FROM THE BUTTSby John GardenerFrom 1986 to 2003, I was lucky enough to be the WingOfficer and later, Chief Butts Officer in StickledownButts for all but two of those years. During that timethings progressed from mainly competitor marking,through stages of being able to buy out and on to fullypaid marking.Now, due to tightening legislation, higher wages atsuperstores, not to mention being in the dry, freeuniforms and heavily subsidised meals, we areswinging full circle back to competitor/own marking.You should hear the screams of anguish from shooterswho had it easy for so long. Many have never markedand for some it all seems far too difficult. I think allshooters should complete a full days marking eachyear as partof their membership or qualification toshoot at Bisley.During my years in the butts, I saw scrawny kids whocould hardly shift the target, grow into sensible adults.Many became friends. A few failed, some were betterat marking than others, but generally I think shootersreceived good service, especially at long range. Don’tget me wrong; I’m not blowing my own trumpet here.The Range Office always picked me out the bettermarkers, and the young people who assisted me asbutt officers did wonders to make things run smoothly,often running a butt, issuing kit, passing messages andmarking a target.In the main, shooters get the marking they deserve.If you use up all, or in many cases more than, yourallotted forty-five seconds, your marker will loseconcentration, you send a message four and so thesituation is exacerbated. Slow shooting begets slowmarking, because you shoot slowly, you are the laston the firing point and send message nine. That’sunnecessary, unfair, and very annoying. The bestshooter gets on with it and any marker is delighted totry and keep up with you. We loved to finish a detailearly, so that we could get on with the serious businessof playing cricket between details. If you give yourmarker time to sit on his bench and start a conversationwith his neighbour he will!In the past, during the Imperial Meeting we often dida ten-hour day with no proper meal breaks. Themarkers love to see you do well, pints have been wonand lost betting which target gets the highest score,and we certainly don’t like to see you miss (it meansthe target has to come down an extra time, to look fora shot hole in the sand) but, everyone misses at somestage and believe it or not, it’s not the marker’s fault.In a ten-detail day, three shooters per detail firing twoand ten the target has to be lowered and raised 360times. Imagine yourself lifting half a hundredweight(I’ve not been converted to metric and anyway if Godwanted it that way there would have been only tendisciples) that many times in a day, only to be told tohave to do it more often because someone has missedthe target.Electronic targets are coming. From a RangeSupervisor’s point of view, great. From a shooter’spoint of view, great. There is a downside; those kidswho we trained, those young adults who have theexperience and have now become Butt Supervisorsduring the main meetings will no longer be here. Thatcore of young people, a community in themselves, willbe gone. Yes, the Scandinavians run large meetingson electronic targets and I don’t doubt that we willtoo, eventually. In the meantime, be prepared to markfor yourself. Get used to the idea that you will haveto go into the butts and allow squadding time forchangeover. Learn how it is actually very physicallyand mentally demanding to mark a target, in the wind,the rain or the dust and the heat for up to eight hourswithout the full hour for lunch and then perhaps youwill please, stop blaming the markers for your poorshooting, bad weather, poor light, wrong sightsettings, forgotten bolts etc. Put yourself in their shoesand think of your marker in Stickledown Butts, whohas to be in there before Pirbright starts and stay inuntil Pirbright, Melville and Running Deer havefinished. It can, and is often, up to an hour after youhave left the firing point.You have been in the bar long before they get out.Their shower water is always cold; they are always atthe back of the queue for food. They don’t, in themain, do it for the money, they do it because, likeshooters they love the magic of coming to Bisley, theylike to provide a good service and they enjoy seeingyou do well. What you have to do is exercise a littlepatience, shoot well, and say thank you once in awhile. A tip is always welcome but never expected.36
Looking for something better?Gehmann have theanswer . . .300 Gehmann Frames £99301 Eyeshield (ISSF) £17340 Iris £44Prescription lensonly £19!332 Knobloch Frames £115 320 Varga Frames (Above) £69510 566 568MC 575510 iris only £45550 iris, twin polarisers £82566 iris, six colours £85565 iris, 6 cols, twin pols. £110568 iris, 48 cols, twin pols. £149530 iris, 1.5x, -4.5 to +4.5 £109570 iris, 1.5x, 6 cols £135575 iris, 1.5x, 6 cols, twin pols. £15930 YEARGUARANTEE432 Artificial £34468 Glove £53418 Leather and Canvas Jacket £220 464 Glove £29431 Micro-adjustable withuniversal joint £75GEHMANN UK0208 395 8007
Change language