banner quoted the
purpose of the club as being; "To advance
the art of handling firearms and to create a
likeable way to enjoy many winter evenings
for the boys who wish to take part in this
type of entertainment".
The club may have moved to several.
different locations since it originated, and
added facilities for more tyles. of shooting,
but the basic purpose remains unchanged:
Current president of ..the club, Keith
Wideman, points to a paragraph in the form.
row, which he split neatly down the middle by piling another ar-
row on top of it.
re
HANDGUN PRACTICE—Target shooting with handguns re-
quires a lot of concentration as Kim MacKenzie demonstrates.
He is using a .22 calibre pistol, outfitted with a special target
shooting handgrip. Behind him are Gary Willis and Keith
Wideman.
advances safe use of firearms
filled out by all prospective members as an
explanation of the club's aims.
"We are a shooting organization,
dedicated to promoting safety, knowledge
and competition for all types of firearms" it •
says. -
Safe handling of firearms was, and always
will be, a priority with the club •said Mr.
Wideman.
"One thing we stress is safety. That's one
of the reasons we hold courses on using
handguns once.a year."
The.emphasis on safety has paid off in a
flawless record as Mr. ' Wideman proudly
points out that the club, entering• its 57th
year of operation, has never had a gun -
related accident.
The 1927 article goes on to describe the
first meeting held by the fledgling club.
' "A goodly number of members have been
enrolled to date and their first meeting was
held on Nov. 17, when the boys endeavored
to show how well they could handle their
rifles. The points made by those present go
to show that many of the members will need
considerable practice before they attempt
the William Tell stunt, but perseverance
with regular practice will soon make the
boys crack shots."
Back then the membership included: C.
Bean, G. Buskley, R. Collins, J. Dick, G.
Fritz, C. Hemsworth, L. ' Livingstone, ,l .
McKay, W. Rogers -,111: Rona(1•ds, A: Ross, Iii ,
Russell, N. Siddall and 0. Weber. The club
was under the management of M. H. C.
Hemsworth, who was described as a fair
SIGHTING UP—Art Brown (standing) and club president Keith
Wideman line up targets with their small-bore rifles. Mr.
Wideman says many club members use the range to hone their
hunting skills. Others simply enjoy the challenge of target
shooting.
shot with a revolver and a crack shot with a
rifle.
While it's unlikely anyone ever will per-
form the "William Tell Stunt" ' (lack of
volunteers to hold the apple) the prediction
that the club would eventually develop some
crack shots has long since come true.
In addition to inter -club competitions and
invitational matches with other clubs, some
of the members have done quite well in the
Dominion of Canada Rifle Matches. In the
DCR competitions -contestants shoot at
targets in their home club -and they must
have a witness prest.nL The targets are sent
CittavIra to be seed°'against rifle buffs
across the country.
Not all of the club's members use guns for
their target practice. Out of the total
membership of 80, Mr. Wideman estimates
there are 10 members Who use bows and
arrows.
One of the club's bowmen, Art Brown of
Listowel, likes to show a souvenir of the time
he achieved the ultimate feat for an archer.
"It happens once in a while," he says as he
displays an aluminum .arrow split neatly
down the middle when he landed another
arrow right on top of it.
When first organized the club used the
• Listowel high school for its indoor firing
range. The club's own building, complete
with indoor firing range, was completed in -
1976. It is located on a 15=acre site in Wallace
Township and has an outdoor firing range..,
right besidethe clubhouse.
The indoor range has 10 firing ports, with
targets located at a distance of 20 yards. On
the outdoor range targets are located at
distances of 100 to 200 ft.
"We try to keep'a lot of people happy with
different types of shooting," said Mr.
Wideman. -
Gun enthusiasts at the club shoot with
both .22 -calibre rim fire and .44 -calibre
center fire revolvers and rifles. Facilities
for trap shooting with rifles or shotguns are
also available.
Trap shooting is exactly like skeet
shooting except that the clay pigeons are
flying away from the marksmen, rather
than toward him.
Silhouette shooting is another option
available on the firing range. In this
variation the targets are metal objects, only
a few inches high, shaped like pigs, rams, berships to allow" their officers to use the
turkeys and chickens, and set at distances of firing range for practice sessions.
40, 60, 77 and 100 feet. Theidea is to simply The clubhouse has been used as a meeting
hit the object and knock it over. place for the 4-H conservation club, the local
The firing ranges are in use virtually. chapter of 'the Venturers and a group of
every day of the year, with/ fall, winter and ^ -army cadets from Brussels.
spring being the busiest seasons. All club Although the clubhouse has a lounge area
members have a key to the building so they furnished with a refrigerator, a television
can practise whenever they want to. set and a woodburning stove, Mr. Wideman
In addition to gun safety courses, the club said it is seldom used by members for social
sponsors two gun shows each year. These gatherings.
shows are attended by gun enthusiasts from "We're a shooting' club," he said. "Some
as far away' as Toronto, London, Midland , private' clubs, however, have gone more
and the Cambridge area. Profits from this socializing than shooting."
and other tuid,raisi1lglevents go toward the Although the:group has a• spotless safety
operational costs of running the club. - record, the club takes no chances an is well
The organization also puts on dances and protectedby its membership in the 'Ontario
this year Mr. Wideman says they are con—
' sidering reviving the hosting of `Turkey other things, membership in the OFAH
Shoot's". This does not mean, as the name includes a $1 million liability insurance
might suggest,firing at live turkeys. Con -policy covering accidents stemming. from
testants shoot at targets, with turkeys the Legal use of firearms anywhere in the
awarded as prizes to those with the -best province.
scores. Some members, says Mr. Wideman;
Other income sources for the club are purchase additional insurance that covers
yearly dues, paid by members and initiation. them throughout Canada.
fees for new members. At present the club is utilizing only a part
To join the Listowel Rifle and Revolver of the 15 -acre site at RR 1, Listowel; and
. Club,' a candidate must ,be sponsored by a ' although there are no immediate plans for
memberwho has belonged to the club for at expansion Mr. Wideman said they Would
least onene year.
"This is a way for us to get to know people like to eventually install facilities for skeet
use handgunsman. at the
shooting. If they doexpand the work would
Members who wish to
before they join,"said Mr.Wialikely be done 100 per cent by the members, range are required to have carrying permits as has been the custom in the past.
for their weapons: In order to obtain a With hunting seasons as short as they are
carrying permit for a handgun, membership and taking into account restrictions unposed
in, an officially sanctioned gun club is by fairly rigid gun control regulations, it is
mandatory. ' These restrictions are due to . important to maintain organiztions like the
Ontario's stringent guncontrol laws, and are
a good thing in Mr. Wideman's opinion.
Members are about evenly split on their
reasons for joining the club, according to
Mr. Wideman. Some like to use the range to
hone their hunting skills, while others
,.simply enjoy . the challenge of target
shooting.
The firing ranges also are used by non-
members, who 'pay on a per -session basis for
the use of thefacilities. Non-members are
welcome to participate in competitive
shooting events held by the club.
Both the Listowel Police p'orce and the
local OPP detachment have group mem-
Listowel Rifle and Revolver Club to allow
the gun enthusiasts and hunters a safe and
well-equiped place to practise.
Although the Listowel Rifle and Revolver
Club has no individual members under the
age of 18, many younger members are a
part of the club under family memberships.
In the same way, when a man joins his wife
automatically becomes a member, so there
are a number of women who use the firing
ranges, although no women currently have
individual memberships.
Anyone wishing to join the club' could
contact Keith Wideman — 356-2495, or. Bev
Bowman — 291-3918.
PLENTY OF ROOM—The indoor firing range of the Listowel
Rifle and Revolver Club has firing ports for 10 shooters at one
time. The five members practicing their marksmanship here
are: from left -- Kim MacKenzie, Gary Willis, Keith Wideman, Al
Coghlin and Mark Mackenzie.
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