ASTIRA in English.

Due to the significant increase in the number of club members, there are very few places available on the Saturday stand. New registrations will be limited, and strict application of the bylaws will be the rule: all new candidates must be introduced by a club member and must commit to competition.

You should also be aware that the practice of firearms requires seriousness and personal discipline, both of which are necessary for safety on the shooting range. What’s more, there’s no question of welcoming dubious people, be it for nefarious activities or even simply with ulterior motives based on a need for self-defense…

Having said that, if you still wish to join the club and be a member of the FFT (French shooting federation), you’ll need to fill in a membership application (which I’ll provide) and which I’ll validate after an interview with you and your « sponsor » if I consider that you’re coming with a purely sporting mindset. You’ll also need to provide a certificate of medical fitness, in which the doctor will confirm your physical and, above all, psychological condition, as an unstable shooter is a danger to his neighbors…

The stand is on the Route de Coussac-Bonneval, just outside Saint Yrieix, on the right, just before the junction leading to the municipal waste collection centre.

Supervised sessions take place on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5pm, on Sunday mornings from 9am to 12pm, on Wednesdays from 2pm to 5pm and on Thursdays from 9am to 12pm.

When you start out, you will be supervised by an FFT-certified instructor, who will be responsible for teaching you both the safety rules and the technical skills that will enable you to progress in the various shooting sports.

You’ll be able to shoot handguns (pistols or revolvers) at 25m or long guns (rifles or shotguns) at 25, 50 or 100m.

New members are provided with quality weapons, ear muffs and safety glasses. Targets, ammunition and the accessories you need for shooting sports are available from our sales outlet.

For an adult, the licence is €140 and includes a contribution from the FFT, a contribution from the insurance company and a contribution from the club, which enables us to develop and maintain the facilities and renew the club’s weapons. For the record, there are only volunteers in our sports association, and ASTIRA is not intended to make a profit.

In general, after two months of regular attendance, and after studying the FFT’s « manual for discovering shooting sports », which I’ll provide you with, you’ll take a test on your knowledge of the various safety rules and behaviours. This is a multiple-choice questionnaire covering the basic rules that must be observed. Passing this test will allow you to shoot on your own at the shooting range. What’s more, when you obtain this knowledge control certificate, it will be entered in your shooting and attendance record book, which will show your controlled shots.

If you wish to acquire a category B weapon (semi-automatic handgun or long gun), you can ask the club president for prior approval and then, subject to certain conditions, apply to the weapons office of the prefecture for authorisation after a minimum period of six months with the club.

In France, the possession of sporting weapons is highly regulated (and rightly so) and shooting sports can only be practised in approved facilities.

It’s important to remember that you won’t be shooting alone in a corner. The first rule is conviviality, and being part of ASTIRA means first and foremost joining a team of friends who enjoy getting together to practise their favourite sport in safety.