Sporting Shoots; where- and how was it? (2018)

[Will Hewland]

Owls busy again, took ages to get breakfast so didn’t start promptly. Big queues on 1 and 12 especially. Started OK, but just had a horror show with the long targets again. New specs I’m very good on the quick edgey stuff but died a death on most longer ones today. Still behind mostly.. dreadful score. I dropped 19 over 4 stands. 2 over the other 8.  Wasn’t an easy shoot, but that wasn’t the reason. I need to be philosophical for another month at least. 

 

[Sian]

Owls for us too on a chilly day but thankful for no wind and rain.  Started on stand 3 because I wanted to get the teal out of the way and got a full house. I enjoyed the round but royally messed up on stand 12 in the bowl.  I watched Tony get so many no birds and lose the plot really on what should have been a steady stand for him.  I just wasn’t with it and lost 6 on a 5 pair stand.  it was under half way through the shoot but I kept at it.  Dropped silly ones and then last stand which was 2 with a battue right to left out of the tree line dropping missed 3.  Finished on 83 and was frozen by the end but a bacon and egg sarnie and tea helped revive me.  Was still slightly annoyed by stand 12 but actually looking and comparing scores I did well.

 

[diver682]

First time I had shot sporting at owls today. Had a great day, good variation of targets, finished on 79 only had one nightmare stand, fast orange going away followed by a slow rabbit dropped six, language was a bit colourful to say the least. Will be back next month for some more 

 

[Sian]

Garlands for us this last Sunday, lots of lovely birds which I didn't do justice to.  Have to be on your A game for Garlands and I think I forgot how to play ..  The pool shoot was very good also and I had fun with some testing ones.  I managed 15 twice so I was happy enough with that.  Bloody missed the easiest bird a couple of times and got some stonking far away (by the time I got to them) ones.

 

[Steve Lovatt]

Plus you got an express welly delivery Sian x

 

[Sian]

Plus you got an express welly delivery Sian x

Yes thank you.  

 

[Will Hewland]

Me and 5 friends shot the EJ Churchill Challenge this morning, first ones to do so. It’s on until March 23rd, so you can enter as often as you like. It’s actually FOC the sixth time.. There will be a prize fund, maybe a finals day? All to be announced I think..

So, it is 8 stands of Supersporting, which means three traps in action per stand. You will shoot some on-report mixed pairs and some sim pairs, never the same thing twice, so a good bit of varied fun for us sporting shooters. There is also a very good 20 target sequence with longer targets from 6 traps, which I really enjoyed. 

Thoroughly recommended. For reference we all hit around our sporting averages, scores wise. I did 85 but tossed a daft four away on one stand so think I can do better as we always do.. It was a nice sunny day with no wind though. 

 

[Richard59]

Westfield Compak this am, twas a lot cooler than both Cirencester & the rather pleasant forecast thats for sure, not shot Compak, then very badly for 3 years, it was my very own winter of discontent with an ill fitting DT10 so my expectations were not high, shot 3/4 layouts and the last one I did struggle, Ive a real mental block on l-rs at mo and with half the layout being so it took a bit, but not much of the gloss off my morning. 

The shooting superstars were out early doors, they do make it all look rather easy, the result of many years hard toil and a abundance of talent to do so. 

 

[tiptop]

Westfield Compak this am, twas a lot cooler than both Cirencester & the rather pleasant forecast thats for sure, not shot Compak, then very badly for 3 years, it was my very own winter of discontent with an ill fitting DT10 so my expectations were not high, shot 3/4 layouts and the last one I did struggle, Ive a real mental block on l-rs at mo and with half the layout being so it took a bit, but not much of the gloss off my morning. 

The shooting superstars were out early doors, they do make it all look rather easy, the result of many years hard toil and a abundance of talent to do so. 

DT10? Where is the P shooter.

 

[Richard59]

DT10? Where is the P shooter.

Opps sorry the DT10 was 2016, the three years ago, we didnt get on, I probably didnt explain that very well in posting, not ever letting P go, it aint gun that missed clays today, tis the plonker pulling its lovely trigger

 

[Will Hewland]

Westfield ESP for me today. 

I did wonder if it might be a compromised course, because the Compak was also running today, but no problem, it was a good varied layout as usual. I’m settling in with my new glasses but still feel I might not have dropped 4 l-r crossers on one stand if I were fully dialled in to the picture, but gotta shoot through and it will come. I missed three orange quartering aways on stand 12 too, which needed more lead than I thought. Just a tricky angle. Other than that just a bit tatty dropping one or two here and there mostly, for 85. Enjoyed it.

 

[P1Fanatic]

Went to Horne. Was a little late arriving so was quite busy on the lower stands so started midway. Started on the gimme following pair stand and missed the first bird. Dropped a few sloppy ones walking up to the top and then finished stands 5-1 and by then the wind had picked up and it seemed no two targets were the same. Stand 1 first bird battue never rotated until it went well past the left pillar of the stand making it very tricky. The one I got was a single chip. Stand 2 second bird was a green clay on green background so I was happy to straight that. Ended up on 75 and wasn't too unhappy with that.

 

[Turkey]

west fields compak

21/21/25/24

91

Sporting 86 

Made hard work of 3 stands dropping 8

No my best performance but a enjoyable day out with Doug and colin .... who smashed me on the first 50 compak

 

[Bebo]

Gatton Bottom.  Some of the targets (actually most of them) were massively wind affected.  Mini in the middle I shot the first pair with the wind blowing and smoked it, missed the next two before I realised that because the wind had dropped it was slowing much more quickly and I was giving it too much before hitting the last one.  Lots of that sort of thing happening all over.  One of the greenish incomers on the platform that was supposed to be well under your feet ended up almost as a driven target.  I wasn't shooting particularly well anyway and ended on a 66, just enough for it not to drop off the bottom of my averages 

 

[Will Hewland]

Gatton Bottom.  Some of the targets (actually most of them) were massively wind affected.  Mini in the middle I shot the first pair with the wind blowing and smoked it, missed the next two before I realised that because the wind had dropped it was slowing much more quickly and I was giving it too much before hitting the last one.  Lots of that sort of thing happening all over.  One of the greenish incomers on the platform that was supposed to be well under your feet ended up almost as a driven target.  I wasn't shooting particularly well anyway and ended on a 66, just enough for it not to drop off the bottom of my averages 

Sounds like Westfield (which was also windy) had targets less affected by wind, probably because there was plenty of spring on most of them, now I think about it. No room at Horne to send targets a distance..

 

[Bebo]

Sounds like Westfield (which was also windy) had targets less affected by wind, probably because there was plenty of spring on most of them, now I think about it. No room at Horne to send Targets a distance..

They rarely wind the springs up at Horne, as you know. I was thinking about how many of the targets you had to shoot straight at or near as dammit:

Stand 12 - sim pair of teal and high incomer

Stand 11 - long high incomer l/r quartering away that was effectively straight away when you shot it.

Stand 9 - second bird was a flattish teal going away

Stand 7 - sim pair of teals

Stand 6 - floppy l/r thing

Stand 5 - following pair of floppy r/l

Stand 4 - long low incomer and quartering r/l away

Stand 3 - overhead

Stand 2 - r/l quartering away

Reminds me why the days leave and long drives to AGL and EJC are worth it.

 

[Will Hewland]

Yes.. Horne is a particular skill set. Gun has to fit you really well and you need to be very calm and careful. But it’s not like a proper shoot..

 

[diver682]

They rarely wind the springs up at Horne, as you know. I was thinking about how many of the targets you had to shoot straight at or near as dammit:

Stand 12 - sim pair of teal and high incomer

Stand 11 - long high incomer l/r quartering away that was effectively straight away when you shot it.

Stand 9 - second bird was a flattish teal going away

Stand 7 - sim pair of teals

Stand 6 - floppy l/r thing

Stand 5 - following pair of floppy r/l

Stand 4 - long low incomer and quartering r/l away

Stand 3 - overhead

Stand 2 - r/l quartering away

Reminds me why the days leave and long drives to AGL and EJC are worth it.

With that many incomers it sounds like the course setter ran out of ideas! 

 

[Bebo]

Yes.. Horne is a particular skill set. Gun has to fit you really well and you need to be very calm and careful. But it’s not like a proper shoot..

Trouble is for me, it's the only ground that has regular Reg shoots on that is within an hours drive and I really don't want to waste an entire Sunday driving.  Never mind, I think Dartford has one in a couple of weeks.

 

[Will Hewland]

Trouble is for me, it's the only ground that has regular Reg shoots on that is within an hours drive and I really don't want to waste an entire Sunday driving.  Never mind, I think Dartford has one in a couple of weeks.

Roll on Steve Lovatt’s new one near Guildford. March I think.