Welcome to shooting!
Shooting is an exciting and absorbing activity and National Shooting Week gives you the opportunity to try both clay pigeon shooting (with a shotgun) and air rifle shooting. Certain clubs and ranges will take organised groups to shoot targets with fullbore rifles but this is subject to Home Office legislation. Whether you are a ‘first timer’ or whether you have already had a certain amount of experience, National Shooting Week will put you in touch with a shooting club or venue near you.
Most shooting schools will be busy during National Shooting Week, so once your appointment is confirmed, don’t miss it, otherwise you may lose the opportunity to shoot!
Great Britain has an excellent track record of international shooting success, whether at an Olympic, Commonwealth or European level. But the best thing about shooting is that it is not an exclusive sport – and it is a great leveller! Across the country, individuals from all walks of life enjoy a safe and exciting hobby that can be extremely rewarding. Shooting is also one of the few sports that offer a genuine opportunity for disabled sportsmen and women to compete on an equal footing to their fellow able-bodied competitors.
Clay pigeon shooting is an outdoor sport, while air rifle shooting may take place either outdoors or within an indoor range, so make sure you are dressed appropriately and wearing comfortable footwear. Your coach may offer you a special shooting vest to slip over your clothes, but as a general rule avoid bulky or loose fitting jackets, as these make it more difficult for you to fit the stock of the gun comfortably into your shoulder. A hat or cap is advisable if you are shooting outdoors and there is the chance of rain.
When you arrive at the clubhouse or shooting venue, check in and make yourself known. You will be asked to fill in a registration form and produce a form of identification (i.e. driving licence/ credit card). Please note that no one under the age of 16 will be allowed to register or shoot without a parent or guardian present. Your coach will be introduced to you, and he or she may wish to put you into a squad together with a number of other shooters of similar experience so that you can all shoot together.
Your coach will give you a safety briefing. Listen carefully and follow his or her instructions. Shooting is a very safe sport precisely because shooters pay great attention to safe gun handling at all times. Whenever you are shooting clay pigeons, there is always a very small risk from fragments of broken target, while repeated exposure to the sound of gunshots is quite capable of damaging your hearing. Wear any eye or ear protection which you are offered at all times when on the shooting range.
Every shooting club is different. Some may have a full restaurant facility, some may have a hot drinks machine, while others may have no refreshment facilities at all. Check with the club beforehand, and if necessary bring a packed lunch or a flask of hot (or cold!) drink with you. Remember that alcohol and shooting do not mix, and that alcoholic drinks may not be consumed until after you have finished shooting.
Many shooting clubs have a shop at which you can buy shooting clothes and accessories, so if you want to do some shopping afterwards, then bring some extra cash or a credit card! There is no need to buy ammunition – it will be included in the fee for your shooting session. Shotguns and cartridges may only be sold to the holder of a shotgun certificate who is 17 or older.
One of the great advantages of shooting is that disabled people may participate and compete, very often on the same terms as able bodied sportsmen and women. Most shooting clubs facilities are fully accessible, but if you are disabled and have any special requirements, remember to check in advance to ensure that your needs can be catered for.
Will it hurt? That is a question which many newcomers to shooting, especially with cartridge weapons such as shotguns, often ask. Whenever a gun is fired there is a recoil which is transmitted to the shoulder through the stock of the gun. However, with the gun and cartridge combinations used in training, the recoil is very slight, and your coach will make sure that the stock of the gun is tucked tightly into your shoulder. That way, you are unlikely to notice the recoil when you fire a shot.
Experienced shooters will normally hold a shotgun or firearm certificate from the police, but the law allows those who do not hold a certificate to use a shotgun at an approved shooting ground. The law on cartridge rifles (smallbore and fullbore) is different, and special arrangements must be made with a rifle club before a non-firearm certificate holder may shoot. Low powered air rifles and air pistols are not subject to police licensing.
We hope very much that you will enjoy your visit. If you want to shoot again, speak to your coach or to one of the staff at the shooting club or venue, and they will be delighted to help you. Most clubs can provide a course of tuition for new shooters. And if you are serious about taking up the sport (shotgun shooting only) then why not think about applying to the police for your own certificate? Your local club will advise.
Follow [this link] for our fascinating factsheet on shooting!
Shooting for the disabled
Shooting for the disabled has been a Paralympic sport since the first Paralympic games in 1964. Paralympic competition shooting is divided into rifle and pistol events. Air pistols and air rifles are shot over 10 metres and .22 calibre rifles over fifty metres.
The sport is open to all athletes with a physical disability, with two classifications of competition depending on the degree of disability - SH1 (do not use a shooting stand) and SH2 (uses a shooting stand). Most disabilities are eligible, for example; amputee, spina bifida, spinal cord injured, mild cerebal palsy and muscle or bone degenerative diseases with at least 20% loss of strength.
Shooting utilises a functional classification system which enables athletes from different disability classes with the same abilities to compete together. There are mens, womens and mixed events at the Paralympic Games.
The governing body for disability target shooting in Great Britain is the DTSGB, for more information please visit www.dtsgb.org.uk