Long range clays

[motty]

Following on from a recent (closed) thread, one of the things that got thrown up was the use of long range clays in competitions. Now, is this really a common thing nowadays? The type of targets mentioned were 90 yard crossers on Fitasc layouts, for instance.

If these kind of targets ARE common, what do regular clay shots think of them?

My personal opinion is that targets of this nature are killable, though elements of luck are brought into the equation.

[figgy]

Yes they are used on some shoots I’ve been to. But usually they are coming in someway from over a hundred yards out quartering in so you may shoot it at say 50 yards. Some may shoot them way out by choice. 

Non I have seen are out at 90 yards to be shot at that distance. 

Steve Lovett puts some long clays on for comps sometimes. 

That Nad Al Sheba desert shoot a few years back had some silly distances by accounts off shooters who went. 

Most common clay shooters will think why put them in the next county. No need when speed and angles can beat you. Long distance as soon as you work out the lead required and your choked up tight, it’s just repeating it.  The delay from pulling trigger to break is odd, you think missed it then it breaks. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by figgy

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Some long range targets are thrown in Registered English Sporting Competitions, Cambridge Gun Club are known for it!

Ultimately when you consider that clay pigeons were initially made to replicate the flight of live quarry to allow training to shoot the real thing.

These days with the likes of Dave Carrie and the "extreme" pheasant shooters it has gone too far, literally.

All targets should be at a reasonable range and as Figgy says "when speed and angles can beat you."

If the distance to edge on standard clays keeps growing to silly levels there will be grounds that people will not shoot at.

Edited November 8, 2018 by TIGHTCHOKE
Spellage!

[Hamster]

Many shooters think that Fitasc shoots in the 80's had targets starting from 50 yards all the way to double that 😏 and more, some of these shooters would literally have been toddlers or not even born then which gives you the first clue as to the reality, one or two ole timers still about today do claim to have thrown and shot at these kinds of targets routinely but when you read other stuff they write you can again come to different conclusions  . 

Multiple world, European and domestic champion and ground owner, book writer, etc, John Bidwell was there and he is on record as saying such claims are a figment of peoples fertile imagination. Sure some important shoots would have had a bird or two at range but it's also worth remembering that they were allowed to shoot 36g and even the 28g rule only came in about 25 years ago so 32g was the norm even for Sporting.

The really important thing when throwing distant targets is orientation coupled to direction of travel, it is entirely possible to consistently kill a 70 yard battue providing it presents its full face at the sweet spot, the resulting kills can and will look incredible but you need to understand why, if you throw an away standard at the same distance the kills become very erratic and some clays will refuse to break even when hit, this is recorded reality as anyone who has shot at and heard tingling noises coming from Teal will tell you. 

So now you have to resort to bigger pellets and that will bring lower density which negates any kinetic energy advantage, in other words if you think about it you have reached the natural/normal max range of the equipment, those 90 yard tower birds being killed by Dave Carrie are for demonstration purposes since we are not even allowed to use 5 or 5.5 shot ! 

The other thing these "toddler" brave hearts forget is that it is the easy birds that wins you the shoot  trust me when I say 99% of the time the talk at the club house is the gimme's everyone has missed, sometimes far more of those are missed than the "ard" ones............learn to hit the easy birds is my advice to anyone who asks how to get into AA.

Will a 90 yard battue or incomer break with size 7.5 (2.3mm) shot ? Yes, sometimes it will, but it is not a test of skill alone but of luck combined. 

 

[Smokersmith]

There is a time and a place for them, if presented correctly.

The most enjoyable clayshoot I ever did was a FITASC at Grimsthorpe ... some amazing targets ... yes, a long way off, but with full face showing, so then they could be broken (and well) when you did your bit. They had to be read very well not only in terms of forward allowance, but line also.

The 90 yard edge on stuff is pretty pointless.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

11 minutes ago, Smokersmith said:

There is a time and a place for them, if presented correctly.

The most enjoyable clayshoot I ever did was a FITASC at Grimsthorpe ... some amazing targets ... yes, a long way off, but with full face showing, so then they could be broken (and well) when you did your bit. They had to be read very well not only in terms of forward allowance, but line also.

The 90 yard edge on stuff is pretty pointless.

Yes but we have been spoiled by Mark Russel.

Edited November 8, 2018 by TIGHTCHOKE
Capitalisation.

[Hamster]

Sorry I clean forgot to answer the question, no they are not common at all in ESP and I very much doubt if they are "common" at Fitasc. 

"Big" range shoots have been run and proved to be fun for those taking part but if you ask people who make a living setting up shoots they'll tell you people like a challenge but dislike unforced misses. 

[shaun4860]

At the Essex Masters there are very few long range targets.

As mentioned it’s speed and angle that bugger you up.

Again as mentioned it’s the silly misses that you remember rather than the long range ones....