new to shooting info req plz n/w preston based

[jayward]

1stly hi to all , Ok im new to shooting tbh not held a gun for a good few years prob 10 i liked it then !!!! but was 2 young and silly to make a hobby of it but now i wana have a pop @ it again as i found shooting clays great fun and the guys @ the club said i had the eye for it , ive owned may air guns and fired a good few diff shotguns/hand guns (legaly) in my time now my question is wheres the most cost effective place to shoot i live in lancashire nr preston and i know theres a few gun clubs around but tbh iv no idea where !!! so if you know where they are plz let me know ive booked a lesson 2morr @ A6 gun club but its bloody expensive ,& i aint loaded lol ,, i was wondering if its a option if i get on well 2morr and still enjoy it for me to apply for a shotgun licence i know i may be taking things to fast but thats why im asking you guys the experts .... or if theres the option of using/hire a club gun and just paying for amo/clays or will i need a few lessons 1st , is it a must to have a qualified shaparone @ all times even if i prove to be safe and competent , so to sum up wheres the best clubs in lancashire to shoot (cheaply ) ? , what do i need to spend on lessons @ full price b4 i should apply for my own licence ? should i apply sooner rather than later and what should i spend on my 1st gun for clay shooting seen em for £75-2k tha latter a wont be able to afford , and say for a few hours a week whats it gona cost me !! i know my posts kinda long and full of questions but im looking forward to it lots and like to know if im gona be able to afford to pay for my hobby if i like it ? many thanks for your time in reaidng

[russuk]

1stly hi to all , Ok im new to shooting tbh not held a gun for a good few years prob 10 i liked it then !!!! but was 2 young and silly to make a hobby of it but now i wana have a pop @ it again as i found shooting clays great fun and the guys @ the club said i had the eye for it , ive owned may air guns and fired a good few diff shotguns/hand guns (legaly) in my time now my question is wheres the most cost effective place to shoot i live in lancashire nr preston and i know theres a few gun clubs around but tbh iv no idea where !!! so if you know where they are plz let me know ive booked a lesson 2morr @ A6 gun club but its bloody expensive ,& i aint loaded lol ,, i was wondering if its a option if i get on well 2morr and still enjoy it for me to apply for a shotgun licence i know i may be taking things to fast but thats why im asking you guys the experts .... or if theres the option of using/hire a club gun and just paying for amo/clays or will i need a few lessons 1st , is it a must to have a qualified shaparone @ all times even if i prove to be safe and competent , so to sum up wheres the best clubs in lancashire to shoot (cheaply ) ? , what do i need to spend on lessons @ full price b4 i should apply for my own licence ? should i apply sooner rather than later and what should i spend on my 1st gun for clay shooting seen em for £75-2k tha latter a wont be able to afford , and say for a few hours a week whats it gona cost me !! i know my posts kinda long and full of questions but im looking forward to it lots and like to know if im gona be able to afford to pay for my hobby if i like it ? many thanks for your time in reaidng

 

Go for your license now, unless you have a criminal record or medical issues then you'll get it. If you hold a shotgun certificate, you can then use a shooting grounds hire gun on your own. Someone should be able to clarify this but I think most places require you to have a SGC to use their hire gun on your own.

 

Carry on with your lessons, even after you get your SGC, there's no better way to improve your shooting in my opinion.

 

Buying a gun, ask 100 different people and you'll get 100 different answers, but the one thing that everyone will agree on, is that the gun must fit! Set yourself a budget, then find a gun that fits and you feel comfortable with. I shoot a £500 base model "starter" gun, and I don't see myself changing anytime soon as I get on well with it and it fits.

 

Clay grounds in Lancashire.....

 

Kellbrook

Running Hill CPC Uppermill

Coniston Shooting Ground

Blackpool Gun Club

Rishton

Worsley

Holmfirth

The Boar, Glossop

Whitworth, near Rochdale

 

And probably many many more I've missed out.

[Gordon R]

1stly hi to all , Ok im new to shooting tbh not held a gun for a good few years prob 10 i liked it then !!!! but was 2 young and silly to make a hobby of it but now i wana have a pop @ it again as i found shooting clays great fun and the guys @ the club said i had the eye for it , ive owned may air guns and fired a good few diff shotguns/hand guns (legaly) in my time now my question is wheres the most cost effective place to shoot i live in lancashire nr preston and i know theres a few gun clubs around but tbh iv no idea where !!! so if you know where they are plz let me know ive booked a lesson 2morr @ A6 gun club but its bloody expensive ,& i aint loaded lol ,, i was wondering if its a option if i get on well 2morr and still enjoy it for me to apply for a shotgun licence i know i may be taking things to fast but thats why im asking you guys the experts .... or if theres the option of using/hire a club gun and just paying for amo/clays or will i need a few lessons 1st , is it a must to have a qualified shaparone @ all times even if i prove to be safe and competent , so to sum up wheres the best clubs in lancashire to shoot (cheaply ) ? , what do i need to spend on lessons @ full price b4 i should apply for my own licence ? should i apply sooner rather than later and what should i spend on my 1st gun for clay shooting seen em for �75-2k tha latter a wont be able to afford , and say for a few hours a week whats it gona cost me !! i know my posts kinda long and full of questions but im looking forward to it lots and like to know if im gona be able to afford to pay for my hobby if i like it ? many thanks for your time in reaidng

 

£600 would buy you a decent Beretta, Browning or Miroku over and under. The latter represents the best value for money.

 

£400 would buy you a decent auto.

 

 

Near Preston you have :-

 

The Dolphin - Longton - decent ground - no food.

 

Toplands Farm - Woodplumpton - very good ground - Skeet and Sporting - good food.

 

Rishton - excellent targets and food. Very friendly and cheap.

 

Blackpool (Greenhalgh) - targets okay - food okay - easiest access, prices just gone up.

 

Two at Clitheroe on Slaidburn Road - one on the right from Clitheroe - MOORCOCK CLAY PIGEON CLUB - not bad. Other - opposite side of road - not been to but heard it is good.

 

A6 CLAY TARGET CENTRE - Skeet, DTL and ABT - food, car park good, prices just gone up.

 

BOBBIN MILL SHOOTING GROUND - Skeet and Compak Sporting. Nice place - little food.

 

BOLTON GUN CLUB - same ground as A6, but alternate Sundays. Cheap.

 

Briercliffe Clay Shoot - went, but never found it. Won't try again.

 

BRINDLE - near Chorley - no food. Good targets

 

KELBROOK LODGE - pricey.

 

MALTKILN SHOOTING CLUB - no thanks.

 

RIXTON CLAY SHOOT - on East Lancs Road.

 

ROCHDALE GC - 25 years since my last visit.

 

RUNNING HILL CPC Uppermill Oldham - okay targets and food. Access is four by four only. You have been warned.

 

SHAW & CROMPTON, near Oldham - small club with very limited facilities, but cheap and friendly.

 

SPORTSMANS ARMS GUN CLUB - open every week except the week I visited. Won't go again.

 

TRAWDEN CLAY PIGEON CLUB - steel shot only - will not visit again.

 

WEBTON CLAY SHOOTING - Hesketh Bank - never been.

 

WORSLEY CLAY SPORTS CLUB, near Eccles - pricey and uses Claymate - not for me. Too many silly targets into the sun, plus the horseflies.

 

Expect to pay £10 for 50 clays and £5 to £6 for 50 shells. Some are dearer.

 

I missed Whitworth - Thursday nights, alternate weeks. Decent targets.

 

The Boar at Tintwistle near Glossop - fair trek, but big ground.

 

Holmfirth was in Yorkshire, but they might have moved it - tricky people. :)

[jayward]

many many thanks for your quick replys appreciate that a lot, Loads of great info there ,,so iit looks like im gona apply for a licence @ £50 as its prob a good investment ,i can then hire a gun @ least and have a shoot on my own then i will buy one i like , 1 more thing i forgot if i have a licence and a gun can i then take a pal or the wife lol with me and let them have a shoot ? or is this instructor territory had a good read over @ www.basc.org.uk/ but tbh its quite vauge , im gona try out The Dolphin - Longton next week its very nr where i live , Ok regards licence Application and convitions ive not seen the inside of a police station for over 10years ive never been to prison and was only fined for my offence ohh well i did say was young and silly £60 pound fine later as i say well over 10 years ago now i dont even smoke or drink !! The legislation that covers the disclosure of criminal offences is the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA). considers my conviction to be spent and removed from the police national computer so do i realy need to put it on there ? lastly is there a good gun mag or web page to look @ guns to buy you guys can recomend ? hay thanks again i will post and let ya know how many outa 25 i got lol well i will if its more than 10 hahahah

[Gordon R]

There is no such thing as a spent offence when applying for firearms or shotgun certificates. If you miss it off deliberately - chances are you won't be getting one. It should not affect your application. I don't think they are ever removed from the PNC. Although not compulsory, you will find it almost impossible to get a cert without a gunsafe.

 

http://www.clay-shooting.com/guntests/index.html

 

http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-and-p...pdf?view=Binary

 

http://www.briley.com/index.asp?PageAction...tom&ID=51#1

 

http://www.paragonschool.com/shooting-tips-2007.html

 

http://www.guntrader.co.uk/ - might give you some idea of prices.

 

http://www.guntrader.co.uk/GunsForSale/Gun...061010173008092 £595

 

In Preston - Entwistles are okay. I would not recommend Bond and Bywater.

 

Bamfords at Eccleston and Tim McAvoy at Standish (Wigan) are okay.

 

Target Sports at Bolton are pricey and poor selection.

 

Malmo on the way to Lancaster - might be okay for browsing. Last time I visited, they said they had too many trap guns to tell me over the phone. Mate counted them up at three.

 

Better looking at small ads on here or at clubs. Rishton usually have one or two for sale.

[jayward]

@ Gordon R your righ the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (as you said) will not apply to my application theres no spent convictions on a firearm application @ all !!! lol ohh dear thats bad well i will have to put it in and have go !! im gona prob do it monday then i will buy a police approved gunsafe as ive read its seems i have a good few weeks to do this im guessing its gona need bolting wall properly do i need to hide it away ?

[Gordon R]

Obviously it will need bolting to a substantial wall - normally an outer wall. If you can conceal it inside a built in wardrobe for example - so much the better. Keep checking the small ads on here and Airgun BBS - secondhand safes crop up - also Ebay. They are an item which does not really deteriorate with age.

[Andy W]

Regarding gun safes, I purchased mine from http://www.guntrader.co.uk and fitted it to a brick wall in an out of sight location, I also had a BASC coaching lesson as well as a lesson at a shooting ground and went out with a mate a couple of times at a ground, I did all this because I had a minor conviction and thought that it may show that I was responsible regarding gun safety etc.

 

Now people will say the Police will not ask you where you intend to shoot your shotgun and what you shall shoot as it is your right to own a shotgun, but the Police did ask me many questions including the effective killing range of a shotgun, I think it was to check out if I had done my homework and I was not applying just on a whim.

 

Regarding guns Gordon has it bang on, I started with an old Beretta 687 and this year picked up a beautiful s/h Miroku MK38 sporter, I absolutely love that gun.

 

Good luck with the application.

[jayward]

thanks you guys ave been most helpfull :( and this fourm is a wash with relevant info .Im off for my lesson and 50 clays the suns out its got the makings of a good day out for me I Hope lol ,kinda craping it in case i dont land a shot lol im geting there early to have a watch and settle down a bit , funny im kinda nervous which is summet im not used to @ all, prob a good thing tho !!, so my lesson is @ 1pm satnavs programed im off soon wish me luck im looking forward to it & well happy i picked a fine day for it ,, thanks again.. Jay

well it went ok i hit like 50% of the clays its a funny thing i could not hit a rabbit @ all not one but i took out a few left and right clays and all the ones going away from me but tbh i need practice and pleny of it lol i think im gona go for 1-2 more lessons and in the intrim apply for licence and fit a gunsafe then i will be fingers x on the lookout for a gun that i like im gona have a shoot with an auto next week see if i like em they seem quite popular @ least where i was ,

[njc110381]

You should be ok with your application for a SGC. I got mine ok after a long chat with my FEO about my conviction, posession of explosives 8 years ago! I've changed and he could see that. I've not been in any trouble since, which shows people can change for the better if given the chance :(

[jayward]

You should be ok with your application for a SGC. I got mine ok after a long chat with my FEO about my conviction, posession of explosives 8 years ago! I've changed and he could see that. I've not been in any trouble since, which shows people can change for the better if given the chance

lol thanks for that Njc im more Confident now thats one conviction thats no gona look good on ya application i guess lol , as i said ive had nowt for over 10+ years tbh im gona have a issue filling out the form with the date and info regarding the offence as i cant rem @ all the date or fine i got ohh well ,im gona ring the local FEO on in the morn and just ask if i can get the info on my offence !!! thanks buddy ya gave me a giggle there explosives lol