A visit to West London Shooting School
Jasper Fellows is guided around the historic grounds of the West London Shooting School by Mark Heath, its general manager
Few grounds can match the rich history of West London Shooting School. Since opening its doors to the public in 1901 the school and its legendary instructors have helped to write the book on modern shooting sports. This deep history, and intimate knowledge of all things shooting, allows West London to push every aspect of the expansive grounds to the next level.
Take the shotgun sports, for example. There are more than 100 traps across the perfectly manicured grounds, each throwing a variety of Sporting targets designed to be both challenging and enjoyable. These are complemented by an array of high towers, ranging from 40ft to 130ft, which present a wide selection of simulated game. Toplevel tuition is available across all of the clay targets on offer, with lessons designed to match the needs of the individual client.
West London’s simulated days push the shotgun opportunities further and show off the target setters’ skills. “Our simulated days are designed to mirror the real thing as closely as possible,” says Mark Heath, who manages the grounds and serves as chief instructor. “Our full days take place at the Great Tew Estate and provide everything you would expect from a full day in the field, with the assurance of quality targets every time.”
Rifle range
There’s plenty for shotgun enthusiasts to enjoy on and off the estate. But West London is a shooting school for all shooting sport enthusiasts, not just shotgunners.
“Our on-site John Rigby & Co Rifle
Range is made up of one five-lane 100m range, with a running boar target, and one 200m range,” explains Mark. While a range with a running target is a rare treat in the UK, it is West London’s excellent gun library that, once again, pushes it to the next level.
“We have 12 rifles available for use,” says Mark. “These range from .17 HMR to .416, with both bolt-actions and double rifles available. The rifles feature a wide range of sighting options, from open sights to optics from Leica and Swarovski, and we even have a red dot sight on the .270 for use on the running boar.”
These rifles are available to students at no extra cost and lessons are available to all. “Our Introduction to Rifles course is the best place for a novice to start,” explains Mark. “This one-day course covers all the basic theory, safety practices and etiquette while also getting an opportunity to put the theory to practice on our rifle range.
“For more experienced shooters, we can tailor the lesson to suit the skill level and goals of the client. Many of our clients shoot live quarry, either in the UK or abroad. Fortunately, our instructors are all active rifle Shots with plenty of experience shooting a wide variety of game across the globe.”
If time on the range has inspired you to take to the field, then West London’s sporting agency, Glorious Game, can help. “Through Glorious Game, we are able to provide a wide array of shoots. From stalking within an hour and half of London to partridge shooting in Spain, we have something for everyone.”
The variety of shooting sports provided by West London is impressive, as is the selection of guns on offer in the Sportarm Gunroom.
“Sportarm is our retail partner,” says Mark. “They look after the shop so that we can
concentrate on teaching and events, but we still work very closely with them. Sportarm’s knowledgeable staff can help clients make informed choices when selecting a new shotgun or rifle, then the school can provide professional fitting services using our extensive array of try guns or help with rifle zeroing on our ranges.”
The idea of joining forces to create a better all-round experience for the client defines West London Shooting School. By pooling knowledge, and being open to all shooting sports, the school is able to push each of its facilities to the next level and offer more than the sum of its parts. “We have a relaxed, welcoming feel,” concludes Mark. “But we never sit still and are always looking to provide something extra for our visitors.”