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Reading some replies to questions I asked about shot guns got me thinking. (Yes I know dangerous.)
So I went and actually looked at my new certificate first time I have had one and read what it says on it.
Am I right in thinking that you can buy as many shot guns as you like as long as you let Plod know and have suitable security of course. Its not like a Firearm certificate were you have a number of slots and have to mess about with variation's.

Second question AYA shot guns my local dealer sells them for about £650 are they any good for a first gun.
I am not in a hurry to buy a gun. I plan on taking some tuition first to see if I can actually hit anything. There are two Clay grounds close to me. My local club has its own clay shoot at least once a month on a local farm.

I was trying to remember the name of the Clay grounds (Senior moment)
They are
Thimbleby on the out skirts of Northallerton. https://www.thimblebyshoot.com/
Oak Lodge in Hartlepool. https://www.oaklodgeshootingground.co.uk/

My local club has the use of a field on a local farm. That has traps set up on it.

Hence the reason I decided it was time to acquire a Shotgun certificate.

Basically YES, you can go and buy one tomorrow. The seller, who can be an RFD or individual SGC holder, will add it to your certificate and notify the local Police force, and you notify them too - hand written on is fine.

Then the day after you can go and do the same, same the day after and so on.

You can also sell as often as you like - no need to go for variations or reprints although if you buy/sell once/twice a month you may want to ask for a reprint every year or so. If you started buying one a day for a month, it may raise a few eyebrows though.

AYA guns are invariably side by side although they did release the Yeoman as an over and under and in both single and double trigger variants. Currently built AYAs are a range of boxlock and sidelock and all eject cartridges once fired. They also start at around GBP6500 new for the #4. Older non ejectors versions such as the Yeoman are cheap and cheerful and are GBP50-75 guns at auction, the No3 is a bit prettier and built slightly differently so worth more. The sidelock #2 versions are usually GBP750 used and upwards of GBP9500 new, you can find the Model 25 for as little as £350 upwards (Sadly as they are lovely guns)

My personal view is none of them are suitable, nor worth considering for a first time buyer and will lead to frustration and probably physical pain as they are light guns.

I would suggest an Italian over and under for clays and there are many examples to choose from. They are heavier guns so better designed for clay shooting. I do shoot clays with English side by side shoguns and we are currently out once a week shooting 100+ clays in preparation for the coming season. Why only once a week? It takes a week for me to recover from the kicking I get shooting a light sporting gun 100-150 times.

Whatever you shoot, get it fitted and balanced to suit your style of shooting.

I would check your fit David.

My favourite clay and field gun is a Laurona sidelock sbs, light and handy with 26" barrels 1/4 and true.
Thought it fantastic as it seemed to fit me well and I hardly missed in the field with it, just shot where I looked. When I tried it on the clays I noticed that I was taking a beating from it. I got old Haygarth to put an extra 1/4" on the butt, he used some lovely French wall nut to make a butt pad that you can hardly notice is an addition.

Still shot like a heat seeking missile but now I can bang away all day and feel no discomfort.

I tried O&Us from Biakals to top flight Berrettas and Brownings and never got off on them sbs for me always.

Fit is the key, along with knowing where the clay will be when to fire and how much lead it needs. I think the barrel configuration is irrelevant, the O&U thing is just the current fashion and custom. I wonder how many people coming into clays especially actually give sbs a try as everyone says get a an O&U without a thought, it is now just accepted wisdom without challenge.

All you get is the usual simplistic trot out "all the top shooters use them".

I wonder how many of them have actually given a sbs a try.

I suspect that industry has just put more effort in developing clay guns as O&Us rather then sbs which are mainly game or general use guns.

Some very good comments on AYA are made above. No real issues in using a SxS for clays except, as above being light there is a hefty impact. OUs tend to be heavier and less of a kick ... I shoot with someone who will regularly score 47, 48, 49 ex 50 with his fully customised OU, give him an SxS on the two competition shoots and that might drop to 45, 46, 47 and will mainly be due to an imperfect gun fit.

Another brand to consider in Bettinsoli - even new they are inexpensive and second hand, good value. I have a Diamond Line Deluxe, I believe, and it is well made was good value for money when I bought it new and you are not paying the "well-known name" premium. Some reviews at: https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/reviews/brand/bettinsoli I now keep mine as a spare or to lend to someone shooting with me.

Polchraine wrote:Some very good comments on AYA are made above. No real issues in using a SxS for clays except, as above being light there is a hefty impact. OUs tend to be heavier and less of a kick ... I shoot with someone who will regularly score 47, 48, 49 ex 50 with his fully customised OU, give him an SxS on the two competition shoots and that might drop to 45, 46, 47 and will mainly be due to an imperfect gun fit.

Another brand to consider in Bettinsoli - even new they are inexpensive and second hand, good value. I have a Diamond Line Deluxe, I believe, and it is well made was good value for money when I bought it new and you are not paying the "well-known name" premium. Some reviews at: https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/reviews/brand/bettinsoli I now keep mine as a spare or to lend to someone shooting with me.

I also have a Bettinsoli, like a magpie I bought it because of the colour case hardened finish on the receiver
that said I have found it to be flawless and I miss just as many clays with it as I do with friends £2K plus clay guns
the best shotgun I have ever tried was a friends Beretta semi auto tactical, I just couldnt miss with it! but I suspect it wouldn't be overly welcome at the clays or on a game day (shades of Dell boy! )

kennyc wrote: the best shotgun I have ever tried was a friends Beretta semi auto tactical, I just couldnt miss with it! but I suspect it wouldn't be overly welcome at the clays or on a game day (shades of Dell boy! )

At a clay shoot one day, one person brought a 10 shot semi-auto with him and on a typical stand with 10 birds in pairs - no problem.

BUT that day had 2x10 plus a 30 bird Flurry. He was allowed to fully load 10 shots, on the condition when empty he loaded another 10, and again. First 10 he hit 8 or so, then the next 10, about 2 and similar on the final 10. - could not load fast enough.

Polchraine wrote:Basically YES, you can go and buy one tomorrow. The seller, who can be an RFD or individual SGC holder, will add it to your certificate and notify the local Police force, and you notify them too - hand written on is fine.

Then the day after you can go and do the same, same the day after and so on.

You can also sell as often as you like - no need to go for variations or reprints although if you buy/sell once/twice a month you may want to ask for a reprint every year or so. If you started buying one a day for a month, it may raise a few eyebrows though.

A friend of mine recently had a visit as he was buying shotguns at auction and selling them - police reckoned he had done 52 in a year!!!So they told him to stop or become a RFD so technically yes you are right but there would come a time when the police would pay a visit if you were buying and selling a lot

Lever357 wrote:

Polchraine wrote:Basically YES, you can go and buy one tomorrow. The seller, who can be an RFD or individual SGC holder, will add it to your certificate and notify the local Police force, and you notify them too - hand written on is fine.

Then the day after you can go and do the same, same the day after and so on.

You can also sell as often as you like - no need to go for variations or reprints although if you buy/sell once/twice a month you may want to ask for a reprint every year or so. If you started buying one a day for a month, it may raise a few eyebrows though.

A friend of mine recently had a visit as he was buying shotguns at auction and selling them - police reckoned he had done 52 in a year!!!So they told him to stop or become a RFD so technically yes you are right but there would come a time when the police would pay a visit if you were buying and selling a lot

Thanks for the info. Its unlikely I will have that problem I may buy one or even two but as I don't know one end of a shotgun from the other at the moment its unlikely I am going to be buying lots of them. If I don't get on with clay busting I might not buy one at all.