Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 58
life
SPORT AND LEISURE
A day with
the clays
By James Kerr
Clay pigeon shooting is
the most popular gun
sport in the UK, and
one of the country’s
fastest-growing sports.
Above: Members of the Cheverton Clay Pigeon Shooting Club
Below: A member of the IW Gun Club
The aim of the sport is to shoot at clay
pigeons which are launched so as to
simulate the flight patterns of game
birds. The terms commonly used by
clay shooters often relate to the past,
when live pigeon competitions were
held. These were made illegal in 1921,
but the machine which launches the
clay targets is still known as a 'trap'.
Excited already? Before you go on your
first shoot, you’ll need to know about the
equipment you’ll be using. A shotgun, as
defined by UK law, is a smooth-barrelled
gun with a barrel length of at least 24
inches and a bore diameter of less
than 2 inches. It has no magazine, or
a non-detachable magazine incapable
of holding more than two cartridges.
This effectively gives the shotgun a
maximum three-round capacity. This is
the type of gun that you are likely to use
to shoot at registered clay grounds.
What about your ammunition? Shotgun
cartridges are available in gun shops and at
shooting grounds. A box of 25 rounds costs
about £2.50. There are limitations on shot
size and weight of the shot load suitable for
clay shooting at most grounds. Cartridges
must be compatible with the shotgun
that is used to fire them. Instructions
and specifications are printed on the
cartridge box and should be thoroughly
checked and adhered to. Home-loaded
cartridges are dangerous and therefore
not accepted at most shooting grounds.
You’ll probably have seen a clay pigeon,
but if not, it’s usually black and saucer
shaped. Targets are designed to withstand
being launched from traps at very high
speeds, but at the same time they are
easily broken when hit by just a few lead
or steel pellets from a shotgun. There are
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several types of targets that are used for
various disciplines; the ‘Standard’ is 11 cm
wide and weighs just over 100 grams.
The traps are designed to launch the
clay pigeon targets in singles or pairs
at distances of up to 100 metres. They
vary from pretty simple, hand-operated
machines to highly sophisticated, fully
automatic gizmos that can hold up
to 600 targets in a magazine and are
electrically or pneumatically operated.
Targets are released from the flashier
traps by remote control, either by pressing
a button or by an acoustic system
activated by the shooter's voice. Target
speeds and trajectories can be varied
to suit the type of shooting required.
There are three main types
of clay pigeon shooting:
If you are interested in shooting as a
hobby and would like to ‘have a go’, all
of this equipment will be supplied, as
well as ear defenders, eye protection
and a shooting vest, at a registered
club. Wear some good outdoor clothing
and footwear, and try to avoid big, bulky
jackets as these may prevent you from
mounting a gun properly. Most venues
have several stands to give you a shot
at the clay from lots of different angles.
Before you start, you’ll be given some
important information about gun safety. An
introductory shoot normally lasts 1–2 hours,
during which you will have about 50 shots.
The Isle of Wight Gun Club, based at a
shooting ground at Sainham Farm, Godshill,
has been established for over 100 years
• Sporting Clays or ‘The English
Sporting’ discipline, which is by far
and away the most popular type of
shooting. It’s a complete mixed bag, with
targets thrown at various trajectories,
angles, speeds, elevations and
distances, to simulate ‘live’ shooting.
• Trap shooting in which targets are
thrown either as singles or doubles from
one or more traps 15 metres in front of
the shooter. The clay pigeons generally
travel away from the firing point at
varying speeds, angles and elevations.
• Skeet shooting in which targets are
thrown in singles and doubles from two
traps placed about 32 metres apart, at
opposite ends of an arc on which there
are several shooting positions. The targets
are thrown at set trajectories and speeds.
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