Henry Baskerville picked up a shotgun, and a serious look crossed his face.

"I need to warn you about something," Baskerville said.

Any time I'm in a room where a man is holding a shotgun, I heed all warnings. I'm certain the serious look on my face matched that of Baskerville.

"This is fun," Baskerville said, a smile breaking across his face.

Fun? Loading and firing 28-gauge and 12-gauge over/under shotguns at clay targets, targets that would be moving toward me and across a field in front of me, targets that come out of the traps at speeds of 50-plus mph before slowing to speeds that permitted me to see them is fun?

We'll see about that.

I had come to the Cavalier Rifle and Pistol Club in western Hanover County to shoot sporting clays with Baskerville, the program director for Cavalier Sporting Clays.

Baskerville graciously agreed to add me to the list of more than 9,000 men, women and children he has taught to shoot in the 25 years he has been in the business.

"To be honest with you, I like teaching more than I like shooting," Baskerville said. "My father, who was an architect and was an excellent teacher, once told me, 'When you compete, you win for the moment. When you teach, you win forever.' "

I was amazed when I pulled the trigger on the 28-gauge shotgun and saw one of the clays, that had been intact and in midair a second earlier, shatter into pieces.

"Pull, please," Baskerville said to his 12-year-old son Matthew.

"Shoot, please," Baskerville said to me.

Crack. Shatter.

"Pull, please," Baskerville said. "Shoot, please."

Crack. Miss.

"Don't lead it," Baskerville said. "Shoot right at it. Pull, please. Shoot, please."

Crack. Shatter.

"Great, great, great, great," Baskerville said.

I have a feeling he says that to all his students.

"When the bird is coming at you, shoot at it," Baskerville said. "When it is coming across the field, then you lead it."

Baskerville, 65, is a low-key, yet extremely enthusiastic instructor. He takes a learn-while-doing approach to shooting sporting clays.

He did not sit down and give me an introductory lecture on how to handle a gun.

"You'd forget it before we started shooting," he said.

For instance, two safety factors are essential in shooting sports. First is the "attitude of the muzzle."

"Point it in a safe direction when it is loaded," Baskerville said. "For example, point it up when preparing to shoot. Point it toward the ground when the gun is loaded.

"When walking, always have the action open and exposed."

In other words, crack the barrel open and rest it over your forearm when moving from Point A to Point B.

Also, always wear eye and ear protection.

"Now, I'm going to let you shoot on your own," Baskerville said. "No. 11, please, Matthew."

And a sporting clay sped out of the trap about 30 yards away and came floating toward me.

Crack. The clay shattered.

"Pull," Baskerville said.

Crack. The clay shattered.

"Now," Baskerville said, "let's do high and low. Matthew, please send the first one high, and as soon as you release that one, send the next one low."

The clays started coming.

Bang. Shatter. Bang. Miss.

"That's all right," Baskerville said. "Some of them have to live. I tell people, 'Those are the breeders.'"

A few moments later, Baskerville, who has a degree in music from the University of Virginia, moved me to a different spot on the range. He wanted to teach me to move the gun from a waiting position to a shooting position.

I began with the butt of the stock of the gun under my armpit.

First, though, a few words on where to place the gun when shooting.

"The butt of the stock should sit in your deltopectoral groove," Baskerville said.

That is the groove just to the right, or left, of the center of your chest. If you keep the gun there while shooting, you will feel the kick -- a 12 gauge kick is more pronounced than a 28 gauge -- but the groove absorbs all the shock.

If you let the gun slip out of the groove and rest on your bicep, you will wind up with a small bruise and a sore bicep.

Trust me.

The stock should be tucked against your jaw.

"Now, when I say, 'Pull'," Baskerville said, "take that as the cue to move the gun from the ready position into shooting position."

The ready position means your feet are slightly apart, with your left foot, or right foot if you're shooting left-handed, forward. The barrel is pointing toward the sky at about a 45-degree angle.

You lean forward, but keep your front leg straight. If that's a problem, do not bend your front leg. Instead, raise your back heel.

Keep your head down and tucked against the gun.

"Pull," Baskerville said.

I moved the gun from the ready position into the shooting position and fired.

My form left something to be desired.

"Push the gun toward the bird," Baskerville said. "You're slipping the gun up. Push it forward. Squish your head against the gun.

"The interesting thing is when you start mounting and shooting, the lead you're giving the clays disappears. There is so much kinetic energy involved that it often is imparted to the barrel."

In other words, following proper form not only puts the gun where it belongs, it improves accuracy.

"Now, push the gun toward the bird," Baskerville said. "Pull."

Crack. Another clay shattered into pieces.

"Beautiful. Perfect. Absolutely wonderful," Baskerville said. "That's good fun, isn't it?"

As a matter of fact, yes.