About the sport
Clay Pigeon Shooting is the art of shooting targets made from clay discs that are launched from automatic traps at a variety of different angles and trajectories. A shotgun is used by the shooter to precisely break the clay.
The sport has a number of disciplines, however the one that the club mainly shoots is English Sporting. This offers a wide range of targets which imitate animals such as rabbit, teal and driven pheasant.
About the club
We visit two grounds, Mendip Shooting Ground and Barbury Shooting School, in order to cater for both beginner and experienced shots. As a member of the University Club you will benefit from transport to and from the shooting grounds, ammunition at wholesale prices and free use of our Shotguns and safety equipment.
The club owns a variety of shotguns in both 12 and 20 gauge for the use of club members for free, and provides cartridges and clays at cost price. Experienced members provide coaching and supervision to new members to ensure a safe, enjoyable and rewarding introduction to the sport. We also offer professional coaching for members looking to enhance their scores and consistency for free on selected days.
We compete at a number of local and national competions with other universities across the UK. In the past few years we have competed at the Cardiff, Oxford Brookes, St Andrews, Durham and Bristol University competitions, alongside holding our own annual Bath Invitational and Black tie Ball. Every competition we attend also includes a Black tie Ball and Dance. These competitions take place over weekends and offer the opportunity to socialise with members of other shooting clubs (and a well-deserved break from the campus bubble). Entry is open to all current members so long as you are safe when handling a gun - we do not hold entry trials for competitions.
We also run socials every Wednesday, with additional events throughout the year such as the races at Cheltenham, Rugby at the Rec, Poker Nights and Parties at the Crescent.
Equipment storage
If you have your own gun and would like to store it on campus, we have space available in our club cabinets. Please contact us by email to arrange storage.
Safety
We take the safety of our club members very seriously. Although clay pigeon shooting as a very safe sport, there are naturally some risks when handling shotguns. The cooperation of our members is essential to ensure our trips are safe and enjoyable for all. Below are copies of our risk assessments and shooting code of practice:
Risk assessment 2025/26
Eye and hearing protection is provided for all members.
