Milsurp After Hours

Well, I passed the course and am now fully qualified to conduct shoots on smallbore and gallery ranges and gallery rifle ranges. The thought of actually doing it though still gives me the willies as it is a hell of a lot of personal responsibility and I still wonder if I'm up to it?

The course was held at our local military range (in the target shed) and lasted from 08:00 to 16:30 with a short break for lunch. There were eight candidates from our club and prior to the sessions we had each been sent a copy of the NRA RCO Course Manual and told to study it in detail. I'm glad that I had read it through three times highlighting what I thought were important issues as without a detailed knowledge of the manual and the terminology used it would be impossible to pass.

We spent the morning in the classroom with the instructor rushing through masses of material and answering our questions. His practical experience as an Army and civilian instructor was invaluable. At the end of the morning we took an exam comprising 50 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes. We were told that in order to pass we had to score a minimum of 70% and that anyone who failed would not be allowed to progress to the afternoon assessments. So there was no real pressure on us.......(gulp!)

Some of the questions were really very difficult with ambiguous wording and, although we were allowed to consult our manuals, there wasn't time to check things in detail. I scored 84%, the top score being 92%. Sadly two of my mates (both very experienced and competent people) failed. One scored 68% but wasn't allowed to progress.

After lunch we had a practical session where we each had to supervise two firers using .22 rifles on two adjacent lanes. The range was in use at the time by our club under the control of another RCO. One rifle was an Australian Armatic(?) semi-auto with a tubular magazine (very difficult to prove clear) and the other was a conventional bolt-action. We had to brief the firers on general range safety, explain the "70 mil rule" and safe arcs of fire and then detail the range commands before dressing forward and completing the detail.

During this session the instructor arranged for some incidents to occur. A "fight" broke out behind the person being assessed; I was told to go under the boundary wire and walk towards the firing point; someone else loaded before being given the order etc. All in all this was a very nerve-wracking exercise.

It was then back to the classroom for a one-to-one session with the assessor who set out the scenario that we had been asked by our Club Secretary to run a shoot on the range. He then asked us in great detail what questions we would ask and what actions we would take from initial range reconnaissance to the final signing of the MoD 906 form.

That was it. I came away totally knackered but proud of my achievement and with a new respect for the knowledge and ability of the RCOs who look after shoots for the rest of us so competently and with such incredible confidence. The personal responsibility that they take for no financial reward is frightening and we do take it for granted.

Let's hope that I can live up to the noble tradition. Special thanks to my mate Strangely Brown for all his excellent advice and support (given off forum). Good on yer, Mick!

If anyone else is thinking of doing a course and needs any help or advice I'd be pleased to help in any way that I can.

Brian

Congratulations Brian, well done mate, it is stressfull isn't it?

As regards helping others does that mean that you'll do mune uf I ever get round to doing a refresher.

You stopped for lunch and finished at 16.30!

Of course in mine and Adams day doing the RO's course meant that you worked through lunch and finished at 7.30 pm, but I am in no comparing the much more difficult course that we old hands had to do than the modern don't stress them school of thought that you had Brian.

Well done mate, it is a difficult and hard course to take but I hope you get some satisfaction from passing it.

Well done again!

Congrats Brian. Sounds like a stressful day but one that you can be proud of because of your accomplishment. Just wondering , do you get a badge or license or some kind of certificate with your qualification?

Hearty congratulations Brian,you'll soon build up the confidence.

Just remember not to be too profane when some nit-wit turns his loaded firearm on you and says,

"My gun didn't go off".

Eoin.

Brian, Congrats!

As an auto-x instructor (novices going fast in cars with the possibility of striking corner workers and hard objects) you'll soon fall into a comfortable, aware and authortative attitude, once the first two or three supervisions have been put on your resume.

Enjoy your new position and let us know how your cherry buster goes.

Regards, Brad

Thanks for the kind comments, gentlemen (and Adam).

The qualification is an NRA certificate that lasts for six years from the date of issue. Tomorrow I shall send off £12 for my Range Conducting Officer badges (one laminated with my name and the other in cloth without name). They also want three passport style photos for a "mini certificate" whatever that means.

I now understand, Eoin, why the RCO at one of my first attendances at Bisley gave me such a bollocking when I was showing a mate my new rifle and waving it around behind the firing point. Perhaps he was at fault though for not having briefed us properly?

I still have a lot to learn.

Brian

I did the RCO course five years ago. It is up for renewal next year. We have a rota at our club of who is RO for that day. We run with two RCOs in charge of the range so one can have a shoot whilst the other is ROing. I comes round about three times a year. Myself and three friends RO the snaps at the Trafalgar meeting each year. I have not had any problems apart from the odd stuck case which was knocked out with a cleaning rod.

Regards

Peter.

Congratulations Brian, the course is pretty intensive when condensed into one day, but hey you passed, and another RCO helps Take the load off your fellow club RCO`s

Well done, Joe.

Brian,

My club closed the 100 yard range for awhile because Yahoos were bouncing bullets over the berm and luckily also over a house situated a mile and a half down the road.

It re-opened the 100 recently, provided an RSO was on site to shepherd the weak-minded but the number of people involved as RSOs meant the range was closed five days a week or so.

When I enquired today about requirements for certification as one of these RSO types, I was asked if I had a heartbeat. I replied in the affirmative and was then handed the RSO log-book and hideous yellow vest.

(I think they might have relaxed the standards a bit after they added fifteen feet to the top of the berm.)

-----krinko