ABOUT

WHO ARE WE?

The Lilydale Rifle Club was founded in 1887 and has been shooting at the Upper Yarra Rifle Range since 1969.

The Club Has disbanded due to war time restrictions and members heading overseas. It has then reformed 3 times.  The latest was in 1953 after the second world war.

We used to shoot at the old Henley Range in Lilydale at the bottom of Victoria Road in Lilydale.

When this range was closed we moved to the Upper Yarra Rifle Range, Wesburn, Victoria, Australia and have been there ever since.

We are an active and energetic Full-bore Rifle Club with Members that compete at Club, State and National level in both Traditional Target Rifle and F-Class Disciplines.

WHEN DO WE SHOOT?

Members shoot each Saturday afternoon starting around 12:30 pm, shooting distances from 300 to 700 yards in .308 and .223 calibres.

Our members range in age from teenagers to experienced shooters in their 80’s.

A QUICK NOTE ON HUNTING RIFLES

Hunting rifles are generally not suitable for target shooting. The light barrels get hot too quickly and do not hold a group at the longer ranges…

There is a relatively new classification for “Sporting/Hunter” Rifles in the sport.  The Club is currently reviewing the requirements and assessing if this category is suitable for competition at the Upper Yarra Rifle Range.  We will need to get approvals from Victoria Police before we can introduce this category.  Keep an eye on the web site for updates..

For reference, the Club and Range are not associated with the SSAA.  We are part of the Victorian and National Rifle Associations (VRA and NRAA)

SO WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY DO…

Our Club shoots a regular program of target shooting competition for weekly and annual trophies over distances from 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 yards using traditional target rifles, shooting from the prone position.

Alongside this we an have F-Class Competition at the Same distances for an set of weekly and annual trophies.

TYPES OF RIFLE USED IN COMPETITION

Target Rifle
This is the traditional discipline of shooting, which utilises mainly the 7.62mm and 5.56mm calibers, open metal peep sights and foresight rings, and slings to support the rifle in the prone shooting position. It still boasts the greater number of competitors of any Fullbore National Rifle Association category, and consequently is very competitive at the top level.

There are restrictions on rifle weight, projectiles, trigger weight, sighting magnification, and many other aspects.

The target rifle category is a test of the basic shooting skills and in order to succeed at the top level requires a very steady hold, and excellent visual acuity.

We use dedicated, Heavy Barrel, Single Shot Target Rifles, mostly in .308 and .223 calibers with aperture sights.

F-Class 
This category allows all the advantages of Scopes and Bipods and removes some of the restrictions for the rifle.

F-Standard has the same specs for Target Rifle and is basically a stepping stone to F-Class Shooting by adding a scope and bipod or stand.

F-Open is for any caliber up to 8mm and the rifle’s overall weight limit must not exceed 10kg., The trigger can be much lighter (vigorous cycling of the bolt is considered safe).

F-TR is similar to Standard but the projectile is free and the rifle must use a bipod rather than a stand. The Bipod is included in the weight limit.
Because of the expected performance levels in F-Class, a different scoring regime is used on the same targets, with smaller rings, making maximum scores more difficult to achieve.

Sporting/Hunter Class This section is designed to allow standard shop bought sporting type rifles to be used on NRAA rifle ranges. The prime purpose for its introduction is to encourage participation, rather than competition and to foster membership..

Match Rifle is for standard Target Rifle and F-Class Calibers, using a scope and stand.  It all about shooting longer distances from 1000, 1100 and 1200 yards with some competitions at 1500 yards.  Position is free.

COSTS

A suitable Target or F-Class Rifle will cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 depending on class and equipment level.

A typical second hand rifle with some life left in the barrel would be around $1,800 – $2,000, usually with a good selection of the gear required.

Most barrels last around 4,000 rounds and a regular shooter would fire 1,000 to 1,200 shots a year.

The Club has rifles and ammunition for use by visitors and new members and provides tuition.

You would be expected to purchase your own rifle in 3 to 6 months.