Newbie from Sale, Cheshire

[AndyM]

Hi everyone I'm just a newbie looking for help and advice on starting out clay pigeon shooting.

 

Over the weekend I went to Worsley and a really fantastic time on my 'taster session', so much so I couldn't shut up about it to my wife.

I really enjoyed the tuition and the thrill of eventually being able to hit the clays once the advice struck home.

 

I trawled the net looking for newbie advice but quite honestly there's not much that I can gleen from the various websites.

 

I know I need a shotgun certificate, gun cabinet and then a shotgun but where do I start?

Do I get a cab and fit this first, apply for a SGC and then if granted get a gun. Then what type of gun and make. OMG I don't know where to start, over&under, semi auto,.

A guy I know suggested that I set around £800 for a 2nd hand Berretta or Browning rather than new but is this good advice?

 

I work in Stockport and I am considering a trip to Branthwaites in Cheadle one lunch time for a chat on the above and for a ball park figure on the initial cost to get started for the essentials. Is this a good idea?

 

I'm sorry for coming on and asking loads of what may seem stupid questions but I don't want to start off buying a load of rubbish or inappropriate kit that I will regret later.

 

Any help or tips will definitely be most appreciated.

 

Should also say that I will probably be joining up at Worsley as a member and taking some tuition to make sure I'm at least basically compentent and safe.

 

Thanks in advance for any tips

 

Regards

 

Andy

[walshie]

Hello and welcome

[aka_t50]

Hi mate welcome to the world of shooting also the magic world of pigeon watch which incidentally is about as addictive as shooting its self.

all the info you will ever need is on this website its just a matter of finding it. As for your questions i will give you my opinion first of all i would ring cheshire firearms department and ask them to send you a shotgun application pack as this bit takes time around 6/8 weeks in total to fill out and get a reply.

Then I would spend the next couple of weeks looking on here and on the bay of E for a shotgun cabinet there are plenty for sale second hand get the biggest you can get away with because if you get hooked one shotgun wont be enough trust me (4 shotguns and just applied for my section1!) then you need a suitable place to put the cabinet mine is out of site on a main structural wall of the house.

Also whilst you are waiting get out to the clay ground or ask on here if anyone can take you out and try a few different styles of guns i personally have sxs ,o/u and a sme iauto as I like different guns for different situations.

if its just for clays I would say and over and under would be best and there are plenty of second hand guns about for reasonable money. if you would like me to go into more detail about specifics then pm me I’m more than happy to help.

Also please have a look at the BASC.ORG or the CPSA website they will help you with anything you wish to know and they also offer a mebership with insurance should you ever need it. Good look and feel free to drop me a line.

Thanx TIM

Edited November 2, 2012 by aka_t50

[philm]

Welcome.

Yes get to Branthwaites and have a look/chat with them, try the fit of a few guns, you will probably put one a side!!!!!

[Nicky T]

Welcome Andy, if you're ever planning on going down to Worsley mid-week and fancy a shoot then let me know

 

Nick

[olly321]

welcome mate

[la bala]

welcome

[teza]

hi, and welcome

[Yellow Bear]

:welcomeani:

[Fisheruk]

Hi and a warm welcome. Yes all things shooting can become addictive. Cheshire Guns in Stockport might also be worth a look, but don't buy until you have talked and looked a good selection. There are loads of folk with good advice here and you will have seen a good selection of response to your post. Enjoy

[BerettaSV10]

to PW. As already said best thing to do is get your SGC filled in and sent off, as depending on the area it can take months to get your SGC. Go around as many gun shops as you can look for recomended ones, which can normally be easily answered on here. Regards cabinate size it is best to get a bigger one than you think, I bought the brattonsound RL5+ a good cabinate and is deep enough for scopped rifles if you decide to go down that route later on. I started out by saying I would only get one gun, that was a misunderstanding soon filled the cabinate, recently started clearing out the cabinate, to the guns I now use.

[Zulu]

Welcome , good idea to visit a gunsmith to get an idea of whats available , if you know someone who has some knowledge I would advise you to take them along to give to help , if you choose wisely your 1st purchase may last many years without the need to upgrade . I first bought from Branthwaites in 72 and 40 yrs on used him again this year .

Good luck with the sport , dont get caught up with too many accessories to start with , invest in a decent set of ear defenders/footwear/cleaning kit/insurance , £800 is a good enough budget for a decent shotgun .

You may need more than a lunch time to have a look around .

 

Julian

[AndyM]

Just wanted to post a reply to everyone for you help and advice, it really is appreciated.

As I said in my first post don't want to rush in and buy the first shiniest thing but something I can grow with.

 

It seems shooting like my other interest (guitars) is that owning one is never enough. Oh my wife will be pleased.

 

I shall get myself out to visit Cheshire Gun Room and Branthwaites over the next couple of weeks for a good look around and chat.

 

Once again many thanks.

Ps I've now bookmarked the forum on my phone, iPad and PC so I got a great reference for the future and somewhere to post on my progress. Cheers guys

[Franchi Harrier]

Hi fella and welcome.

If your a "keen to start" person like me. I went and bought stuff straight away. I bought a cheap 3 gun cabinet and proved useless cause of low storage and I got told to buy a better cabinet. Go for something like the Brattonsound ST7. Can't go wrong then on cabinet security. I'm that keen, I even put a deposit on a new gun. Still waiting for the SGL which should arrive in the next 2 weeks.

All the best and enjoy.

Matt

[pigeonblasterian]

[leeds chimp]

Welcome to PW :good:

[robbiep]

I'll join all the others with saying welcome.

 

Regards a gun, (and please do appreciate this is only my opinion here), I would recommend going O/U for a first gun.

O/U is easier than S/S (most modern O/U are single trigger, so you don't need to remember to swap)

O/U is easier to clean after shooting than a semi-auto. With semis, you can easily get a lot of fouling, failing to cycle.

A broken open O/U or S/S is obviously, visibly in a safe condition. Not so with a semi.

 

And finally. I always think of semi's as a bit antisocial. When you fire, the next person in the line gets hit by your spent cartridges.

 

As said, just my opinion.

[Nikk]

Don't buy a gun yet mate. Have a bunch of lessons with the same coach not different ones and don't take no for an answer on that. You can hire the guns from Worsley and can still do so if you wish to shoot on your own once you have your certificate. Try as many as you can and see what fits, your coach will help with that. Don't listen to advice on which gun you should buy, you get a lot of Browning/Miroku or Berretta fans but they can't possibly know which would suite you best, both gun brands are quite different I've found and I don't shoot well with Berretta for example. Hold off as long as you can on buying the gun you will have it a very long time.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[Gadge-it]

:welcomeani:

[mikky]

yep dont buy a gun,try as many as you can first,i wanted a berretta,miroku,perrazzi...i finally got a 350 quid lanber,does exactly the same job...upgrade later

 

mikky