Shotgun licence: I’ve spent some time with a small shoot this season and love it, and I now fancy taking up shooting myself. How do I get started? Can I receive instruction before getting a shotgun licence?
Start Shooting
So you want to start shooting and need to find out how to go about it? What an excellent decision. Welcome to a time-honoured sport which we trust will give you hours of pleasure.
Shooters are a friendly bunch and always delighted when somebody new takes an interest in their sport.
City and country folk
People start shooting in various ways and it’s not a given that you need to be brought up with it and start as a child. Or that you need to live in the countryside. Many keen shooters take it up as adults whilst living in a city and head out into the field at weekends.
Clays, pheasant or both?
You might be interested in gameshooting or maybe think clayshooting is going to be your thing.
Whatever appeals to you, here we’ve gathered together all the information you need to know on how to get into shooting. Find out how to get a shotgun certificate, learn when the game seasons open, explore how guns work, get help with buying your first gun, what you should wear shooting and the intricacies of shooting etiquette (so you get invited back another time). It’s very important too that you are aware of the shooting safety rules.
We also have articles on how to shoot well, places to shoot and how to find a good shooting instructor.
Things I’d wish I’d known when I started shooting
Advice and novice shooting tips from those who had to learn the hard way … Lessons are key “I started game shooting when I was around 14 years of age, cocky and confident I didn’t need ‘lessons’… I simply mounted the gun, squeezed the trigger – and it worked (to…
Buying a first shotgun – how to get the best for you
Any busy shooting coach will see a continuous stream of newcomers to clayshooting or gameshooting coming through his ground. Having enjoyed their encounters with moving targets, they’re now thinking of buying a first shotgun of their own I have met newcomers aged 12, 22 or even 72, all asking: “What…
How can shooting encourage more women into the sport?
A Gun is a Gun is a Gun, isn’t it? If you’re out shooting on a game day, you are known as a Gun, end of.” So says Tracy Meston, senior coach at the Roxburghe Shooting School in the Scottish Borders, one of a growing number of women in the…
I’d like to start gameshooting but I’m a student on a budget …
Q: I am in my mid-40s and have never shot before, but I would love to have a go at gameshooting and possibly get my shotgun licence if I then discover I enjoy it. I am a mature full-time student so don’t have much money to play with. Is there…
What to expect from a good shotgun coach
“If I book a lesson or two with a coach, what am I going to learn and how do I know the information and instruction is of high quality?”. It’s an enquiry I’ve come to expect. Here’s what a good shotgun coach should cover Safety The safe handling of the…
How to start clay pigeon shooting
When clay pigeon shooting as a beginner, being prepared is essential for getting good scores.
Ampleforth College Shoot 2018
In the past five years the school shoot has grown in both extent and professionalism. Student-led and supported, with guidance by staff and parents, Ampleforth is putting down around 800 pheasants and partridges each year in three pens across the valley, shooting a good 10 days in the season. Eight…
Starting out clayshooting? Learn correctly from the start.
If you’re just starting out as a new shooter, try and steer away from being taken around a clayground with a friend. You are far better off when starting out clayshooting taking several lessons with a qualified instructor in a quiet part of a ground without spectators, where the instructor…
How to get a firearm certficate
Advice on how to get your firearm certificate with information on what police are looking for, what counts as good reason to own a firearm and what variations are
How to get into shooting
If you are looking to get into shooting of any kind, this easy guide will give you plenty of hints and tips
Clayshooting tips for beginners
Understand the jargon heard on the clay shooting ground with Mark Russell's tips for shooting beginners
A beginner’s guide to picking-up
We walk you through what to expect on your first time picking-up, including when to know if your dog is ready, what to do on the first drive and how to behave during the day
A guide to buying your first gun
It's never too soon to start looking at guns with a view to buying your first and any dealer will be happy to reserve a gun until your certificate arrives
Our beginner’s guide to shooting – what you need to know
Beginner's guide to shooting: Here we have the answers to some of the questions you have asked about starting shooting.
How to get into game shooting
Have you ever wanted to get into game shooting and wondered where to begin? Well, that’s just what Johnathan Cox, head keeper at the Buckhurst Estate in East Sussex, is trying to solve for many keen clay, pigeon and wildfowl shooters. Driven game shooting is notorious for being seen as…
Starting shooting: What’s a lock, stock and barrel?
Starting shooting: What makes a shotgun? 'Lock, stock and barrel' is a common enough phrase in the English language, signifying completeness in every respect!
Start shooting with lessons – and you’ll soon be hooked
Shooting lessons: what you need to know! So, now you are at the shooting ground, what happens next?
Guide to shotgun jargon
With so many shotgun terms floating about, it can be hard to know what you're talking about.
First invitation to shoot – what now?
A: Congratulations on receiving your invitation to shoot. However, before you mount a gun to shoot at any sentient creature, you need to have plenty of practice at clays. Go to a good ground that will do proper gun fit too. That will make you a better shot and will also give you confidence in…