Sporting shoots 2023. How was it?

[donna]

Martin, I felt sorry for the ref on stand 6, she must have had a few people moaning that they hit both at once

When we went through her stand she did say it was the hardest stand she had ever reffed and just watching made me shake! Targets not coming out consistently so it really was pot luck if you got both.

 

[Martinj]

Yes it helped enormously to hit both targets with one shot, only one person in our squad hit the second clay with a second shot because it was an edge on curling away battue and it could have been taken for another piece of shrapnel. I found it a lot easier to judge breaks when standing with the ref than when actually shooting it. This is why I was puzzled when one of our squad didn't fire a second shot at the unbroken battues, the reason was that he thought he was hitting them both with the first shot.

 

[Martinj]

Southdown today, yes, despite the weather forecast! did anyone else get out?
A mate and I drove down from North East Hampshire, we had pre-booked so decided to risk the weather. It was raining from the start of the journey, I kept looking at the sky as we headed south, hoping to see signs of it clearing up and it did stop while we were booking in - briefly.
Stand 1 was OK, stand 2 the sky darkened and it rained hard, we were looking down on a going away and a quartering away on report and I managed 3 out of 8. Time for a rethink so we sheltered under the trees for a while, it didn't stop raining but it brightened up a little as we shot our way down the lane with the rain in our faces. Coming back up the lane the rain was on our backs which was much better, OK conditions all things considered.
There was a fair mix of targets as always, some from the crane where I missed 2, some high, some far out, some below eye level. Despite the initial disaster I did OK chalking up 4 above my average. TBH I don't mind a bit of rain as long as I can see what I'm shooting at, and I enjoyed the session.

 

[Charliedog]

Barrow for me and the weather was pretty good, didn't shoot the quartering away targets very well which cost me several today, the rest pretty happy, just about scraped my average but felt should have been better, good round of targets though.

 

[Bebo]

Barrow for me and the weather was pretty good, didn't shoot the quartering away targets very well which cost me several today, the rest pretty happy, just about scraped my average but felt should have been better, good round of targets though.

Barrow as well, I actually did OK on the quartering stuff, apart from on Stand 1 where I dropped 2. I had a really bad start, dropped 8 on the first two stands. Massively overled a simple climbing left to right and dropped three of them. Shot at it and it broke . Gave myself a good taking to and shot the rest of it fairly well.

 

[wynno]

Westfield for me and 173 others, a downpour very early morning led to some flooding of the clubhouse, which Steve and co sorted before the shooters arrived.
A good and varied course, stands 8 and 12 being of particular note, 8 was a very high battue looping incomerish, followed by a r-l crossing standard, I didn’t touch one of the first birds and a good many people were the same.
stand 12 was a simmo pair quartering high midi and standard, came off with a 3, which considering the shooters in front of me came off with zeros I was happy with.

The rain had made the ground quite muddy and slippery, so much so a few ended up on their ar**s, And one por chap ended up digging his barrels into the ground and plugging th chokes with mud
I ended up on 81 and came 1st in B class….. typical I was birds only

 

[chesterse]

Orston Saturday for the 125 sportrap which really was an excellent shoot. A great variety of testing targets with simmo pairs which were tricky but not nigh impossible like you sometimes get at some shoots. No Micky Mouse stuff on the end of your barrels either.
It ran like clockwork with hardly a no bird and the only regret is that it went too quickly, finishing the whole thing in about an hour and a half. I shot much better than of late with 96/125.

 

[jon1]

First time shooting at Orston Saturday for Sportrap, agree with chesterse it was a really good experience all round.

 

[Sian]

Isanyone venturing to EJC tomorrow. I’m booked in but just as I go out the 40+ wind speed starts. I’ve shot in this quite a few times but I’m thinking I shouldn’t but I need someone to tell me not to because I don’t seem to learn.

 

[Will Hewland]

Isanyone venturing to EJC tomorrow. I’m booked in but just as I go out the 40+ wind speed starts. I’ve shot in this quite a few times but I’m thinking I shouldn’t but I need someone to tell me not to because I don’t seem to learn.

Yeah I’m booked and going.. forecast suggests it’s wet and windy but worse after I shoot. But forecasts aren’t that dependable

 

[Will Hewland]

Well I went.. weather wasn’t a problem in the morning. Low winds and only got wet on a few stands. The course was pretty tricky though. 90 leading when I left at lunchtime. Two stands kicked my butt badly. 2/8 on stand 5 and 4/8 on stand 9 (which didn’t look hard). Shot much of the rest quite well but damage was done. Finished 84.

 

[Sian]

Well I went.. weather wasn’t a problem in the morning. Low winds and only got wet on a few stands. The course was pretty tricky though. 90 leading when I left at lunchtime. Two stands kicked my butt badly. 2/8 on stand 5 and 4/8 on stand 9 (which didn’t look hard). Shot much of the rest quite well but damage was done. Finished 84.

I decided not to go. The time I was supposed to shoot in the afternoon the wind was predicted to be 40+ with rain although at home I don’t think it got as bad as I thought it would but still very wet. I’ve booked for the next one.

 

[Richard59]

Coleys today, first of four monthly Saturday shoots running over the “Winter” for our 12.50 5 man squad luckily the wet stuff stopped as we were about to start, did return for the last 3/4 stands but only as drizzle, the place looked as if the earlier starts had a soaking. Was first up on St1, amazed myself by dropping all 4 of the closest targets (r-l “floppers”) on the course, St2 we then watched for an eternity as the before squad shoot what seemed never ending l- r low exocets whilst the report looper was a 3/4 on trot no bird throughout squad, we had none. No it wasn’t the hardest / toughest / big target shoot that any of us has been on but no one I saw seemed to be ripping it up, yes fair few straights but squad ( bar I ) all AAA AA shots so you expect these guys to rattle up a score, however it wasn’t happening and clays dropped every where. Didn’t hit (St11 I think) a l-r mini that a fair distance and was more 1/4ering than crossing, “ you were in front then went further in front of them “ was the sage advice after I’d finished. Messed up the last stand five simos a orange crow with a l-r crossing it, crow looked right but no wasn’t breaking them kept shooting over top of the crosser as it dropped. Didnt shoot my age which was all my fault, that said a fair few and better shots than I all found it a bit of a challenge, high gun 94, no, not the ice cream shoot that many wanted it to be.

 

[wynno]

Hi all, I’m stepping back from shooting and reffing until the new year, nothing to do with it being cold damp and wet , just I’m having knee surgery and don’t want to bu**er up my recovery.

So shoot well and I’ll be back out sometime in January

 

[donna]

Hi all, I’m stepping back from shooting and reffing until the new year, nothing to do with it being cold damp and wet , just I’m having knee surgery and don’t want to bu**er up my recovery.

So shoot well and I’ll be back out sometime in January

Hope you make a good recovery and hope to see you soon.

 

[Westward]

Hi all, I’m stepping back from shooting and reffing until the new year, nothing to do with it being cold damp and wet , just I’m having knee surgery and don’t want to bu**er up my recovery.

So shoot well and I’ll be back out sometime in January

Good luck Wyn. Remember, the Physio knows best...

 

[Freddypip]

Take it easy & best on the recovery - Better to take your time and come back when you are ready.

 

[Sian]

Hi all, I’m stepping back from shooting and reffing until the new year, nothing to do with it being cold damp and wet , just I’m having knee surgery and don’t want to bu**er up my recovery.

So shoot well and I’ll be back out sometime in January

All the best, at least we’ll see you out and about.

 

[Martinj]

Good luck Wynno, take it easy

 

[wynno]

Thanks everyone for the good wishes, and I’ll definitely be back in the new year