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You are over thinking this.

All you need to do is apply and if asked you say you are going to shoot at local clay clubs, as there will be many around you wherever you are in the cou try. If you have somewhere to shoot pests or game then great but it is not a requirement as you could just pay for shooting every season if you want. Don't start getting bogged down with land parcel sizes and things that don't need to be discussed but could be an issue if they are.

The police really need to believe you or your possession of shotguns will be a danger to yourself or others to refuse the grant.

I was just about to type almost exactly what Matt has just written.

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it and you are bringing up points which I hadn't considered.

WRT my cousins land, as I said previously, I'm unsure of its size. All I know is she keeps acouple of horses on it and she also owns an adjoining piece of land. The half acre estimate was just off the top of my head without having seen the land. In reality ot could be smaller or larger.

In your opinion, what would be the absolute minimum requirement acreage wise to satisfy the licensing people? If her land was adequate, my intention is to shoot rats and rabbits - no flying stuff (unless I saw a pigeon on the ground). As for the lay of the land, I'd have to walk it to see if it was suitable/safe to shoot on before I made any decisions. I wonder if I could do a recce, take some photos and a GE shot of it and post here for your opinions?

The idea of a pigeon shooting club is one which I hadn't thought of. I take on board what you've said about the 12 bore, but I'd still like a .410 because of the fact it's a short range weapon. I guess I might change my mind once I had the opportunity to try them out!

As for the Hushpower, no I haven't fired one but of the YouTube videos I've watched, shooters say it is no louder than an unmoderated air rifle.

Mattnall wrote:You are over thinking this.

All you need to do is apply and if asked you say you are going to shoot at local clay clubs, as there will be many around you wherever you are in the cou try. If you have somewhere to shoot pests or game then great but it is not a requirement as you could just pay for shooting every season if you want. Don't start getting bogged down with land parcel sizes and things that don't need to be discussed but could be an issue if they are.

The police really need to believe you or your possession of shotguns will be a danger to yourself or others to refuse the grant.

I was in the process of typing the last post while the other two replies were made! I didn't see them until after I'd posted.

Thanks.

Could I still use a .410 for clays? I realise it would be more of a challenge, but hey! What about a moderated gun?

Could I just go to a clay shoot without being a member? Obviously, I realise I'd have to pay

Sorry for the stupid questions, but the replies thus far have been a great help.

Get your ticket and you can have as many shotguns (of as many different bore/calibres) as you can safely store. My friend currently has around 50.
Many clay grounds are pay and play, just turn up and off you go.

Paul wrote:
Could I still use a .410 for clays? I realise it would be more of a challenge, but hey! What about a moderated gun?

Could I just go to a clay shoot without being a member? Obviously, I realise I'd have to pay

Sorry for the stupid questions, but the replies thus far have been a great help.

Once you get your SGC you can buy any gauge shotgun (within sensible and the legal limits) and shoot anywhere you are given permission.
If the clay ground will allow guests or walk-ons that shouldn't be a problem. If you want to shoot clays regularly a pre visit to introduce yourself and explain what you want would help, and if you happen to have your shotgun in the back of the vehicle as well I'm sure most grounds would say "welcome and have a go today".

As an addendum to the above, be aware that some clay clubs insist on the use of fibre wad cartridges and may not have any 410 cartridges there for you to buy so take your own.

Okay. An update and another stupid question.

I've found a clay club about forty minutes drive from my home. As a newbie you have to attend acouple of times before applying for membership.

The thing is, if I only wanted to go out and shoot a few times a year (I have an already very full work and home life) would this make any difference when applying for a SGL? Just because I had a shotgun, there would be no requirement that I use it, right? I would like to shoot as often as I was able but there could be months between sessions.

Just 'knowing' a club/having been there a few times is often enough to satisfy the FLD that you have a 'good reason' for wanting a shotgun (bearing in mind you don't lawfully have to provide a 'good reason' for an SGC and it is in fact the burden of the FLD to show you SHOULDN'T be allowed one, whereas its the other way around for an FAC).

Go to the clay club a few times, find out who runs the place/who the seceraty is etc and have the info to hand/mind when you have your interview, simples.

You don't need to specify how many times you will use any of your shotguns.
It is irrelevant to the grant process for shotgun licenses.
You will shoot it/them as many times as it is possible given your circumstances. Period.