Wind and cold

[Centrepin]

Local straw baler today, 10 minute drive turned into 40 as its the annual Percy Pud fun run. Too many roads closed. On the non closed stupidty reigns. Parking on a steep hill on the point of a hair pin bend, cars shunting to get round, decided on yet another route.

Finally arrived to find just me and my son shooting. Three more turned up before we finished but I don't think it's going to be a busy day.

I don't shoot well bulked up so despite the wind and cold had just 3 layers on. Outside and top layer of wax cotton. Fingerless gloves so my digits where exceptionally painful. 

The clays, well you could have shot the same stand all day and never have the same clay twice. Each clay danced in the wind and became similar to a pigeon in change of speed and direction. Interesting to say the least. When the wind was in your face you either smoked the clay or got hit by it. If you chipped one, you shot the bits or got hit.

Had to duck or grouse a few times and was hit several times in the arms and shoulders by bits.

Very soon 50 cartridges plus a couple of spares where gone. It some ways not soon enough in another way embarrassingly quick. 

Any exposed skin had started to turn white and even holding the barrels you could feel no heat.

Been back in the house 2 hours now, showered, fed and exetered but my right thumb is still partially numb!

Can't remember the last time I enjoyed a clay shoot as much😀

As we were leaving a couple turned up "groupon vouchers" the woman, high heels, jeans, and thin fleece. Chapel hat pegs. The guy in jeans, T shirt and jumper🤣 I would have loved to see them 10 mins later.

[Walker570]

I gave up waxed cotton 40 years ago.  My go to cold weather day now is fleece.  Out on Wednesday and the wind was cutting, I had on fleece long johns and long sleave vest courtesy of Cabela's, on top of that I had a fleece lined check shirt  on top of that I had a fleece waistcoat courtesy of Aldi (£10) and on top of that I had a Dickies fleece jacket.   I was warm and comforatble all day and the layers seem a lot but with fleece they do not impede at all.  Lined tweed breeks completed the set up.  On head a wool felt brimmed hat courtesy of a cowboy shop in Wyoming..... it gets serious cold over there.    Wet weather  either Gortex or one of the similar spin offs over the fleece.

The one thing I struggl;e with are gloves so I always choose top coats with hand warmer pockets of I can.   Pop one or two of these crush hand warmer packets in there and your good to go.

BUT/... pleased to still enjoyed your mornings sport.

[Centrepin]

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Edited December 6, 2021 by Centrepin

[adzyvilla]

I remember a registered shoot some years ago down in Hampshire on a bitterly cold blustery day just like you experienced. The conditions suited my snapshooting style and I scored unusually well,  but there were some absolute nutters wandering round in shirtsleeves like it was a summers day. I was wearing a set of agricultural thermal overalls and a fleece and I still felt cold. When it comes to clays, that was the day I became a fair weather shooter.

[discobob]

I was caught out the day after the storm - NWSS was closed due to storm damage so went up to FD - Couldn't find my sealskin gloves but borrowed a pair of gloves off a buddy - temperature on the clock in my car showed 1 degree C - but the wind was blowing and I would say it was -8 to -10 with the wind chill - I shot a box and gave up and went back to the log burner in the club house.

I then went to an outdoors place outside Chester and bought some new Sealskins, a new cap that was waterproof, furry inside and unclipped to come down over my ears as they sting like anything in the cold since Flying Falcon in 1987 where they were frost nipped.

I wore them at Catton the next day where I wasn't caught out - Long John's, long sleeve thermal vest, t-shirt, thin fleecy jacket, a mountain trespass jacket and a thin waterproof over the top, new gloves and new cap - it was 0 degrees on the clock but not much wind, but did start snowing like anything - I was overheating - I adjusted the cap and it steamed up my shooting glasses!!

Saturday gone - at Sealand - it was windy but not as cold - the skeet layout we was on had lost a lot of trees in the storm, and the clays were heavily wind affected going all over the place - never seen them like that - it was extreme sporting skeet - I shot a 24 dropping the only clay that flew true 😞 and was happy with that and thought I would leave it there and went and had a round on sport trap.

 

something else as well that I have is silk gloves to go under my sealskins when it is really cold.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Bob, you really are a fair weather shooter!  

[Centrepin]

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Edited December 6, 2021 by Centrepin

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Thin Leather Flying Gloves are what you need.  

[Centrepin]

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Edited December 6, 2021 by Centrepin

[discobob]

4 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Bob, you really are a fair weather shooter!  

After doing Winter Exercises on mainland Europe - I don't like being cold when I don't have to be

Our OC SQN use to start of every winter exercise season with a little "show and tell"

His Show would be all the top winter gear that he had - as he did a lot of walking etc..

His Tell was that we would be charged if we were caught using anything like he had shown us as that wasn't standard issue!!

FF87 that I mentioned above is still talked about in hushed rooms - I was on a plane in Munich in 2009 - winter - when I overheard somebody mentioning a bad winter in 1987 - I chirped up with "Flying FackUp??" to which he responded it was indeed. The Regimental CO came out and said everybody was to hunker down - no guards or anything - 30 minutes after he left the OC had everyone out again - a RCT driver lost 8 toes after that night 😞