The 2022-2023 Season will be starting November 7th.
All posts for the Junior Program with names are password protected on the public pages to secure privacy of participants and are for their benefit. See Ron Benge on Monday night for the current password.
On this page you will find general information related to the Butler County Sportsmen Rifle and Pistol Club Junior Rifle Program.
The Junior Rifle Program is normally active from the third Monday in October to the last Monday in March. This page is normally only updated during this time period.
We start shooting at 6:00 PM and end around 8:00 PM.
The Butler County Sportsmen Rifle and Pistol Club (BCSC) has sponsored the Junior Rifle Program for 52 years as of March 2022.
We teach: Firearm safety – We stress the Three Rules of Firearm Safety!
- Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
- Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
- Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
And many other firearm safety rules such as:
- Know your target and what is beyond.
- Know how to use the gun safely.
- and other firearm safety rules.
Marksmanship – How to properly shoot a rifle.
- The fundamentals of rifle shooting.
- The proper way to shoot a target rifle in the prone, sitting, kneeling and standing positions.
- Proper use of slings.
- How to adjust sights.
Firearm knowledge – Types of firearms, actions, and components.
History of firearms – From muzzleloaders to modern firearms.
Sportsmanship – Being competitive, helping others, and having fun and being safe.
The parents of juniors participating in the program need not be members of the BCSC.
There is no fee for the juniors to shoot in the program. However, we do accept donations.
The preferred minimum age of the juniors is 12, but there are exceptions. The rifles are target rifles and are heavier than low-cost sporter-type rifles normally found in local retail stores. Therefore, most juniors need to be 12 or near 12 years of age so they can support the rifles without excessive difficulty. The juniors must also be mentally mature enough to be safe with firearms and have the necessary discipline to understand the instructors and obey the safety rules and instructor’s commands and directions.
The juniors may continue to shoot in the Junior Rifle Program until the end of the calendar year of their 20th birthday.
The Rifle Instructors are experienced NRA Certified Rifle Instructors and competent shooters.
All equipment, ammunition and instruction materials are furnished by the BCSC. The juniors may shoot their own rifle provided it has been approved by the Rifle Instructors. Please note! The club rifles are good quality target rifles (Marlin 2000, Anschutz Super Achiever, Anschutz 1903, Remington Model 541-X and H&R 5200).
We use the NRA Basic Rifle course outline along with the NRA Smallbore Rifle Qualification Award program.
Starting the first night, each student shoots every night. Typically, there is about thirty minutes of classroom and forty-five minutes of range time every night. The junior shooters learn firearm safety, marksmanship, firearm knowledge, the history of firearms, sportsmanship, and related shooting activities. We introduce the juniors to all types of rifles, shotguns and handguns. We cover muzzleloaders, black powder cartridge and modern firearms, and all types of sights from hunting to target, telescopic and electronic.
During the course they earn patches, certificates and medals as they progress thru the NRA 50-Foot Indoor Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Course.
Near the end of the season, we hold the annual Junior vs. Instructor Match. It is anybody’s guess as to who will win every year.
At the end of the year there is a banquet where the juniors enjoy pizza, pop and dessert courtesy of the BCSC. At this time the top shooters receive trophies based on their shooting, written test score, participation, and attitude.
Fourteen of our juniors have earned the NRA Distinguished Expert Rifle Award, and one junior has earned the NRA Distinguished Pistol Award. Some of our juniors have won local and state championships.
We put great emphasis on ALWAYS KEEPING THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION. In the 50 plus years we have been teaching juniors at the Butler County Sportsmen Rifle and Pistol Club, we have not had one accident, or even a close call. We are proud of our juniors, instructors, and the junior programs.
Are you still concerned about safety? Yes, the kids ARE SHOOTING REAL RIFLES with REAL .22LR caliber ammunition. This why we stress safety and the three rules of firearm safety over and over and have strict rules and a zero-tolerance policy on “horse-play”.