How to get into target shooting in the UK: a complete beginner's guide

Target shooting is one of those sports that looks closed off from the outside and turns out to be remarkably welcoming once you find the door. People assume you need to own a gun, hold a licence, or already know someone on the inside. You don’t. Almost everyone who shoots in the UK started exactly where you are now: curious, with no kit, no licence, and no real idea where to begin.

This guide walks you through how it actually works, from your first message to a club through to, if you want it, owning your own firearm. It’s written mainly for England and Wales, with notes where Scotland and Northern Ireland differ. Treat it as a friendly starting point rather than legal advice: the rules around firearms are detailed and change from time to time, so always check the current position on GOV.UK and with the club you join.

You don’t need a licence to start

This is the part that surprises people most. To try target shooting, and to keep shooting while you learn, you do not need a firearm or shotgun certificate, and you don’t need to own anything. You shoot the club’s firearms, on the club’s range, under the supervision of experienced members.

That arrangement can last a long time. Plenty of people shoot happily for years on club firearms and never apply for a certificate of their own. A certificate only becomes relevant if and when you decide to buy your own firearm, which is a decision for much later, once you know the sport is for you.

So the first step isn’t paperwork. It’s finding a club.

Step one: find and join a club

Clubs are the front door to target shooting. They have the ranges, the firearms, the insurance and, most importantly, the experienced members who will teach you. For rifle shooting, the clubs you’re looking for are usually Home Office approved, a status that lets them take on newcomers and hold firearms for members to use.

Finding one near you used to mean word of mouth and out-of-date forum threads. Browse our directory to find target shooting clubs by area and discipline, see them on a map, and get their contact details.

When you’ve found one or two nearby, get in touch. A short, friendly message is all it takes: say you’re new, you’d like to learn, and ask whether you can come and visit or have a taster session. Most clubs are glad to hear from genuine beginners. It’s how the sport keeps going.

Step two: probationary membership

When you join, you’ll start as a probationary member. This is the trial period every new shooter goes through, and it exists for good reason: it’s how a club gets to know you, and how you learn to handle firearms safely.

Here’s what to expect during probation:

• You attend regularly. Clubs want to see you genuinely taking part, not just signing up. Turning up consistently is the single most important thing you can do.
• You’re supervised throughout. An experienced member will be alongside you on the range every time.
• You learn the safety and the handling. Range commands, safe gun handling, the relevant law, and the basics of marksmanship. This is taught patiently. Nobody expects you to know anything on day one.
• You’re assessed. Towards the end of probation, most clubs run a safety and competence assessment before you become a full member.

How long does it last? Home Office guidance sets a minimum of three months, and in practice many clubs run a probationary period of around six months. It varies, so ask when you join.

Pass your assessment and you become a full member. That’s a milestone in itself, and it’s also the point at which the next door opens: applying for your own certificate, if you want to.

The disciplines: what can you actually shoot?

“Target shooting” covers a lot of ground. You don’t have to choose now, most beginners try a few things, but it helps to know the landscape.

A quick word on pistols. Most handguns have been banned in Great Britain since the 1997 legislation that followed Dunblane. There are still pistol-style disciplines, though: air pistol, gallery rifle, long-barrelled pistols and revolvers, and muzzle-loading pistols. (Northern Ireland’s law is different and still permits conventional target pistols.) So if someone tells you “you can’t shoot a pistol in the UK”, they’re only half right.

If you want the lowest-barrier start of all, look at air.

Air rifle and air pistol: the easiest way in

Air shooting is where a lot of people begin, and for good reason. The equipment is affordable, you can shoot indoors all year round, and the marksmanship fundamentals are exactly the same as the bigger disciplines.

The rules are simpler too. In England and Wales, an adult can own an air rifle under 12 ft·lb of muzzle energy, or an air pistol under 6 ft·lb, without any certificate. Above those limits an air rifle becomes a Section 1 firearm needing a certificate, and more powerful air pistols are prohibited altogether.

Two things to keep in mind:

• You must be 18 to buy or hire an air weapon. Younger shooters can still use them under supervision (more on juniors below).
• Scotland is different. Since 2016, owning an air weapon in Scotland has required an Air Weapon Certificate. If you’re in Scotland, check the rules before buying anything.

Do you need a firearms licence? The honest answer

You can put this off for a long time, but here’s the picture for when it matters.

There are two kinds of certificate in Great Britain:

• A Shotgun Certificate (SGC) covers shotguns. It’s the more straightforward of the two.
• A Firearm Certificate (FAC) covers rifles and other Section 1 firearms. For target shooting, this is the one you’d eventually apply for.

A firearm certificate is granted by your local police force, lasts five years, and is issued for a “good reason”. Being an established, active member of an approved target shooting club is a recognised good reason. The club has to be named on your certificate, which is another reason joining one comes first. The police carry out checks, take up references and involve your GP, so the process takes a little time.

None of this is a barrier to getting started. It’s simply the route that opens up later, once you’ve shot for a while and decided you want a firearm of your own.

A note on the law. Firearms law in the UK is detailed, differs between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and changes over time. Treat this guide as a starting point, not legal advice, and always confirm the current rules on GOV.UK and with your club and local police firearms licensing team.

What does it cost to get started?

Less than most people expect, because the big-ticket item, a firearm, isn’t something you buy at the start.

While you learn, you’ll typically pay:

• Club membership, usually an annual fee, plus a one-off joining fee. These vary a lot between clubs but are rarely expensive.
• Range or target fees per session, often just a few pounds.
• Ammunition, which for .22 and air is cheap.

The club lends you the firearms and much of the kit while you’re starting out. You can genuinely try the sport for the cost of a visit and a membership, and decide whether to invest in your own equipment much further down the line.

Is target shooting safe?

Yes, and it’s no accident. Target shooting has one of the strongest safety cultures of any sport. Everything happens under supervision and to a strict set of range commands, ranges are designed and built to contain fire, and the whole probationary system exists precisely so that newcomers learn safe handling before they’re trusted to shoot on their own.

The sport is well organised and well governed, by the NRA for fullbore and the NSRA for smallbore and airgun, among others. Clubs take safety seriously because it’s the foundation of everything they do.

Shooting as a junior, or as a family

Target shooting is genuinely family-friendly, and you can start young. Many clubs run junior sections, and the cadet forces introduce thousands of young people to the sport every year.

The rules are sensible. Young people shoot under supervision: at a Home Office approved rifle club, under-14s can take part in target shooting under supervision, and air weapons can be used under the supervision of someone aged 21 or over. You have to be 18 to buy an air weapon, but not to learn to shoot one.

If you’re a parent looking for somewhere for your child to start, ask clubs directly about their junior provision. The good ones will be proud to tell you about it.

Your first steps, in order

1. Find a club near you. Browse the directory by area and discipline.
2. Get in touch. Say you’re new, and ask about a visit or a taster session.
3. Go and have a go. See whether the club and the discipline suit you.
4. Join as a probationary member and start attending regularly.
5. Train and get assessed, learning safe handling as you go.
6. Become a full member.
7. Apply for your own certificate later, if and when you want to own a firearm.

That’s the whole path. No secret handshake, no need to know someone already, no licence just to try. A club, a willingness to learn, and a first message.

Ready to start? Find a target shooting club near you.