If you are looking to get into shooting of any kind, this easy guide will give you plenty of hints and tips
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What to expect on your first day pheasant shooting
Wondering what to expect on your first day pheasant shooting? Tony Bracci, Bisley instructor, former keeper and Sporting Gun contributor advises: Do some research into where the shoot is, which will give you a clue on how the birds will be presented. Rolling hills or prime arable land? Don’t rely…
Buying your first shotgun: here’s how to make the right choice
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
The 10 shooting safety rules that every shooter must follow
The first rule of good shooting is always safety
How to start clayshooting
So you've decided to venture onto a clay ground with a view to taking up the sport. Congratulations. It's a popular pastime for good reason, as you'll discover.
Shotgun jargon buster
Even Guns who’ve spent many seasons standing on the peg or walking along hedgerows are sometimes unclear about some shooting terminology. For example, whilst most shooters will know what the action on a gun is, they might be a little less sure about what the top strap is. (Answer below.)…
10 shooting tips you need to know
To avoid frustration when out shooting in the field this season, follow these ten shooting tips.
Female Guns out in the field and on the clay ground
Just over 35,000 women in England and Wales hold a shotgun/firearms certificate and official figures show that these numbers are growing annually. This year women are having to forego the get-togethers of National Ladies Shooting Day although many clay grounds have of course recently reopened for business. So as long…
The different parts of a shotgun
Do you know your hammer from your extractor? Here is a clear explanation of the functions of named parts of a shotgun, namely a side-by-side boxlock with side plates, based on the Anson & Deeley design. What is a boxlock shotgun? In a boxlock shotgun the inner workings, the “lockwork” …
How a shotgun works
Lewis Potter looks at the inner workings of a shotgun to explain and illustrate how a shotgun works
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
Key clay pigeon shooting tips for both the beginner and the seasoned shooter
Understand the jargon heard on the clay shooting ground with Mark Russell's tips for shooting beginners
How to make sure a shoot day goes well
Whether it’s your first shoot day or the first one of the season, how can you best prepare for it and get the most out of the day? Shoot location Where the shoot is will give you a clue as to how the birds will be presented. Is it in…
Should I start clayshooting with a 20-bore?
I am new to clay shooting and see that everybody at a nearby gun club where I’ve been having lessons use 12-bores.
How to improve your shooting footwork
As with any sport, when you want to get better at it you have to go back to basics to ensure that you have a good enough grounding. Shooting footwork tips A crucial point with shooting is having your feet in the right place. The reason for this is so…
Do I need lessons before I get my shotgun licence?
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?
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…