Transferring skills from the clay ground to walked-up game and driven days

Will ‘Big Will E’ Edwards sets the scene for his new series aimed at helping you shoot better in all situations

First of all, please let me introduce myself. I’m Will Edwards, an APSI shooting instructor – one of only 132 worldwide. Prestigious shooting schools such as Holland & Holland, The Royal Berkshire and West London employ APSI instructors and many, like myself, are also freelance. This allows me to be involved in a wide range of shooting activities, from one-to-one instruction on Sporting clays and coaching clients on the peg on driven game in the field, to complete novice introduction days and pigeon shooting over decoys.

One of the problems I have is that nearly all my time is spent instructing. Don’t get me wrong; I get paid for my hobby and wake up every morning looking forward to going to work. What a way to make a living, and I get a huge amount of satisfaction from improving and fine-tuning clients’ shooting. However, this reduces my own chances to join in with the fun, and sometimes the wheels have been known to fall off. So do believe me when I tell you that I book myself in with one of my fellow instructors every three months to ensure I can talk the talk as well as walk the walk.

What I’m hoping to achieve in this new series is to help you the very best way I can. Your emails and letters are very much welcomed – seriously, the ‘always wanted to know but were afraid to ask’ questions will be treated with complete respect and can remain strictly between you and me. Trust me on this; I’ve been there and most likely done it as a 14-year-old let loose on the family farm without a great deal of supervision!

Topics I will cover range from the basic and essential rules of safety and handling to cleaning and maintaining your gun after a day’s shooting. I will cover etiquette and behaviour expected at a clay ground and everything you need to know for that dream invite to a formal game day.

Now, like many of us, I enjoy a variety of clay and live quarry shooting. But is there a way of combining the two, to be able to connect in a more consistent and confident way, to gain more points on the score card and food in the freezer? Well, as I see it, we need to find a shooting ground that will replicate the best of both worlds, and Lady’s Wood Shooting School in South Gloucestershire pretty much meets these requirements. It might be worth taking a little time to search out the clay grounds in your area, as no two grounds are the same and if it is viable you may well find that a combination of grounds will give you that perfect scenario.

During the series our trusted Sporting Shooter team will compile some instructional video footage for you, so I can talk you through and show you how to surgically despatch these targets, with a novice and more experienced version for you to view. It will also give me the opportunity to discuss gun fit, take the mystery out of choke choice and explain what cartridge load and shot size will give you the advantage to up your game. The videos will soon be available on this website.

Rest assured, I’ll do my best to cover everything and anything you might find useful when it comes to improving your shooting – but don’t forget to email news@sportingshooter.co.uk with any topics you would like to see.

A big thank you to Lady’s Wood Shooting School for its support in this feature and the features to come. Visit the website for more information: www.ladyswood.co.uk