loomer Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Greetings all. Been lurking here a while, and as I'm hopefully putting a deposit on a gun tomorrow I thought I'd introduce myself and see what the opinion was. I've been shooting for about 18 months as often as I can afford it, and after talking the missus round finally applied for my SGC about 8 weeks ago, so it should be dropping on the doormat any day now. I have found a Lanber 28" M/C for sale, with a few bits and pieces thrown in for £425. It is a lovely clean gun, and seems to fit right, I was concerned it was a bit light at 7lb 6oz, but dry mounting the gun feels very natural. Any words of warning before I part with my hard earned cash tomorrow? Mainly been shooting at Northall and Southdown GC, but am happy to venture to most places if any shooters in the Sussex area have any recommendations. Went out for the first time in two months yesterday and hit 43ex70, which I was reasonably happy with on what I was told was a difficult layout at Northall in the wind and rain. Advice or tips are welcome, I really struggled with a L-R crosser (may have been a teal, don't really know all the names yet) which emerged above some trees, couldn't get near it. Anyway, enough waffling. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste eibar Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Welcome to the watch. The lanber sound's like a fair deal but have a look at a few more gun's before you spend your hard earned cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted June 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 I've been looking at all sorts for a while now. I would love a Miroku or Beretta 686, but the ones I like are all out of my price range, the cheaper models I have picked up just don't feel right, and I would rather start with something that fits rather than buy something for the name on the side. It was based on quite a few threads in here that I started looking at the Lanbers, they seem to be strongly recommended as a budget starter gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 If you look hard you will get a Beretta 686 for £600ish, nowt wrong with your Lanber - I have 2 in my cabinet, but a bit pricy unless its a Gold Sporting Delux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitclays Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 i agree its a bit expensive i picked one up a month ago for £110. not in brilliant condition but good enough.in two years time it will still be worth what i paid for it. if your happy with it , go for it.happy shooting loomer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citori1 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 (edited) Hi loomer Don't worry about weight at 7lb 6oz , I've been shooting for years with a beretta that weighed 7lb 7oz and just traded it for a Browning Citori that weighs 6 3/4 lb! No probs whatsoever! Tip for you . If you find recoil an issue with 28g loads , use 24grm. I have been using 24grm for 2 years now.. With no adverse affect on scores. The ligher load produces less muzzle flip, so you will find the second shot on close pairs or skeet much easier. Also met a bloke at my local club once who had been shooting all his life, and it had taken it's toll on his right shoulder , so he was now having to a Shoot left handed with a 20g! Don't want to put you off or anything.. And that's an extreme case .. But try the 24grm loads like gamebore blue diamond, express high velocity or eley first.. You won't be disappointed! All the best! Edited June 21, 2011 by Citori1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted June 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Cheers for the tips, Citori. I'm not too concerned about the relative light weight producing too much recoil at the moment. I was shooting with a 7lb 7oz 682E at the weekend and it was fine. Oddly enough, I put a dozen through an 8lb 3oz 525 and the increase in recoil was unbelievable. Put the deposit down on the Lanber now, so I suppose I should get in the Guns and Equipment forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citori1 Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 The difference you felt in recoil could be down to the balance in the gun. All relative , but I'm sure you'll enjoy the first shot with your new gun! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 For what it's worth, as I don't shoot a lot of clays any more. The heavier the gun the better. I make this statement from a clay shooting point of view especially when shooting 'pairs'. L to R crossers, if you are a right handed shooter, are against your natural swing and therefore need as much as twice the lead (assuming a similar bird R to L) as with your natural swing i.e. R to L. A gun costing £100 will 'kill' just as well as one costing £100000 BUT fit is everything if you want to improve those scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) Left to right crosser,eh! Now, I'm hundreds of miles away and have no idea where you mount your gun. Consequently, bin this if appropriate. If you shoot from the right shoulder, try mounting the gun as normal. Hold it still and close right eye and if it moves off the target (left eye open) move it back to the target. Now open right eye closing left. Note the difference. If the sight picture did not alter when you closed your right eye, it may well be that you have a dominant left eye. Hopefully, you will have noted that as the barrels would be behind the target if it was going to the right that's where you probably would have missed. Because it's more usual to miss behind, when someone says they can't hit crossers going right but have no problem in the other direction its because the problem is made worse in the former but the effect is actually beneficial in the latter and it's a good clue to what the problem may well be. If all checks out fine, ie, right eye is dominant, then try a practice swing and you may find it's easier swinging to the left so for a right going target try a bit more effort even if it means that you think you may be giving too much lead. Edit: My apologies to Highlander. As said before, I don't type too fast and you weren't there when I started. Edited June 22, 2011 by wymberley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Edit: My apologies to Highlander. As said before, I don't type too fast and you weren't there when I started. You should know by now...I'm always there, it's just you weren't looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 My left eye is dominant. Which is a bit of a pain. Rightly or wrongly, I try to see the bird with both eyes open, then close my left at the last minute. I was trying to give it as much lead as possible, but I think I may need to spend some time on some stands that I really struggle with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markw77 Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Hi Loomer Anohter newbie here (both to shooting and this forum). I notice in your first note you only expect 8 weeks for your SGC - I was thinking mine would be be the same timescales. In the end it took 5 months - that is Glucestershire for you though and I am guessing all geos are different. Finally got my gun though and have just started shooting. Still rubbish but this forum has some brilliant advice. I notice someone spoke about 28/24g - I was with an instructor the other week and he used the Extreme 21g and he said just as good and recoil is hardly anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Markw77 - 5 months, ouch! Feel your pain there buddy. I live in Glos on the edge of the 'wolds and my FEO is still the Avon and Somerset one, very strange. For good value cartridges that are lower on recoil, try the Hull Comp X 21gram cartridges. Brilliant load for a lighter gun especially if it has more open chokes, to do with the pattern apparently but that's when my eyes glaze over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 I notice in your first note you only expect 8 weeks for your SGC - I was thinking mine would be be the same timescales. In the end it took 5 months - that is Glucestershire for you though and I am guessing all geos are different. I bumped into the FEO about a week or two ago, as he lives locally. He said that he was 99% sure the application would have no problem and should be through by the end of the month. May be longer though, as I have heard this week that there are a lot of SGCs being processed at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markw77 Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Loomer - wasnt trying to be be negative - I know each area is different and in Cirencester we have one PC who covers all the north Cotswolds. When he did mine he was saying that he had a load of renewals and that was holding him up. I expected that from the interview/inspection it would be about a week but that took another month, and that was me chasing. On the other hand, my son - who only lives a short distance from me got his all done and dusted in 4 weeks the year before. He does work on a farm so maybe he got priority I guess its a lottery in some respects. Anyway, hope you get it soon Thunderbird - Someone else recommended the Hull Comp so was gonna get some from my gun shop but they didnt have any in at the time. There was a rumour that cartridges were about to go up so did panic buy and bought 1,000 of the Extreme 28g. I was buying them in 250 slabs before so a tad expensive. I have Not tried them yet so not sure what they are like. Gonna try them and different chokes this weekend after a recommendation from another member on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Ian Coley's have them for £154 a thousand for fibre, that's not far from you at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markw77 Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Thunderbird Just bought a 1,000 Extreme at £164 from him as he had no Hull Comp X in and I was panicked into buying them as told they were about to go up £15-£20 a 1,000. Will try the Hull's next time. Is Fibre OK - I bought Plastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAsh Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 As you are new to shooting I would suggest you leave playing around with the chokes for a latter date, just use 1/4 or less and when you can hit most then consider chokes, if the gun is constant, the cartridges and chokes constant, then the only variable is you and your mount and that should improve with time You would not go changing your cars suspension when learning to drive, but after a while you may have enough experience to be able to tell the difference in tweaking this or that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Thunderbird Just bought a 1,000 Extreme at £164 from him as he had no Hull Comp X in and I was panicked into buying them as told they were about to go up £15-£20 a 1,000. Will try the Hull's next time. Is Fibre OK - I bought Plastic Absolutely plastic is OK provided you are shooting at a ground that allows them. Many smaller (sometimes known as 'straw bale') shoots insist on fibre wads so the farmer doesn't have loads of plastic ones all over the place. In fact plastic is the general choice of the competitor, if permissible. Where are you planning on shooting locally? There are some good weekend sporting shoots around here where a few PW'ers go. Edited June 23, 2011 by Thunderbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 As you are new to shooting I would suggest you leave playing around with the chokes for a latter date, just use 1/4 or less and when you can hit most then consider chokes, if the gun is constant, the cartridges and chokes constant, then the only variable is you and your mount and that should improve with time You would not go changing your cars suspension when learning to drive, but after a while you may have enough experience to be able to tell the difference in tweaking this or that On the other hand, you wouldn't serve soup in a basket. The cartridge and choke need to reflect the target. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 On the other hand, you wouldn't serve soup in a basket. The cartridge and choke need to reflect the target. I'm genuinely interested in this aspect of shooting as I'm at the decision time of whether to close or open my chokes a bit, are there any rules of thumb on this or is each target different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 I'm genuinely interested in this aspect of shooting as I'm at the decision time of whether to close or open my chokes a bit, are there any rules of thumb on this or is each target different? Hi, I'm only on this thread because I recognised that the OP very likely had a left dominant eye and so it turned out. Although I may know a little, barely more than enough to be dangerous, about clays, we have a couple of knowledgeable guys on here so it's better to leave the complexities to them. I do know a tad more about the choke requirements for live quarry (will PM my qualifications) so if that is of interest sing out and we can get something sorted if you so wish. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Cheers for that, more to do with clays at the moment to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markw77 Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 Thunderbird I have shot a couple of times at Ian Coley's as I like the idea of being able to practice "solo" as currently its embarassing the amount I miss Next stage I think is a few lessons but trying to work out things myself at the moment. I have thought about the one up at the Country Wide store on the A419/417 near the lakes as they shoot every other Sunday whereas Coley's is not open on a Sunday. The only issue at this place is that you have to be in a pair and waiting for my boy to get a day off from the farm to line up with the shooting day. Actually got a day off today to go up to Coley's and try my luck...... Let me know where you shoot and maybe can hook up sometime whilst the weather is good Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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