What is the HBSA ?

The Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association (HBSA) was founded in 1973 to encourage the preservation of breechloading firearms and to foster study of all aspects from the aesthetics of the sporting gunmaker and engraver’s art to the functional equipment of the soldier or target shooter.

With increasing legislative pressure perversely focused on those legitimately in possession of firearms, the necessity to have an effective voice representing the interests of the shooter / collector became ever more imperative.

The HBSA has always met at the Imperial War Museum in London.  Unfortunately, the pressures of modern life mean that it is often quite difficult and costly to travel to the IWM to attend meetings.  The answer to this predicament was to form members’ groups outside the Home Counties.  At the forefront of this development has been a group which initially met in Sheffield, but which then found a superb home at the Royal Armouries in Leeds where we continue to meet each month and, additionally, hold occasional meetings at the Army Museum, York.

What do we get up to?

Northern Members of HBSA meet at the Royal Armouries in Leeds for lectures (see Lecture Programme) on a wide variety of subjects of interest to the shooter / collector.  In addition, whilst not a shooting club, we do organise a small number of shoots each year using Classic, Vintage and Veteran Firearms and contemporaneous targets. Meeting attendance is by invitation only, for  reasons of security. The images below show some of the events attended, and lectures in progress at the Royal Armouries where we are privileged to be permitted to handle firearms from their extensive collection – far more interesting than just seeing them on a Powerpoint slide !