First things first: Sportzcraft is purely and strictly for the love of the sport. There is no music,no food and beverages,or even the swanky interiors that a recreational sports facility is assumed to have. There is no computerised ticket counter or coupon-vending machine they still issue paper receipts. Tucked in the basement of a nondescript East Patel Nagar building,Sportzcraft is being advertised online and offline as the Capitals first recreational shooting range,ever since it opened just over a month ago. With London Olympics round the corner,life-size posters of Indias shooting stars such as Abhinav Bindra,Gagan Narang and the veterans adorn the walls. But as far as the sport itself is concerned,everything hits the bulls eye the pricing,the instructors,the guns and the works. The facility is affiliated to National Rifles Association of India (NRAI),the sporting body which controls professional shooting in the country. So,more often than not,amateur shooters come here for practice. Besides,schoolchildren in the age-group of 12-16 years come in groups as part of their hobby camps or school activities. Walk-ins are also welcome,but its advisable to pre-book so that one doesnt have to wait for a trainer or a slot to be free. With two NRAI-trained instructors,the 10-metre shooting range can accommodate eight people trying their skills at one time. While the regular monthly membership costs Rs 1,200,a walk-in customer can pay Rs 150 for a one-time session with 30 pellets. And that may just be more than enough. In fact,by the time you exhaust 25 pellets,you are almost spent,unless you want to try a different kind of gun. They stock .177 calibre air rifles and pistols,which dont require an arms licence and cost anywhere between Rs 65,000 and Rs 2 lakh. While the rifle may be easier to start with,the real test lies in shooting with the pistol: its smaller,lighter,softer and hence,unstable and shaky. While the facility stocks guns that use pellets and there are no bullets,the thumb rule is: dont put your finger on the trigger while loading the gun,and never point the gun in any other direction than towards the target sheet. The good thing is that the instructors allow you to be on your own. So in your first round itself,you are loading the gun,taking the right position and moving your target sheet back and forth on your own to see how you have fared. Clearly,Sportzcraft is a simple and honest shooting range and no bowling alley. In attracting the mall-savvy youth of today,it may be a little off the mark but thats how it is on the target sheet of a first-timer. Address:7/2 Basement,East Patel Nagar. Contact:9810008140
