Gunsite Sporting Clays - 22nd April

[ExSCA]

Right then - best get this over and done with - I'll hopefully finish just before the car fills up with fumes. just hope the tape holds the hosepipe!

I have to say straight off that it is hard to compose a review in your head when you have just carded your worst registered score ever AND your gun appears to be doing something silly - but here goes...

Arrived at Gunsite Sporting Clays at 10.15 to find a fairly sizable ShootClay contingent in a pretty busy car park - decent burger van welcome and an excellent bacon roll, and a fine looking army surplus tent to book in at. Sun was bright with some clouds and a fairly brisk breeze, but nothing that woud worry you going out.

I squadded up with CleverSC3, Tobi-Wan and JonSkeet - and we saw Fuz, TeePee, Robo, Clynt, LHS, Optima and I'm sure a few others (sorry if any names forgotten) as we headed out. Gunsite is in a shallow valley that has been used for Motocross in the past, with targets set up looking outwards from a central area. Target wise, a lot of quick, flattish targets that really required quick hands and some decent reading - we opened on stand 11 a flat teal followed by a crossing r/l which I didn't find once, and kind of set the pattern for the day. There was a decent sim pair of incomers which looked easier than they were, and a couple of stands with curling, quartering targets followed by a midi or std crosser at distance which I really enjoyed. I thought the stand one rabbit was a bit testy, coming down the hill and passing about 20 feet in front of you meant it was easily missable.

The stand with the r/l quartering and l/r blaze target had some real pace on it - and I found the r/l OK but struggled on the blaze a lot. I really liked the stand in the far corner with the l/r rabbit at distance with the flat left/right crosser on report - needed good eyes to pick it up earlier.

All-in-all, a great first shoot at Gunsite - I scored terribly, exactly HALF of my score last week 39ex100 - very disappointed with myself- but I would say that was more down to me than the targets. There were some testing ones out there, but another day would see me hitting them. Looking at some of the other c-class scores on the board I would say it was a good test, but not unhittable. I had new chokes in the gun, as well as new cartridges - and some random second barrel problem, but neither of those are excuses, should have done much better.

Really looking forward to hearing some other comments about new ground - I'll definitely be back for more.

 

[JonSkeet2]

Have you forgotten there is a hose pipe ban in place???? ;P

Anyway; I would say that's a pretty fair review, there were no stupidly distant targets and everything needed reading. Lots of clever angles but LOTS of sky, I think I only managed to get any visual reference of the targets line on 2 or 3 stands.

I started out very consistently hitting half on the first 3 or 4 stands, then a few more then straighted the simmo incomer stand at which point my gun decided to really really knock me about due to it needing a new recoil spring and a full strip and clean. The final 3 stands cost me I think mainly due to fatigue; on the penultimate stand we had quite a few no birds and seem to remember using about 1618 cartridges to shoot 5 pairs. I finished on 48ex100, I reckon if I had shot it 6 months ago I'd have been happy to scrape 20+

The penultimate stand was the exception to the rule and through the rest of the shoot was run very well, very very few no birds and any rare issues were resolved very quickly.

As a new shoot the facilities were basic; however the booking on process was efficient and the welcome friendly. The catering was of a good standard and reasonable prices and there were separate ladies and gents toilet facilities and a couple of benches.

I think the one thing that stood out for me was the way that bark chippings had been applied to all the really muddy area's to make the walk round the shoot safe and also clean, many other grounds could learn a thing or two

Overall a great day and good to see so many ShootClay members in attendance both old and new, really fantastic to see you all.

As Arnie said "I'll be back"

Jon.

 

[Robo]

Yep I thought it was a tricky set up there today , only one straight for me today on the simo pair of incomers . That close pesky rabbit beat me!! Was good to see ShootClay members out in force. Overall I thought it was a good set up as today was the first day for Sean and I'm sure it will gain quite a following in the future .. Came in with a 61ex100

 

[Will Hewland]

Hmmm. Like Matt, I had my worst score for literally years. I did have some personal reasons for not being on top form, so that accounts for some of it, but generally I didn't really rate this shoot overall. When you think 'Wiltshire', you may imagine some nice rolling hills etc; but this is not what Gunsite is. Fairly flat land with small rises.

The targets were on the firm side, which is possibly something that a 'name' shooter does to service his image? Most targets were not actually interesting or clever, but merely had a fully wound spring and an awkward edge on quartering set up. No driven, no curling crossers. As for that rabbit, it was more like 5 yards with limited time to shoot it.

5/10 in my book overall..

CSC3

 

[ExSCA]

20ft - 6.6 yards - I don't think I was that far out ;-)

 

[Clynt]

20ft - 6.6 yards - I don't think I was that far out ;-)

I work with timber in various lengths every day and would be surprised if it was more than 15ft !!!!

 

[JonSkeet2]

I would say 2, possibly 2.5 yards, max 3 but the one that got hit with 12 choke disappeared

Jon.

 

[ExSCA]

I'll take all of your words for it... 15 ft it is.

These fumes are getting quite heavy now - I'm feeling a bit drowsy.

 

[Will Hewland]

They always disappear well when the pattern is the same size as the rabbit!

 

[JonSkeet2]

These fumes are getting quite heavy now - I'm feeling a bit drowsy.

See if the mouse under the drivers seat has now died It's stealing your Carbon Monoxide

Jon.

 

[Fuzrat]

Have to agree with Clever. 5/10 for me and the pig in bread and burger made up a lot of that. Nothing really there that made you think WOW.

A lot of going away stuff and nothing that needed that much leeed, the midi crosser and the high teal probably being the farthest out, nothing really big and rangey a la Wylye or Westfield. As for the close rabbit, throwing it down a bank on a stoney moto x track was never a good idea from the start, seemed like every other one was a no bunnie in our squad, only missed 1 of them though, point gun at fence post wait for hopefully a whole clay to hit the end of your barrels and pull the trigger.

Not to bad for a first shoot and will hopefully evolve with time.

All that said you still had to hit them and there were 2 91's in when I left. I personally shot poorly, nailing first pair or 2 then losing them, only straighting the flat away followed by the high teal for a 59 which to be fair the way I'm shooting in the last few weeks is about an average Great company and the rain held off so not all bad

 

[Clynt]

I'll take all of your words for it... 15 ft it is.

These fumes are getting quite heavy now - I'm feeling a bit drowsy.

I'm persisting with the hacksaw blade on both wrists the F3's had a severe bollocking, and the rhino chokes are being pattern tested this week ( ready for a re-bore) ????

 

[Fuzrat]

I'm persisting with the hacksaw blade on both wrists the F3's had a severe bollocking, and the rhino chokes are being pattern tested this week ( ready for a re-bore) ????

Best get a blunderbus barrel for that bunny :.:

 

[lhs]

Things are never that bad gents matt go to the pub or off licence get two bottles of thunderbird by about 9 it wiil all be a blurr and tomorrow morning you care you head will be pounding

And as for hacksaw blades try a stanley knive and a nice warm bath a lot less painful

 

[Westward]

I didn't enjoy my score much either but if ever there was a course to separate the seasoned competitors from the wannabees this was it.

The guy I was shooting with hit 50% more than me but he isn't 50% better, 10-15% perhaps but not 50. What he was doing better than me was using his head and I reckon that's because I've got lazy over the last 3 years through only doing club shoots. For example It took me 3 or 4 pairs to work out the left & right fast quartering stand and finally muller the last pair. The painful truth is I should have got on them much sooner. Overall, had I been properly match fit I would have expected at least 25 more.

Personally I quite like to see a few technical targets mixed in with the conventional - and I like being tested - so I'll be back for sure. I'd rate the course at 8/10 for the targets and certainly more interesting than Longridge.

Good to finally put a few faces to screenames and good too to see a decent turnout. Many of the Glos brigade had a 60-ish mile run with some arriving from Longridge as I was leaving.

 

[Bob_P]

Really sorry we missed this, first weekend with no shooting for a long time. Some differing opinions in the review, so one to go and have a look at in the future. Are registereds going to be regular here?

 

[ExSCA]

Yep - more to come there - I'll definitely go back : http://gunsitesportingclays.co.uk/fixtures/

 

[Will Hewland]

They have plenty more scheduled. Personally I will be going to Weston or Newbold instead if it clashes in the next few months.

I nearly didn't go today because I thought it might take a while to get sorted. I was right. The most stunning moment of the day was when a young lad taking photos was ENCOURAGED BY A SCORER to go and stand in front of a cage to get a better view.. We paused dumbfounded for a moment before suggesting that it might be a tad dangerous..

There is no reason why this could not be a good shoot in the future. I think it will take a listening ear from the owner and probably some investment in at least one tower, plus perhaps a grouse butt to flatter the basically bland topography.

CSC3

 

[Hamster]

They always disappear well when the pattern is the same size as the rabbit!

:.: :.: