Lead Bullets
Brora Heritage Centre

These lead bullets were collected from the now disused rifle targets on Brora’s Back Beach to the south. They give us a glimpse of the rifle range that was established here in the 1860s so that local volunteers could train properly and increase the accuracy of their shots!

Today, it’s still possible to see the target machinery and the bullet backstop, consisting of a huge mound of sand. The firing butts can also be spotted at various measured distances to the south of the targets.

But why was it needed? In response to the feared threat of the French, in 1859 the UK Government had sanctioned the formation of county Volunteer Corps to train and be equipped for home defence in the face of any invasion. Formed in 1860, Brora was the third company of the 1st Sutherland Rifle Volunteers, following Golspie and Dornoch in 1859, and followed by Rogart in 1861. Each village had its own rifle range.