pianoman Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Hi, I am interested in getting into clay pigeon shooting having enjoyed it a lot during the previous two times i have been (for taster sessions). I would be interested in purchasing my own shotgun and joining a shooting club so i can shoot clays fairly regularly. However, i am fairly new when it comes to shotguns and i am looking for some advice on how i should go about starting this hobby. I am currently looking around at the various different shotgun makes and types and believe that i would like to purchase a 12g pump action as this is cheaper than the o/u and sxs shotguns and hopefully would be good for a beginner. Is this correct? I am currently looking at a winchester sxp black shadow or a remington 870, although if you could recommend any weapons which you believe would be good i would be much obliged. Funds are a bit of an issue so the cheaper the better! Also are second hand shotguns worth looking at? Also i am wondering what the rough cost would be, say, for a person to go clay shooting weekly or every two weeks? Being a student i have to watch my cash! Hopefully owning a shotgun will bring the price down. Thanks for your time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 You may think a pump action is the answer, but they are difficult to use properly. I have only ever seen one person who could shoot clays with one and he was a World Champion. For the price of the two pumps you cite, you could get a decent over and under. Cost of shooting 50 clays per week would be about £20 - for clays and shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulos Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Where are you studying? They might have a club themselves, so you could always have a go with their guns until you find one that suits you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoman Posted April 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Im at Manchester. Are pumps not very good then? I've heard they were supposed to be good for clays :S What shotgun makes should i be looking at then? Are any models preferable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 If you are a student save your cash and use a club gun. SGC will cost you £50 SXP £400 Cabinet £100 + that's at least £550 Place I go to shoot charges £10 to lend a club gun. That's two years to break even shooting every other week. If I was you I'd use the club guns until you graduate, start earning some money and have a permanent address. Then get your SGC and a gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 There is nothing wrong with a pump action assuming you are the one in a thousand people who can shoot clays with one. Those odds are generous. Makes depend on your budget, as do the models. You can get a cheap over and under for £250 and shoot well. You can also spend £10k and shoot no better. Visit a clay club, ask questions, take advice. Learn about gun safety - also the responsibility that goes with owning a shotgun- which is far more important that shooting well. That can come later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulos Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 I don't think that either of the Manchester Uni's have shooting clubs, but if not, then maybe you could try getting one started? When you are on a student budget, it will help as you can share travelling costs, bulk buy cartridges to save a few quid and help negotiate cheaper/free gun hire from ground, provided you are bringing extra punters to the ground. Worth a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 http://hellenic.manchester.ac.uk/beta/?p=456 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 (edited) Pianoman I have sent you a PM to try to help you out a bit! If you are a student and on a tight budget you would be better finding a club to join or one that welcomes visitors and newcommers. They will often have a club gun that can be available for you to use. As has been explained it can be quite expencive getting into shotgun shooting by the time you pay for your SGC, a suitable gun cabinet, a shot gun, club membership, etc: You would be allowed to come to our club as a visitor (Or to joing straight away) and use one of our club guns (We have O/Us and SxSs available. All you would have to pay for as a visitor is your clays and your cartridges. This at least would give you a better idea as to what gun might suit you best and a chance to get a feel for clay shooting while picking up some usefull help, hints, tips and advice without it costing you an arm and a leg! As for using a "pumper" for clay shooting I personally would advise against it - We do have a member who shoots a pumper when clay shooting with us and he doesn't do too badly but there are very few people that can shoot clays well with a pumper, in fact as a "beginner" I would strongly advise against it. If you really want to get your own shot gun for clay shooting (Once you have your SGC) why not keep an eye out for a second hand SxS or O/U which can be bought for not much more than a pumper and will most likely serve you better in the field! (I have just sold a nice Baikal SxS to a member for £50.00 which he shoots very well with, they are not too far and few between and do the job as well as one that might cost you £500. What you have to remember is that no matter how good the gun is it will only be as good as the man behind the trigger, and practice makes perfect! I hope that this is of help to you! Edited April 26, 2011 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Manchester has a few clubs that cater for different disciplines i would think joining the uni club would be be the best option, and realistically a Pump action is completely the wrong type of gun for a beginner at clays! I have seen people do it, but an O/U is the right tool for the job. Getting your SGC allows you to borrow guns far more easily so spend £50 on getting t=your certificate and the rest on lessons and clays once you have SGC you can borrow a club gun at most clubs £5-10 a time and buy cartridges in bulk. This makes life cheaper and simpler..... without the hassle of cabinets etc (obviously if you later decided to buy a gun you would need to install a cabinet in accordance with FEO requirements but you can get a SGC without having one, just explain the reasons why) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoman Posted April 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Thanks for all the replies! Thats a shame i rather fancied a pump, maybe when i'm more experienced and wealthier. I'm starting to think that maybe hiring is the way forward with low funds, although say if i was to purchase an o/u. I've seen some for around £100 on some second hand gun selling websites. Would these be ok to use? Or should i be wary before purchasing second hand weapons. Could anyone suggest some o/u's that would be good for a beginner that arnt too expensive. Sadly my university dosent have a gun club. Thanks for you help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markio Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I bought a second hand Lanber for £300. Did the job for me for a few years until i could and fancied an upgrade. You don't have to spend mega bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan_J Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 A good start would be to get your SGC sorted out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 A good start would be to get your SGC sorted out Yep and some more lessons, The CPSA and BASC have loads of advice on their website, definitely recommend you join one or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Bear Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Try here - http://www.manchesterclayshooting.com They do a lessons and membership package that I am told is a good deal Once you have your ticket they will rent you a gun and sell you the cartridges for it. A couple of years ago there was a lass from the uni that used to come down regularly for lessons and then to shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cant hit rabbits 123 Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Just like to mention that I feel rather special now thanks to you guys. I'm 17 years old and have been shooting for about 2 years. I have a lovely over and under (beautiful gun at a cheeky price :L) and then a dirt cheap Mossberg pump action caught my eye. I'd used them before when i borrowed a friends and shot it well. I bought the Mossberg and gave it a clean and self service ( the advantages of having studied engineering and being handy with gun insides). Now I can straight the skeet with it (its cylinder bore) get up to 22 in a single round of DTL and get 80% on the sporting lay out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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