Cadets are first taught to fire a 22. rifle on a 25m range. Sharnbrook Detachment travels over to Kempston once a month to practice on the range there. Cadets are taught the principles of marksmanship- natural pointing, position and hold, sight alignment and shot release and follow through. These also apply to the GP Rifle, which is fired typically on 100m, 200m and 300m ranges during annual camps or weekends away.

It isn't just a case of firing well enough to pass tests, cadets that perform exceptionally can go on to achieve a second-class marksman, first class marksman, or marksman ranking and earn county colours for representing the county at CADSAAM, the Cadet Annual Skill At Arms Meeting shooting competition. There they can also fire the LSW live. In the competition teams of cadets fire at falling plate targets before getting up and running 100m towards the target and firing again, then repeating the process, all against the clock.