How it works

You do not need a firearms licence, your own handgun, or any prior experience to begin. Victoria allows you to try handgun shooting under supervision at an approved club, and we will put a club firearm in your hands on your first visit.

1. Come to a club shoot

   Visit on a Wednesday or Saturday, introduce yourself to the Range Officer, and let a committee member know you are new. There is nothing to book.

2. Safety and the range, first

   Before you handle anything, an experienced member walks you through our range standing orders, the four firearm safety rules, and the commands you will hear on the line.

3. Your first shots, supervised

   You shoot a club handgun one-on-one with a licensed member at your shoulder, starting with the fundamentals: stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control.

4. Build toward the disciplines

   As your confidence grows, your mentor introduces you to the disciplines that interest you, from precision target work to action shooting.

5. Record your progress

   If you decide to pursue a licence, your supervised sessions are recorded on a Notice of Receiving Instruction (NORI) and in your progress booklet — the paperwork Victoria Police needs later.

What we cover

• Range safety, commands and the role of the Range Officer
• Safe loading, unloading and benching of a firearm
• Stance, grip and natural point of aim
• Sight alignment, sight picture and trigger control
• An introduction to each of our disciplines

What to bring

Nothing is essential — we can lend you what you need. If you have them, bring:

• Enclosed footwear (no open shoes on the range)
• Eye and ear protection
• A hat and weather-appropriate clothing

Arrive a few minutes early to sign in, and leave valuables at home.

The four firearm rules

These apply at all times, on and off the range, to every firearm without exception:

1. Treat every firearm as loaded

   Assume it can fire until you have personally proven otherwise.

2. Never point at anything you are not prepared to destroy

   Muzzle awareness is constant — control where it points at every moment.

3. Finger off the trigger until ready

   Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you intend to fire.

4. Be sure of your target and beyond

   Know what you are shooting at and what lies behind it.

On the line

• Firearms are handled only on the firing line, never when the range is cold
• Muzzles stay pointed downrange at all times
• Load only on the Range Officer's command
• When you finish, bench the firearm with the action open and a chamber flag fitted
• Eye and ear protection are mandatory for everyone on or near the range

The Range Officer runs the range

Every shoot is supervised by a Range Officer (RO), whose instructions are final and immediate. You will hear clear, standard commands:

• Range cold / clear — no handling of firearms; it is safe to go forward of the line
• Range hot / commence — firing may begin on command
• Cease fire / STOP — stop immediately, finger off the trigger, muzzle downrange, and wait

Conduct

• No alcohol or drugs before or during shooting
• Follow the Range Officer and committee at all times
• Be courteous toward other shooters and visitors
• Report any stoppage, malfunction or unsafe condition to the RO at once

If something goes wrong

On the command to stop, everyone stops instantly, keeps muzzles downrange and waits for instruction. The Range Officer manages any stoppage, first aid or incident. Our facility is approved by Victoria Police, and we run under VAPA and Pistol Australia range rules.

The pathway to ownership

1. Try the sport, under supervision

   Shoot with us using club handguns before committing to anything. Victoria lets you try handgun shooting a number of times under supervision, with each session recorded on a Notice of Receiving Instruction (NORI).

2. Complete a handgun safety course

   Before you can be licensed you must pass an accredited handgun safety course, run by an approved club. The completion certificate is attached to your licence application.

3. Join Werribee as a financial member

   A genuine reason of sport target shooting requires membership of an approved Victorian handgun club, and you must remain a member to hold the licence.

4. Hold a provisional licence and shoot your matches

   Once a member, you apply to LRD for a Provisional General Category Handgun Licence. A mandatory 28-day waiting period applies. During a probationary period of at least six months you compete in your qualifying matches under supervision. You cannot own a handgun on a provisional licence.

5. Apply for your full licence

   Having met the participation requirement during probation, your club endorses your application and you apply to LRD for a full General Category Handgun Licence.

6. Acquire your first handgun

   With a full licence, you apply for a Permit to Acquire (PTA) for each handgun. A further waiting period applies, and for the first six months you are limited to a single centre-fire handgun.

What you can own

The handguns you may own are tied to the disciplines you compete in, and must meet Victorian and national specifications for calibre, barrel length and magazine capacity. Centre-fire target handguns are generally .38 calibre or 9mm, with larger calibres permitted only for specific approved disciplines such as Western Action.

See our disciplines for the calibres used in each event.

Storing and transporting handguns

Licensed owners must store handguns in line with the requirements for their licence category — typically a locked, fixed steel safe of approved construction, with ammunition stored separately. When transporting a handgun it must be unloaded and secured, ammunition kept apart, and carried only for a lawful purpose such as travelling to and from the range or a competition.

Keeping your licence

A handgun licence carries an ongoing commitment. To retain a handgun for target shooting, Victoria Police currently requires you to participate in a minimum number of approved matches and shoots each year. For an owner of a single handgun, that is at least ten shoots across no fewer than ten separate days, with more required if you own handguns across several classes. Falling short can lead to a licence being cancelled and handguns surrendered.

Werribee runs shoots every week across the disciplines, so meeting your participation is straightforward.

Joining as a licensed shooter

If you already hold a current handgun licence for target shooting, you can become a member and shoot with us straight away, subject to a short club induction. Add Werribee as a nominated club on your licence, or transfer your primary club to us.

1. Apply for membership

   Call Locke to arrange your membership and let us know you are already licensed. Bring your current licence and photo identification.

2. Provide your details

   We record your licence and club details so we can meet our reporting obligations to Victoria Police as your nominated handgun target shooting club.

3. Complete a club induction

   Even experienced shooters complete a short induction covering our range standing orders and Range Officer procedures before shooting unsupervised.

4. Shoot

   You are on the line — and your shoots with us count toward your annual participation.

Moving from interstate

If you hold a current interstate licence that authorises handgun possession for target shooting, you can apply for a Victorian General Category Handgun Licence. You will need proof of your current interstate licence, membership of an approved Victorian handgun club such as Werribee, and your application endorsed by the club. Victorian applications are made through the Victoria Police eServices portal.

What to bring

• Your current Category H (or interstate) licence
• Photo identification
• Details of your current or previous club
• Your handgun details, for our records

Why shooters move to Werribee

• Shoots every week across multiple disciplines, so participation is easy to maintain
• A friendly, family-friendly club, established in 1962
• A Victoria Police-approved facility, close to the Werribee CBD
• A full calendar, from precision target work to Western Action

How a Wednesday runs

1. Arrive and sign in

   Come any time from 8am, sign in at the clubhouse, and if you are new, introduce yourself to the Range Officer.

2. Safety brief

   The Range Officer covers the commands and the rules for the day before any firearm is handled.

3. Shoot your match

   Squads rotate through the relays, and you shoot your chosen discipline at your own pace under the Range Officer's direction.

4. Score and pack up

   Targets are scored, league results recorded, and the range is cleared together. Stay for a coffee and a chat.

The disciplines

How a Saturday runs

1. Arrive and sign in

   From 9am, sign in at the clubhouse. Visitors are welcome to watch, and new shooters should let a committee member know they are starting out.

2. Safety brief

   The Range Officer runs through the commands and the rules of the day before shooting begins.

3. Choose your discipline

   Shoot the match that suits you across our full programme, or pair up with an experienced member for instruction using a club firearm.

4. Score, then linger

   Targets are scored and the range is packed up together. Saturday is as social as it is competitive.

What is on

What Western Action is

Western Action — also known as Single Action or Cowboy Action — recreates the shooting of the American Old West, roughly 1800 to 1899. Competitors adopt a shooting alias, dress the part, and work through a series of stages using period firearms. It is theatrical, friendly and genuinely welcoming to newcomers, and follows the international rules of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS).

The firearms

Loads may be black powder or smokeless ("nitro") powder depending on your category, with the Black Powder and Frontiersman categories using black powder only.

How a stage works

1. The stage is briefed

   Each shoot is made up of several stages, each its own mini-match. The Range Officer describes the target sequence and the order in which the revolvers, rifle and shotgun are used.

2. Shoot against the clock

   You shoot one at a time from static positions, engaging reactive steel targets in the set sequence while an electronic timer records your run to the hundredth of a second.

3. Penalties are added

   A missed target adds five seconds, and a procedural or safety error adds ten. Your time plus penalties is your score for the stage.

4. The aggregate decides the day

   Your results across all the stages are combined, and you compete only against others in your chosen category.

Categories and costume

There are several categories — among them Duellist, Gunfighter, Frontiersman, B-Western and Classic Cowboy, plus age-based grades — each with its own firearm and clothing requirements. Period or Western dress is required: a hat, boots and cowboy attire to suit your category. Newcomers are helped to bring their kit up to standard, so do not let the dress-ups put you off.