Museum of the National Rifle Association

About the museum

The idea of a museum for the National Rifle Association was first raised in 1905, but suitable rooms were not available for roughly ninety years. The Association itself was founded in 1859 and is based at Bisley in Surrey, the home of British target shooting.

The project was revived in the mid-1990s under the Association’s then chief executive, and the museum was officially opened on 2 April 1997. It is housed above the main NRA offices. The collection was built up from donated items, although some pieces were lost in a theft in 1960.

The displays cover the history of rifle shooting as a sport. They include historic rifles and pistols, silver trophies from national competitions and a picture gallery with watercolours of the early meetings at Wimbledon, where the Association first held its matches. A library and a study collection of rifles, which is not on display, can be consulted on request.

Highlights

• The Whitworth rifle with which Queen Victoria fired the first shot at the 1860 Wimbledon meeting
• The Whitworth rifle used to win the first Sovereign’s Prize in 1860
• Large silver trophies including the National Challenge Trophy and the China Cup
• A Vickers .303 machine gun and firearms from wheel-locks to 7.62mm conversions
• Watercolours of early shooting meetings at Wimbledon

Permanent exhibition

• Rifles, trophies and shooting history – Historic rifles and pistols, silver trophies and a picture gallery tracing the history of competitive rifle shooting in Britain.

Founded

1997

Operated by

National Rifle Association

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free; donations are welcome.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is above the main NRA offices at Bisley Camp, Brookwood.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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