raistrick

I agree... There's a few things like that which crop up now and again. I get uncomfortable (for want of a better word) when people use the term "weapon" instead of shotgun (has happened at a few clay shoots I've been to). Always seems odd to me, I don't ever think about my shotgun having been designed as a weapon. Cheers for the pdf link!

I wouldn't want to shoot in anything other than a skeet vest. When I first started at my club it was run by a tweed crew, who took the **** if you bought ANY kit as a beginner. Even taking the **** if you have your own ear defenders. As far as they were concerned as long as you had a warm countryside looking coat (barbour/beretta), a couple of ear plugs and some wellies you looked the part for sporting. I couldn't afford to go buying myself a lovely wax jacket at the time and primarily wanted some big pockets, so I bought a browning cartridge belt, which sure enough I got the **** taken out of me for. This wasn't really the best thing for the job and perhaps my stocky shape has something to do with it, but I used to find shooting gun down a real pain in loose fitting clothing where the stock would get caught half way up. Thankfully when that crowd moved on and I was left in charge I quickly bought a Top Gun skeet vest, proper electronic ear defenders and some protective glasses and found myself more comfortable and more accurate. Now the large majority of people who shoot regularly with us have skeet vests and I don't discourage anyone from buying or experimenting with kit. I always find if anyone has issues with clothing, gun make or style they should settle it on the scoreboard.

Well done on the straight! I've not done it either. I've shot Olympic Skeet about 4 times now and am stuck on 18! ... having trouble with taking the low house first and that damn Stand 8! Also found when I went back to English Skeet speeds I hit nothing!

I'm always shooting OSK late in the day, or in dull weather and picking up black clays is so much harder than orange - especially against winter foliage (or whatever). They should ALL be orange clays and the few colourblind people could just buy some orange lenses Had no idea it was a problem though, good to know!

Is that the closest ground to Chippenham? Parents have lived in Chippenham since I was 5 and never knew any shooting ever went on other than at a game fair out near Lacock. Would be nice to know where is best around there too for when I visit.

I wasn't planning on doing cos I've not received any details about it through AU/facebook/anywhere. When is it? Probably a little late to get support for it now, but I'll certainly email everyone and see what I can do.

Argh, I share the feeling. Not been in nearly 2 weeks as I bumped my car and need to pay the excess... I'm dying to get back practicing. That said, I'm finding playing Athens 2004: Olympic Skeet on the Playstation 2 helps! (Although it annoys me they shoot gun up and the rules are wrong!)

Agree best value for money I've found so far is Hull Comp X 21gram... kind of like them being black too... don't know why

Anyone here ever notice shot pattern variances? To me it always seems theoretical. I've noticed a difference between chokes, and a difference in shot weight (although most of that is recoil), but never worried about the actual pattern of the shot.

Every trap shooter I know use Eleys

I'm curious, does anyone use the mental imagery on a regular basis and see an improvement? I was thinking of doing it for OSK. I've a friend who is told by her high performance coach to imagine herself fencing and winning points to positively reinforce the mental side of her game. Apparently, it was tested on Basketball players in America: one half of the study spent an hour a day shooting baskets the other half spent an hour a day imagining shooting baskets. The set that imagined the baskets saw a much bigger improvement. Think the theory goes that because you never miss a basket in your head you remember correct technique every time and that somehow gives you the edge when you come to shoot for real, be it through confidence, focus or lack of bad habits.

Litts' Treetops is good. There's also south wales 2000. I don't know of any others.

Aye, think it's just a tapering matter and getting a longer taper from the same barrel. Just ensures that the shot isn't funnelled too quickly, which could cause less regular shot patterns. Although some are extended because they are ported, which is a different effect and not one I've tried.

Being a beginner interested in Skeet myself I'd say the cheapest... which for us is Hull 21gram - (I'd think for skeet 21 gram is all you need to learn, if you miss it's generally cos you weren't aiming at it) From what I hear 24 gram is the maximum for skeet (and helps as it gives less recoil, i guess), most trap shooters I know do 28s... I'd also only use 24s for sporting, but I'm sure its all personal preference - we were always given 28s for tournaments. One piece of advice I was given though was to only do one discipline at a time as a beginner. So I'm sticking to olympic skeet and only do sporting for a bit of fun.

I can't see why they would want to take them out... just use the cylinder surely? Can't you even get negative chokes now that widen towards the end? Sounds crazy.