cost

[MartynB]

Sorry to hijack but this statement has aroused my curiosity,  is ‘practice’ interchangeable with ‘learning’?

I mean as a new shooter would jumping into a comp accelerate my improvement? I wondered  if the slight pressure coupled with no expectations might help me. Or is it not a done thing because it annoys seasoned shots? Obviously I’m still  ignorant of competition etiquette!

Again apologies for jumping in.

Nope , practice and learning are not the same  , and this is just my opinion .  If you haven’t got a  base level of understanding or a system  to allow you to analyse a target , going into a competition , or spending a fortune shooting practice targets will not help , but as I said it’s my opinion . 

As a new shooter If you jump in both feet first and enter a competition, the guys shooting  along side you are not allowed to  coach you whilst you are in the stand . So if you bollox up a pair you will not get any help before you shoot  the next pair . It’s a miserable feeling shooting 46 when the rest of the squad are shooting 70, 80,90 . I know I’ve been there 35 years ago  . 

As for practicing on your own , unless you have a base line to work from , and again this is just my opinion , poor  practice reinforces bad technique and results in poor performance  . That mantra fits lots of situation not just shooting . Just my two bobs worth, but if you  miss 200 targets in a month ( and that’s easily done for a newbie  ) that’s £100 of  shooting , 

The same £100 would buy you a good lesson ( well it would up here in’t grim north , and you’d still have enough change for a charabanc trip t ‘seaside and a  fish supper ) 

Depending  how new you are, and depending on where you have done your shooting , a few lessons with a good coach , ( and  one who also understands the competition shooting discipline you aspire to )  prior to your first competition would be my advice . That way you will progress with a system rather than the useless “ give it 15 feet “ or you were behind that “

Now  like IPS I don’t shoot comps , I keep my eye in with two or three hundred clays practice a month at quality shooting grounds ,  ( £22 - £32 /100 ) shoot a few driven clay days that use about a slab  ( which are terrific  fun ) and I’ve got myself involved in a small farm based pheasant syndicate  and the odd bought day.  

 

[ips]

As for practicing on your own , unless you have a base line to work from , and again this is just my opinion , poor  practice reinforces bad technique and results in poor performance  . 

Martyn makes a very good point above, i have nothing to add other than to say i fully concur

 

[Dannymac]

Sad to say the cost is on an ever upward spiral , I am thinking of going back to golf ,even joining a good club and buying good quality equipment is considerably cheaper . 

 

[Figgy]

Dannymac whilst at work talking to others about hobbies we compared costs and a round of golf at a good club with a few lost balls and tees, a day at the football match with a pie and couple of drinks all worked out around the same as going for ground of 100 clays with mid range carts.

That is no longer the case with golf being cheaper, not sure about football as I don't like it.

 

[Dannymac]

Sorry i disagree Figgy to shoot i comp a week no practice £40 + carts £20  = £60 a round shooting  £3120 per year. Golf club £1200 per year visit odd club on county card £200, balls £200/ 300  golf £1700 per year

 

[Paul120]

Wow. What club do you play at? I can join one of several clubs near me and play every day. One of them is a championship clubs used for qualifiers for the Open etc.  For what I spend in around  2 months shooting during the summer.  

 

[Will Hewland]

£32/100 at Barbury for members, and free tea/coffee to boot. And they supply a button pusher if required.

Right.. so how much is membership?

 

[Dannymac]

Will  Barbury membership about £90 per year  

 

[Will Hewland]

Will  Barbury membership about £90 per year  

Right so if you shoot there 10 times a year it’s £41 a go. I rest my case.

When I started out, I did a caddied round at EJC every week and the membership paid off. Depends on where you are in the process. I didn’t want to shoot comp until I had got going. Never did C class. It’s just one way to go. 

 

[wynno]

Well folks it’s your hard earned money, and it’s your choice.

Golf or shooting,  fishing or shooting 

I know which I prefer and it doesn’t involve balls or hooks......

 

[MartynB]

What’s wrong with Fishing and Shooting ?  Sometimes I’ll  go  to Coniston or Kelbrook Lodge to shoot  . Take the long way hone and park up securely in the gated “members field “ at Bolton Abbey and have a few hours on the Wharfe in the evening  . Mind you as I don’t have to go to work theres never a problem finding the time  

 

[Paul120]

The cost of shooting at some of these Proffesional grounds in the south sounds horrendous. Perhaps it's time for a return of Members clubs run on a no profit basis especially for practice and learning.   I started at a couple of these type of clubs. Each had a good range of experienced shooters who knew how to set up interesting targets. Plus you also got to set them yourself if there was something that came up at a registered shoot that needed working on  Tuition ( or as they call it now coaching ) was readily available and free. Safety was drilled in. 

 

[El Spavo]

You pay say between 25 and 30 pence per clay...

Was gonna say, there's nowhere even remotely close to where I live dahn saaf which is under 30p without having to pay £100 or so for a membership on top of that!! Even getting privileges when we shoot with the fire service, the clubs will only give rates that are above that.

 

[MartynB]

Just to make you cry then , Thimbleby Shooting Ground , on the A19 North Yorkshire £0.22 per clay Tuesdays and Thursdays , the only condition is that you buy a 100  bird round .  They operate a preloaded card system , you get 105  on the card  to cover no birds . 

 

[Jonny English]

The big problem with clay shooting is cost and addiction, the addiction to success.  I am very fortunate to have a firm grip on my limits, I shoot once a fortnight and do 100 to 125 and that's my cracker barr the odd major during the year. I've never won anything, not even a class win, A class is my limit and just have to enjoy shooting within that.

But I have seen close friends and shooting buddies that it has nearly crippled, mentally and financially. They get addicted to the must do better and win syndrome. Spending silly money on guns, top end cartridges, weekly lessons, to try and achieve something that is realistically out of reach and beyond them. They push themselves that hard that they fall out of love with shooting and risk losing everything.

Manage your expectations, manage your budget and shoot accordingly. It all comes down to dissposable income and you have to keep within that limit.

 

[El Spavo]

Yup, what he said!

Despite the obvious debates on here, as long as it keeps working I have no reason to change my lowly 525 for something flasher, am happy with my cheapy cartridges, and have no aspiration to be a top shot or win anything as I can't see that happening without mortgage sized investment. So my dream would be to shoot once a week, at least, but finances keep me sane on that front so it'll always be a fun hobby and one I thoroughly have fallen for since I started a little while ago, hopefully shared with various charming, friendly people who are fun to be around. Have to reign in the delusions of grandeur, next leap will be cracking 70 on a 100 bird shoot, but that's good enough for me.

 

[Doctor Lecter]

The big problem with clay shooting is cost and addiction, the addiction to success.  I am very fortunate to have a firm grip on my limits, I shoot once a fortnight and do 100 to 125 and that's my cracker barr the odd major during the year. I've never won anything, not even a class win, A class is my limit and just have to enjoy shooting within that.

But I have seen close friends and shooting buddies that it has nearly crippled, mentally and financially. They get addicted to the must do better and win syndrome. Spending silly money on guns, top end cartridges, weekly lessons, to try and achieve something that is realistically out of reach and beyond them. They push themselves that hard that they fall out of love with shooting and risk losing everything.

Manage your expectations, manage your budget and shoot accordingly. It all comes down to dissposable income and you have to keep within that limit.

sound advice !   

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Manage your expectations, manage your budget and shoot accordingly. It all comes down to dissposable income and you have to keep within that limit.

Tab A / Slot B

 

[tiptop]

Right so if you shoot there 10 times a year it’s £41 a go. I rest my case.

When I started out, I did a caddied round at EJC every week and the membership paid off. Depends on where you are in the process. I didn’t want to shoot comp until I had got going. Never did C class. It’s just one way to go. 

...80 for a Single membership actually. But you said you couldn't shoot 100 for less that £35. I guess it all depends on what you want out of your shooting. Tin pot straw balers or decent grounds and facilities. Once a week for 52 weeks a year.....hmmm.

 

[Richard59]

Right so if you shoot there 10 times a year it’s £41 a go. I rest my case.

When I started out, I did a caddied round at EJC every week and the membership paid off. Depends on where you are in the process. I didn’t want to shoot comp until I had got going. Never did C class. It’s just one way to go. 

Went to Barbury this am, yes non member rate of 40p, that said its been that for decade plus. 

It was though heaving, entry must have been near 150 and the vast majority were members and the many I spoke with go virtually every week, and for these that membership aint £9 a pop its less than £2, they are on average paying £32 + £2 = approx £34 / 100 with free hot n some cold drink offerings, now Ive shot a lot of grounds in this part of the country that operate during the week you shoot 100 clays & have 2/3 drinks and thats near £50 out of pocket. Barbury, when a member is by comparison “cheap”

Well done on avoiding C class, some dipped toes in with us blaggers blind so to speak and have also progressd rapidly to AA