Sport shooting enable participants to utilize virtually every type of firearm from air and 22 Rimfire to centrefire firearms including rifles, handguns and shotguns with a variety of action types on targets other than the animal paper targets used at the hunting derived exercises. In this range of disciplines and exercises provision is made for the children as well.
All training and especially shooting training at SA Hunters branches is mentor based and take place on the shooting range. With more than 100 shooting ranges managed by SA Hunters branches across South Africa, members have access to a shooting range at every branch where formal and informal shooting is done. With more than 700 official branch shooting days per annum, opportunities for basic shooting training on request at the branches is available.
Competent sport shooters at branch, regional and national level are available for advice and training where needed by new sport shooters.
At branch shooting events the aim is for everyone to have fun on condition that the safety rules are adhered to.
The sport shooting exercises can be shot without the rule restrictions, e.g., coaching a person, and shooting the exercise more than once. However, the score cannot be recorded, and the members will not qualify for shooting badges.
Should members attempt to qualify for gold, silver or bronze shooting badges the rules for the shooting exercises should be strictly adhered to.
Cloth shooting badges in gold, silver, or bronze are available as acknowledgement in every standard shooting exercise. The qualifying criteria for shooting badges are included in the rules of every shooting exercise. Shottists can order the badge at a nominal fee from Inyathi Park through the branch office.
There are two exceptions where shooting badges are not applicable, i.e., the shooting tests for dedicated hunter status, and for any new shooting disciplines that are introduced on a trial basis.
Sport shooting competitions create the opportunity for members to compete at regional and national levels using a variety of firearms. Regional rankings are created for each one of these competitions on the SA Hunters member administration system and members qualifying for the national competitions participate annually to determine the top shottists in each discipline.
The following disciplines are hosted at regional and national shooting competitions:
1) 20m Handgun
This discipline gives members the opportunity to participate in a standard and static exercise with handguns in rimfire and centrefire in different firearm types divided into different classes.
2) 25m and 50m Precision
Offhand standing exercises are shot in this discipline at 25 and 50m with rimfire and centrefire rifles where a high level of competency and accuracy are needed.
3) Limited Bolt Action
A discipline where rifles are used in bolt action and semi-automatic at distances over 100, 200 and 300m.
