St Columb Clays Wins Venue of the Month for July!

Heads up Clay Shooting fans, The Big Shoot has an announcement to make! If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’ll know that each month, we present our venue of the month award. It’s been one month now since our last announcement. So, that can only mean one thing – time for July’s winner to be announced! Without any further ado, we’re proud to announce that the award goes to St Columb Clays!

Based in the heart of the Cornwall countryside, the Clay Pigeon Shooting experience at this awesome site is excellently located in one of the most picturesque locations you’ll find anywhere in the UK! There’s something for all levels of ability too, with qualified instruction provided to all shooters. So, whether you’re looking for your very first taste of Clay Shooting action or looking to perfect a new shooting style, there will be something to suit your needs.

Visitors to the site seem to have been making the most of the excellent weather we’ve been having here in Britain recently. Let’s be honest, it’s not often we get to experience weather quite like this! So, what better way to enjoy those rays than with an exhilarating Clays session! Here’s just some of the rave reviews St Columb have received from their visitors over the past month.

“Great experience with fantastic teachers who really want you to do well”.
Chris
2nd July 2018

“Brilliant birthday treat for my husband, amazing instructors, great fun! i had never done clay pigeon shooting or any kind of shooting before but the instructors were fantastic and explained everything really well. we had a great time, thank you very much!”.
Sabine Pevy
14th July 2018

Like the sound of our St Columb site and would like to find out more information? If so, you can head on over to our main website now and do just that!

The Big Shoot Welcomes Albourne Clays!

Heads up fans of Clay Shooting, it’s a new venue alert! Albourne Clays is the latest venue to join on board with us here at The Big Shoot, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it. So, read on, and we’ll do exactly that!

Based in the wonderful West Sussex countryside, picturesque views certainly won’t be in short supply – making a visit to Albourne all the more worthwhile. What’s more, Brighton is just a short drive away too! But, let’s not forget, it’s not just the views that makes this venue special, it’s the authentic Clay Pigeon Shooting experience that they have to offer!

Equipped with a state of the art 12 bore Beretta shotgun, you’ll have the chance to take aim whatever the weather – all thanks to the covered shooting area at your disposal. We all know how unpredictable the British weather can be. So, why let a little drizzle of rain stop you from getting your Clay Shooting fix?!

You’ll most definitely be spoilt for choice with a visit to Albourne. After all, there’s a rabbit trap, lefts and rights, and so much more – guaranteed to satisfy the beginners and the seasoned pros alike! Your session will be tailored to suit your needs, and you’ll receive full equipment hire and tuition throughout the experience.

All in all, whether it’s your first ever clay shoot or your fiftieth, you’re sure to have an action-packed experience from the get go. So, head on down to our fantastic new Albourne site now – you certainly won’t be disappointed!

The A-Z of Clay Pigeon Shooting Disciplines – D-E

Here at The Big Shoot, we know that Clay Pigeon Shooting can sometimes be a bit confusing, especially for the beginner. To help make things that little bit clearer, we are proud to announce our new A-Z of Clay Pigeon Shooting as we focus on the different disciplines within the sport.

This time around, we will be looking at the various disciplines which span both of the letters D and E in the main three categories of Clay Pigeon Shooting – English Sporting, Trap and Skeet.

Double Rise

We’re going to kick things off with Double Rise, which follows the same layouts and procedures as Down The Line (DTL), which we will cover later on in this blog post. The targets are launched at the same time, but on separate trajectories. However, what does differentiate this discipline from DTL is that the traps for Double Rise launch one target to the left and then another to the right, as opposed to the randomness of DTL. As there are five stands in Double Rise, each shooter fires one shot at each target, which results in two targets per stand. This means that the rounds are shot in multiples of five doubles.

Double Trap

As the name suggests, this discipline sits in the Trap Shooting category of Clay Pigeon Shooting and is similar to the discipline of Double Rise. However, instead of a trap throwing two fixed targets, three traps alternate to throw doubles from any two traps. This Olympic discipline makes sure that the shooters follow set paths which are commonly 35 degrees left and right, as they take one shot at each target.

Down The Line

Down The Line, or DTL if you’re a cool kid, is a variation of trap shooting and is one of the most popular disciplines within the sport. The targets are thrown at a fixed height and distance, within 22 degrees each side of a central line, so the unpredictability of the trajectory is what makes DTL (yes, we’re cool kids) one of the most exciting disciplines! Each shooter gets to shoot at a single target in turn, only moving from the stand when he or she has shot five targets. After this, they move one place to the right, until all 25 birds have been completed. Three points are awarded for a first barrel kill, two points for a second barrel kill and zero points for a miss – brutal!

English Skeet

As the name suggests, this is a branch of skeet shooting – the others being Olympic Skeet and American Skeet. In English Skeet, seven shooting positions are spread over a semicircular arc, as two trap houses fire targets thrown in both single and double format from about 40 metres away from each other. A total of 25 targets are shot from all seven stands, as they are set at particular trajectories and speeds.

English Sporting

It’s the big one, English Sporting! This discipline has the sport’s biggest following, because it’s fair to say that it’s probably the most unpredictable! Almost anything goes in English Sporting, as targets are thrown at a great variety of speeds, angles, trajectories, elevations and distances. This is done to mimic the unpredictability of shooting live quarry. To this day, some of the same live quarry names are still used on Sporting stands such as: Driven Pheasant, Bolting Rabbit, Crossing Pigeon and Dropping Duck, to name but a few. It’s all pretty much the same, but with the big difference being that clay targets have replaced real-life animals!

Final Thoughts

So, that’s it for edition two of our glossary of disciplines in the A-Z of Clay Pigeon Shooting. But don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty of disciplines to cover in future editions so don’t forget to check back soon for these. In the meantime, if you’re feeling inspired by these three different types of Clay Pigeon Shooting, you can try your hand at any one of our Clay Pigeon Shooting grounds located across the UK.

The Big Shoot Welcomes Ballygawley Clays!

Another week, another new venue! That’s how the saying goes here at The Big Shoot HQ. So, without any further ado, it’s time to welcome on board Ballygawley Clays – the latest to join our ever-growing network.

Based in the heart of the Irish countryside, our new Ballygawley Clays venue is the perfect place to get your fix of action, especially as the summer holidays are almost upon us once more. After all, what better way to make the most of the fantastic weather we’ve been having recently than a good old clay shoot?!

Providing a true challenge to shooters of all ability levels, the Clay Shooting experience at Ballygawley certainly delivers on the action front. Whether you’ve been shooting for years or it’s your very first time, there’s sure to be something to exhilarate you. From the moment you blast your very first clay out of the sky, you’ll most definitely be begging for more!

Even if it is your first time taking part in a Clay Shoot, there’s no need for you to worry, qualified instructors will be on hand at all times – helping you to get to grips with your inner target champion in no time at all! It’s fun, competitive, and rewarding. So, if you’re looking for the ultimate action-packed stag/hen do or corporate event, Clay Pigeon Shooting is the answer!

If you like the sound of our awesome new Ballygawley Clays venue, then visit the following link and you can do just that!

Announcing Dalry as our Venue of the Month for June!

Clay Pigeon Shooting fans, listen up! It’s that time again – our venue of the month announcement. It was a tough decision considering we’ve got so many amazing venues throughout the UK and Ireland. But, for the month of June, we’re proud to announce that our Dalry venue is the worthy winner of the venue of the month!

Located on the edge of the wonderful Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, our Dalry venue is a secret just waiting to be discovered. With miles and miles of stunning scenery surrounding the site, you’ll not only be able to blast those clays out of the sky, you’ll also get the chance to enjoy some of the finest views you’ll find anywhere in Scotland!

Dalry comes complete with qualified instructors, state of the art equipment, as well as Scotland’s first fully automatic covered Olympic Trap layout that even hosts regular competitions! There’s no need for you to take our word for how great the venue is though – here’s what visitors to Dalry had to say about their experience:

“excellent day, great staff and all was a smooth day”.

Riki Anderson – visitor to Dalry, Ayrshire Clays

“The instructions and tuition given on how to hold the gun, aim and fire, were excellent, easy to follow and made the whole procedure simple and contributed to making the day a total success”.

Alexander Cairns – visitor to Dalry, Ayrshire Clays

If you like the sound of Dalry Clay Pigeon Shooting and would like to find out more information, head on over to our main website now and you can do just that!

The Big Shoot Welcomes Coventry Laser Clays!

If you’re looking for a true test of your aiming skills, then our fantastic Coventry Laser Clays venue is undoubtedly the place for you. One of the latest venues to join us here at The Big Shoot, they offer a truly immersive shooting experience to shooters of all levels of ability. So, read on as we spill the beans on this epic new location.

Based on a wonderful 160 site in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, spectacular scenery certainly isn’t in short supply! Combined with the awesome Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting experience our Coventry site, you’re sure to have an experience that you’ll never forget.

If you’re not sure how Laser Clays works, then here’s a quick explanation for you. It’s essentially a modern twist on traditional Clay Pigeon Shooting – there’s no need to worry about any noise or recoil either! You’ll get your hands on a high-tech deactivated shotgun that’s just like the real thing, only instead of using cartridges, you’ll be taking aim using an infrared laser beam.

Guided by the qualified instructors, you’ll be taught everything you need to know to perfect your shooting technique. Soon enough, you’ll be hitting the targets and racking up those all important points!

Coventry Laser Clays is the ideal venue to get in touch with your inner target shooting master. So, if you like the sound of the venue and would like to find out more, visit the following link and you can do just that.