Beretta DT11 31″ Sport Long has the debate raged as to whether a 28″, 30″ or 32″ gun is better for clay breaking. Now, with this limited run of a 31″ version of Beretta’s ever-popular DT11, the Italian gun maker hopes to settle a few arguments – or at least help find a comfortable balance point for barrel weight, sighting plane length and perceived pointability. (Read our full review here.) Weight and recoil are a particular point of design focus in this piece, with Beretta claiming that its Steelium Pro barrels and long forcing cones help to reduce felt recoil, improve shot patterning and re ..read more

A coach is much more than just someone who will tell you “you’re in front of that” or “you missed that one behind”. They will help you develop skills and behaviours often without needing to teach or tell you, but rather by asking stimulating questions that you can answer yourself. Coaches help guide you to reach your potential and achieve your goals. They are there to lead, but also to put you first. A coach will help you navigate your way through reactions to winning, losing, making mistakes, taking risks and facing obstacles that stand in your way.  As an athlete it can be difficult to ..read more

Ashcombe Shooting Ground and Adventure Centre will be familiar to many readers in the south-west. For more than three decades, clays have been flung across this beautiful corner of Devon. But change is afoot. A new team, headed by the well-known clay aficionado Don Brunt, has taken root on the Ashcombe Estate, and its efforts to further improve the venue is already showing fruit. “Ashcombe Shooting Ground first opened 30 years ago under the stewardship of the Staples family,” Don explains. “They did a great job in creating the foundations for what we hope Ashcombe will become in the future. Th ..read more

We should all be proud of the fact that there have been no recorded firearms related fatalities on British shooting grounds for more than 30 years. But don’t let this lull you a false sense of security. Even the best-aimed shots can still cause permanent injuries to eyes and ears. Thankfully it’s never been easier, or cheaper, to stay safe on the stands and go clay shooting safely. (Read more on what to wear clay shooting.) Eyes I bet anyone who’s suffered the excruciating pain of a fast-moving clay shard making contact with their eyeball, or has been diagnosed with cataracts as a result of to ..read more

Types of clay pigeon shooting Even the most experienced clay-breaker can struggle with the differences between clay shooting disciplines. So we’ve put together a guide to the UK’s most popular types of clay pigeon shooting. The mighty George Digweed shooting English Sporting English Sporting (ESP) English Sporting is the most popular form of clay shooting in the UK, with the CPSA reporting that more than 50% of registered targets shot come from the discipline. Originally envisioned as a replacement for the shooting of released live pigeons, English Sporting courses consist of a series of sta ..read more

  Don’t underestimate how much work your barrels do as shot travels down them From the very beginnings of gunmaking, the clay gun barrels have been the principal component. At the breech, they had to contain the propellant (powder) together with the wadding to seal the charge from the projectile or projectiles of any form that were rammed down the barrel from the muzzle ends. Then by flintlock or percussion cap, a spark or flame ignited the powder charge to blast the projectiles to their target. The shotgun and the rifle were only two of many kinds of firearm that shared this ..read more

Clay shotgun chokes increase a shotgun’s effective range and versatility. What clay shotgun chokes do    Almost all new shotguns, whether they are for clay or game, over-and-under or semi-auto (even some side-by-side guns) now come with interchangeable clay shotgun chokes as standard. A selection of chokes is usually supplied – maybe as few as three, but often as many as eight depending upon the maker and price. (Read what are the choke options for shotguns?) How different this is to when I first got into clay shooting, when there were very few interchangeable choke guns and tho ..read more

Clay target shooting Here’s what you’re likely to come across and how to deal with them. (Read more on how to read the clay target.)   1. Incoming clay target Chances are you started your clay target shooting career engaging these – probably with an easy close-range target. But as the distance increases, so does the difficulty. Irrespective of distance, the technique is beautifully simple. The quick fix to any problems you’re having is to cut down on excess movement. Kill point Select this before you do anything else. If you can see it at the peak of its trajectory, this will be where yo ..read more

Steve estimates that each year he shoots in excess of 30,000 shells at Trap targets through his beloved Perazzi. Then there’s the Sporting clays he takes out with his Krieghoff. Who better to ask for recommendations of the best cartridges for Trap and Sporting? (Read Steve Scott shares his shooting routine – could it help you?) Cartridges for Trap and Sporting   RC 4 Red Shot Supernik 28g I use these cartridges for Sporting because they carry higher kinetic energy. When presented with a 45-yard crossing target the additional pellet count in a 28g load can make a significant difference to ..read more

How off-range training can help What does it take to become a better Shot? Commitment? For sure. Capability? It helps. Clays and cartridges? Probably, but perhaps not. Over the past few months I’ve been ever more drawn to the concept of at-home training – training without the bang, the targets and the cost.But does ‘dry’ training work? And what do I even do with an unloaded gun and no targets to shoot at? Few are better to answer these questions than the former Team England head coach and the current chairman of the Institute of Clay Shooting Instructors (ICSI), John Robinson, and the Shotgun ..read more