INtroduction to clay shooting

Shotguns were originally used purely to shoot live quarry for the pot, but it’s human nature to compete and over the years clay target shooting has become a popular sport in its own right. Enthusiasts compete at all levels – from small local ‘straw bale’ shoots, through regional and national championships, right up to the Olympic Games where the most talented shots in the world battle for the glory of a gold medal.

The sport began using live birds as targets. The bird - typically a pigeon, starling or sparrow - would be placed under a hat, and released on the shooter’s command by pulling a string. Later a collapsing cage or ‘trap’ was used, again released by a string - the origin of the terms ‘Pull’ and ‘Trap’ still used in the sport of clay pigeon shooting today. 

The first inanimate targets were glass balls filled with feathers, imitating a live bird. Inventors experimented with saucer-shaped targets made of clay, and these developed into the targets we know today, thrown from sophisticated auto-loading machines operated by remote control. For many years clay targets were made of chalk and pitch, but biodegradable materials are becoming more widespread today.

As the sport developed, distinct disciplines evolved, so today we have three main categories: Skeet, Trap and Sporting. Each has sub-disciplines, but broadly Trap involves the shooter standing behind a trap-house, shooting a going-away target; Skeet is shot on a semi-circular layout providing a variety of crossing targets; while Sporting is less rigidly proscribed, with a series of stands set up to imitate live quarry targets such as ‘driven pheasant’, ‘dropping crow’ and ‘rabbit’. 

One of the great things about clay shooting is that it’s a real leveller. People of every age and description compete on equal terms, and a beginner can find him or herself shooting alongside a world champion. It’s also a friendly, welcoming community where you will be warmly welcomed, encouraged, and probably receive more helpful advice than you can manage!

Find out more about the various clay pigeon shooting disciplines here: www.cpsa.co.uk/disciplines

Getting a shotgun certificate

Shotguns and rifles are tightly regulated in the UK, and before you can own a shotgun you will need to obtain a Shotgun Certificate issued by your local police. The process can seem daunting, but essentially you simply need to fill in an application form that can be downloaded from the police website. There will be questions about your health, any previous criminal convictions, how you propose to store your gun, etc. You will have to supply a passport photograph, and nominate someone who can act as a ‘referee’.

The police will consider your application, and you will normally have a visit from the local Firearms Enquiry Officer before, all being well, you receive your Shotgun Certificate and can buy a gun. Bear in mind that some police forces are working through a backlog, and it may be some weeks or even months before your application is processed.

Chokes and Cartridges

It’s sometimes said that it’s not the gun that breaks the clay, it’s the pattern – meaning the cloud of pellets flying through the air towards the target. A typical clay cartridge will be a 12-bore containing 28 grams (1 oz) of size 7 lead pellets. That means each cartridge fires around 340 pellets, which spread out as they fly through the air. The greater the distance, the wider the pattern spreads out.

You can see the effect if you shoot at a pattern plate where each individual pellet makes a mark on the plate. Obviously a wider pattern give you more margin for error in hitting the target, but too spread out and there will be gaps that a clay can slip through. For longer-range shots, then, we use choke – a constriction at the muzzle end of the barrel that squeezes the pellets together and keeps the pattern tighter. With experience you will find your own preference, but many Sporting shooters choose quarter choke in one barrel and half choke in the other. Cylinder (unchoked) is typical for Skeet, while Trap shooters use tighter chokes such as three-quarters and full.

There is a move towards using steel shot rather than lead in game shooting, but at present (2023) lead is used for the vast majority of clay shooting.

Safety Rules

Clay shooting has an excellent safety record, thanks to a strong safety culture at grounds and among shooters themselves, ensuring that everyone follows a simple code of safety rules. Expect to be pulled up immediately by your fellow shooters if you do anything considered unsafe.

In addition to ensuring your equipment is in good order and you are in a fit state to shoot, the key points are to ensure your gun is unloaded until you are on the stand and about to shoot. Keep the gun pointed down-range, be aware of what to do in case of a misfire, and unload and open the gun before turning and leaving the stand. Check the gun is empty and place it in your gun slip before moving on.

Be especially careful any time you remove a gun from its case or slip outside of a shooting stand. For instance, you may want to show your gun to a friend in the car park, clean it after shooting, or try how another shooter’s gun feels in your shoulder. Make extra sure it is unloaded, never allow your gun to point at anything you wouldn’t want to shoot, and certainly never in the direction of other people.

For a range of safety posters and guidelines for shoot organisers see: www.cpsa.co.uk/downloads/health-and-safety/16