Culham Rifle Range - Oxfordshire

[Dark Skies]

I was completely unaware that there was a rifle range in Culham until I chanced upon it whilst reading about abandoned Royal Observer Corps underground bunkers from the cold war era. The range is near both a WWII pill box and one of these civil defence bunkers.
It's about 100 yards long from info gathered on the net.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/showmap.php? ... SU51159488

My guess is it's a relic from WWII as this area was steeped in military bases / depots and aerodromes.

Does anybody know if it is still in use - perhaps by a local club?
It'd be awesome to have a decent length range in the area.
Aerial pictures show it's in the middle of a wooded area which in turn is surrounded by farmland and so well away from the public. At least for the moment. Culham is due to suffer the very unpopular destruction of its surrounding countryside under the guise of the BS 'affordable housing' project that much of Oxfordshire is enduring at the moment.

[Dark Skies]

More info ...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4521710
(Picture taken by Steven Daniels)

[Bolte]

Looks derelict to me but isn't there a range at Otmoor (not too far away) or is that redundant now?

[JS569]

The land is dotted with these old ranges, there's one on the moor near us. I know the gamekeepers so might ask if I can use it for zeroing as it's got a brilliant back stop and is out of the way!

[Daryll]

The old RAF Upwood base is near my house, and whenever I'm walking the dog on part of the old peri-track, (now considered to be a public footpath), I can see the sand backstop of the old barrack range...

I've often thought it would be great to get that up and working again, however, since the base closed numerous housing developments have sprung up around it, so no chance of getting permission to make loud bangs there...

Shame, it would be good to have a FB range almost on my doorstep..

[Dark Skies]

Looks derelict to me but isn't there a range at Otmoor (not too far away) or is that redundant now?

Otmoor is still a functional range but civilian use seems to be very patchy due to availability. I've shot there once or twice with ORA.

[sclg]

The old RAF Upwood base is near my house, and whenever I'm walking the dog on part of the old peri-track, (now considered to be a public footpath), I can see the sand backstop of the old barrack range...

Our range is an old airfield barracks range. 25yds of course - 100 would be nice
Luckily, still no housing and a very supportive landowner.

[69chris]

iv been up there many times, as a kid growing up in Abingdon places like that were like a magnet !!

apparently the local home guard units did their weapons training there (might be local myth ?) but im pretty sure its still used by a club, it was very well maintained and certainly not abandoned last time i was up that way walking the dog

[Dark Skies]

iv been up there many times, as a kid growing up in Abingdon places like that were like a magnet !!

apparently the local home guard units did their weapons training there (might be local myth ?) but im pretty sure its still used by a club, it was very well maintained and certainly not abandoned last time i was up that way walking the dog

Any idea what club uses it? I'd be up for joining.

[69chris]

iirc it (was ??) Wantage target shooting club but honestly cant remember for sure

its not really in the middle of nowhere either, a thames walk footpath runs literally alongside so in the summer theres boats/dog walkers/joggers etc by the millions passing close by

it does seem to be a well kept secret tho as not many know (or are interested ?) in it, the entrance has always been left 'un-kept'....to put off the curious i expect, but the range area which is out of sight of the footpath was tidy and recently mowed last time i was over there