The oldest continuously operating rifle club in the United States, the Newport Rifle Club (NRC) near Middletown, R.I., is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026. It’s not the NRC’s longevity that’s headline-worthy; it’s also the fact membership is way up and shows no signs of slowing.
The secret to the longevity, according to officials interviewed by American Rifleman, is a mix of community outreach programs, hearty mix of competitions, dedication to safety and family-friendly atmosphere. The fact it was established long ago by one of the era’s most accomplished long-distance shooters doesn’t hurt either.
Outreach and community involvement is a critical ingredient in NRC’s success.
“Once a month we get kids in who have not experienced firearms,” said Bob King, who’s been club treasurer so long, he refers to his position as permanent. “They shoot .22 rifles, and each gets an individual coach.”
The sessions are conducted on Fridays and open to youths between the ages of 8 and 18. There is no charge.
They begin, of course, with a detailed safety lesson. Participants are then issued a loaner .22 LR-chambered rifle, ammunition and eye and ear protection. For roughly two hours or more, they shoot and learn the basics. Some discover a passion for the sport. Those who don’t still go home with a better understanding and appreciation for the sport’s safety.
An adult must accompany participating children. That provides an added benefit, according to NRC President Keith Silvia. Many of the parents who taxi their child to the range change their opinion about firearms and the shooting sports. The attention to detail and multiple layers of safety speak volumes to those previously unexposed to the discipline.
“You can’t just spread the word to people who have guns,” Silvia said. “Even if you get one guy, he spreads the word to other people.”
Why would a skeptical adult bring a youngster to a free shooting program? Kids talk, and when a friend says he or she is going because it’s fun, attendance grows. NRC also publicizes the events locally.
Some of those youths go on to join the club’s Junior Team. It has an enviable record, with a number of top-place finishes. The performance of three NRC junior team members resulted in each receiving prestigious college scholarships, including one to the U.S. Naval Academy. Later, one of the girls went on to claim gold in the Pan Am games.
"The kids that go into the junior rifle program, their grades go up one whole grade,” King said. “C students become B students. There’s no question about it.”
There’s much more to that outreach, though. NRC’s instructors conduct firearm safety seminars for a variety of community groups, including Girl Scouts. The club also holds introductory handgun courses and many more.
An Extended Family
“We’re big on family,” King explained. That focus has been a critical component in NRC’s growth in recent years. He estimated membership was roughly 200 when he took over as treasurer 30 years ago. Today, it’s somewhere around 670.
You don’t have to be a blood relative, either.
“There’s a lot of people sharing guns so their friends can try before they buy,” Silvia said, explaining the friendships that develop on the firing line.
NRC holds monthly meetings and a big picnic/annual meeting in June. Things are still up in the air on an official 150th-anniversary celebration.
Club Involvement
Engaging members in club activities is likely the biggest key to NRC’s long-term success. “We try get people involved in competition,” Silvia said. Matches include many standard courses of fire, such as PPC, but others appeal to different passions too often overlooked. That piques curiosity in others, which of course bolsters attendance.
Rifles of the Snow is one example. The match requires participants to use a military bolt-action rifle, as issued, in the winter cold. There’s also a Sunday Service Rifle match, limited to U.S. service rifles. There are muzzleloading pistol matches, blackpowder competitions and more.
“We’re a bullseye club,” King added. “We have a pistol and rifle team.” The club also has monthly high-power rifle competitions.
This list of matches at NRC is long, and it’s attracted an equally diverse membership. “The people we have here run the gamut,” Silvia said. “You meet all kinds of people here.”
A Tightening Budget in the 20th Century
Things were not always rosy. The club was in tough shape when King took over financial oversight. By changing membership policies, however, things improved, and the club qualified and received a no-interest loan from the National Rifle Association. That launched a resurgence.
Today NRC has a nine port, 100-yard outdoor rifle range with overhead baffles. Its indoor pistol range has eight shooting stations and a HEPA filtration system to ensure air quality. Guests are welcome but cannot handle firearms.
It’s state-of-the-art compared to 1876, when it was founded by W. Milton Farrow. He is widely recognized as one of the best—if not the best—long-distance shooter of the late 19th century. His name may be fading in history, but his club’s on the comeback trail. Why?
“We get people involved,” Silvia summarized. “That’s the trick.”
Milton Farrow's Legacy
Farrow made his living in Newport, R.I. as a jeweler until 1876, when he read results from the Centennial International Rifle Match at the famous Creedmoor Rifle Range on Long Island. He knew his shooting skills could propel him to podium finishes, and he quickly proved it.
Two years later, he won the “King’s Medal” at a competition in Union Hill, N.J. He claimed many more afterward in Europe and, upon returning stateside, won the "Champion Rifleman of the United States" title by dominating at 800, 900 and 1,000 yards at Creedmoor.
He went on to win a variety of other major matches. The one he claimed in England may be one of his most prestigious honors, when the Princess of Wales awarded him the Wimbledon Trophy.
Farrow eagerly shared his wealth of knowledge in his book, How I Became a Crack Shot and Hints to Beginners. It’s still in print with free downloads.
He felt most of the rifles used in the era were not optimal for long-distance shooting, so in 1887, he patented a design of his own. Few were ever produced, with best estimates put at roughly 125. When a hurricane hit West Palm Beach, Fla., in 1928, it destroyed his shop and all of his company records.
Farrow's legacy lives on, though, in the form of the shooting club he founded, which looks set for another 150 years of competition and camaraderie, along with a commitment to keep the shooting sports alive.
