Crosser
Flies across in front of you. Shoot in front of it, on its line. The further away and faster it is, the more lead it needs. The most common miss is behind.
Shooting Guides
Home Shooting Guides
Before you shoot
Three short guides for anyone coming to shoot with us: how we keep everyone safe, how to stand and hold the gun, and how to break the different targets you'll meet on our 27 stands. Your instructor will take you through all of this on the day.
Guide 1
Gun safety
Clay shooting is one of the safest outdoor sports there is, because everyone follows the same few rules every time. Learn these before anything else.
- Treat every gun as if it's loadedEven when you've been told it's empty, and even when it's open.
- Never point a gun at anyoneKeep the muzzles pointing in a safe direction at all times, loaded or not. On the stand that means down the range.
- Carry the gun open and emptyAway from the stand, carry it broken open over your forearm or in a gun slip, so everyone can see it's safe.
- Your instructor loads the gunOn the stand, your instructor loads the cartridges for you, with the muzzles pointing down the range. You never need to handle cartridges yourself.
- Keep your finger off the triggerUntil the gun is mounted and you're ready to shoot.
- Wear ear and eye protectionEvery time you or anyone near you is shooting. We provide both.
- Do as the instructor says, straight awayIf you hear "stop", stop, open the gun and keep the muzzles down the range.
Carrying the gun between stands
An open gun is a safe gun. Break it open so the barrels drop, and rest it over your forearm with the barrels pointing at the ground. Anyone looking at you can see straight away that it can't fire.
Your instructor checks the barrels are clear and loads the gun for you on the stand.
Leave the cartridges to us. Your instructor loads every cartridge, so you can concentrate on the clays.
If the gun doesn't fire
- Keep the gun mounted and pointing down the range.
- Don't open it or turn round.
- Stay still and let your instructor deal with it.
Never turn round with the gun to ask for help. The instructor will come to you.
Alcohol and shooting don't mix. No drinks before or during your shoot. Our clubhouse is there for afterwards.
Guide 2
Getting started
Three things make the biggest difference to a beginner: knowing which eye leads, standing the right way, and bringing the gun to your face the same way every time.
Find your master eye
Most people have one eye that takes charge. You'll shoot best from the shoulder on the same side as that eye, so we check it before you start.
- Hold your arms out and make a small triangle with your thumbs and fingers.
- With both eyes open, look through the triangle at something in the distance.
- Close your left eye. If the object stays in the triangle, your right eye is your master eye.
- If it jumps out of the triangle, try closing the right eye instead.
If neither eye is clearly in charge, your instructor will show you how to manage it, often by closing or dimming one eye as you shoot.
Stance
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. For a right-handed shooter, the left foot points roughly where you expect to break the clay, and the right foot sits behind at an angle.
Keep a little bend in the front knee and lean slightly forward, with your weight on the front foot. This lets your whole upper body turn smoothly with the clay, instead of just your arms.
Left-handed shooters do the same the other way round.
Mounting the gun
- Start with the gun just under your armpit, muzzles pointing where the clay will first appear.
- Look at the clay, not the gun.
- Push the gun towards the clay and bring it up to your face, so your cheek rests on the top of the stock.
- Bring the stock back into the pocket of your shoulder, just inside the shoulder joint.
- Keep your head still on the stock. Move the gun to your face, not your face to the gun.
Watch the clay, not the barrels. Your eyes pick the line, and the gun follows where you're looking. Keep both eyes on the clay right through the shot, and keep the gun moving after you pull the trigger.
Guide 3
Hitting different targets
Don't worry, you don't need to learn any of this before you come. Your instructor will tell you exactly where to look and when to shoot.
Your first targets
Most of our corporate and beginner stands throw incomers, which fly gently towards you, or slight crossers, which drift across in front of you. They're chosen so you'll be breaking clays from the start.
Your instructor stands right beside you the whole time, so all you need to do is watch the clay and enjoy it.
Want more of a challenge?
If you wish, you can try our harder stands. These go all the way up to competition level, and the tips below are how experienced shooters approach them.
On a moving clay, the shot takes a moment to arrive, so you aim where the clay is going rather than where it is. That gap is called lead, and there are three common ways to find it.
Three ways to find the lead
Swing-through: start behind the clay, swing through it, and pull the trigger as the barrels pass in front. The speed of your swing creates the lead.
Pull-away: mount on the clay itself, then pull ahead of it and fire. Good for beginners and for steady crossing targets.
Maintained lead: mount in front of the clay, match its speed while holding the gap, and fire. Often used on long, slow crossers.
Your instructor will pick the method that suits you and each stand. Whichever you use, keep the gun moving after the shot.
claywhere you firegun movement
Targets on our harder stands
Each picture shows the clay's flight and roughly where to break it. The red ring is where the barrels should be when you fire. On the day, the right amount of lead depends on the speed, distance and angle, which is what your instructor will help you judge.
Driven
Comes towards you high overhead, like a driven pheasant. Pick it up early, swing up through it and fire as the barrels cover it. Don't let it get right above you.
Going away
Launched from near you and flying straight away, usually rising. It gets smaller fast, so take it early, and shoot just above it while it's still climbing.
Incomer
Flies towards you and starts to drop as it comes in. Shoot it in good time while it's still well out, holding slightly under it as it falls.
Quartering
Goes away or comes in at an angle, part crosser and part straight. It needs less lead than a crosser. Follow its line closely, as it's easy to shoot over or under the angle.
Springing teal
Shoots almost straight up, slows at the top, then drops. Choose your moment: above it while it's rising, or below it once it starts falling. The top of the climb, where it's slowest, is often the easiest point.
Rabbit
A tough, edge-on clay that rolls and bounces along the ground. Look at its leading edge and shoot in front and low. Be ready for a bounce, and keep swinging.
Looper and battue
A looper is thrown in a high arc. A battue is a thin, fast clay that flies edge-on, then turns and drops. For both, wait for the turn and shoot below and in front as it falls.
Ready to give it a go? Our qualified instructors will put all of this into practice with you.