How long did it take you to be good !! @ sporting clays

[jayward]

I was just wondering how long you all have shot sporting clays for before you considered your self to be a good shot ?

( Or should that be others saying you are ! lol )

No By that I mean you can hold your own @ the ground Say 80/100 or better consistently ..

I have found sporting clays to very interesting and often quite a frustrating challenge , however each outing i learn more and more ,

Its a funny thing that theres some types of target i can hit every time without out fail whist others elude me totally !!

What i additionally find interesting is the fact that i can often hit some real difficult clays that i see other struggle with ..

I have a mental library(in there somewhere) of what works with what target and generally it tends to work with the exception of them blooming targets that look harder than they are !!! One thing i have found it pays to talk to others on the ground i can assuringly tell you !!! OHH yesss lol more lead ,shoot its legs off , your shooting behind, over,under, around it

Now DTL is a diff ball game i found out im fair good @ it of the bat "well i think so " i shot my 1st round recently single barrel sored 20 /25 its prob down to practice on that type of targets in sporting ,I also like a round of ball trap its quick and a great way to blast loads of amo and clays but im gona stick to sporting , ready for out in the field ... good practice

Any way QQQQQ how long did it take you to get to a fair standard ?

I appreciate its going to different , person to person how much practice etc etc but generally how long ...

[Chard]

I've been shooting sporting clays for about 3 years and I can get into the 80's at Worsley, which isn't a particularly easy course. However more often than not, I'll be down in the 70's, I think because I've got a **** mental attitude. I can't take it seriously enough to do any better than I do now. I treat it as a social event and a bit of a laugh, and I'd never make a good competitive shot

 

I've watched good competition shooters and I can tell by watching them, how much commitment and concentration they put in. I couldn't match that :friends: I sometimes start off all serious and straight a few stands, then something silly happens, or someone comes out with a wise crack, and that's it :lol: All the concentration's gone and it's down in the 70's again

 

Depends what you want out of it really

 

I don't think there's a type of target that I can't hit, it's just that I can't KEEP hitting them consistently

[the last engineer]

from my past in the uk i would never have been a competitor, i never had the time or finances back then, here on the other hand i do, from the first time i shot clays here it was akin to a drug addiction, i imersed myself in shooting, the club i joined, and later became director of, was a renowned club with many Canadian and olympic champs, asa skeet, int skeet, singles and doubles trap, all were diciplines i shot, it started off with a few rounds an evening 3 times a week to 3/400 an evening and a 1000 or so on saturday, following good shooters was an insperation and their skills rubbed off, i soon started straighting rounds, my personal best in skeet was a 125 straight blown completly by missing the first bird on the 6th rnd, oh well, been shooting sporting clays for 7 years now, it was a natural progression and i compete throughout the province, i always make sure to set goals and chase them, shooting clays regular, i hit "plateau's like everyone else, its up to you to cross them, i shoot master class, have done for a number of years now, though i think my eyes will finaly let me down, age is a killer aint it a bitch

06 was my best year i ranked 3rd in the province, theres always someone (or two) to chase right, keep an eye behind as well, someone else is chasing you down

 

Martin

[lurcherboy]

80's not in my lifetime sadly but no harm in dreaming

 

 

 

 

LB

[Guest The Outlaw]

At my local sunday shoot it took about a year to reg hit the 80's but I to like having the crack and normally do just enough to pip my shooting mates or "Calam".

Recently because I have been doing a lot more trap I have found it easier to concentrate and about 6 weels ago hit my PB and got 93/100, Prob because I didnt do any scoring and just shot first all the time

The 4 weeks ago I hit 88/100 in ****y windy weather,

I also seem to get the harder targets and get a bit cocky on the easier ones.

Registered shots are a different ball game I only seem to manage Mid 60's to mid 70's in sporting.

Skeet I am a regular 90+

DTL again 90+

All-round 70's

Then I have only be shooting trap seriously for 6months and have never been taught tricks of the trade.

I have also found that if I am shooting with a master gunner like "Pirate" I raise my game a bit.

Its a funny game this shooting

 

Tony

[Spaniel]

Well i am aiming to be able to hit around the high 40s out of 50....well that my target...but im only around the 25/50 at present.

 

But I know what im doing wrong....not picking up the line of the clay on the crossers and stopping the gum while swinging through.

 

Had a real good practise session last week and another this sunday, where i will choose the targets im going to hit, and stay on them until i get the hang of it, rather then shooting 8 clays and moving onto the next stand..

[Chard]

But I know what im doing wrong....not picking up the line of the clay on the crossers and stopping the gum while swinging through.

 

Yes, you've got to keep chewing, it's very important for the concentration

[Spaniel]

See its the Whiskey starting to have an effect on me at this time of night

[breadster50]

All i can say is that it is concentration and take your time. Follow a "good shooter" or just watch for a whuile on each stand [depends on whether you have time to hang around or if there is a beef-dinner waiting for you at home at 1pm!]

 

Skeet is my main discipline now and I am averaging 95+++ each round.

Sporting is what I started with and at local shoots I am consistently in the low-mid 40's/50; my best being a 47/50.

 

I've been shooting on and off for years but had a 10 year break whist at Uni etc.

 

I am now focussing on Skeet as my primary discipline - Skeet is seen to be "easy" as the birds are "the same" but once [if] you master the technique, then you have to master your own "confidence". Once that is done, and you are happy with your gun/shells etc you then have those 2 fantistic beasts to master............ "concentration" and "nerves".... but that is competition shooting...... and that is the difference........

 

As someone said above, "it all depends what you want from it". If you want to enjoy the "crack" with your pasl on a weekend morning then just go, enjoy, be happy with the score at the end [it is but a number] and go home with a smile on your face. If you want to compete and get your scores up then its practise, practise, practise [and a huge wedge of cash!]

 

The main thing is................... enjoy it! ... and dont get hung up on scores..... they will come!

[Guest The Outlaw]

Very true Breadcrumb

 

Tony

[tulkyuk]

I've never been anygood at clays, but i class myself as a very good game and vermin shooter - i think its all down to what you want from your shooting, personally i have no real interest in shooting clays and i think thats why my scores are not tha good when i do have a go at them.

[Pirate]

I reckon about 50 years! So I should be **** hot by the time I'm 77.

But thats just me! Can't help being a quick learner. Others may take a little longer.

[Guest The Outlaw]

I reckon about 50 years! So I should be **** hot by the time I'm 77.

But thats just me! Can't help being a quick learner. Others may take a little longer.

You fibbing so and so, You are just being modest.

 

You are good and you know it

 

Tony

 

Ps good day to you old bean

[Evil Elvis]

Been doing sporting since may and have hit 44/50 at sporting, 63 ex 84 and 63 ex 100, my best scores, skeet Ive done 88 ex 100 and dtl I only tried once and got 23 ex 25 first time and never went again...too many poe faced tossers at that one.

[MC]

I have been shooting for about 20 years off and on, but I suppose to become good enough to win a few trophies has taken me a couple of years shooting at least once or twice a week.

 

This year has been my best yet by far mostly down to having a Blaser F3 and shooting plenty with it, About 10,000 cartridges so far this year.

 

Next year I an going to compete more and am even comtemplating the CPSA much as though I hate to do it you are forced into it if you want to do registered shoots.