Target Shooting in Bedford
SIMON HUTCHINSON has his sights set on a new activity...
When I was young I lived with my Nan for a bit and she had a next door neighbour called Melvyn who loved to go shooting. I never understood why until I took a trip to Sporting Targets in Riseley for a birthday treat.
I can officially say that shooting is AWESOME!
Despite what you may think about it being a pompous, expensive, upper-class pastime, let me tell you that it isn't in the slightest.
Sporting Targets is set just off the A6 between Bedford and Rushden and offers all sorts of outdoor pursuits from archery through to quad biking.
I was there for an hour lesson and introduction to clay pigeon shooting with the club's instructor Tony Fletcher (or Fletch as he is known).
Before I got my hands on a gun though, Tony had to discover what my strongest eye for shooting was. Through a process of pointing and blinking I was deemed to have a stronger right eye and that was what would get me through the lesson.
After that it was straight onto the range for some hands-on tuition. I learned how to hold the gun, how to aim and more importantly, how to shoot it.
So up went the first clay. BANG!
To my horror and despair I didn't see it shatter into a million pieces as the shot from my 12-bore hit it perfectly in the middle as I imagined I would.
'Just under,' said Tony as if he had seen it a thousand times before.
My mind then conjured up the image of the next 20 minutes being followed with the same line over and over again with the odd 'a bit too high' thrown in for good measure.
'Pull,' I shouted with a stern determination in my voice. I took my time, lined up carefully and at the last second, squeezed the trigger.
Success!
"To be fair, if I was shooting real pigeons, then I may have clipped its toenail with the shot, but I hit it all the same. After that I could relax, enjoy myself and blow those pesky clays into smithereens as they flew out of different traps."
A day at Sporting Targets is fantastic fun and with four of us paying £80 for an hour lesson and shooting (with a bit extra included for the cost of cartridges and clays) it is great value for money as well as being a great adrenalin rush.
And you don't even need a wax jacket.
*For more information visit www.sportingtargets.co.uk or call 01234 708893
It's a cliche but it's true; beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.
But there's always room for improvement!
Your health, and that of your family, is the most important thing in the world. Being healthy means saying yes to feeling good.