What to Wear: Clay Shooting

Whether you are a beginner or keen shot, clay pigeon shooting is a brilliant individual and team sport. Clay pigeon shooting now has at least 20 different forms of regulated competition called disciplines, although most can be grouped under the main headings of trap, skeet, and sporting. Online and particularly in our shop at Bisley, we stock a wide range of clay specific clothing and accessories. Below we have highlighted some key essentials you will need when clay shooting. View the full clay shooting range here.

Ear Defenders

Safety first, whatever discipline of shooting. We recommend wearing a pair of ear defenders, but especially for clay as more shots are fired on a clay ground.

They range from very simple Disposable Foam Ear Plugs to very technical electronic ear defenders which remove only the harmful noise when shooting and allow you to hear your surroundings. The Peltor SportTac Ear Defenders are equipped to cut-out sound when a shot is fired, among a variety of other handy features. Make sure your hearing protection has a comfortable fit that doesn’t impede gun mount. 

For children we recommend the Peltor Kid's Ear Defenders.

To view the full range, click here.

Eye Protection

All clay shooters should wear eye protection, quite often a clay ground can provide this for you, but double check before you arrive.

Our range include brands such as Bollé and Wiley X, and ensure you have maximum protection and the correct lens for certain lights when shooting.

If you are just starting out, a simple clear lens such as that offered on the Bolle Silium Plus Shooting Glasses should suffice. You may then find you want to move on to a kit with multiple lenses if you decide to continue shooting, as certain lens colours offer different benefits.

For ever-changing British weather conditions, the William Evans Interchangeable Lens Shooting Glasses feature 4 interchangeable lenses to ensure optimum versatility.

To view the whole range of safety glasses, click here.

What are the benefits of the different lens colours?

Different coloured lenses can be handy in certain lighting and shooting conditions, we've broken them down by colour for you.

Clear - ideal for low light, indoor use and overcast days

Smoke - ideal for high or direct light, especially if facing towards the sun

Brown/Orange - designed to enhance orange targets and enhance the background. Useful in medium light

Purple/Pink - designed to enhance orange targets against a green background

Yellow - perfect for low light and overcast days, adds vibrancy to targets and enhances their true colour

Shooting Vest

This is the most essential piece of kit for most clay shooters.

A shooting vest makes it easier to access your ammunition, as large pockets at the front will hold an ample number of cartridges. Many vests will also offer many other features such as hooks for glasses and ear defenders.

The Seeland Men's Skeet II Vest is fantastic value for money. This vest features large front cartridge pockets, reinforced shoulders and great storage with a back pocket, loop for glasses and ear defender strap.

We also offer an excellent range of vests from Beretta, including their Unisex Full Mesh Vest ideal for the height of summer.

If you're just starting out and would rather not invest in a vest just yet, try a cartridge pouch. These are pouches designed too hold your cartridges for ease which can come either with or without a belt, with the Double Pocket Cartridge Pouch starting at just £12. The Beretta Uniform Pro Evo Pouch is ideal, holding 50 cartridges.

To view our range of shooting vests for men, click here.

Or, to view our range for ladies, click here.

Shirt or Polo Shirt

As most clay shooting is within the summer months, a light shirt will be sufficient - or even a polo or t-shirt.

New for this season, look the part in the Beretta Ice Power T-Shirt in technical fabric with highly breathable and antibacterial polypropylene. To view our range of men's T-Shirts and Polo Shirts, click here. Or, if you are looking for a more formal shirt, you can view our men's range here.

We also offer a range of shooting shirts for ladies, which can be found here.

Hat

Especially if it is a really sunny day, a baseball cap or flat cap will keep the sun out of your eyes. With fantastic brands such as Browning, Beretta and Seeland, you're guaranteed exceptional quality.

The Seeland Shooting Cap matches the Skeet II Vest for an excellent overall look. 

With our carefully selected range of clay shooting caps, you will find both style and practicality all rolled in to one. View the full range here.

Footwear

In wet weather, wellingtons are ideal, the Le Chameau Vierzonord Wellington Boots are perfect, available in UK sizes 6-12 with a dual density sole that offers all-terrain traction and abrasion resistance.

If it's warmer, a sturdy pair of trainers or walking boots are perfect, something like the Beretta Shot GORE-TEX® Boots.

View our full range of men's shooting boots here.

You will also find our full range of ladies shooting boots here.

Waterproof Jacket

If you are going to wear the coat while clay shooting, it needs to fit well and not restrict movement. The brand new Schöffel Grimsthorpe Clay Shooting Jacket is waterproof and ideal for warmer days.

If you are clay shooting in Winter however you will need something much warmer, the Härkila Pro Hunter GORE-TEX® Shooting Jacket has everything you could ever need.

For ladies, the Härkila Orton Packable Lady Jacket is available in UK sizes 8-18 and designed for superb protection from harsh weather conditions. 

To view our full range of waterproof jackets, click here.

Accessories

In regards to any extras you might need for the day, a Shooting Bag or Cartridge Bag to carry cartridges, chokes and any extra clothing you think you'll need for warmth would be ideal.

The majority of Shooting Vests come with added protection, or there may be space to insert a Recoil Pad. These are highly recommended to absorb the impact of the shot.

Another item worth considering is gloves. Although many prefer to shoot without and have their finger on the trigger, gloves can assist with grip, warmth, and some even feature a flap to expose the trigger finger. View our shooting gloves here.

These are the key essentials when it comes to clay shooting, but you can find our full range of products available here.

Also handy to have...

Where to Shoot

We recommend Bisley Shooting Ground, it is just 30 miles from central London and is located within 3,000 acres of stunning Surrey heath and woodland. It is described by many as the country’s top shooting school with industry leading coaching.

William Evans has a shop adjacent to the Bisley ground, so if you've forgotten anything you might need then our team will be more than happy to help. If you wish to have cartridges ready to collect on arrival or for any more information, please call +44 (0)1483 486 500 or email bisleyshop@williamevans.com.

William Evans Ltd.
The Old Armoury,
Queens Road, Bisley Camp,
Brookwood, Surrey,
GU24 0NY, United Kingdom

We look forward to welcoming you.