Sporting shoots 2023. How was it?

[Bebo]

EJC for me too. I'm a shortarse as well, but didn't think 1 was a problem. Agree that 12 you didn't get to see the second bird for long.

Stand 6 was just tough (2 for me). I mucked up the scaffold as well. The rest was lots of 1s, 2s or 3s away. Pleased with straighting stand 5 and only dropping one driven. Finished on 70.

 

[Charliedog]

Barrow for me today, had bit of a lay in, started poorly and only straighted 1 stand (stand 11), an enjoyable round in good company, good variety of testing targets, average for shoot was 73, I managed a few above but missed too many easier targets, unfortunately my tardiness to get out of bed cost me a piece of cake as they had unfortunately sold out, cheered myself up with a burger instead.

 

[Bebo]

Barrow as well. Straighted 4,5 and 12, but far too many random pairs away elsewhere. Also struggled on two targets, second bird on 1 and first bird on 10 - was hitting the midi crosser off the cherrypicker, but couldnt find what should have been the easy quartering target.

I'm working hard to force myself to not shoot maintained lead on everything. It works well for me on longer targets, but not on stuff that needs little lead.. Felt I was actually getting to grips with swing through on quite a few of the lower and closer crossers today.

 

[Will Hewland]

Barrow as well. Straighted 4,5 and 12, but far too many random pairs away elsewhere. Also struggled on two targets, second bird on 1 and first bird on 10 - was hitting the midi crosser off the cherrypicker, but couldnt find what should have been the easy quartering target.

I'm working hard to force myself to not shoot maintained lead on everything. It works well for me on longer targets, but not on stuff that needs little lead.. Felt I was actually getting to grips with swing through on quite a few of the lower and closer crossers today.

Pull away as a default? Nicer than those other two nasty methods.

 

[Bebo]

Pull away as a default? Nicer than those other two nasty methods.

I often struggle with pull away on quicker close targets. I end up struggling with hold points and spend to long matching the speed etc. The swing through I'm trying to do isn't a wild rip through the target, it's more a come up behind it slightly faster than the target then pull through to the lead. On some stuff it's almost a 'push to' rather than a swing through if that makes sense.

 

[Will Hewland]

I often struggle with pull away on quicker close targets. I end up struggling with hold points and spend to long matching the speed etc. The swing through I'm trying to do isn't a wild rip through the target, it's more a come up behind it slightly faster than the target then pull through to the lead. On some stuff it's almost a 'push to' rather than a swing through if that makes sense.

Yeah sure. Swing through is a wide term. I just think more of a speed match on longer targets is sensible.

 

[Bebo]

Yeah sure. Swing through is a wide term. I just think more of a speed match on longer targets is sensible.

Agreed. I tend to do the long stuff as maintained or a sort of halfway house between maintained and pull away (I'll match a comfortable distance in front and then increase from there if it's a really huge gap). My long target game is OK, I'm fine where you've got time to create and maintain a gap. It's the quicker closer stuff that doesn't work on that I struggle. I keep defaulting to getting in front and staying there, which is resulting in me overleading or stopping the gun to try to correct and missing behind.

I feel like I've taken two steps backwards so far this year, but hopefully that'll be compensated by three forward over the coming months.

 

[Will Hewland]

I shot Honesberie, Oxford champs yesterday. Three fairly easy stands to start with (so really cross when I sloppily missed two on stand 3). The rest of the course was somewhere between tricky and very tough. Finished on 85, HG was 93.

 

[Macc Ladd]

Agreed. I tend to do the long stuff as maintained or a sort of halfway house between maintained and pull away (I'll match a comfortable distance in front and then increase from there if it's a really huge gap). My long target game is OK, I'm fine where you've got time to create and maintain a gap. It's the quicker closer stuff that doesn't work on that I struggle. I keep defaulting to getting in front and staying there, which is resulting in me overleading or stopping the gun to try to correct and missing behind.

I feel like I've taken two steps backwards so far this year, but hopefully that'll be compensated by three forward over the coming months.

I really struggled on quartering targets,
Close 1/4ing I let the bird beat the gun and use gun speed, usually shoot at most.

 

[Charliedog]

Barrow as well. Straighted 4,5 and 12, but far too many random pairs away elsewhere. Also struggled on two targets, second bird on 1 and first bird on 10 - was hitting the midi crosser off the cherrypicker, but couldnt find what should have been the easy quartering target.

I'm working hard to force myself to not shoot maintained lead on everything. It works well for me on longer targets, but not on stuff that needs little lead.. Felt I was actually getting to grips with swing through on quite a few of the lower and closer crossers today.

Bebo, I think we may have had a brief chat on stand 7, the teal and right to left crosser sim pair (missed the last teal), I handed in your card, I did improve slightly on the second half but good to be out anyway, you mentioned swing through.

 

[Daz W]

Northampton for me yesterday. Been shooting like Stevie Wonder recently, so paid a visit to the opticians and found my prescription in my dominant eye had changed a fair bit. Knowing that a new prescription takes a while to get used to, plus a new (to me) gun that I've only put 100 through so far, I wasn't expecting much.

Bit of a layout change for Northampton, and I liked it. First 7 stands in their usual locations, but the field layout had changed somewhat. Stand 8 was O/R driven, and stand 9 was from up the hill, shooting down into the field. R-L underfoot quartering incomer followed by a high R-L. Couldn't find the A bird at all. No idea.

Fortunately was towards the rear of the squad rotation for St 10 and 11, so got to see a why/where it could be mucked up. Think the wind had a massive effect on these. Stand 10, big L-R crosser that sped along and then slowed real quick (most missed in front) , followed by R-L crosser that got some distance on it, before a lot of the squad shot at it. Gun down and pretty much spot shot the first when it stalled, and a quickly shot maintained lead on the 2nd somewhat redeemed my misreading of St 9.

Finished on 83, which while not setting the world on fire, was more than I was expecting, and a damn sight better than I have been shooting over the last month. Taking that as a win.

 

[Bebo]

Bebo, I think we may have had a brief chat on stand 7, the teal and right to left crosser sim pair (missed the last teal), I handed in your card, I did improve slightly on the second half but good to be out anyway, you mentioned swing through.

Nice to meet you! No swing through for me on that stand. I missed the crosser on the first pair and the third teal (stopped the gun!). Crosser was maintained all the way for me (mainly because it was curling downwards by the time I took it).

First bird on stands 5, 9 and 12 and both targets on 7 were where I was happy that swing through gave me some gains. Dropped 4 in total of those 20 targets, half of those on stand 7 where I dropped the first pair behind both targets dithering about. Once I actually started to move the gun through it worked well.

 

[Podge Weston]

Barrow for me today, had bit of a lay in, started poorly and only straighted 1 stand (stand 11), an enjoyable round in good company, good variety of testing targets, average for shoot was 73, I managed a few above but missed too many easier targets, unfortunately my tardiness to get out of bed cost me a piece of cake as they had unfortunately sold out, cheered myself up with a burger instead

Barrow as well. Straighted 4,5 and 12, but far too many random pairs away elsewhere. Also struggled on two targets, second bird on 1 and first bird on 10 - was hitting the midi crosser off the cherrypicker, but couldnt find what should have been the easy quartering target.

I'm working hard to force myself to not shoot maintained lead on everything. It works well for me on longer targets, but not on stuff that needs little lead.. Felt I was actually getting to grips with swing through on quite a few of the lower and closer crossers today.

Also shot Barrow today stand 10 really dented my card couldn’t find first bird and then panicked on the second dropped 7 .. Also dropped 5 on stand 2 shame really as I straighted 3,4,5,8,9,12. then dropping one on 1,6,11 .. 2 on stand 7 Finished on 83 so shouldn’t grumble but…Enjoyed the round though..

 

[Richard59]

Oxfordshire today, again a last minute works diary change gave me chance to drop in first thing, well for a 10am start due to two chaps pulling due to combining duties. Last month it started wet then went full monsoon, today it threatened drizzle, none appeared and got quite pleasant by end. was is a squad with five others, all new faces to be and gather they were all AGL regulars, there banter being aches & pains of advancing years, did not have heart to tell them I was older than them all. As ever started well, I say well it only lasted until St3 left - right report pair where wheels fell off & still awaiting RAC on these bogeys. Not the most taxing of shoots, steady would be the phrase oft used, for me it was acase of too many l-rs blighting (destroying) my card, now the rabbits, teals, r-lefts the going aways were found but too much not. Our ref kindly offered me a few words, "on them you were behind, over, under rarely in front but always always too late with the shot" he's not wrong on the last bit. Was rammed when I left, cafe doing a roaring trade, had a china mug tea and a lovely bit of cake which was, once again sadly the highlight of my visit here. Left at around 1, no scores up and shooting will be gong on all day by the looks of the entry card, nice to see ground busy.

 

[Daz W]

Oxfordshire today, again a last minute works diary change gave me chance to drop in first thing, well for a 10am start due to two chaps pulling due to combining duties. Last month it started wet then went full monsoon, today it threatened drizzle, none appeared and got quite pleasant by end. was is a squad with five others, all new faces to be and gather they were all AGL regulars, there banter being aches & pains of advancing years, did not have heart to tell them I was older than them all. As ever started well, I say well it only lasted until St3 left - right report pair where wheels fell off & still awaiting RAC on these bogeys. Not the most taxing of shoots, steady would be the phrase oft used, for me it was acase of too many l-rs blighting (destroying) my card, now the rabbits, teals, r-lefts the going aways were found but too much not. Our ref kindly offered me a few words, "on them you were behind, over, under rarely in front but always always too late with the shot" he's not wrong on the last bit. Was rammed when I left, cafe doing a roaring trade, had a china mug tea and a lovely bit of cake which was, once again sadly the highlight of my visit here. Left at around 1, no scores up and shooting will be gong on all day by the looks of the entry card, nice to see ground busy.

Apologies Richard, didn't realise associate the name with you on here. We were on the same squad. I shot first on St 1

 

[Richard59]

Apologies Richard, didn't realise associate the name with you on here. We were on the same squad. I shot first on St 1

And very nice to meet you, normally have a named Hull vest but going undercover whilst in this current rut. Well shot today DazW hope you drive back was plain sailing as a lot of traffic around today

 

[jonz]

Oxfordshire today, again a last minute works diary change gave me chance to drop in first thing, well for a 10am start due to two chaps pulling due to combining duties. Last month it started wet then went full monsoon, today it threatened drizzle, none appeared and got quite pleasant by end. was is a squad with five others, all new faces to be and gather they were all AGL regulars, there banter being aches & pains of advancing years, did not have heart to tell them I was older than them all. As ever started well, I say well it only lasted until St3 left - right report pair where wheels fell off & still awaiting RAC on these bogeys. Not the most taxing of shoots, steady would be the phrase oft used, for me it was acase of too many l-rs blighting (destroying) my card, now the rabbits, teals, r-lefts the going aways were found but too much not. Our ref kindly offered me a few words, "on them you were behind, over, under rarely in front but always always too late with the shot" he's not wrong on the last bit. Was rammed when I left, cafe doing a roaring trade, had a china mug tea and a lovely bit of cake which was, once again sadly the highlight of my visit here. Left at around 1, no scores up and shooting will be gong on all day by the looks of the entry card, nice to see ground busy.

Richard, I do enjoy reading your posts on the shoots you attend but there seems to be a consistent trend that you struggle on left to right crossing targets, have you considered having someone coach you on these? To tell you what you are doing wrong.
please don’t take offence of my comments I would just like to see you post that you’ve mastered your problems.

 

[Richard59]

Richard, I do enjoy reading your posts on the shoots you attend but there seems to be a consistent trend that you struggle on left to right crossing targets, have you considered having someone coach you on these? To tell you what you are doing wrong.
please don’t take offence of my comments I would just like to see you post that you’ve mastered your problems.

Firstly thank you for your kind comments, will confess to the odd ramble which oft bears little reference to any real details of the shoot, the clay bashing or lack of is just part of the ( mostly very enjoyable) day etc.
No offence taken at all, regarding my “issue” I’ve seen a couple over the years and had a few very good shots / chums also kindly try and help me, sadly one coach simply gave up on me the other Id just about driven to distraction with my brain dead inability to put into repeated action any very helpful instruction, it’s the mutt behind the butt and it’s near the “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” time for I.
See what I mean about rambling on , again thank you and will try and be more positive

 

[jonz]

Firstly thank you for your kind comments, will confess to the odd ramble which oft bears little reference to any real details of the shoot, the clay bashing or lack of is just part of the ( mostly very enjoyable) day etc.
No offence taken at all, regarding my “issue” I’ve seen a couple over the years and had a few very good shots / chums also kindly try and help me, sadly one coach simply gave up on me the other Id just about driven to distraction with my brain dead inability to put into repeated action any very helpful instruction, it’s the mutt behind the butt and it’s near the “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” time for I.
See what I mean about rambling on , again thank you and will try and be more positive

Well we can’t all be world champions and it is something we do to enjoy ourselves so as long as you enjoy it keep going and I hope that you continue with your reports and that one day we will see you reporting that you’ve cracked the demons

 

[Daz W]

Redricks for me today. 4th time out since jumping from a Browning to a Beretta, and so far I'm loving it (plus new prescription inserts are definitely helping). Guessing a there was a fair few no shows today, which is uncalled for. Ended up with a squad of 4, as 2 of our squad got bumped up to fill 4 no shows in the previous squad. Most people know at least a fair few days in advance if they cant make it. Really unfair on the ground IMO.

So as a 4, we got round pretty quick. No break downs or no birds, which seem to hamper other grounds, made it a great morning. Mucked up a couple up on the St3 platform, and a few where I misjudged lead for the first pair, but no real disasters or card killers today. Maybe Phil was being kind to us.

Little bumblebee teal getting blown about by the wind made it a bit tricky, and caught a few out. When it was my turn it was against one of the blackest clouds I've seen in a while. Made it quite hard to see. Luck of the draw. A blaze one would have been hard to see for everyone else who didn't get the black cloud behind it. Dropped 2, could've been worse.

Finished up with an 85. Happy with that.