How did we do today - Part 3

[Mungler]

Put in 45/50 at the local shoot and got beaten by 46/50 I think. Could have done better but the shoulder was quite bruised - too hot for jacket / vest. Also face bruised and sun burnt of all things from yesterday.

 

It is quite frightening just how much I enjoyed yesterday and looked forward to the day and the build up.... roll on the next one.

[peter-peter]

It is on the road between Mersea and colchester, I work in tiptree and if you want to come then I can meet you just off the A12 and you can follow me, As long as you can keep up with a Discovery

 

Nearest place likely to have a postcode will be the Langenhoe Lion Pub.

 

It is £10 a round for guests, £7 for members but it costs £25 to join plus a £30 joining fee. So unless you are going to shoot there every week it isn't worth joining. Plus there is a waiting list about as long a 3 arms.

 

SS,

 

Yes I agree not a very good performance at Tollesbury, They had 6 stands this time and one of them Springing teal (Mini's off a manual trap with the spring wound up as much as they could get.) I shot 5 on there. They had a quartering going away up the gap in the trees, that I just couldn't find, and it had to be the one stand where there was 5 pairs, the other stands were 4 pairs.

 

They have got into the habit of throwing Rabbit clays up in the air as flying rabbits, which are breakable but are not easy. And also using battues a lot which means using the force a lot more.

little tip for rabbits start with gun lower than the rabbit track,

if he jumps your gun will automatically rise to the occasion. 1 dead flying rabbit

[MC]

Peter,

 

I didn't mean rabbits that jump, I meant they throw rabbit clays up in the air. They had one a few weeks ago that was like a squirrel that hopped accross the tops of the trees.

 

Thanks for the tip anyway.

[MC]

Where were you tonight SS?,

 

I shot the Blackwater Clay club tonight at Radcliffes shooting ground, finished on 25/30. Only 3 stands with 5 pairs on each but a good set up.

 

Missed 1 rabbit on the first stand, 1 incomer on the second and then 1 driven and 2 rangey crossers on the 3rd.

 

Roll on saturday and sunday

[pin]

Went to West London to have a look, nice little ground.

 

Shot 4 rounds of skeet (23/23/25/24) then 40 compact sporting (37!) and then had a go at fitasc for the first time.

 

Fitasc is class, shot 20ex25 which I was over the moon with! I can see me wanting to have another go at that

 

Then met up with Gully to shoot sporting at the A1. Oh dear

 

I think I shot 54ex100. That's after slagging it off for not being difficult (which it isn't I just shot like a plank).

 

Got my **** kicked well and truly, well shot Nick! I think he carded a 68, and he's not shooting regularly. Really showed me how it was done today

[NorfolkBoy]

What's the format for Compact sporting? I is not familiar....

 

Edited..... Oh....its five stand....which I am familiar with..

 

Move along there nothing to see here.....

[Gully]

You're very kind Pin but not telling the full story. 2 stands were closed so we shot 80 'proper' targets and after them I was on 51/80 and Pin on 48/80. WE still had 55 clays left so went back the bogey stands to use them up. We'd had problems with a pair of driven birds off a low tower and with a distant crosser. After 5 pairs of the driven and 10 solo crossers the score was me on 62/100 and Pin on 48. I only hit 2 of the crossers despite hitting nearly all of them the first time round (with 1/4 choke) I do think that skeet was too open and there were probably holes in the pattern.

[pin]

Regards that crosser, I have to disagree on the choke front. Ok it took me way to long to find the bloody thing, but once I did it was getting dusted at that range with Skeet.

 

Around the edges of the pattern there will be larger gaps than with a tighter choke. The problem with that bird was neither of us could reliably hit it second time around until we ran out of birds - I still think skeet was enough, it looked far but I wouldn't have said it was anything more than 35 yards away.

 

I used to be one for tighter chokes but having seen people like Cat and BTMS hit some cracking long birds with more open chokes I have changed my mind.

 

I think you were hitting it more reliably than me, and you might be right about the pattern thing, but on those occasions I think you might have either been slightly behind, infront, above or below - it isn't much at those ranges to miss a bird like that.

 

You were using d&j carts too, I have to say I never liked those and they pattern terribly in my gun, perhaps they were not well suited to the skeet choke? Pattern it and see next time you have a chance?

[Gully]

I haven't had much luck with the D&J plastic wads. I prefer to use the fibres that I've got in at the moment. Down to the last 100 D&J's, so I'm in the market for a new plastic wad.

[pin]

I use express HV plastic in 7.5, 8 and 9 but I prefer eley superb in 9's for skeet.

[Catamong]

Gully,

 

If, as Pin says, the birds were 35 yards away, they were most definitely NOT sailing through your pattern unbroken.

 

More likely you were behind them, or possibly over the top..??

 

Keep plugging away with those open chokes, you can't go wrong with Express cartridges, but don't use fibre, serious clay shooters always use plaswads, because they throw a better pattern.

 

And very well done to Pin for a cracking performance at West London, that 40 bird Compact layout is seriously hard, and to shoot a 37 is bloody good going..!!

 

Cat.

[Gully]

More like 50 yards minimum if you ask me

 

We both shot the whole lot using skeet + 1/4 I think, nothing was unhittable. I had a learning experience when I shot the high tower at Holland & Holland, those clays were in outer space but I was smashing them up with 1/4 choke.

 

I use plastic when I can, but keep a stock of fibres for when they're not allowed and I do seem to shoot better with Rio fibres 28g No 8's than the same size/load D&J plastics. I'll have to ask Pin where he gets his express so cheap.

 

We shot 17 straight of the same target and hit about 5 each. I shot several in the same place with totally mixed results.

[pin]

Dunno about 50yds Might be a smidge longer than 35, 40 MAX I don't know many grounds who throw birds past 40 yds

 

Mind, there was a curling low flung midi on the new FITASC @ west London and that was MILES out, about 15 foot in front and 3 foot below it to hit that fella

[Suffolk shooter]

Keep plugging away with those open chokes, you can't go wrong with Express cartridges, but don't use fibre, serious clay shooters always use plaswads, because they throw a better pattern.

 

Cat.

 

Cat,

 

I am no expert as you know, but I believe your statement may be based on your own experience and not actual fact. Recent tests carried out by one of the shooting Mags showed that in fact fibre wads pattern the same if not better than plaswads.

 

I have to agree with you though I personally find that I hit more with plaswads than fibre/felt.

 

Could it be a mind thing just like make of cartridge, shot size, load size, chokes, cast of stock, make of gun, ground, type of bird shown etc. etc. etc.......................................................................?

 

SS

[Catamong]

SS,

 

Yes, you're right, there's no science whatsoever behind my claims, however, on the very rare occasions that I've had to use fibre at events where plaswads are banned I've found that for me, they simply don't break the long birds like a plaswad shell does.

 

You've got to break those long birds in order to be in with a chance of winning, and that's where the fibre wad shells have let me down, I'm convinced the pattern opens up too early, and is "blown" by the time it gets to +40yds.

 

I'll keep an eye open today at Ham Cross in Wiltshire to see how many good shots are using fibre.

 

Cat.

[MC]

I shot the Beckingham Bell clay shoot this morning and again took high gun on 45/50 albeit shared with two others, I also had the foresight to join this week so I came away with a bottle of vodka.

 

It was also a pairs competition with the pairs picked at random, I got paired with a guy who shot a 44 so come the end of the year there will be a piece of silverware on my mantelpiece.

[Suffolk shooter]

Excellant result MC, wish I could have been there, but you know what it's like.

 

CAT, I honestly don't dispute your theory, but not having the machinary to be able to calibrate/calculate results between Fibre and plastic wads, I have to assume that the various magazines are correct in their results

 

Do you think if it wasn't for the additional cost of fibre wads in comparison to plastic wads, that maybe more people might shoot them or do you think that too many people are stuck in their ways to change.

 

Might be you're right though about the pattern opening up at 40+ yds, but then again the same could be said for using sket chokes out to that range, holes in pattern and all that B)

 

Having seen BTMS hit that long range crosser at the EM, says to me that if you are in the right place at the right time then the shot will break the clay.

 

IMHO too much is made about shot and load size, add to that how much antimony is used to harden it and then you put the choke size/length/ported/non ported & barrel length selection into the equation and you can see a nightmare scenario forming in peoples minds.

 

I'll use Pin as an example as he put a recent post on here that shows what I mean. Now I've only shot with Pin a handful of times, but he seems more than able to break the majority of clays be they close, crossing, driven, distance, rabbits etc. and I bet upto recently he went around using 7/7.5's in 28gram of a cartridge manufacturer of his choice, possibly using 1/4 and half chokes.

 

Now after recent meetings and discussions between a number of people both on here and at recent meet ups, I note how he is changing not only his chokes but also his shot size. Now whilst I can see the logic behind going from 7/7.5's to 8's, just to put that bit of extra lead in the shot string, not sure why as he was breaking the clays previosuly with 7/7.5's, why change something that isn't broke in terms of chokes.

 

Pin (And I apologise now for making you the example mate ), maybe due to his engineering background/mindset, is breaking things down and IMHO over complicating things which may not only affect his scores, for better and worse, but also his conficdence, which then in all possibility leads to further over complication and what ifs, than if he stayed doing what he was doing.

 

I have just realised that over the last few months my fault has been to try and analyse everything I do and to try and find the cause of, lets face it, some disastrous scores. Instead I should have just gone out to enjoy myself and by having a lesson with Richard Ford, he highlighted one main area that caused me to miss second birds either Sims or O/R my glasses. He then noted that whilst the cast was right on the gun the comb was a tad too low causing again me to miss over the top. Now I have these two things in my head I feel relaxed knowing that until I can afford to change either my glasses or the comb, I will have to accept my scores. However once I have had these done, I will then once again try to dramatically improve upon recent efforts and then fine tune simple things that he may find.

 

At the end of the day the reason that Messers Digweed and Faulds are so successful is that they shoot like robots, they don't worry about choke, shot size/load and all the other things.

 

As I say only my opinion, but a valid one I feel nontheless.

 

SS

[Mungler]

SS your posts are far too long these days, relax.

 

Met the Stalker and Jerico on Saturday at my local in Billericay - nice blokes and hope they will be back.

 

Looking forward to the return (Sunday) Corringham visit.

 

Shot 46/50 yesterday and 44/50 today.

[MC]

I am going to stir the mudheap over all this *****Y nonsense over chokes/cartridges fiasco.

 

Don't believe a word of it, there isn't many clays thrown on any sporting layouts that cannot be hit with a maximum of 1/4 choke.

 

Today at the Bell shoot they threw a pair of fast quartering going away birds which at best were 35yards out when the first was shot, the second was about 45-50 yards out, I cleanly smashed 7/10 of them using Epress World Cup 7.5's.

 

You can get a tighter or looser pattern at different ranges by using a different shot size, not a tighter choke.

 

I will admit to standing and watching several of this particular clay missed time and time again and was thinking about changing to 3/4 and full. I didn't and just used 7.5's.

 

I regurlarly use World Cup in 8's as they are a very fast cartridge (1500fps) and hold a tight pattern, so through improved cylinder and quarter chokes they are an awesome combination.

 

As Richard Ford told Jamie at Parkford, shooting isn't a thinking mans sport. It is instinctive, thinking just makes it harder.

 

My advice to anyone is find a cartridge that you are happy with, that suits your gun (I have never shot at a pattern plate in my life) and stick to it. Put cyl and 1/4 in your gun and just keep shooting.

[pin]

Jamie - the theory with 7.5's was they are larger and were needed to kill longer birds.

 

I hadn't seen a long bird, I just thought I had

 

When I see people breaking clays convincingly with 9's I don't see the point in disadvantaging myself by using numerically less led spheres when I don't need to.

 

On the choke front I have changed recently to rhino ported chokes, and having seen them in action (Cat shooting not me) then tried them, and finally patterning them I know 1/4 rhino chokes throw a pattern more akin to the Beretta 1/2 choke.

 

The Skeet/Skeet or Skeet/Quarter combination is lethal, and other than when I miss I have not seen a bird yet that the rhino quarter can't break

 

Looks like faffing, most people probably see it as faffing, but I am confident that there is a big difference between skeet and quarter in those chokes, so I will be changing away and won't be worrying about what anybody else says

 

As for varying carts, if its close in and moving I will use 9's, if its further away I will use 8's. If its that long rabbit on stand 12 green course at the essex masters I will again use 32g of No6 and destroy every one B)

[Suffolk shooter]

John,

 

Sorry to use you as an example, but given your recent posts, it was the only thing I could think of at the time. Given that I must admit and did indeed post againest the EM post that I wish I had my skeet gun.

 

It is as I say all in the head and about confidence.

 

Cheers B)

[pin]

Reading back what I said it would seem I was "hitting back" which wasn't intended.

 

More than happy for you to use me as an example, mind if you'd seen me shoot this afternoon you'd have picked someone else B)

 

Shot ok in the morning, only a poor round of DTL probably cost me a trophy 20ex25 then crossing pigeon 23ex25 - I think I might have lost out by one bird - never mind

[tosspot]

Not going to get involved in the choke/shell/antimony/barrel length thingy coz it's getting interminably dull

 

As the title of this thread suggests this is how i got on today:

 

Met up with catamong and jonsey at Ham Cross in classic carrot crunching territory

 

jonsey brought her posse (yes POSSE you pervs) with her and all i can say is that one or two of them were erm...slightly out there, i haven't been so amused in ages. (were they really relatives jonsey)

 

anyhow the venue was wonderful the weather kind if a bit bright

 

started on the pool shoot with cat as we waited for the others, cat nearly straighting it but missing a pair right near the end for a 18ex20 myself the best i could manage was a 17

 

started the main shoot at 11.00 and while the stands were technically challenging there was no ridiculous long edge on stuff but enough just to trip you up now and again

 

one of the downers for the day was the queing at each stand 14 in total with a twenty minute wait being the norm and by the time we'd got to stand 11 time was getting on and the trap promptly broke taking 45 mins for our group to get the stand done, cat by this time had had enough and had to get going not completing his card and although by his own high standards had dropped a few more than he'd of liked a steady round nethertheless. Ended the round proper at 4.15 phew what a marathon for 120 birds and to be quite honest too long and the last few stands were a chore not a pleasure.

 

jonsey carded a 80 i believe myself a 94 but both felt an extra 12/15 birds went begging very cheaply

 

where as the shoot itself maybe left a bit to be desired, the company was good (as always) and i look forward to doing it again, although probably somewhere different B)

 

cheers TP

[Evil Elvis]

B)

Met the Stalker and Jerico on Saturday at my local in Billericay - nice blokes and hope they will be back.

 

Looking forward to the return (Sunday) Corringham visit.

 

Nice to meet you too dude, will def be back, Ill let you know when the Thurrock one is on next.

[Jonsey]

Tosspot, great to see you again yesterday.

 

Some would say, we're all related in Wiltshire B) They were all on the quiet side yesterday too because i'd told them all to behave as we had guests shooting with us.

 

It was good day, can't fault the targets at all every stand was steady, we were just plagued by trap problems which meant that 5 hours later we were just shooting the last couple of stands, by which time we were all losing the will to live.

 

I definately left 10 targets out there, all on the last 4 stands too

 

We were chatting afterwards and the plan is Southdown in the next few weeks which I know is on your doorstep TP so we'll catch you there.

 

Cat, I've got your card from yesterday. When you left you were on 87% so not too shoddy eh?

 

Jonsey