About Us

Furness Marksmen was formed in the late 1970s when a group of small-bore pistol enthusiasts looked for somewhere to shoot full-bore pistols. After searching the Furness peninsular for a suitable range, access to a site in Roose Sand Quarry was obtained from Holker Estates.

The original 20 members spent two years fundraising and building with the range opening in April 1980.

The club then grew from the original 20 to more than 70 members by 1990.

Unfortunately, at this point the original range had to be moved, as the quarry required the site to extract material. A second range was constructed about 100 yards from the first location.  As with the first range this was built by the members.

In 1994 the construction of the northern gas terminal forced the closure of the range as the gas processing plant was visible from the firing point.

With a great deal of assistance from British Gas, which included access to the old Barrow gas works site and donation of significant material, the present range was built.

The range was once again built by the members and was opened in March 1996. This was just before the UK Government introduced the pistol ban in 1997 (Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997), which negatively affected the number of members.

Gradually rifle disciplines took the place of pistol shooting and the membership grew once more. A further boost to membership came with the organisation of air rifle shooting in particular Hunter Field Target.

We are a target shooting club for both air rifles / pistols and, Section 1 full bore riles / long barrelled pistols, covering many diverse disciplines. The club and range are run as a single group with representation on the club committee for all disciplines.

The club currently has circa 100 active members with a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Newcomers interested in joining the club are welcomes to visit the range during normal opening hours. Safety on the range is taken very seriously and we respectfully ask people attending to act responsibly, identify themselves upon arrival and follow any instructions given by the range officers and club officials.

The range location is at the Old Gasworks Site near Salthouse Mills in Barrow-in-Furness. The access road can be uneven in places and care should be taken when approaching the site in vehicles with low ground clearance. The road is also shared with other residential, recreational and, business users, and we ask that anyone attending the club afford other users’ due consideration.

To join the club there is a probationary process before full membership can be offered as per the applicable Home Office legislation. More detailed information about the membership process can be found in the New Members section of the site. Also, in line with applicable legislation guest days are only accommodated for a “recognised organisation” such as a scout group or similar opposed to social events.

The range opening times can be found in the Opening Times & Fees section of the site along with the current membership and range fees, anyone visiting the range for the first time is able to do so for 3 visits without cost as an introduction to the club and the sport of target shooting.

Alternatively, if you would like to Contact Us, please feel free to ask any questions you may have.