doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Headed to London.Need help planning .

Me and the family are going to London in about a month and will be in England for two weeks.would like to get some help with planning a day for shooting sporting clays and a day to tour some English gunmakers. For the sporting I will need to rent a shotgun and buy some shells. Would like to shoot somewhere upscale. As for touring the gunmakers ,would like some input on what to see as were and best plain of attack.Any input will be great.Thanks

If you want one of the best and varied clay shooting places then go to Bisley. It's only half an hour from London by train I think. It's also brilliant! New Siberia is a pay and clay system and it has some of the most brilliant presentations in trees and woodland.

They will be able to lend you a gun if you take an instructor around with you.

Cheers

T

That sounds great.I read on there webpage that you have to have a shotgun permit .Is this something i will need to get or is it just for uk residents.

Hmm not sure, give them a call, if you have an instructor with you you might be fine. Ask for Shirely, mention my name and see if they can accomodate you.

T

Have been to around 20 clubs or so in last ten years over ome have been given a loaner gun every time no charge and had no problem buying cartridges from club, any left I bring back in checked luggage.Pretty much every gun was a Miroku they are a real pleasure to shoot. Cannot help with clubs around London I shoot mainly in Midlands and Manchester areas.Enjoy yourselves.
Pedler

Pawnbroker, you will not need any sort of permit if you shoot at a Police Approved clay ground or range; most of the permanent ones are approved. It just means that they have an exemption certificate issued by the Chief of Police for the area under Section 11 of the Firearms Act 1968. Thet means that anyone can shoot there without a certificate if they have a borrowed gun and the owner of the gun is present. Fairly common practice here so as to allow people to have a go. You can pay for the ammunition but they will have to do the actual face to face purchase. You need a certificate to purchase shotgun cartridges but not to possess them. At Bisley just give them a cal and al should be arranged for you. Lagopus.....

If you want to shoot near London you can go to the Holland & Holland grounds by underground (subway) and a short taxi. Same with the West London Shooting Grounds. I shoot at the H&H regularly and find it very nice. Here you will need an appointment that you can make online before you leave the US.

The great London gun shops are very close to each other - Purdy, H&H, William Evans and Beretta are within a few blocks of each other in the West End near St James. You don't need an appointment - someone will be there to open the door.

Just a suggestion - I would not take a large group with me - some of the places such as the William Evans Gunroom are a tad intimate. I have spent many pleasant hours browsing all these shops but I am alone or with my wife (who I keep trying to get into H&H tweeds which fit her perfectly and are of very high quality and design)

Just remember that London prices are twice what they are farther north in England and about three times what they are in Scotland. To quote an Americanism, 'don't get suckered!' Have a good trip. Lagopus.....

Pawnbroker; Bisley is an excellent suggestion and is about a 1hr drive out of central London or a 30 min train ride from Waterloo out to Guildford/then taxi for 15-20 mins to Bisley. If you phone ahead, ask to book an instructor-led session where they should be able to assist. I recommend Chris B (can't remember his surname) as an instructor, but all are superb. A 100-125 bird layout, in either one of the two locations they have, should cost you around �50-�55 all in and is superb. Their highest bird tower is, I think, the tallest in the UK and mighty sobering to shoot....

E-Mail if you need any help as I go regularly and very much enjoy it. I do recommend you call ahead with plenty of notice though and explain you don't have a licence to ensure transparency.

Craig

Couple of new thoughts.

Is this your first time abroad or in England?

Indeed everything is more expensive there than here but you must remember that your per diem expenses run regardless of what you do so while you may find a place in East Anglia where you can shoot at half the price than you can in London it makes no sense because your daily meter is running anyway.

Don't fret the expense - your trip will be more expensive than you planned but don't let it ruin your fun - just enjoy.

Contact the shooting grounds via e-mail before you leave and make firm appointments. Get directions from where you're staying. If you need to rent a car from London you will find it very expensive and that alone may make the whole day's shooting prohibitive. Make sure you check it out beforehand.

Keep us posted.