Ashcombe, Near Teignmouth, Devon

[RobertBeard]

Ashcombe is only just up the road from me but I haven't been able to get there for months.

There have been some changes!

Solar farms have sprung up all around and the Skeet and DTL layouts have been lost as there is now a solar farm behind and obviously the panels would be damaged if shooting had continued.  This layout has been closed since early January!  This layout is to become a specialist sort of Compak rabbit layout evidently so that the shot is kept contained by the bank behind.

Various birds on the lower stands have been altered so that no fallout can damage the solar farm!

A new skeet range has been created right at the top of the sporting layout but is not yet open.  Earthworks have to be completed and the new grass needs to grow but the trap houses have been built.  They don't have a date for completion yet!

A new Double rise layout has been opened between the coaching/stag/corporate stands and the Compak layout at the bottom of the site which comprises 5 stands of sim pairs and the course requires 2 sets of pairs from each stand. 

The birds have been changed on the Compak layout which is a nice change.

The start of the walk up into the sporting woods has been improved, simplified and made much wider, removing all the steps so should be more accessible for any disabled shooters.

New bins, new signs and a general improvement all round.  Clays cost 24p each at present.

 

[Bray184]

Will the new skeet layout be easier to get to now as the old one was a bit of an uphill struggle for one of the disabled members in our shooting group?

 

[RobertBeard]

Will the new skeet layout be easier to get to now as the old one was a bit of an uphill struggle for one of the disabled members in our shooting group?

​Its a long way, all uphill, to the top of the sporting layout where the new skeet range is unless he plans on laying on some transport up there!

Its now just beyond the driven stand off the tower if you know where that is.

 

[Bray184]

Unfortunately I don't no where that is I looked on bingle  Earth but couldn't figure it out if it's to far then we might have to find somewhere else to shoot skeet

 

[flyeruk]

Ashcombe,as from this week,have installed the Claymate system through out the grounds.I,for one,am happy as i am a lone shooter.I can now use the delay which make my life a lot easier.

 

[Ian Lawrence]

Unfortunately I don't no where that is I looked on bingle  Earth but couldn't figure it out if it's to far then we might have to find somewhere else to shoot skeet

There is an access track that goes into the area where the Skeet is now. If you follow the track past the normal shoot parking, up towards the Fishing Lakes, then take the next left fork into the wood. It used to be 4x4 only and I don't know what it's like now, but it would be a possible way in for disabled shooters. It would be a great shame if anyone should be excluded from this excellent facility. It must have been a fair struggle to get to where the Skeet used to be previously.

I'm not sure if Ashcombe will allow this way in though, as it will compromise some of the stands that shoot back towards the Centre from the 'top end'. :smile:

 

[RobertBeard]

Its good that there is investment being made into the ground.  Its such a shame that the clays thrown don't change because the traps were concreted in years ago after his first set were nicked soon after he opened.

I must get up there again soon!

 

[RobertBeard]

Had a trip out to Ashcombe today and there have been some changes made in addition to adding the new Claymate card based system.  You need to specify how many you are likely to shoot and they will then add on some extra to allow for no birds.  I asked for 125 and was given 140 and shot 130 with 10 no birds.  You need to leave your Shotgun Certificate with the office whilst you are out shooting.  It used to be an honesty system as to how many you shot but I get the impression that the system was abused hence the introduction of the claymate system but the price of clays is unchanged at 24p each.  Take care not to leave your card in a machine which is easy to do!

The Compaq Sporting used to be a 5 bird layout and its now eight birds and the existing birds have been changed a bit as well as adding 3 new ones including the one on the roof of the layout stand.

Where the old skeet range used to be there is now a five stand specialist rabbit ground with the old skeet houses being used to fire the rabbits and the five stands are spread out in a semi circle to give changes of angle to change the rabbits.

A number of birds on the rest of the layout have changed and one stand has been retired and fenced off.

Access to the new skeet layout is still up through the woods to the top of the site.  I saw a few old boys heading up there and one had a battery operated golf trolley to carry the guns and bags to lighten the load on the walk up there.

 

[Sian]

Had a trip out to Ashcombe today and there have been some changes made in addition to adding the new Claymate card based system.  You need to specify how many you are likely to shoot and they will then add on some extra to allow for no birds.  I asked for 125 and was given 140 and shot 130 with 10 no birds.  You need to leave your Shotgun Certificate with the office whilst you are out shooting.  It used to be an honesty system as to how many you shot but I get the impression that the system was abused hence the introduction of the claymate system but the price of clays is unchanged at 24p each.  Take care not to leave your card in a machine which is easy to do!

The Compaq Sporting used to be a 5 bird layout and its now eight birds and the existing birds have been changed a bit as well as adding 3 new ones including the one on the roof of the layout stand.

Where the old skeet range used to be there is now a five stand specialist rabbit ground with the old skeet houses being used to fire the rabbits and the five stands are spread out in a semi circle to give changes of angle to change the rabbits.

A number of birds on the rest of the layout have changed and one stand has been retired and fenced off.

Access to the new skeet layout is still up through the woods to the top of the site.  I saw a few old boys heading up there and one had a battery operated golf trolley to carry the guns and bags to lighten the load on the walk up there.

Robert why on earth do you need to leave your licence with them - do you know?

 

[Ian Lawrence]

Robert why on earth do you need to leave your licence with them - do you know?

Yes, that is strange. they always had the Section 11 exemption before. I wouldn't be too happy leaving my licence out of my control.

 

[RobertBeard]

Its the same at Bisley Shooting Ground or was when I went there last.  You left your cert at the clubhouse in exchange for your electronic key and went out to Siberia to shoot then return to the clubhouse to pay and get your certificate back.

It was what was announced on the website and signs all around the ground say you have to do this so I just did it.  In the past you just turned up to shoot and on your way out, go to the office to pay.  I suppose some people used to miss out on the going to pay bit!  The layout is such that with all the other activities they can't have a member of staff manning each activity and the office is upstairs in the main house so people could come and go without paying if they chose to do so.

I can only imagine that its security for you to go back and pay otherwise you could just finish shooting and not go back and pay if you were that sort of person.

I am pretty local and used to shoot there quite a lot so trust them.  With my auditor's hat on its certainly tightened up on security for them and everything must now get paid for other than an allowance for no birds.  They don't quibble up to 10% and I make a note of the stands and which birds where I get them so they have the feedback as to which clay machines need attention.

 

[wylye]

So called 'honesty systems' are fairly meaningless to a certain number of customers. We had three people go out and shoot and came back saying they had shot 310 clays. They had been counted by a member of staff who had followed them around at a distance and they had shot 650. They paid. Some of you out there will know who they are, well known individuals all of them. Sad really.

Thanks goodness not everyone is the same or practice clays on an honesty system would have to be £1.00 each. The alternative of course is to install a Claymate or similar. £12K plus takes a bit of finding on some of the smaller grounds so they grit their teeth and hope that they are not ripped off too badly by some lying, cheating customers. 

Leaving your shotgun certificate at the desk while you go and shoot? While there are dishonest people around shooting grounds it will continue.

 

[RobertBeard]

I should also have said that each stand has clear diagrams to show the the flight line of the birds from each machine with an idea of the hit point and you can see where the clay machines are hiding and the piles of broken clays so where's the problem?

2 people I spoke to were bemoaning the lack of facility to see a bird though professed to go there regularly so ought to know the flight lines!

If nothing else the claymate will stop lots of shooters seeing birds for free which for 10 stands with 2 clays per stand at 24p is £4.80 or 20% of a round of 100 clays. 

 

[Parcours pete]

Shot this today and very Dissapolnted with the birds on the course

pretty obvious just looking around that 80 percent of people shooting

were beginners or not done a lot to it yet 13 of the 15 stands were 

championship course standard a nightmare trying to find anything suitable

for the two lads and young girls I was with 

we the three more competent shots did shoot the sportrap at the bottom 

which was quite good 

when paying at the office I did try and offer some friendly advice to 

make it a bit easier or at least a few easier stands mixed in the young 

girl was taking it onboard untill a lady from the office clearly didn't agree 

and said they get people say it's too easy at this point I said good day 

and left such a shame as a lovely setting just way too tough for the 

clientell that it attracts 

 

[iang454]

Having Lived in Torquay for most of my younger life then moving away for work I do shoot at Ashcombe at least twice a year.

I shoot there with a very dear friend who sadly has been diagnosed with the big C :-( so his shooting days are finished.

Having Sporting Targets as my local ground I have always been amazed at Ashcombe continuing with this honesty policy in this day and age as respect seems to be a thing of the past sadly :-(.

I look forward to seeing the new layout and will take my son down there soon.

Ian

 

[RobertBeard]

Shot this today and very Dissapolnted with the birds on the course

pretty obvious just looking around that 80 percent of people shooting

were beginners or not done a lot to it yet 13 of the 15 stands were 

championship course standard a nightmare trying to find anything suitable

for the two lads and young girls I was with 

we the three more competent shots did shoot the sportrap at the bottom 

which was quite good 

when paying at the office I did try and offer some friendly advice to 

make it a bit easier or at least a few easier stands mixed in the young 

girl was taking it onboard untill a lady from the office clearly didn't agree 

and said they get people say it's too easy at this point I said good day 

and left such a shame as a lovely setting just way too tough for the 

clientell that it attracts 

Its a shame that you were disappointed with your visit.

I can't speak for the owner but he has some traps from which he coaches and does the introductory courses into clay shooting at the bottom of the site and the stag and hen shoots.  These are the first stands on the right as you drive up to the shooting ground and below the Sportrap area and are designed more for beginners.  If these were not in use then I am sure that he would have accommodated you.

Ashcombe has a complete cross section of shooters from beginners through to experienced shots.  In the summer there is a weekly shoot for club members to compete in.

I started there and cut my teeth on the Sportrap and the Sporting layout and still found it hard making the transition to registered shoot grounds like Coleys, Wylye, Owls and Bisley Shooting Ground.

This is the first time that I have heard a criticism such as this; normally everyone is just glad to have found an oasis at which to shoot in the desert of grounds that is the west country!  

 

[Parcours pete]

Hi Robert 

certainly not knocking the fact that it's a lovely place to shoot 

or the facilities seem to be moving forward which is good to see !!

more the fact that a 15 stand shoot should have more variety for 

experienced shots and mere beginners alike 

I don't like to see people get beaten up on targets needlessly 

 

[shootinguru]

I have to say that the targets are not for novices!

 

[ExSCA]

I have to say that the targets are not for novices!

you must have straighted it then!