Clay shooting costs...

[simonp]

So I'm basically doing anything I can to avoid having to finish my Q2 objectives write up for work, and that means playing

 

I've always wondered at what point it makes sense to join my local(ish) clay ground, Lakenheath. Via very simple spreadsheet I decided it was time to finally work it out.

 

The results are here : http://www.chuffnuts.com/simon/shooting/claycosts.html

 

I've already added another clay ground at Wookies request, and if anyone else has the joining fee and members/non members clay costs I'll be happy to add them so we can all see the point at which it makes sense to join a club.

 

Obviously this doesn't take into account any other "membership" bonus's, simply clay costs.

 

Si

[Markio]

Good idea but i would guess most people wouldn't want their annual clay costs laid out.

 

Those membership prices are no good for a casual clay shooter. Good to see it laid out. I think i worked out that to join Parkford (£35 ish) i would have to shoot 100 clays a month to make it worth while. I don't go there enough so haven't bothered.

[pin]

This is dangerous!

 

Most people know clay shooting costs them too much, don't highlight it! What happens if someone's mrs sees this?

 

[simonp]

Lol, fair response

 

How about I just adjust it so it shows only the number of clays you need to shoot in a year/month to make membership worth it, and ignore all those large numbers

 

Si

[Catamong]

It all really depends on what you want to get out of the sport.

 

There are a lot of very good club level shooters about who have no interest in shooting at other venues that involve the aggro of travelling and are quite happy to bang in 46's or 47's ex 50 at a club venue like Broomhills before retiring to the pub for a beer or two at lunchtime, and that's fine for them if that's all they want to achieve.

 

These guys usually come horribly unstuck when shooting a serious competition like the Essex Masters, and they then realise they've not progressed that far with the sport at all.

 

Competitive clay shooting is one of the very few sports where a complete novice can be guaranteed an entry at the British or English Open Tournaments, compare that with Golf, Tennis or any other sport..??

 

I personally prefer the challenge of shooting at different grounds, because no two clays are ever the same, and I always reckon you don't learn much from shooting the same ground, week in, week out.

 

Cat.

[berettaman1]

For anyone who wants to shoot top class sporting targets at a couple of real good grounds that are really cheap and are within of 2 miles from gate 11 M6, or within 2 miles of gate 1 M54 then use Hilton G club, or the Wergs, G Club, both use fully auto traps and only cost £14.00 per 100 or £9.00 per 60 birds, these grounds are packed out every Sunday and one is on one week and the other ground the following,If you become members then the above costs are discounted If I remember right you get a pound off per entry if you are a member!! food and hot drinks are available at both, plus you dont have to be a member of the CPSA to shoot there, also both have trophy shoots in each class each month and you are classified by the cllubs after you have shot there for a few times previously. Must be the best value grounds in the U K.

[Ferret Master]

I pay £5 for 50 sporting birds as a member which is £20 a year. As for cartridges... my 20 bore is a tad more expensive than 12 bore loads. Not to mention essential fishing equipment needed this time of year, quarry cartridges, ferreting stuff, cricket equipment and pet feeds. Apparently I'm 'high maintenance'.

 

FM

[Wookie]

I get to "break even" compared to a non-member at about 10 rounds of sporting and as I got shooting twice a month, that means I break evn after five months. Mind you, the difference is not that much.

 

Membership does have some side benefits though, such as extra tea, ability to make a fuss of the dog etc...

[Dunkield]

Not to mention essential fishing equipment needed this time of year, quarry cartridges, ferreting stuff, cricket equipment and pet feeds. Apparently I'm 'high maintenance'.

Tell the old man it keeps you out of trouble and saves him money not having to bail you out

 

 

I have never joined a club for all the reasons Cat has stated, I get a bit bored at even the best ones after a few visits and daft as it may sound I would rather get low scores at a decent ground than high scores a noddy ground

[the last engineer]

It all really depends on what you want to get out of the sport.

 

There are a lot of very good club level shooters about who have no interest in shooting at other venues that involve the aggro of travelling and are quite happy to bang in 46's or 47's ex 50 at a club venue like Broomhills before retiring to the pub for a beer or two at lunchtime, and that's fine for them if that's all they want to achieve.

 

These guys usually come horribly unstuck when shooting a serious competition like the Essex Masters, and they then realise they've not progressed that far with the sport at all.

 

Competitive clay shooting is one of the very few sports where a complete novice can be guaranteed an entry at the British or English Open Tournaments, compare that with Golf, Tennis or any other sport..??

 

I personally prefer the challenge of shooting at different grounds, because no two clays are ever the same, and I always reckon you don't learn much from shooting the same ground, week in, week out.

 

Cat.

 

 

couldn't agree more, many times we see newer shooters turn up with all the experience in the world (in their own grounds) come completly unglued at another venue, manys the cry of " ive never seen that target before" or the common " jesus christ look how far away that one is"

its not uncommon to find a gun or two for sale after the shoot.

 

Martin

[beretta]

totally agree with cat. big fish liitle pond syndrome. if you want to improve your shooting and get to county or even international level you must do the rounds of the grounds.

will cost you a small fortune to get their but well worth it in the end.

[berettaman1]

sorry for my earlier comments. I was p----d up again

[Catamong]

yes ok been there done it!! loads of county area titles, shot for my country at international level Blah Blah etc, what have you done?? dont knock people who have gone the extra mile if you havent got the fire inside yourseves to do it? dont critise from your comfy armchair . If its that easy how come you havent done it? Its very easy to say yes I could do that if i wanted to|| if you havent done it or could not do it then dont say how easy it would be!.

 

Wow, wow, wow, steady on hothead...........you're not the only person on this forum who's had a bit of success at International level, there are so many new clay shooters on here who really want to improve their clay shooting, so let's give them all the help we can..??

 

Beretta's point is spot on, (he's a good mate of mine, even though he's a dodgy Northerner.. ), he's done the homework, as they say, he knows what it's like to be under pressure at a major Tournament, it's not about marksmanship, it's all in the head, you've simply got to control those nerves..!!

 

Cat.

[berettaman1]

Yep your right Cat my mate,I dont know why I go off at a tangent sometimes , but I know you have been there at AA level , and its hard to keep the averages up, alas I am a super vet now and have dropped to A class and only shoot once or twice a month so I really feel the pressure You know as well as me that some of the advice given on this forum is not good, so you will I hope excuse a daft old berk like me when I go off on one cheers ,

[Catamong]

Yep your right Cat my mate,I dont know why I go off at a tangent sometimes , but I know you have been there at AA level , and its hard to keep the averages up, alas I am a super vet now and have dropped to A class and only shoot once or twice a month so I really feel the pressure You know as well as me that some of the advice given on this forum is not good, so you will I hope excuse a daft old berk like me when I go off on one cheers ,

 

Nothing personal BM1, I know of you and I also know you've got a pretty fearsome reputation as a damn fine shot, you're one of the "old school" like me who entered Major's back in the 80's & 90's when it was still possible for a relative unknown to win a Major, I've got to say times have changed, for better or worse, still, lets encourage the many "Newbies" on the forum to do their best to succeed, who knows what may happen..??

 

Cat

[beretta]

yes ok been there done it!! loads of county area titles, shot for my country at international level Blah Blah etc, what have you done?? dont knock people who have gone the extra mile if you havent got the fire inside yourseves to do it? dont critise from your comfy armchair . If its that easy how come you havent done it? Its very easy to say yes I could do that if i wanted to|| if you havent done it or could not do it then dont say how easy it would be!.

 

theirs probably a few people on here who have had sucess at high levels including cat (one of the better southerners) and myself but whats the rant for. :blush:

 

 

start at the bottom and work your way up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

if thats what you want. :good:

[Catamong]

yes ok been there done it!! loads of county area titles, shot for my country at international level Blah Blah etc, what have you done?? dont knock people who have gone the extra mile if you havent got the fire inside yourseves to do it? dont critise from your comfy armchair . If its that easy how come you havent done it? Its very easy to say yes I could do that if i wanted to|| if you havent done it or could not do it then dont say how easy it would be!.

 

theirs probably a few people on here who have had sucess at high levels including cat (one of the better southerners) and myself but whats the rant for. :blush:

 

 

start at the bottom and work your way up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

if thats what you want. :good:

 

Spot on, good advice, take a tip from one who knows..!!

 

Cat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[throdgrain]

Some wise words on here! See my other thread, Ive been shooting at my local clay club for a year or two, and get good (ish) scores there. I went to another ground a couple of weeks ago and got battered!

 

I now reckon its good to try as many grounds as you can if you want to improve

[Wookie]

I can see the logic in that, but my excuse for not travelling far is the same one I tend to give for a lot of thing: Lazyness. Yes, Lakenheath has got a lot more traps and a skeet arena. Yes, I do want to go on the monthly meet-up shoot with the other guys from East Anglia. Yes, I'd like to get to Braintree with SimonP and meet more people.

 

But, it's nice to be able to roll out of bed on a shooting day a shower away from starting and travel for 10 minutes (on a bad day!) to get to the club. I like having tea in the clubhouse, chatting with the owners about the house sale and stuff and making a fuss of the dog. That's not something that I'd feel comfortable doing at any other ground.

 

Basically, I need to get my *** out of bed earlier on a Saturday and actually get somewhere else, but right now, I'm happy going to my local ground and, as long as Midge keeps moving the traps round, I'm happy shooting there.