When you think of shooting you often think of lords and ladies covered head to toe in tweed and laughing obnoxiously whilst taking pot-shots at the likes of patridge, grouse, and pheasants. But in all honesty, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Shooting is a sport for one and all, yes, it is a rather expensive hobby to have, however like all things it can be done on the cheaper end of the scale. It’s a sport that is becoming more popular among the general population and we too have been drawn in by our love of the countryside and getting outdoors more. So much so that we thought instead of just sticking a shotgun in the air and seeing what we could hit, we’d seek out the experts to give us their pointers for how to hit the most birds on a shooting day. West London Shooting School was founded in 1901 by Richmond Watson, where he found training for style and accuracy was needed as shooting became ever more prevalent with a desire from wider parts of the population to take part in this sport. WLSS has been offering expert tuition and gun-fitting for over a century in its beautiful surroundings just 12 miles from Marble Arch. With over a hundred traps and stands on immaculate grounds, the school teaches everyone and anyone from first-timers to expert eyes on the craft of great shooting. The school offers a wide range of options from the Rifle Range Course, 1-2-1 or small groud clay pigeon shooting to full-on simulation days (like shooting the real thing, but no birds are killed).
The day starts out with strolling through their warming, welcoming clubhouse which houses the main restaurant, reception, waiting area, and gun room. The dark wood and lived-in appearance of the place make you feel surprisingly at home straight away. We were offered the chance to learn from the best and take part in a one-on-one session with head instructor Mark Heath, who by all accounts is probably the most talented shot and straight-talking gentleman you’ll ever meet. After a quick chat about the antique Porsche out the front and a few laughs about how they’re the only cars you feel want to kill you, we were loaded up with a shotgun (12 Boar or 20 Boar) from the vast gun room. We leaned on Mark’s choosing when it came to picking out our gun and then off we went. Our first stand was a rabbit run, where clays are shot across the floor bouncing as if they were a real-life rabbit. The idea of this is to have a couple of shots just to get your eye in (disclaimer, we have shot a few times before and this was in prep for a Grouse day in Norfolk). We then moved on to “the birds”. As we moved around the different stands the targets got harder and faster, coming in straight overhead, off at angles, crossing shots the whole lot was on offer. This only happened of course once Mark saw that we were proficient with the mechanics of the gun, line of sight, and of course, being able to hit the clays. Onto the man himself. Mark is one of those incredible people in life who possess the ability to impart wisdom in their field with the fewest words possible, each moment he speaks time itself seems to have paused, allowing us to absorb the man’s incredible knowledge. On the shoot Mark’s blend of expert feedback after every shot and comforting hands-on approach leaves you feeling at ease with the gun and the whole experience, constantly singing praises whenever one of the clays explodes in the sky above you. Post-shoot we enjoyed a great lunch of sandwiches in the sun. There’s no pretense here or fancy fine dining, just good honest food with good honest people. Sitting in the sun on the patio, surrounded by the pop and burst from the guns out on the stands as well as other instructors milling around, laughing and joking as they wait for their clients to turn up, you can’t help but love every bit of the place. The whole day gave the feeling of comradery and more importantly passing on a skill, knowledge, and passion for a sport that is so misunderstood it should be a crime. We dare anyone to try a day at West London Shooting School and not come away wanting more. There’s a beating heart behind country sports like this and it is the people who take part in it each and every day. Shootingschool.co.uk – Sharvel Ln, W End Rd, Northolt UB5 6RA
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