London Best Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 Nine years ago a lifelong friend invited me (as a guest) to join a team for a make believe day. I thought it was silly. Just frantic loading and shooting at the clays and nothing like a day’s driven game at all. Obviously I kept my thoughts from my kind host and thanked him profusely at the end of the day. Since then I have turned down four or five requests to make up teams with someone else on an individual gun basis. When asked I said there was no way I would pay money to do that. Well, my lifelong friend has been bought another make believe day as a significant birthday present. He has shot driven game as my guest recently and has kindly invited me to join his simulated team. I did not have the heart to turn him down and have accepted his invitation. Am I a hypocrite? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel b3 Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 2 minutes ago, London Best said: Nine years ago a lifelong friend invited me (as a guest) to join a team for a make believe day. I thought it was silly. Just frantic loading and shooting at the clays and nothing like a day’s driven game at all. Obviously I kept my thoughts from my kind host and thanked him profusely at the end of the day. Since then I have turned down four or five requests to make up teams with someone else on an individual gun basis. When asked I said there was no way I would pay money to do that. Well, my lifelong friend has been bought another make believe day as a significant birthday present. He has shot driven game as my guest recently and has kindly invited me to join his simulated team. I did not have the heart to turn him down and have accepted his invitation. Am I a hypocrite? It's just what you're supposed to do for your mate 👍. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 No, I don't think so. I have shot two or three similar days and honestly had to admit I did not get a great thrill out of the actual shooting. Mixing and socialising bewteen 'drives' was more enjoyable BUT back in the 60s and 70s I shot a huge amount of clays, skeet, DTL, Ball Trap and sporting both for fun and competition and I think I have had my fill of breaking clays. NOW having said that next weekend I am taking part in such a day over in Lincolnshire organised by Richard Gray, the reason being it is a 410 day and I felt I needed to give him some support for all the great days he organises actually shooting the real thing. I doubt that it will wind me up quite as much as shooting partridge traditionally over the hedges but the socialising and hospitality laid on will go a long way to making it an enjoyable day. It is still likely to be a one off and sometimes you get invites and just to be polite you have to accept them. I do plan to shoot a few clays on a special 410 weekend up at Hodnet in August but again this is a special one off occasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 Things change you may find the experience different this time 🤔 go to it with a open mind remembering that everything you hit won’t cost you £50 and have a bit of fun enjoy the day and support your friend on his birthday 😊 its never going to be a game day 🤭 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrepin Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 It's nice that your friend considers you close enough to share his birthday. I'd be pleased and don't forget his present😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 No, I don’t think it’s hypocritical. He’s a friend. I’ve done a few sim’ days and they can be fun. Just go along and enjoy yourself. I’m in a bit of a similar quandary myself, but regarding an actual driven day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 Not at all it’s about helping to celebrate a friends significant birthday. I am sure there are far less enjoyable things he could have done and you would still have joined him. I have done many of these days but not the ponsy expensive ones just basic days with pals and just treat them as a flush at a clay ground. Just enjoyed the time with pals and shared with my daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 I help out at a sim shoot and you can almost always tell who is going to enjoy it and who isn't at breakfast. The ones that don't like it seem to have decided that they are not going to have fun no mater what, If its not for you its not for you! Try not to think of it as trying to copy a game shoot as it can't and in most cases it isn't think of it as a clay shoot in the style of a game day. The teams that seem to have most fun are the ones that pouch each others clays, I know that could get you sent home on a game shoot or is seen as poor form but its just part of the banter on sim days if your a group of mates not so easy if you are just 1 of a pair in a group and don't know the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted May 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 30 minutes ago, bluesj said: The teams that seem to have most fun are the ones that pouch each others clays, I know that could get you sent home on a game shoot or is seen as poor form but its just part of the banter on sim days if your a group of mates not so easy if you are just 1 of a pair in a group and don't know the rest. That is exactly how it finished up last time. Then it became more and more frantic to see who could shoot fastest. Nothing remotely ‘simulated’. Everyone in the group did know everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 Hello, could you not be his loader and buy him his favourite drink, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurs 14 Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 I’ve been on a few sim days and if you go on a good one you will enjoy it ! , food and drinks , snacks etc , hot cold drinks and a great lunch , usually 4/5 drives on the day , you can up the pace @nd let rip or treat it like a game day and pick your birds , compared to a game day for the price difference they do fill a gap in the market ! Go with an open mind you will enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 Where is it ... ? They vary in quality quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted June 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 4 minutes ago, Smokersmith said: Where is it ... ? They vary in quality quite a bit. Dunno yet, all I have is a verbal invitation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 Shot on one yesterday. Brilliant reception, coffee biscuits to start, fabulous location, great elevensies, sit down plougmans lunch more than I could eat and coffee and cake to finish. One serious problem the owner insisted in using 90mm clays and in the conditions you had great difficulty in seing them until they where overhead or behind the line. The whole point of these is entertainment, but the clay presentation was not entertaining. I would say that over 70% of the clays thrown did not get shot at. Of course 4000 midis are cheaper than 4000 full size clays ....hmmmmm. What a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 mate went on a superb day many years ago ..........almost like the real thing........the birds were launched off a small ramp.....they were 3 dimentional and the wings were spring loaded via an over centre gravity catch...................you were supplied with light load carts.....and it was like pure driven pheasant.....you needed a couple of pellets to hit on a wing or so.... and it then triggered the gravity catch and the wings snapped up and it twizzled to the ground......... never ever heard of it since........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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