15 Apr 2020
South Wales locum was the only female competitor in national shooting league in 2019 and aims to introduce more women to the sport.
David Woodmansey
Job Title
Vet Rebecca Madge has become the only female competitor in a specialist shooting league and is being sponsored by acclaimed British firearms manufacturer Accuracy International – makers of some of the world’s best precision sniper rifles.
Miss Madge is a member of the male-dominated Precision Rifle League – a national UK shooting competition where competitors perform against the clock in multiple firing positions to hit steel targets up to 1,000m away.
The hotshot vet – who locums in south Wales, and has just passed her BSAVA and Vets Now Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care with distinction – was introduced to clay pigeon shotgun shooting while at university and progressed from there.
She said: “The Precision Rifle League is a national UK shooting competition that aims to encompass existing ranges in the UK and provide a resource for shooters to become involved with the sport at a national level.
“It is based on positional barricade shooting that pushes shooters into unusual situations with time constraints to engage reactive steel targets under various pressures, such as weather and terrain.”
Miss Madge added: “I have been involved with encouraging female competitors and am keen to get beginners into the sport.
“It is great fun, but also encourages team work, camaraderie and problem-solving skills. Equally, it allows for firearms education and safety.”
Miss Madge, who was the only female competitor in the league in 2019, said: “The camaraderie and atmosphere at the events makes for a great day out in the open air, and newcomers are welcomed, with other competitors sharing hints, tips and items of kit (and a good supply of Haribo).”
Miss Madge added that the support of Accuracy International – which supplies precision weapons to the military, special forces and police around the world – was “invaluable”.
