Discussion
Hi guys .
Is anyone on here into shooting be it clay pigeon , bird/pheasant or hunting ?
A group of us went clay pigeon shooting for my cousins stag due in last month and i cant stop thinking about getting into it .
Bearing in mind ive never done it before and got FOUR less on the whole course than the guy who took us round think i got 29ish out of 50 they all suggested that i look into doing it as theres a fair few near me (Grimsby) which arent too far a drive.
So does anyone do it ?
Can they reccomend somewhere to go for the day (Clay pigeon shooting ?)
How much does it roughly cost to get into it ?
Thanks Rich.
Is anyone on here into shooting be it clay pigeon , bird/pheasant or hunting ?
A group of us went clay pigeon shooting for my cousins stag due in last month and i cant stop thinking about getting into it .
Bearing in mind ive never done it before and got FOUR less on the whole course than the guy who took us round think i got 29ish out of 50 they all suggested that i look into doing it as theres a fair few near me (Grimsby) which arent too far a drive.
So does anyone do it ?
Can they reccomend somewhere to go for the day (Clay pigeon shooting ?)
How much does it roughly cost to get into it ?
Thanks Rich.
Generally for clay pigeon shooting a semi auto is frowned upon because they can't be broken to remove any chance of accidental firing. Or at least thats the case for the local shoots I go to.
Shotgun certificate is required if you're going to get a gun to take to shoots and if you live in any where remotely countryside-ish then there will be local ones. Good Guns arent cheap cartridges aren't dear though ~£40 for 200 around our way I think.
Ask in any local gun shops about local shoots they'll point you in the correct direction. A couple lessons are a good idea to learn how to behave with the gun around other people etc.
But remember, Minute to learn, lifetime to master!
Shotgun certificate is required if you're going to get a gun to take to shoots and if you live in any where remotely countryside-ish then there will be local ones. Good Guns arent cheap cartridges aren't dear though ~£40 for 200 around our way I think.
Ask in any local gun shops about local shoots they'll point you in the correct direction. A couple lessons are a good idea to learn how to behave with the gun around other people etc.
But remember, Minute to learn, lifetime to master!
I've been shooting since I was a young lad and if you have a look on the cpsa's website or basc there is loads of info on shooting, clay grounds and coaches etc.
All I would say is make sure you brush up on safety and getting a gun properly fitted will work wonders once you begin to progress.
I wouldn't say cartridges were cheap imo, they can range from about £130 - over £200 for 1000.
You can pick a decent gun up secondhand for easily under £1000 and they don't really tend to depreciate if they're looked after.
Applying for your license can take a few weeks or a few months but it depends on your local firearms department.
If you want anymore info let me know and I'd be happy to help where I can.
All I would say is make sure you brush up on safety and getting a gun properly fitted will work wonders once you begin to progress.
I wouldn't say cartridges were cheap imo, they can range from about £130 - over £200 for 1000.
You can pick a decent gun up secondhand for easily under £1000 and they don't really tend to depreciate if they're looked after.
Applying for your license can take a few weeks or a few months but it depends on your local firearms department.
If you want anymore info let me know and I'd be happy to help where I can.
Apply for your SGC here http://www.humberside.police.uk/support-and-advice...
Ask for general advice on
http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/
Can't see too many clay clubs near you - get along to a local gunshop and ask
You will have access to very good wildfowling in your neck of the woods but that is hardcore
I started off about 4 years ago
Went up to my local club and got shown the ropes
Took some lessons with a BASC coach
Got invited on an introductory game day
Now I'm the secretary of a shooting syndicate - ten cheap days of shooting with hairy arsed farmers. Good craic. My daughter is a beater
I book a few days on commercial shoots each season
and do a bit of walked up/ rough shooting.
Just do it.
Ask for general advice on
http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/
Can't see too many clay clubs near you - get along to a local gunshop and ask
You will have access to very good wildfowling in your neck of the woods but that is hardcore
I started off about 4 years ago
Went up to my local club and got shown the ropes
Took some lessons with a BASC coach
Got invited on an introductory game day
Now I'm the secretary of a shooting syndicate - ten cheap days of shooting with hairy arsed farmers. Good craic. My daughter is a beater
I book a few days on commercial shoots each season
and do a bit of walked up/ rough shooting.
Just do it.
Have to disagree with the comment about Autos are frowned upon. I only shoot autos, much easier to handle and two barrels is cheating... I have used my auto at pheasant shoots, mega expensive shoots and the guys there loved it. Sure some snotty old Tw*ts might not like them but some people don't like motorbikes or attractive blonds....
Certificates are around the £50 mark, you can get a cheap gun for £50 but I’d spend around the 300-400 mark and see how you go. You might find after a few months you get bored and stop shooting.
You'll need a decent cabinet, Bratton Sound Engineering are some of the best, a 4 gun cabinet will set you back around £150, my 10 gun was £300.
Worth getting a larger cabinet as you'll probably end up buying a couple of guns for visitors etc.
Take some lessons, well worth it to make sure you hold the gun right. Most people try to rifle a shotgun and that will result in you getting knocked about by it. Posture and swing is the name of the game.
Rough shooting is my thing, can't beat shooting something then eating the little blighter later on!
Got a fox with my name written all over it, hope to have a chat with it next Tuesday...
Certificates are around the £50 mark, you can get a cheap gun for £50 but I’d spend around the 300-400 mark and see how you go. You might find after a few months you get bored and stop shooting.
You'll need a decent cabinet, Bratton Sound Engineering are some of the best, a 4 gun cabinet will set you back around £150, my 10 gun was £300.
Worth getting a larger cabinet as you'll probably end up buying a couple of guns for visitors etc.
Take some lessons, well worth it to make sure you hold the gun right. Most people try to rifle a shotgun and that will result in you getting knocked about by it. Posture and swing is the name of the game.
Rough shooting is my thing, can't beat shooting something then eating the little blighter later on!
Got a fox with my name written all over it, hope to have a chat with it next Tuesday...
skene said:
How do remove any doubt the gun is live? With an over and under or side by side you can break them open to show they cannot be fired. Autos have to jam a cartridge sideways in the breach and this isn't always obvious when walking around with it
Same thing as target guys do when you want to walk down range, load a bright red cartidge with a plastic flag on it? They have these made for purpose in .357 and so on.I appreciate the obviousness of breaking the barrel, but then I also appreciate semi-autos
TackleburyUk said:
Have to disagree with the comment about Autos are frowned upon. I only shoot autos, much easier to handle and two barrels is cheating... I have used my auto at pheasant shoots, mega expensive shoots and the guys there loved it. Sure some snotty old Tw*ts might not like them but some people don't like motorbikes or attractive blonds....
[snip]
A guest turn up at our pheasant shoot with an auto. The shoot captain exploded and said, "I'm not having some f*****g machine gun on my shoot!"[snip]
Saddle bum said:
TackleburyUk said:
Have to disagree with the comment about Autos are frowned upon. I only shoot autos, much easier to handle and two barrels is cheating... I have used my auto at pheasant shoots, mega expensive shoots and the guys there loved it. Sure some snotty old Tw*ts might not like them but some people don't like motorbikes or attractive blonds....
[snip]
A guest turn up at our pheasant shoot with an auto. The shoot captain exploded and said, "I'm not having some f*****g machine gun on my shoot!"[snip]
Welcome to shooting Rich.
To answer your question, the costs relate to:
a) the kit
b) cost per clay and per bang
Your minimum starter kit for clay busting would be:
- Shotgun certificate £50
- Ear defenders (highly recommend active digital ones) £50-£100
- Cabinet £150
- Cartridge box/bag £20+
- Gun slip to carry the gun around £30+
- A skeet vest if you don't have a coat with big pockets £30+
- Gun cleaning kit £20+
- Gun! You can spend anything from £100 to £100,000.
First off, apply for your shotgun licence. No point doing anything until you have that.
You will want an over & under 12 gauge for mainstream clay busting. Personally I like ejectors and a manual safety. There's a massive world of guns out there, get some advice. Nothing wrong with a second hand gun, but my advice would be to stick to a better known maker initially.
It doesn't really matter what type of gun you get to begin with, because you won't know how guns handle nor your preferred discipline. If you have a free choice, go for a Sporter rather than a Trap gun but it really isn't that important when you're starting. Get something that shoots straight and get some tuition so you handle it properly. Once you've put a few thousand rounds through, you'll have a better idea for what you want "next". A lot of people keep their starter gun for rough shooting, and because they have a soft spot for it!
If you can afford new or nearly new and are willing to spend about £1000, then you can get a good big-name gun from someone like Beretta or Browning. Really hard to go wrong with either, and the latest Browning B525 Mk 2 is probably the best value gun around. At this level you should be able to get a gun that will shoot where you point it. Guns are pretty simple things and when you miss a clay, it will be you not the gun.
Spending more than £1500 on a gun gets you into the elevated echelons of competition guns or pretty guns. Competition guns have features like removable trigger mechanisms in case of breakage, but you don't need that stuff to start with.
Guns are rated for how pretty they are - how elaborate the scrollwork carved into the metal on the action, and how nicely grained & finished the stock is. You can pay £1000 or £6000 for the absolutely identical mechanicals in a gun, the extra £5000 buys you nicer wood and fancier metalwork.
Beyond that you're in to fitted guns and boutique guns, but get 10,000 cartridges behind you first and only if you can consistently score 75%+ on say Sporting and more like 85%+ on Skeet and DTL.
So you've chosen a gun, now you need to use it.
Down my way (South of England), each bird will cost you around 50p made up of 33p for the clay and 16p for the cartridge (assuming you use cheaper cartridges and buy in bulk). If you really get into it, you could easily cycle 200 cartridges through the gun each weekend.
Tuition will cost around £70/hour down my way as well. Absolutely worth it IMO to get you started on the right track, and then to help you with the more difficult birds. They will also give you the essential safety guidelines and some basic etiquette.
You'll want to find a few mates who shoot as well, because (a) it's more social and (b) some grounds don't have automatic traps and you need someone to release the clays. It's very worthwhile finding a venue which has fully automatic traps you can operate solo on delay. This will help you to practice on your own.
If you do the maths, it's not unusual for a keen person starting out and wanting to improve to get through 5000 cartridges in their first year. I did that in 6 months, but I am rather obsessive about my hobbies ;-)
So you can see that the costs of using the gun quickly outweigh the gun purchase price. For that reason IF you think you will get into it I would recommend spending around £1000-£1200 on a newish gun from Beretta or Browning. I know a few mates who spent less than that and they outgrew their guns very quickly. Guns retain their value pretty well so you should be able to move a £1000 gun on for £700-£800 when you decide to change.
Sorry can't help with local insight into your area but find a local gunshop, they're usually very helpful and willing to spend time with you to help you get started. www.guntrader.co.uk will give you some ideas about guns and sources.
Try a few different disciplines to see what you prefer. Many people have English Sporting as their first love while others prefer the more technical skeet and DTL options, or various Trap. Give everything a go and don't worry, whatever gun you start with will work fine with all of them.
Overall, be safe. You're still dealing with a lethal weapon and you need to treat it with respect. However in my experience the community is very welcoming and friendly, ask around and you may be surprised at how many people you know who shoot. Once you get into clay busting you'll no doubt be invited onto simulated drives or a real shoot, at which point a whole new world opens up. At this point it can be a bit pretentious, with some snobbery creeping in if you don't have all the right clothing, the "right" gun (i.e. a side by side field gun), and your own trained gun dog. Equally there are the "banjo players" who just get on with it and everyone's welcome as long as they're safe. You'll find your own comfort zone.
To answer your question, the costs relate to:
a) the kit
b) cost per clay and per bang
Your minimum starter kit for clay busting would be:
- Shotgun certificate £50
- Ear defenders (highly recommend active digital ones) £50-£100
- Cabinet £150
- Cartridge box/bag £20+
- Gun slip to carry the gun around £30+
- A skeet vest if you don't have a coat with big pockets £30+
- Gun cleaning kit £20+
- Gun! You can spend anything from £100 to £100,000.
First off, apply for your shotgun licence. No point doing anything until you have that.
You will want an over & under 12 gauge for mainstream clay busting. Personally I like ejectors and a manual safety. There's a massive world of guns out there, get some advice. Nothing wrong with a second hand gun, but my advice would be to stick to a better known maker initially.
It doesn't really matter what type of gun you get to begin with, because you won't know how guns handle nor your preferred discipline. If you have a free choice, go for a Sporter rather than a Trap gun but it really isn't that important when you're starting. Get something that shoots straight and get some tuition so you handle it properly. Once you've put a few thousand rounds through, you'll have a better idea for what you want "next". A lot of people keep their starter gun for rough shooting, and because they have a soft spot for it!
If you can afford new or nearly new and are willing to spend about £1000, then you can get a good big-name gun from someone like Beretta or Browning. Really hard to go wrong with either, and the latest Browning B525 Mk 2 is probably the best value gun around. At this level you should be able to get a gun that will shoot where you point it. Guns are pretty simple things and when you miss a clay, it will be you not the gun.
Spending more than £1500 on a gun gets you into the elevated echelons of competition guns or pretty guns. Competition guns have features like removable trigger mechanisms in case of breakage, but you don't need that stuff to start with.
Guns are rated for how pretty they are - how elaborate the scrollwork carved into the metal on the action, and how nicely grained & finished the stock is. You can pay £1000 or £6000 for the absolutely identical mechanicals in a gun, the extra £5000 buys you nicer wood and fancier metalwork.
Beyond that you're in to fitted guns and boutique guns, but get 10,000 cartridges behind you first and only if you can consistently score 75%+ on say Sporting and more like 85%+ on Skeet and DTL.
So you've chosen a gun, now you need to use it.
Down my way (South of England), each bird will cost you around 50p made up of 33p for the clay and 16p for the cartridge (assuming you use cheaper cartridges and buy in bulk). If you really get into it, you could easily cycle 200 cartridges through the gun each weekend.
Tuition will cost around £70/hour down my way as well. Absolutely worth it IMO to get you started on the right track, and then to help you with the more difficult birds. They will also give you the essential safety guidelines and some basic etiquette.
You'll want to find a few mates who shoot as well, because (a) it's more social and (b) some grounds don't have automatic traps and you need someone to release the clays. It's very worthwhile finding a venue which has fully automatic traps you can operate solo on delay. This will help you to practice on your own.
If you do the maths, it's not unusual for a keen person starting out and wanting to improve to get through 5000 cartridges in their first year. I did that in 6 months, but I am rather obsessive about my hobbies ;-)
So you can see that the costs of using the gun quickly outweigh the gun purchase price. For that reason IF you think you will get into it I would recommend spending around £1000-£1200 on a newish gun from Beretta or Browning. I know a few mates who spent less than that and they outgrew their guns very quickly. Guns retain their value pretty well so you should be able to move a £1000 gun on for £700-£800 when you decide to change.
Sorry can't help with local insight into your area but find a local gunshop, they're usually very helpful and willing to spend time with you to help you get started. www.guntrader.co.uk will give you some ideas about guns and sources.
Try a few different disciplines to see what you prefer. Many people have English Sporting as their first love while others prefer the more technical skeet and DTL options, or various Trap. Give everything a go and don't worry, whatever gun you start with will work fine with all of them.
Overall, be safe. You're still dealing with a lethal weapon and you need to treat it with respect. However in my experience the community is very welcoming and friendly, ask around and you may be surprised at how many people you know who shoot. Once you get into clay busting you'll no doubt be invited onto simulated drives or a real shoot, at which point a whole new world opens up. At this point it can be a bit pretentious, with some snobbery creeping in if you don't have all the right clothing, the "right" gun (i.e. a side by side field gun), and your own trained gun dog. Equally there are the "banjo players" who just get on with it and everyone's welcome as long as they're safe. You'll find your own comfort zone.
Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff