TargetTalk

I used this year's second brief stay in Kenya to visit the Nairobi pistol range, to get into contact with the KRRC (Kenya Regiment Rifle Club), to practice a couple of times with their club air pistols (Feinwerkbau P 34) and to learn more about ISSF style and other shooting in Kenya. Also, used my chance to introduce 4 Kenyan newbies to the sport (3 ladies, 1 boy).

A more thorough (though rather impressionist) report is in the making, and I presume it would best be posted in the "Shooters Lounge"?

Alexander

Looking forward to it.

I am remiss, I know... :-(

For starters, here is a Google Earth shot of the premises of the KRRC (joint with the Nairobi Sailing Club) and its 10 m / 25 m indoor range:

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-1.3204043&lo ... =5&m=a&v=2

Alexander

[quote="Alexander"]I used this year's second brief stay in Kenya to visit the Nairobi pistol range, to get into contact with the KRRC (Kenya Regiment Rifle Club), to practice a couple of times with their club air pistols (Feinwerkbau P 34) and to learn more about ISSF style and other shooting in Kenya. Also, used my chance to introduce 4 Kenyan newbies to the sport (3 ladies, 1 boy).

In 2001 I had the Kenya Smallbore Shooters visit South Africa, unfortunately they do not reply to e-mails and I would like to refresh this friendship....could you supply me with a contact?

They were a great bunch!

Alexander wrote:I am remiss, I know... :-(

For starters, here is a Google Earth shot of the premises of the KRRC (joint with the Nairobi Sailing Club) and its 10 m / 25 m indoor range:

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-1.3204043&lo ... =5&m=a&v=2

Alexander

Amazing! I didn't realize how populated that area is. Thanks for the link, Alexander, and we look forward to your report.
Ben

I have answered mmp's inquiry via private message at first, because I was / am not 100 % sure whether the KRRC club secretary's (Linet's) email address is public domain. The publicized KRA email address, alas, is dead as a dodo.

And thanks to Freepistol for the "thumbs up". I can also post a Wikimapia link to the old and somewhat dilapidated colonial rifle range on the premises of the Railways Club; it still exists and the range shed today houses a book depository. The bullet-riddled wooden backstop shows that visitors to the adjacent Uhuru Park may have lived dangerously in the past ;-).

Regards, Alexander

And thanks for the Wikimapia link. Seems more user friendly than Google Earth.

Okay; here centered in the picture is the former ("old") rifle range on the premises of the Railways Club, for nostalgics...

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-1.292168&lon ... =5&m=a&v=2

And as a bonus, the Kenyan shooting team at the Palma Competition (lots of pics, 8 pages):

http://www.kenyahighcommission.ca/galle ... itemId=265

Alexander

I have now added two further Wikimapia entries for the two GSU / AP shooting ranges near Embakasi, which to a limited extent are also accessible to civilians (and to a wider extent to Kenyan civil servants with a firearms permit).

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-1.2892881&lo ... =5&m=a&v=2

(And I have also added a number of German ranges and shooting facilities, by the way.)

Alexander

They are presently holding trials for the Commonwealth Games in autumn.

A single (Asian-)Kenyan shooter had participated in the previous Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championship, and his participation - more than the result itself - was a nice signal.

Alexander

Hi

I am going to Nairobi in a few days and wanted to schedule with a shooting range.

Does any one have the phone number for one of the mentioned places?

Thanks

Amir

Alexander wrote:... and his participation - more than the result itself - was a nice signal.

Alexander

Maybe they'll get more participation as soon as all Europeans got to move down there in order to keep shooting... :-( That being said, I just hope their immigration procedure is less tortuous than that of the EU.

Update:

A Kenyan shooting team will attend the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. As I understand, there will be one female air pistol shooter (I am trying to convince her to give a hand to sport pistol too, but her training range has no turning targets), one male air pistol shooter (a Kenyan expatriate from London) and likely two fullbore rifle shooters.

Alexander

ok,.. i have NO idea whatsoever how to shoot but i'm really interested in learning,... so does the KRRC offer classes?

Linet (she is club secretary and rangemaster) and Paul will take care of you for the first steps. Both are nice. If you do not own a gun yet, you'll train on the 10 metres range with a Röhm Twinmaster and/or a Feinwerkbau P 34.
There are no formal classes. You come when you want, and get to shoot if the range is not too full already (as on the fixed days for some private secondary schools).
When Guru Ghaley is around (an elder Kenyan Indian shooter with a grey pony-tail, who acts as air pistol team captain and trainer), he will gladly teach you if you ask him nicely.

Alexander

Update:
6 Kenyan shooters (5 M, 1 F) are attending the Commonwealth Games. Today was air pistol pairs. Results not yet available.

Alexander

Alexander wrote:Results not yet available.

They are now.

In the "pairs" discipline, the Kenyan men's 10 metres air pistol pair scored the 11th place out of 13 teams. Madhar and Shah shot 545 and 537 respectively, thus quite an exact average of a 9-ring. This is certainly a decent performance and a bit better than I usually shoot air pistol. ;-)
Now our hopes are on Linet Owiti on 13th October. Go girl, go !

PS:
Congrats to the two English senior shooters (no youngsters in sight?) for an excellent silver medal !

Alexander wrote:Congrats to the two English senior shooters (no youngsters in sight?) for an excellent silver medal !

Whilst the England Men's Pistol is a veteran's affair this year (Mick Gault & Nick Baxter), bear in mind that the ladies pairing comprises Julia Lydall and Gorgs Geikie, both shy of 25 I think, as are the England rifle pair (Huckle and Parr), and I'm not sure either of Scotland's rifle ladies have broken 20 yet!

Hemmers wrote:Whilst the England Men's Pistol is a veteran's affair this year (Mick Gault & Nick Baxter)

Whilst Mick might be an old man (he's 8 days younger than me so I can get away with saying that) Nick is a mere baby of 39. This makes him younger than the average age of the competitors in the AP60 Individuals, younger than 18 of them and older than only 9.

Veteran? Well I suppose it's all relative ;-)