Shoot reports and news 2024

[Sian]

I think most people were missing the midi in front because it started off so fast
The teal was easy to miss, not because it was difficult but because we tend to rush it

I find teal difficult especially if they are a bit further out. My perception is off. I hit more than I used to but they still get me. Same with the going away thing it was with. So annoying.

 

[Steve W]

Sunday for me

Same here, 11.00am squad.

 

[Cuffers]

Monday for me.

I think we will all look forward to your feedback!

 

[Martinj]

and yours

 

[Sian]

Sunday for us

 

[Bebo]

Churchills yesterday. Sun out, not much of a breeze, it was lovely after shooting in drizzle and gales for so long. Bit of a change, with refs on each stand, but all ran smoothly and no waits on any stands for my squad. Think I prefer it the way they used to do it though, bit more banter with the refs that way. I enjoyed the course, only two targets that really caught me out - rl crosser along the bank from the scaffold and a quartering away target on one of the skeet layouts. dropped three of each of those. Otherwise it was a typical round of the odd ones or two away. Finished on 83, which I was happy with.

 

[donna]

Churchills for us too. I did see you Jenny when I was on stand 10 and you were walking back to club house but you weren’t looking my way!

Bad start for me, dropping 11 on first 3 stands . I just hate shooting from them bloody wooden boxes, they are just so high! Platform stand I did the same, dropped 3 of the r-l white targets. Shot quite well after that but the damage was already done and ended up on a lowly 73.

Seemed to be quite a few mix ups yesterday, I know one friend of ours was given 3 different start times, every time he went up to shoot they told him they’d moved him to a different time and the 2 gentlemen in our squad had been mucked about as they’d overbooked some squads and we were the 3rd squad they’d been allocated to after being booked in originally an hour before we started.

Was nice to shoot in the sun must admit. Phil and our friend shot their semi autos as they are doing the semi auto comp on Saturday at Barbury so thought they’d better get them out and dust them off!

 

[Sian]

Went to College Farm on Saturday and enjoyed the super sporting. Good squad including the high gun Ricky Draper who shot a 99. I shot an 82 which made me happy on my birthday.

 

[donna]

Went to College Farm on Saturday and enjoyed the super sporting. Good squad including the high gun Ricky Draper who shot a 99. I shot an 82 which made me happy on my birthday.

Happy birthday

 

[SBL]

Had a nice outing to Thimbleby on Saturday with my youngest lad (17). Approx 6 months since he last came out but as usual from the first clay he shoots great. Can’t imagine how good he might be if he was actually interested and used a left handed gun, im right. 100 around Spennymoor on Sunday and it’s a tale of 2 half’s. The difficulty on the high group of stands, well it’s tough. Come down to the lower stands and it’s a lot more realistic. Not sure on the scores but a very pleasant weekend.
Happy birthday Sian.

 

[Jonny English]

Orston for me on Sunday, it was the Notts county champs and a Derbyshire selection shoot (i was just there for a standard registered as i'm neither county) so turn out was very strong indeed. Turn out 2 weeks prior was around 96, this week was 202. Took just over 2 hrs to shoot which wasn't bad, nice steady run with no major hold ups. Nice course from Orston again, nothing majorly hard or long distance, but plenty to test your concentration. Nice mix of stands with shooting from platforms and the top of bunds at targets below your feet. Finished on 87 which I was pretty pleased with. My next registered will be my first ever visit to Doveridge for the English.

 

[Bebo]

Barrow for me on Sunday, first time this year. Back to being cold and windy! One stand I struggled with, a nasty sim pair of left to rights, first bird going like a bat out of hell, only hit it once. The rest of the course was littered with lots of stupid misses due to lack of concentration or me starting to overthink it. Another round with half the stands seeing me drop a single target. If I can hit 7 I really should be hitting 8! Anyway, finished on 75, so not a disaster, but felt like I should have found at least 5 more on that course.

 

[Freddypip]

So Monday @ the Essex Masters.

Firstly it was drive for me – 6am up and 7am in the car for a (rushing) 10am arrival. I also, given it was not a registered shoot, decided to take out the 682 Gold. It’s just had a adjustable stock fitted to it (Jason Sivitar) and which, apart from 75 cartridges last Wednesday (to set it up) I hadn’t used properly for a good few years.

Both courses were very do-able. The usual (for John Dyson) clays which are not what they seem and the use of the banks (on the red course) created a few issues with being under or over the clay. Nothing silly distance wise and ¼ & ½ chokes were adequate – I used a handful of close ranges cartridges and the same of Fiocchi Rossas (for distance). The last stand on the red course was very hard (0/4) and the top stand on the black had a battue turning which was actually drifting away from you (5/8).

Some technical clays and I would say the second target hold point is key for quite a few pairs.

We missed the rain and the wind only affected a couple of clays.

Only one wait for a trap repair.

Me – 75/79 (Red/Black)- thus 77 average

Daughter – 58/69 (Red/Black) – thus 63 average.

Just to put the scores into context my (CPSA) average is 77 and my daughter’s is 66. The black was the easier of the two layouts. The trees (on the red layout) do play tricks.

 

[Charliedog]

Really good YouTube video of Richard Faulds shooting both courses today, well worth a watch

 

[Freddypip]

Feel a bit disappointing - nobody took a video of me !!!

 

[Cuffers]

So Monday @ the Essex Masters.

Firstly it was drive for me – 6am up and 7am in the car for a (rushing) 10am arrival. I also, given it was not a registered shoot, decided to take out the 682 Gold. It’s just had a adjustable stock fitted to it (Jason Sivitar) and which, apart from 75 cartridges last Wednesday (to set it up) I hadn’t used properly for a good few years.

Both courses were very do-able. The usual (for John Dyson) clays which are not what they seem and the use of the banks (on the red course) created a few issues with being under or over the clay. Nothing silly distance wise and ¼ & ½ chokes were adequate – I used a handful of close ranges cartridges and the same of Fiocchi Rossas (for distance). The last stand on the red course was very hard (0/4) and the top stand on the black had a battue turning which was actually drifting away from you (5/8).

Some technical clays and I would say the second target hold point is key for quite a few pairs.

We missed the rain and the wind only affected a couple of clays.

Only one wait for a trap repair.

Me – 75/79 (Red/Black)- thus 77 average

Daughter – 58/69 (Red/Black) – thus 63 average.

Just to put the scores into context my (CPSA) average is 77 and my daughter’s is 66. The black was the easier of the two layouts. The trees (on the red layout) do play tricks.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm shooting it on Thursday so fingers crossed, I'l miss the rain too!

 

[jasper]

Grange farm for us today. A later than usual start saw arriving around 11. Last entries moved by the ground to 12. Stand one had a going away which needed a precise hold point . Which was then completely irrelevant due to the trap throwing stuff all over. Maintenance needed????. Rest of round pretty good. Some deceptive stuff. Not a good turnout , but only two in the 90s. Me mid 80s with lots of past and present England team all around. Missed the rain. So not a bad day.

 

[Charliedog]

Essex masters today, miserable weather, ground like a swamp, shot the red course very well to begin with but the black course in the afternoon was very slow, like 4 hours slow. Lots of going away targets, pleased to straight both stand 13s.

 

[donna]

We shot Barbury on weds and it was probably one of the hardest shoots for a long time but we all enjoyed it. Like Southdown 20 years ago!

Managed to get into EJC for the sport trap on Saturday which I’ve never shot there before and again, some hard targets but enjoyed myself. Ended up on 77 which I was pleased with but dropped 4 of the pesky edge on rabbits on last layout, I only hit it on peg 1 where it was showing a bit of the belly!! Hit some long targets really well, just got a couple of the sim pairs wrong but good squad both days (shot with Will both days)!

 

[Clear Miss]

Ian Coleys this morning for their monthly registered 100. While I've been to ground previously to visit the gun shop, I've never had a chance to shoot at the ground. It's a little spicy for my taste at 42p per non member practice clay so I tend not to choose the ground for practice and the registered shoots are always mid week so I rarely get an opportunity to attend. I bit the bullet this month and booked onto a morning squad and had a 1/2 day off work.

I was a little nervous on the drive up following a spell of bad form which I just can't seem to shake at the moment. I had some things that I wanted to try and cement into my shooting today like positioning within the stand, hold points and selected methods for target presentations etc. I feel this has been lacking lately with complacency which may go some way toward the run of bad form I've been experiencing.

I started off really strongly with a straight on the first two stands and only dropping 6 targets across the first half of the course. I started to struggle on the second half with a crow target of all things giving me problems. It needed about twice the lead I was giving it which I only found on the last from 4 targets. I dropped one or two across the next few stands and then fell over completely dropping 5 targets on stands 12 and 13 which were near enough gimme stands.

I finished on an 82/100 which is an ok result. As I type, the complete score list hasn't been published so I'll have to wait and see how I compared and if I should have paid the extra £5 for a competition entry.

I had set myself a challenge at the beginning of this year which was to take registered shoots a little more serious and try and get from B class into A class. Every shoot with a score over 78/100 moves my average a little closer to the 77.63 cut off.

Edit: 82/100 was bang average as it seems and £5 well saved.