Clay ground hire gun cost?

[Dunc]

We've been shooting at a 'localish' shooting school / gun shop for about 9 years and have spend a fair bit of money there over these years - bought several guns and many thousands of cartridges and (rounds of) clays.  

A couple of weeks ago, my lad took his girlfriend for a 50 clay shoot a few weeks ago, following up on a few lessons she's had there over the last year and a few caddied rounds since then.

We know all the scorers and the people who work there well and we've supported all their shoots and junior stuff over the years.

I was surprised to hear that the girlfriend was charged £10 to hire a gun to shoot 50 clays.  Before my surprise turns into grumpiness, can I ask others if they think this is reasonable?  There are a number of guns that are available for lessons/usage etc

Since we travel a reasonable distance to that ground, and there are a number of closer grounds that we could use, I feel a change of venue coming on.......  

EJ Churchills may be a few quid more expensive that where I'm talking about, but it's only a few miles for me so little overall difference in the cost.

Any comments appreciated and thanks in advance  

 

[LancsLad]

I was charged £10 the last time I went to Sporting Clays just north of Bedford but was £6 the first time. Seems the guy who took me, his membership had run out 2 weeks earlier so I got the non-member rate on second visit.

 

[westley]

When I was involved with running a shooting ground, we charged £5 to use the club guns, except for lessons. We did start off with 'no charge' but quickly realised that some people WILL definitely extract the urine, given the opportunity. We always had non certificate holders sign to say that were not prohibited from using firearms, but we were unable to check that. Some must have set the record for the longest wait for a certificate to be processed, each week turning up and using the gun for free. Once we began to charge, a suprising number turned up with their newly aquired guns and a percentage were never seen again. Remember that someone has to maintain and clean those guns and pay for repairs. I notice that some shops at grounds are now charging £10 for people to use the 'demo' guns, if they do not buy. Probably for the same reasons. Can I ask why it was not possible for the person to use one of your groups guns ?

 

[Dunc]

Can I ask why it was not possible for the person to use one of your groups guns ?

​Thanks for your reply.   The reason is that she is a slight 20 yr old - slim as they come and we're using 9.5 lb 32" heavyweight shotguns!  

And I  think they have a no sharing of gun policy anyway.

It was a 26" light 12 b using subsonic 21g cartridges that she hired.

 

[westley]

Ah, that explains it then. I hope that my explanations from the other side of the fence are acceptable. We too had a problem if a regular members' gun went in for any reason and they needed to use the club guns, so to avoid any conflict,  we charged everyone.

 

[ips]

When I turned up at local ground to have a go in 86 I wasn't charged to use club gun I wasn't charged for a lesson a bloke called Albert stood behind me he became a life long friend as did his wife they even attended my wedding to first Mrs nutcase I bought my own gun for the week after never looked back. I love shooting I love shooters all my friends are shooters. 

Charging for club gun because you have to clean it. Not sure about that myself.

 

[PhilS]

I've never been charged to use a club gun.

 

[Stan]

My mate didn't get charged when I took him to the ground I'm a member at a couple of weeks ago.

I can see both sides of the argument. Good to have free guns for newbies to encourage them into the sport but open to abuse. 

 

[Dunc]

My mate didn't get charged when I took him to the ground I'm a member at a couple of weeks ago.

I can see both sides of the argument. Good to have free guns for newbies to encourage them into the sport but open to abuse. 

Thanks Stan - this lass has already spent around £500 of her own money there and I've probably spent £3k-£4k there in the last year.  I've also paid significantly more for kit there, without quibble, than I needed to in order to support the place as it was our 'home' ground.

 

[Simster]

I suppose given your regular attendance and money spent £10 could seem a bit steep.  Over the years I've had varying results usually whilst away on hols without my own gear. Southern Counties (as was) wouldn't even hire a gun so I couldn't shoot there, North Devon ground, newish Bereta 686 and button/scorer free, round at Greenfields with a couple of members, decent Beretta club gun free. Crabtree farm (I think) in the Lake District baikal or similar free.

One of the worst (apart from Southern Counties) was a small club / ground in the Cotswolds phone and asked yes we can loan a gun come along etc. ropey loose baikal or similar club gun, paired up with some members who were really friendly but after shooting the Sunday 40 birder I noticed the sign in the club house "hire guns £35". Everyone was super friendly but there was no way I was paying £35 for that gun I think I could have bought similar for less. They seemed embarrassed to ask the full amount so think we agreed £15 but it was still not worth it. That said  it got me a Sunday shoot whilst away.

 

[Stan]

Thanks Stan - this lass has already spent around £500 of her own money there and I've probably spent £3k-£4k there in the last year.  I've also paid significantly more for kit there, without quibble, than I needed to in order to support the place as it was our 'home' ground.

I can see why you might expect a bit of leeway. Worth a quiet word with the owner/manager next time you're there?

Is it possible that if you had been there then they wouldn't have been charged?

 

[shootinguru]

Dunc, I've had 3 shooting grounds and never charged for the loan of a gun! The only thing I did was to either send a coach if the person wanted coaching or a club member if it was a stranger,   I always wanted all the shooters I could get! 

 

[Julesy]

No charge at Nottingham but we do ask you to phone in advance to arrange it and we will send you out with a more experienced marker who has a SGC. 

 

[cockney21]

Went to a ground recently, my son was having a lesson so I went round with two other parents whose kids were there too. One of the dads had not brought his gun along so was going to share with the other chap who had his. The ground was empty apart from us 3 as the kids were in a classroom. The yound guy taking us round then insisted that everyone had there own gun, so at the cost of £18 the guy had to hire one. Best of it was that it was a 525 which must have done half a million rounds as after the first stand it started to misfire, then nothing at all! After much farting around it was agreed that a gun could be shared...

I was a bit surprised as it did seem just a money extraction exercise by the ground. There were no safety issue with gun sharing, both were experienced shots. The chap who borrowed the gun had already forked out £££ for lessons and a round himself, and then the gun broke down due to lack of maintaince...Maybe a policy of low or no charge for the first few loans then charge after that might strike a better balance.

 

[LancsLad]

I know I'm new to the sport and haven't even received my SGC yet but I've noticed shotguns (most) hold a lot of their value in the S/H market. If I was renting this years new release demo gun then I would think £10 for a try of it would be a fine hire charge as the browning/miroku/beretta' are selling £150-£200 less than new price. But hiring an older S/H gun (that's been well maintained and can't be bought new anymore) I would only expect to pay £5-£6 to hire it. Just my feeling on it.

 

[Tim]

I've been charged £5 by High Lodge Suffolk, £5.50 by Sporting Targets Bedfordshire and £10 by Kibworth Leicestershire.  I thought 10 was a bit steep but then their clays are cheaper.

 

[Dunc]

Thanks everyone, comments appreciated.

If I could add a further 'issue', one that has been mentioned a few times here, why do some grounds not allow the (sensible) sharing of guns?  I really can't see that it could be due to a safety issue, assuming the gun was a reasonable fit for the people using it.  (It isn't relevant to my first question in the OP, as our guns wouldn't have suited the lass in any case.)

 

[westley]

Perhaps it has something to do with WHO is the gun owner, I do not know for certain.  Only last Wednesday I witnessed 5 shooters all sharing a semi auto, if I said that it was most certainly the 'blind leading the blind' it would be a gross understatement. As I had my 2 young Grandchildren with me I was reluctant to interfere with the proceedings, had I not had the kids with me, I would have been straight over to them. The guns owner was 'teaching' his friends how to use what was obviously, his new toy. Their gun handling and muzzle awareness left a lot to be desired and with 3 cartridges in the gun it was a recipe for disaster. Thankfully I saw a member of groundstaff and raised my fears about the group, knowing the matter would then be dealt with. It transpired that the guy with the gun had gone into the clubhouse, purchased 100 targets and a case of cartridges and produced a shotgun certificate. He had then gone out and collected the others from the car park before shooting. Most shooters would probably be a bit intimidated by 5, of what I can only describe as 'Big Lads' in a group. They had been there for some time as I had seen them walking between stands nearly an hour earlier but,  I can only assume their behaviour had gone unnoticed.

 

[Rosso]

Seen this a lot. You need to keep an eye on your gear, the last lot I saw was at Pirbright all looking very closely at other shooters guns in racks, bags etc.