oozelumbird Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 The dreaded Claymate, for those in the dark, its a system which counts the number of clays fired. Love them or hate them it seems there here to stay as more grounds adopt the system. From what i can tell the problems are:- 1/You can be charged for no birds 2/Expensive to 'see' a bird before you take aim 3/You get charged for shots where the clay is impossible to shoot, such as when the clay is flying in the sun. On the plus side. 1/Stops people taking the ****. 2/Makes the ground more profitable which in the long run is better for the members in the some cases. 3/If your trusted no one bothers with the odd extra clay. It would be interesting to know what members of this forum thought about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 same old thing nobody wants to give you any thing nower days, it all getting tight out there.they will want you to pay for the toilet soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 most grounds sub 10% from your total and charge for that, this allows mroe than enough for breakages and tbh, 10 birds is not the end of the world, although i do agree i think they should be free. i much preffer this system, ive used several different versions of it, not certain the clay mate is the best, but i do preffer this than having a 'boy' with you who tells you your 'poking' at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duster Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 My local place uses them. Personally it is the only system I have ever known, I really don't have a problem with it. Once you've shot your load, and handed the counter in for payment, I am always asked "how many breakages?". The guy usually knocks 10 or 15 off, out of maybe 160/180 clays. I have to say that the traps at this place (Cluny Clays) are very reliable, with the exception of the 2 rabbits. If anyone finds a way of zeroing or hacking the counetr, please let me know! Always been tempted to try shorting out a few of the pins........ Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkBoy Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 but i do preffer this than having a 'boy' with you who tells you your 'poking' at it. And I thought I was the only one 'blessed' with this ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 In theory - they seem good. In practice - awful. Last two grounds I have been to where they are used are Kelbrook and Worsley. Awful targets. Worsley - into the sun. Kelbrook - you are shooting at next door's targets. I have never had the extra 10%. I have always lost out. Will not go to these again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gully Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 I quite like Claymate. Round my area I have a choice of Claymate at Broomhills or a pay in advance system at A1. At Broomhills I can do what I want and shoot 100 against a mate. At A1, you go in, pay £24, get 110 clays then waste about 20 so you end up shooting 90 or 92 or something. Annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismpullbang Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 they use them at doveridge, but they tend to be quite leniant over breakages etc. they dont bother with them on big selection shoots and comps as the stands are manned but they're not that bad, i can see why the grounds would wat to save money lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oozelumbird Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 There is the added benefit of being able to shoot by yourself, with claymate you simple press the sole button and you get a 5 secound delay. Great if you are on your own or teaching. As for the benefit of no trapper, there not all bad and they do normally get treated like sh*y by some. That said they can be **** and mess up on purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Once you've shot your load Something you're not telling me, Stu? I'll be watchin' U next time we're out at the clays, matey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markio Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I don't really have a problem with them. The solo shoot is a nice option as i can turn up to a ground on a whim and get a couple of rounds in. Regarding no birds, i had a couple at St Osyth but if the counter say 78 then he just charges for 3 rounds. I guess that's down to each ground though. Also if the bird is flying into the sun then that's just tough, i mean when you're in the cage can't you look up and see that the sun is shining at you?!? But i have to agree with the point about seeing a pair before you shoot. Tricky one that but if you ask top see a pair on every stand (say 10 stands) then you've nearly let off an whole rounds worth of clays. And lets face it, these grounds are a business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I don't really have a problem with them. The solo shoot is a nice option as i can turn up to a ground on a whim and get a couple of rounds in. Regarding no birds, i had a couple at St Osyth but if the counter say 78 then he just charges for 3 rounds. I guess that's down to each ground though. Also if the bird is flying into the sun then that's just tough, i mean when you're in the cage can't you look up and see that the sun is shining at you?!? But i have to agree with the point about seeing a pair before you shoot. Tricky one that but if you ask top see a pair on every stand (say 10 stands) then you've nearly let off an whole rounds worth of clays. And lets face it, these grounds are a business. I'm afraid that's not the way it works at some grounds, i.e. Lakenheath, I shot 2 rounds of solo skeet there a few weeks back, I shot only 50 targets and had no broken birds, yet when I unplugged the counter it was reading 52. I took it into the office and they charged me for 52 clays @ 24p each, despite me arguing I'd only shot 50. When I said "what if you do get a no bird?", the reply was, "you pay for what is on the counter". I won't be shooting solo skeet there again. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I agree that Lakenheath are robbing B******ds, as well, THey have signs up saying "if you are pressing you are paying" the second time we shot there we had loads of no birds and despite us telling Mr Polanski he only told the office about some of them. We had to argue a bit then. Braintree are excellent, they always ask how many no birds, and normally knock off more than you tell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I don't really have a problem with them. The solo shoot is a nice option as i can turn up to a ground on a whim and get a couple of rounds in. Regarding no birds, i had a couple at St Osyth but if the counter say 78 then he just charges for 3 rounds. I guess that's down to each ground though. Also if the bird is flying into the sun then that's just tough, i mean when you're in the cage can't you look up and see that the sun is shining at you?!? But i have to agree with the point about seeing a pair before you shoot. Tricky one that but if you ask top see a pair on every stand (say 10 stands) then you've nearly let off an whole rounds worth of clays. And lets face it, these grounds are a business. I'm afraid that's not the way it works at some grounds, i.e. Lakenheath, I shot 2 rounds of solo skeet there a few weeks back, I shot only 50 targets and had no broken birds, yet when I unplugged the counter it was reading 52. I took it into the office and they charged me for 52 clays @ 24p each, despite me arguing I'd only shot 50. When I said "what if you do get a no bird?", the reply was, "you pay for what is on the counter". I won't be shooting solo skeet there again. Cat. Be fair Cat, there are signs up saying you pay for what you use. If there are repeated broken clays there, you are to inform them (the trap loaders) straight away and they will radio through to the office to get those knocked off the count. We did it when we went to Lakenheath with Alison391 and got 15 or so knocked off. I appreciate though it is harder to do if in a discipline sport such as skeet and if the counter is adding on its own. SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 SS, You haven't read my post, I say again, I didn't have any broken or no birds, nor did I view any bird before shooting, I can assure you only 50 clays left those traps, (unless at Lakenheath they shoot 26 bird skeet..??), and yet they charged me for 52 clays...?? If they nobble every shooter for one extra clay per round, they're doing pretty well..?? Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 SS, You haven't read my post, I say again, I didn't have any broken or no birds, nor did I view any bird before shooting, I can assure you only 50 clays left those traps, (unless at Lakenheath they shoot 26 bird skeet..??), and yet they charged me for 52 clays...?? If they nobble every shooter for one extra clay per round, they're doing pretty well..?? Cat. Cat, I did read your post hence I put..... ".....and if the counter is adding on its own." SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 SS, My apologies............I obviously didn't read your post properly..!! They're still a curse, shooting's becoming expensive enough as it is, without being screwed for targets you never even had the opportunity to shoot at. The Claymate advert in Pull mag says, (aimed at ground owners), "How many clays have you given away today..??", it should read "How many shooters can you roger today..??" Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Cat, I totally agree with you on that one, however as Markio said if you want to do solo shooting it cant be that bad really. Should just charge a set price though for Skeet/DTL/ABT and Sporting, trouble is though if you had no birds how or who would count them and knock them off accordingly. ALso you no people would take advantage of the situation. Who hasn't gone to a club shoot with auto traps (Not claymate) and had a couple extra for practise knowing they have only been charged for say 50 birds anyway. Do that on ten stands x 2 and suddenly its twenty birds. Each shooter doing it and before you know it ever 5 shooters is using 100 clays. No easy real solution on this one other than to have trappers on each and every stand to ensure that you only use those you have paid for. However all grounds should make allowances to say that 5% of birds i.e 5 ex 100 are no birds and therefore charge accordingly. If you have a trap that gets a bit of broken clay somewhere on the trajectory arm it can cause a load to break up as they come out, ask MC about the Blackwater club shoot two weeks ago. SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Suffolk Shooter "Who hasn't gone to a club shoot with auto traps (Not claymate) and had a couple extra for practise knowing they have only been charged for say 50 birds anyway. Do that on ten stands x 2 and suddenly its twenty birds. Each shooter doing it and before you know it ever 5 shooters is using 100 clays". I haven't for one. What I shoot, I pay for. A few of us shot at Kelbrook. I know what the clay counter read when we started a stand. I know exactly how many we shot. The claycounter could obviously count better. It was only the odd one or two and not on every stand, but it gets annoying. If you are at a busy shoot and in a queue, I don't expect to see a free pair, but if there was no queue, I expect to see a pair. Why should I pay for those. On Skeet or DTL you get to see the birds at the start of the round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I think in general, the shooting community are an honest bunch. Sometimes at my local club you will pass a stand which is spitting out clays without a counter plugged in. I see these as freebies as the wiring is clearly just loosely connected and strewn along the ground in front of the stand sometimes with bare wires showing. Clearly the system is being shorted somewhere causing the clays to be spat out randomly. Occasionally this happens when MY counter is plugged in which is really annoying, and adds one to the counter every time it decides to spit one out. I think this kind of evens things out, plus genuine breakages are reported and they take our word for it. It's all about come and go... on both sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter-peter Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 My local place uses them. Personally it is the only system I have ever known, I really don't have a problem with it. Once you've shot your load, and handed the counter in for payment, I am always asked "how many breakages?". The guy usually knocks 10 or 15 off, out of maybe 160/180 clays. I have to say that the traps at this place (Cluny Clays) are very reliable, with the exception of the 2 rabbits. If anyone finds a way of zeroing or hacking the counetr, please let me know! Always been tempted to try shorting out a few of the pins........ Cheers there you are guys thats why we have clay counters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 My local place uses them. Personally it is the only system I have ever known, I really don't have a problem with it. Once you've shot your load, and handed the counter in for payment, I am always asked "how many breakages?". The guy usually knocks 10 or 15 off, out of maybe 160/180 clays. I have to say that the traps at this place (Cluny Clays) are very reliable, with the exception of the 2 rabbits. If anyone finds a way of zeroing or hacking the counetr, please let me know! Always been tempted to try shorting out a few of the pins........ Cheers there you are guys thats why we have clay counters Think that was a wee joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duster Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Peter, I WAS only kidding with my comments about cheating the counter. I don't find clay shooting particularly expensive, I see no need to get clays for free. Just my (twisted) sense of humour. Cheers Duster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I shoot regularly at Sporting Targets, Risley & I have to say I much prefer the Claymate system to any other. No one looking over your shoulder! If I want to shoot a 100 on the grouse butt or on the towers I can & they do give you some for breakages which are rare in my experience. I hate having someone unknown trap for me & comment when things aren’t going well! The only problem I have is I walk off to the next stand & forget the counter! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegeta Posted April 26, 2007 Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 might be hard to implement but a sound dependant system might work. As in a microphone at the stand, evey shot that is fired counts as a bird. It would allow for no birds/breakages and also let you see a pair for free. It could check the shots fired versus clays released to make sure you were not acting the **** altogether. If it says 100 clays thrown and only 50 shots fired then they know there is something up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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