Where/How did you start clay shooting?

My, not so illustrious,career in clay shooting started in 1984 as a birthday present from a friend. It consisted of ten 'have a go' clays at a ground in Lincs and I was immediately hooked.I had previously shot a whole variety of rifles,pistols and machine guns while in the RAF and was a pretty good shot but shotgun shooting was something else.After some instruction and passing the BASC shotgun competency course,I shot clays and game for about fifteen years and then gave up game shooting.I carried on with clay shooting and now shoot sporting,sportrap and a little skeet.The cost of shooting is starting to bite so I have cut back lately but still enjoy it very much.Vic.

Similar to you mate, I had a go at the Winslow show in the year of the foot and mouth, a year later got my cert then 6 months after that I got my first gun and have been spending out ever since, havent shot for about a year now though.

I started about 18 months ago - I had done a couple of shots at some corporate events, but really wanted to get back into it. My brother introduced me to a friend who was a regular and I started going with him and using his gun. He's the guy I started ShootClay with.I bought my gun about a year ago - and try and get out every weekend in the Berkshire/Buckinghamshire area - always happy to join up with people for shoots if they are local and willing to have a duffer go round with them.

Hello Vic good to see you here ! I think this is the sort of site you would want to be involved with where there will be no tolerance for bitching and fighting unlike another site we won't mention. I started shooting when I was about 7 years old, my Dad took me to shoot pigeons & ducks and from then on I was bitten with shootin shotguns, I never had any real good coaching which in hindsight I wish I had as I'd really like to be better at shootin clays than I am, I started to win at the straw baler 40 & 50 birders when I was about 14, when I got my first car I traveled around the country shooting all the wee shoots as I didn't know much about the registered scene then, I got into the UCPSA and registered shoots in 1987 - 89 were I got classed in B, I had my fair share of wins in B class in North & South Ireland but money or the lack of it stopped my serious shootin from 1990 until 2007 when I started again as the back problems I have forced me to give up golf, I played off 4 at my best with a very serious competitive streak in me But I just can't find the competitiveness since I've came back to clays, this year coming will be my son's first year shootin competitions and after that I'll take a back seat and let him go as far as he can get with the ever increasing price rises in Everythin these days I couldn't afford for the both of us to shoot and I think Ian has a genuine chance of being Good !Nige

I also started at a young age, I was brought up on a farm where my father worked, he is a keen shooting man too. As a young boy I had to prove my gun safety to my father by only using a air rifle, then when he was happy that I was safe my parents got me a side by side 410 . then a year later brought me a single barrel12 bore, which I used untill I was old enough to get my own licence.I then brought an old spanish o/u and stated going out to local club shoots with friends, I was about 17 then ! I started winng the odd trophy here and there then got into girls and beer so only done the odd shoot from time to time. After many years of pigeon shooting ect I met up with an old mate who kept on asking me to join him at some clay shooting and in April this year I went along.....shot clays every weekend since and joined my local gun club ( Wallers Ash) who have put me straight into AA .. gulp..Ive now taken the plunge and joined the CPSA to see how I get on at some reg' comps, but gotta shoot 300 targets then get my class in December ( I think ?) also have been very very lucky to be offered sponsorship which really helps with the cost of clay shooting this day and age.Rob

You are a lucky man Rob to get offered sponsorship -- enjoy it and do yourself and your sponsors proud.Nige

Thanks Nige, I will give it my best shot Rob

I started clay shooting about 6 years ago, well had my certificate that long, before that I shot air rifles at Basingstoke Air Rifle and Pistol Club and talking to some of the lads thee went along to Popham Clay club for a go managed about 12 out of 50 i think! and from then on it took about 6 months to get the certificates, the FLO had not interviewed a complete family of 3 at once before as my wife was keen to shoot as well. Shot locally along Popham and Wallers Ash before wanting to try other places and types so phoned Ian Stone at Wywle Valley and went along for a go at FITASC, christ want a difference that was distance targets or want!!Then found out about Helice from Nicola enjoyed shooting that a lot at one point. Still kept up going to sporting at Wywle and then Four Counties near Newbury. Money funds have curtailed most shooting for both of us at the moment, but still enjoy the odd Saturday down at Wywle for practise.

Hi Andy, good to see some one local on here ... do you still go to Wallers Ash ?, I know what you mean about wanting to try other places.I will be going to Wylye Valley to shoot some reg' comps when I get my CPSA number, they are the nearest Reg' ground for me, never been there before but looking forward to going .atbRob

Robo, Wylye is a good ground and Stoner's wife makes great cakes, you know the sort, just like granny used to make with buttercream and proper sponge. It can throw some cracking targets. Hi Vic and all,I started about the same time as Vic (mid eighties) at Holmfirth Shooting School shooting Skeet and ABT on every Wednesday and then Trap at A6 on Thursday nights and either Saturday or Sunday on sporting at Holmfirth, Worsely Grange or Keith's FITASC ground just off the M1(the first one not the golf club one, although I shot that sometimes as well ). I used to shoot with two great pals and each of us did not fit into the many 'clicks' that were around at that time........because one was a girl (spit - she will shoot us all), one was a china man (spit - he will shoot us all) and one was a Hillbilly (spit - he will try to shoot us all).So we started our own international event at every club shoot we went to. The girl (me) got a little handy which meant that sometimes I was moved up a class during the shoot (shock horror - is that in the rules?) . No matter what we all had great fun trapesing around the North for a few years. Then some of us found our way south and decided to stay and do missionary work.Fu Lee ended up a restauranter and now mostly shoots game, Barry 'who' Phethean ended up with Victory cartridges as one of his many businesses and I ended up 'darn sarf' teaching shooters how to say 'bollocks' and 'bugger' in the right context whilst I was trying to hit a few clays. (Taught a few sur le continent that one as well) And 'darn sarf' is where I also found Helice.........now before some of you shout 'oh no not bloody Helice again'............you will be glad to know that I am having a change for 2012 and going to shoot UT so I will now be mostly rattling on about UT. I like UT and from looking at the competitions abroad, it is good tough competition with many great women shooters.......so time to stretch myself and hope to get over the half way mark in the rankings

I can't remember to be honest shooting was always in the family with my grandfather training gun dogs and being a gamekeeper on a pheasant shoot. I guess the first thing I shot was a pigeon with an old bolt action garden gun! I believe my Dad still has it! After that it was always a case of being big enough to handle a shot gun! My first real gun was a 28bore Remi! Was a lovely little gun and i shot many pigeons with it probably from the age of 12 onwards. Never really shot enough clays as a junior but probably started shooting clays more seriously when I hit 18! I remember practising in doors on the safety aspects with a life like 410. sidebyside which had immitation cartridges which you put a small cap in the top to make a bang! Then there was the toy cross bow with the plastic sticky darts I hassled my dad to buy at a game fair!. Used to shoot round cup mats that my Dad use to roll across the living room like rabbits with it! Then this progressed onto a 177 airrifle shooting clays I collected at local grounds when I travelled around with my Dad! Then onto the 28bore i mentioned and some pigeons.I used to travel around with my father and Mick Stone and also Dick Weston and I would watch them shoot numerous sporting and fitasc shoots before I finally started to take part! I have been very lucky to have travelled quite a lot and I think my first serious Fitasc was the European in Portugal at Montfortino! I used to use a Browning Medalist! After that it was onwards and upwards and my dad bought a Browning 32 inch 425 or 525 for parts and I somehow aquired this gun and have shot it ever since! ;-) God knows how many cartridges it has shot! The firing pins were replaced one time since i have had it and it has won me some nice things! ;-)Glen.

Hi Did a bit of pigeon shooting as a kid went out no more than a dozen times on reflection. Then at the ripe old age of 40 had a have a go day at the 2008 Gamefair and picked up a shotgun for the first time in 25 years and shot my first ever clay.Had a couple of lessons and went to a local shoot and in 2009 bought my 686e. Im very much a C classs shooter but I enjoy the learning curve. Met some good folk and hope to meet many more in my pursuit of A class.

Quote from Robo on August 30, 2011, 07:47Hi Andy, good to see some one local on here ... do you still go to Wallers Ash ?, I know what you mean about wanting to try other places.I will be going to Wylye Valley to shoot some reg' comps when I get my CPSA number, they are the nearest Reg' ground for me, never been there before but looking forward to going .atbRob

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Can highly recommend going to Wylye on a Saturday, they are open on Thursdays and Saturdays aswell as comp days on Sundays before going to a comp down there, as the type of targets are a lot different to our local ones!As Nicola said the cakes are supurb and the welcome is friendly.ps do not go on the day before shooting a comp as the targets are changed, I made that mistake once and hardly hit anything.Not been to Wallers Ash for a long while.

It took me a while to finally get into clay shooting as I didn't know anyone that shot and didn't really have the time, I had done a couple of corporate days and really enjoyed them but didn't know where to go; long story short I had a second motorbike accident and broke all the ribs i didn't the first time so decided enough was enough and to stop riding. Round about the same time a colleage had just got his SGC and took me out and I loved it, didn't hit much but pulled the trigger and it went bang, despite getting knocked about by a very badly fitting gun and being given Kent Velocities which knocked me about even more I wasn't deterred My colleague took me to the local gun shop one lunch time and I got my SGC application forms (owner gave me 3, assuring me I would mess up at least 1 which I did) got them filled in, pictures done etc and posted it off, cheque cashed a week afterwards.I bought the BASC book of the sporting shotgun and studied it every day, after 14 weeks I got my interview, FEO was very impressed by the level of knowledge, that i'd had a couple of lessons, joined BASC etc cabinet inspected and 2 weeks later my SGC arrived, within 24 hours I owned 2 guns (more advice, don't buy a 3 gun cab, go for at least a 5 when you first start) A Baikal IZ-27 OU horrible and only used if I want to feel like i have done a few rounds with Tyson and a Browning 525 Sporter 30" MC which I stuck with for about 8 months having got to the point of hitting low teens I had a coaching session with Dan Archer at Bisley who was excellent and spotted straight away i was cross dominant, added an Easy Hit and after a couple of months getting used to it I was hitting 1920 but not consistently, one day I was shooting skeet with a friend who had just bought a Beretta AL391 Urika Teknys for his other half and I was shooting really badly so the Browning went back in the rack after station 3 and I buttoned for them, at the end of the round he said here, try this, showed me how to load it and away I went, killed the singles on 4, missed the second on the pair as the action startled me and hit everything else. I called GMK the next day and got a stock number for the last one they had, called William Evans to get a price from them and ordered it then picked up the following Saturday.I shoot much better with the auto, I suspect because there is less barrel going on, it's been modified but after another 3 months I had shot a load of 23's then a week after I came out of hospital following an emergency op I was shooting with a couple of friends who I had met since starting shooting and was told to get your first straight in under a year was pretty unlikely..... The next round I shot my first 25 straight, man that feeling was fantastic.I love my shooting even on the bad days and am now trying more disciplines but i'm going to master Skeet first so now been shooting just over 2 years, have qualified as a CPSA Safety Officer and ESKSKD Referee and have won a few club trophies and a little bit of cash along the way. My first straight in a registered was an awesome achievement for me personally, I look at my 25 Straight badge every time before I go out as it's stuck to the fridge, it was the first thing I had won and at a rough calculation cost me somewhere in the region of £7500 to win a £4 badge ..I have since learnt to make a small fortune in shooting you need to start with a large one Jon.

I went to a clay shoot with a ex's dad (I knew him from shooting at a rifle range before) and loved it and bought his gun that day! Wasn't long ago really, March/April maybe.