[3] Major General Charles Edward Luard was at the forefront of this line of thinking and pressured the British Government to sponsor such a movement from 1899 until 23 March 1901 when a meeting of MPs, city Mayors and dignitaries representing many Working Men's Clubs, passed a resolution founding the Society.

In many ways this was a spiritual update on the ancient English law requiring all men and boys to practice archery, facilitated by the local clergy and gentry.

Notable champions of this movement included Arthur Conan-Doyle, who constructed a 100yard range at his Undershaw home and founded a rifle club there, providing shooting for local men.

In 1904 Earl Roberts retired from active military service and devoted himself to the newly merged SMRC, driving a major fundraising campaign and seeking to found a club in every town.

In 1906 he successfully gained recognition from the Army Council, putting the SMRC on an equal footing with the NRA and exempting members of affiliated clubs from the Gun Licence Duty, which was the considerable sum of 10 Shillings.

The exemption from this cost enabled a new wave of clubs, resulting in the training of tens of thousands of men by the outbreak of the First World War.

The Firearms Act 1920[8] - enacted in fear of growing socialism and the shadow of the Russian Revolution - further constrained the ability of clubs to operate.

The Earl Roberts Memorial Challenge Cup was gifted to the Association by Vickers in 1923 to be awarded to the "Champion Small-bore Rifleman of the year".

Opening in 2001, the LRC was a state-of-the-art small-bore and airgun range complex constructed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, featuring an Olympic-grade Sius Ascor electronic scoring system and office space for the NSRA.

This office was sold to the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association, who moved to the camp from leased premises in Corby and renamed the building "Edmonton House".

Oriented North-East rather than due North, early morning shooters on the outdoor ranges were blinded by the sun rising over the targets.

[15] Most notable however was the financial strain that this large facility placed on the NSRA, which had no organisational experience operating a dedicated range complex.

With the prohibition on both centrefire[16] and small-bore pistols[17] in 1997,[18] visitor numbers from air gun and rifle shooters to the centre were insufficient to cover the operating costs, resulting in the Association's commercial subsidiary seeking other sources of income, including wedding receptions and a long-term deal that saw the upstairs hall configured as a roller-hockey rink.

The NSRA continues to compete in a number of historic rifle matches, predominantly against the United States and Commonwealth nations such as Canada and South Africa.

The meeting is normally held at the National Shooting Centre for a week starting on the third Saturday before August Bank Holiday Monday.

Three-Position events and the Double English match are fired at the Lord Roberts Centre on electronic targets broadly under ISSF Rules.

The opening shot was performed by Michael More-Molyneux DL, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey on behalf of the Queen, then-patron of the Association.

A number of additional "1922" events were added to the programme, including rapid-fire and timed shoots, derived from original 1922 targets (with scoring rings shrunk to account for improved modern rifles and ammunition).