At Wimbledon the ranges had been developed over 30 years. The NRA built temporary office and catering facilities there each year, and many of the competitors and staff lived under canvas, but there were good transport links and services and ample accommodation for the less hardy. Bisley was miles further from London and had nothing. The Council had to buy land, build ranges, provide permanent accommodation, and create the infrastructure. The purchase of land cost over £13,000 and almost exhausted the reserves. The War Office provided working parties from Aldershot to level the ranges and construct the butts.

The wood and canvas offices and Pavilion, and the Clock Tower, were brought from Wimbledon and huts with 40 rooms were built. The London and South Western Railway Company, which operated the Waterloo to Southampton line, built a spur from Brookwood Station to serve the Camp, and the light tramway was relaid to connect Camp and ranges. The original range layout proved its worth in 1890 and its basic outline remains today. For a few years the NRA met the demand for clubhouses and living accommodation by renting out the buildings, but by 1894 the Association was financially overstretched and the policy changed to selling ground leases.