The most common questions we often get asked is 'what do I need to wear to come Clay Shooting' and 'do I need to have a gun and licence'. If 2024 is the year you decide to take up Clay Shooting as a hobby, our advice would be to invest in some professional one to one lessons before heading off out to buy your own gun and all the gear!
As a shooting school we provide sessions for people who are completely new to the sport, right through to the experienced shot who has been shooting for many years with their own gun and licence. At Bisley Shooting Ground we specialise in the discipline called English Sporting, which is also referred to as Sporting Clays. Our page HERE will give you an insight to what Sporting Clay Shooting is.
When starting a new hobby it is very easy to get carried away with buying 'all the gear'! We all have a budget we work towards with everything we do, and when it comes to Clay Shooting it can be an expensive sport. However our advice would be to invest in a series of Lessons, over having all the gear, and worse then that, a friend teaching you at their local ground, to cut back on costs!
All the gear can come later, but first you want to invest in some Clay Shooting Lessons with a professional shooting instructor. They will teach you to shoot safely, with style and confidence, and in a way that will see you develop in the sport, and enjoy it.
During one-to-one Lessons you will first be taught the basics, which include: gun safety, gun handling, the different methods of shooting and how to read targets. If you aspire to shoot game, you will also learn the art of reactive footwork. Any eye dominance issues will be identified early on allowing you to progress further and reach your full potential. A consistent gun mount is also key and in time you will progress from shooting gun up (starting in the shoulder) to gun down, giving you greater flexibility and the ability to react faster.
Proper lessons will enable you to progress much further than you may have experienced on a fun corporate event, which is essential if you wish to pursue shooting as a hobby. There is so much to learn in pursuit of that elusive 100 straight score.
You will need at least 6 Lessons, some people may find they need a few more. From there you will move to our Instructor Practice sessions where you will continue to develop, but in a much more challenging way. You will start to experience harder and faster targets which you wouldn’t have seen in your Lessons.
You may be starting this hobby having already shot a few times before, such as on corporate events or as a Gift Voucher someone bought you. As fun as these type of experiences are, they are geared towards you hitting some targets as quickly as possible so you enjoy the day ahead!
If you are starting a series of one to one Lessons having pulled the trigger before, you will have a great advantage in knowing what to expect when you fire a gun, but these lessons we will be teaching you so much more.
To compliment our Lessons we have a standardised instructional clay shooting package for novices called The Bisley Approach. The Bisley Approach consists of a six lesson program. You will receive a shooting record book to monitor your progress, with a certificate of achievement at the end. This course of 6 lessons is suited to an individual who has never shot before and who would like to learn in a structured manner.
After the initial 6 Lessons on The Bisley Approach program, you may need to continue with a few more lessons, before moving on to our Instructor Practice sessions.
Whilst you are having your initial course of Lessons, this is the time to apply for your shotgun licence. You will need to apply for a licence with your local Police, details of how can be found here. This process can take a few weeks and maybe even months, so the ideal time to do it is whilst you are having your Lessons.
Once you have your shotgun licence approved by the Police you will be able to buy a gun. The benefit of waiting to buy a gun means you will have had a good few lessons and can be sure that the sport is for you, plus you will be better placed to know what to buy. When buying a gun you will need to consider what gun suits you, in terms of the length of barrels, stock size and 12 or 20 bore. Your Instructor will be best placed to give you some advice on what gun will suit you, based on your height, build and style of shooting, which they will have seen over your course of lessons.
Our advice for how to start clay pigeon shooting as a hobby is to book some professional one to one Lessons first. This will set you up for an exciting and fulfilling Clay Shooting hobby for 2024 and beyond.
You may want to invest in a block of BUY 6 LESSONS - GET 1 FREE, as this is a great way to start and can be used on our Lessons and Bisley Approach program.
For now you don’t need to worry about Membership or having your own gun, both can come later. Just learn from a professional shooting school, reap the benefits and enjoy the sport for many years to come.
