IPSC NOVA SCOTIA

The Nova Scotia Rifle Association (NSRA or Association) has been in existence since the early 1860's and has served the Crown for approximately 160 years by promoting marksmanship in the civilian and military communities in accordance with its mandate. For many of those years, the Department of National Defence (DND) was an enabling partner for NSRA and other Provincial Rifle Associations (PRAs) by providing access to its small arms ranges and other supplies/equipment. This support was provided to the PRAs to further the national strategic defence objective - to develop and maintain a high level of marksmanship within the Canadian military and civilian communities.

By the late 1980's, the Association had foreseen the possibility of closures or access restrictions to the use of DND ranges that would have a detrimental impact on competition shooting and marksmanship development programs run by NSRA. At that time, NSRA established the goal of constructing a facility which would contain the ranges necessary for the continuation of all NSRA organized shooting programs, including firearms safety and marksmanship training, practices and competitions.

In 1989 the NSRA identified a tract of Provincial Crown Land which met the criteria established and began the lease application process with the Crown. In November 1990, a lease for 770 hectares (1,900 acres) of Crown Land was signed with the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forests. The construction of the range began in 1991.

Typical ROSS Rifle used on the Bedford Range by NSRA Members in the early 1900's

By late 1996, the project had reached a point of partial completion. "B", "C", and "D" ranges had been built and were in regular use. "A" Range, the proposed 900 m rifle range had been cleared, preliminary layout surveying had been done and some construction had been completed.

At that stage, it had been discovered that a predicted high (close to ground surface) bedrock condition in the designated target gallery location, was worse than expected. The estimated cost for completion (based on the bedrock condition) was prohibitively expensive for the funds available at the time. As a result, the project was put on hold for several years.

By 2002, the anticipated closures or access restrictions to the use of DND ranges had become a reality, seriously disrupting NSRA long range rifle shooting programs. It was evident that having a range controlled and operated solely by the Association was essential for the survival of NSRA and its shooting programs.

Renewed efforts led to further detailed sub-surface investigations at the site which revealed that a target gallery could be constructed in the location originally planned as the 100 m firing point location, without having to deal with bedrock and therefore at considerably lower cost.

The decision was made to modify the range design by pulling the target gallery back 100 m to the more favourable location, but reducing the range from 900 m to 800 m. The cost savings from this change were such that completion of this rifle range was achievable and still sufficient to handle the requirements of the long-range shooting program of NSRA.

On October 2, 2004, “A” Range was brought into service.