Blaser Cup 2024

[perazman]

Anyone shot the Blaser Cup this year and if so, which day?

Hearing lots of stories and none of them good!

 

[jasper]

Expand please.

 

[perazman]

Expand please.

I wasn't there so can't comment but a few friends who were there on the friday said it was badly wind effected to the point where targets were 80/90yds away. Surely the chance of a strong wind should have been taken in to account.

Also the layouts were unbalanced difficulty wise also which I'd feel is unfair on those starting on the harder of the two.

As I said. I wasn't there so was wondering what others thought.

PM.

 

[Freddypip]

I shot it on the Saturday - dropped 9 on the 'Coley' layout and 21 on the 'F16' layout. The later was affected by the wind but to the extent that it was - to me - a learning curve.

If the wind was (any) worse on the Friday it could (very) easily have been a lottery.

On the F16 layout there was no shelter and it was was setup with high targets on a ridge, so it wasn't hard to see the wind would be factor even in perfect weather,

Not beyond the best of us (not me) but easy to see how one day might be worse than another.

I would disagree with starting on the hardest - that's a mental thing as I was not happy being in the mix (for my class) until the last three stands when it all fell to pieces - better to have a the crap round and then get better.

 

[perazman]

I shot it on the Saturday - dropped 9 on the 'Coley' layout and 21 on the 'F16' layout. The later was affected by the wind but to the extent that it was - to me - a learning curve.

If the wind was (any) worse on the Friday it could (very) easily have been a lottery.

On the F16 layout there was no shelter and it was was setup with high targets on a ridge, so it wasn't hard to see the wind would be factor even in perfect weather,

Not beyond the best of us (not me) but easy to see how one day might be worse than another.

I would disagree with starting on the hardest - that's a mental thing as I was not happy being in the mix (for my class) until the last three stands when it all fell to pieces - better to have a the crap round and then get better.

Each to their own I guess. I'd look at it as imagine shooting the harder layout first without knowing what the second layout looks like (as most won't know). By the end of the first I think my head would be gone! I'd much rather build a big score then tackle the harder stuff with more confidence. As I said, each to their own so for that reason I'd balance both courses out.

I think friday had been the windier of the two. It'll be interesting to see the scores. Hopefully by monday afternoon according to facebook.


PM.

 

[jonz]

You would like to think that a so called premier shooting ground with professional staff could put a course together that would be fair and not effected by weather conditions, from what I understand this is beyond the ability of Ian Coley shooting ground, Plus they can’t even publish the results due to a so called technical glitch, never heard of working it out manually then.. All this for just £95 … Now I know why I didn’t enter

 

[Freddypip]

I understand entirely where you are coming from Paraz - I think they struggle because one round was on the standard ground (and almost entirely in the trees) and the other out in the open. I was talking to one guy who found the distance stuff easier than the tree stuff - I was the other way round. The 'wind' problem was only really an issue in the open . . . .

 

[perazman]

I think the folk at Orston must be smiling. I shot the last two Blasers there and it ran like clockwork. The social media presence throughout the two days was very good also.

Surely screenshots of the results on facebook would have been better than nothing. There mustn't be an option to get it sorted on a sunday either.

PM

 

[Freddypip]

I would add that apart from a few Blasers under a tent which you could try and a 'goody bag' with a catalogue in it (and no goodys as such) there was nothing of interest beyond the shoot itself. No advantage to having a Blaser (if there ever is) and no maintenance/servicing people to talk to - it was all sales. When you look at the Jack Pike at £65 (120 birds) and this at £95 (150) it was £10/£15 over priced.

I would say though the food (though not cheap) was not bad at all and credit to Coleys.

 

[Sian]

I enjoyed the day with friends. The field course even on the Saturday was wind affected. Afterwards we were on the patio and our table and umbrella took off. Literally off the ground. We had to hold it down and they aren’t flimsy.

 

[instructor_max]

I always treat them as fun days out, so, whatever happens, happens.

Having said that, I shot it on the Friday and you could quite happy describe it as “pissing in the wind”

I shot 128/150, which was 6th or so highest score on that day, I shot 59/75 on the field course, 63/75 being the highest score that day.

It was the hardest I’ve worked all year for a score, and it didn’t mean a thing because on the next day they were all 20-40 yards closer.

I actually enjoyed the course, but it wasn’t meant to be set as tough as it turned out to be in the wind.

The course on the ground was steady enough apart from two good targets.

 

[Sian]

I always treat them as fun days out, so, whatever happens, happens.

Having said that, I shot it on the Friday and you could quite happy describe it as “pissing in the wind”

I shot 128/150, which was 6th or so highest score on that day, I shot 59/75 on the field course, 63/75 being the highest score that day.

It was the hardest I’ve worked all year for a score, and it didn’t mean a thing because on the next day they were all 20-40 yards closer.

I actually enjoyed the course, but it wasn’t meant to be set as tough as it turned out to be in the wind.

The course on the ground was steady enough apart from two good targets.

I treat as a fun day As well, shooting with friends. You still had variation of where they were going to be on Saturday. Some wound up traps might have helped I think. Still it didn’t rain and that these days is a massive win.

 

[perazman]

I always treat them as fun days out, so, whatever happens, happens.

Having said that, I shot it on the Friday and you could quite happy describe it as “pissing in the wind”

I shot 128/150, which was 6th or so highest score on that day, I shot 59/75 on the field course, 63/75 being the highest score that day.

It was the hardest I’ve worked all year for a score, and it didn’t mean a thing because on the next day they were all 20-40 yards closer.

I actually enjoyed the course, but it wasn’t meant to be set as tough as it turned out to be in the wind.

The course on the ground was steady enough apart from two good targets.

People can call out others as moaners but in my eyes that's just poorly set targets. The elements can and always will be a factor but targets can be set to mitigate it's effects.

I dispair at the amount of times I've stood on a peg with a strong wind on my back and watched a 50yd incoming teal type target flip backwards and disappear in to the distance.

I'm pleased I didn't make the long trip down. The rest of my squad won't be going again.

PM.

 

[Salopian]

You all best get off to Hodnet this weekend to see and shoot decent targets then! See you all there.

 

[wynno]

You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.

How many of you have attended 4 or 5 day shoots like the British open ? Was the weather kind to you or were you soaked with rain and blown about by gale force winds ?

This is the British isles, and it rains and is windy.
**** happens, get over it.

Perhaps you can set the targets next time and get flak from people who disagree about the difficulty or that the targets were too easy……

 

[donna]

Didn’t shoot it but have friends on FB who thought it was a great shoot, well run and good targets

 

[perazman]

You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.

How many of you have attended 4 or 5 day shoots like the British open ? Was the weather kind to you or were you soaked with rain and blown about by gale force winds ?

This is the British isles, and it rains and is windy.
**** happens, get over it.

Perhaps you can set the targets next time and get flak from people who disagree about the difficulty or that the targets were too easy……

If you mean could I set targets that don't fly into the sun and don't blow out of range if wind effected then yeah I could. It's not rocket science.

My day job involves flying the real thing over guns which I assure you is a lot harder.

Start on a steady stand, finish on a steady stand. Put a softer target on with a tough one to help lower class shooters. If you set targets for a living you should be able to get these things right. It's your job.

Personally I think shooters up north don't moan enough. I talk to lads walking off courses absolutely broken and sick as a chip. Then see the facebook comments later "great course", "all there to be hit" blah blah blah when the shoot averaged 65%. It's a captive audience so people can't vote with their feet.

No one wants to look like a moaner for fear of being ridiculed for being a sore loser. The phrase "Emperors new clothes" fits perfectly. I've shot clays at a decent level for 36 years. I couldn't care less what folk think of me. I judge a shoot off what I see not what I score.

PM.

 

[Freddypip]

I agree that with the weather “**** happens, get over it”. As a wider philosophy of life I care a bit more than that !!

I understand entirely that setting targets is not easy – the big boys want them harder and those lower down the rankings, easier. I’m not saying it’s something I want to do or are capable of doing and certainly it’s right to say it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time.

Having shot the course on the Saturday I can understand why a few left early on the Friday if the wind was worse. In my view that was not hard to foresee but I am not qualified to say that could have been avoided either on the day or by more planning. It was not a cheap competition – it was billed as a competition - so some of those might feel put out. For me it was a learning curve.

I’m not sure where, if not here, we can discuss such things.

 

[perazman]

I thoroughly enjoy the "it's too easy brigade" who have somehow managed to still drop 7 or 8! Do you know any of the elite who boycott grounds that are "too easy"? I don't know any either! They're queueing up at Old Glossop or Barrow!

I float between A and AA but it's the B class shooters that pay the bills at most gounds.

PM.