Coming Up In August At Bywell Shooting Ground

We are one of a handful of Clay Shooting Grounds to be awarded Premier Plus status by the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association which is the sport’s governing body. Bywell has played host to many major shooting competition such as The World DTL Championship, European Championship, British and English Championships

Alongside the world renowned shooting range, Bywell has one of the largest selections of new and pre-owned shotguns in the country.

Saturday 1st August 

100 DTL & 100 ABT Registered

DTL; 

Down-the-Line (DTL) shooting is one of the most popular disciplines in the sport of clay pigeon shooting in the United Kingdom. Favoured for its structured format, accessibility to newcomers, and competitive nature, DTL has become a staple at shooting grounds across the country. This blog explores the ins and outs of DTL shooting, its history, format, equipment, and why it continues to thrive in the UK

DTL shooting is a form of trap shooting that involves shooting clay targets launched from a single trap house positioned approximately 16 yards in front of the shooter. These targets are thrown away from the shooting line at varying angles but within a regulated range. The key difference from other trap disciplines is that in DTL, all shooters face the same trap and take turns firing at targets in a structured, rotational system.

Each round of DTL typically consists of 25 targets, with shooters standing on one of five designated stands. Each shooter takes it in turn to shoot at five targets from each stand, rotating clockwise after every five shots. Scoring is straightforward yet strategic: three points for a first-barrel hit, two points for a second-barrel hit, and zero if both shots are missed.

Down-the-Line shooting has deep roots in the UK, evolving from traditional trap shooting formats introduced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally associated with live pigeon shooting, which was later outlawed, DTL adapted to use clay targets. It has remained one of the most accessible forms of shooting, both for amateur and competitive shooters.

Over the decades, organisations such as the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA) have helped standardise DTL rules and foster national competition, further cementing its status as a pillar of the British clay shooting scene.

ABT;

Automatic Ball Trap (ABT) is a popular and fast-paced clay shooting discipline in the UK. It features a single trap machine that oscillates randomly both horizontally and vertically, throwing clays at unpredictable heights, angles, and speeds

A standard round consists of 25 targets. Unlike other disciplines like Down-the-Line (DTL), targets are much faster, have wider angles, and fly up to 70–75 meters.

You are allowed two shots per target. Unlike DTL, both the first and second shots score equally (1 point each if you hit it)

Squads usually consist of up to six shooters. There are five stands (pegs) in a line, with the trap machine in a trench directly in front of the centre stand

Each shooter takes one shot at a target from their peg, then everyone rotates one position to the right. The person on stand five moves to wait behind stand one until it’s their turn to step up

Call Bywell Shooting Ground Now to register 

01670 787 827

Wednesday 12th August - The Glorious Twelfth

"The Glorious Twelfth" refers to August 12th, the traditional and highly anticipated start of the red grouse shooting season in the UK. Rooted in the Game Act of 1831, it marks the opening of a 4-month period where shooting enthusiasts take to the heather moors of northern England, Scotland, and Ireland.

The date is deeply ingrained in rural heritage, chosen because the heather is in peak condition and the wild red grouse are fully grown, allowing them to fly at explosive speeds up to 80 mph.

For the hospitality industry, the day is equally significant. It marks the arrival of fresh, wild grouse on the menus of high-end restaurants, famed for its rich, earthy flavour. However, the date isn't without controversy; conservationists and animal rights activists frequently criticize the environmental impact of moorland management and the ethics of the sport.

Saturday 15th August - 100 Sporting & 50 Sportrap Registered

Sporting;

This is essentially the shooting of simulated wild quarry. It is the most popular discipline in England and the types of targets thrown are often named according to the type of game they simulate such as ‘rising teal’ or ‘high driven (pheasant)’.

Unlike trap and skeet, which feature highly repeatable target paths, sporting clays simulates unpredictable live-quarry hunting. It offers a massive variety of targets that mimic the flight paths of ducks, pheasants, and even running rabbits.

Sportrap;

Sportrap (STR) is essentially a miniaturised English Sporting (ESP) course, the name being a combination of ‘sporting’ and ‘trap’.

It is shot from five stands spaced a few feet apart in a line similar to trap disciplines, but with shooting cages like English Sporting. Five traps are placed on the layout which throw ESP-style targets, and are labelled A to E. Like Trap, shooting goes from left to right.

Each stand has a menu telling the shooter what targets they will be shooting at. First, each shooter shoots a single target, then each gets an on-report pair, and finally each gets a simultaneous pair. Once the final pair is shot, each shooter moves one stand right (stand 5 moves to 1) and the sequence is repeated.

Call Bywell Shooting Ground Now to register 

01670 787 827