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

[Will Hewland]

So.. Ian Coleys today. In the car park those that had already shot were not looking happy and I’m talking some usually very upbeat characters.

I shot my lowest score in about 7 years I think. 69! I was guilty of letting my head drop after the first few stands, not bothering to read when a driven was a midi, so should have banked a handful more, but you get the picture. Maybe somebody will hit 90 but there were casualties all down the list when I left. 

The course was very hard to shoot in my opinion, with lots of tough sim pairs, distant stuff and high-speed low-time windows. Some good stands but generally just too many opportunities to lose clays. Certainly looked like a course with zero sense of appealing to a wide audience and no attention paid to a course score as a whole. I’m surprised as Ian Coleys started the year similarly and have since been through a mix of shoots this year and got the last one about right.

Just to make sure I hadn’t suffered a stroke at Coleys, I stopped off at EJC and shot two Sportrap layouts. Nothing tough but 48/50 made me feel better.

 

[Hamster]

So.. Ian Coleys today. In the car park those that had already shot were not looking happy and I’m talking some usually very upbeat characters.

I shot my lowest score in about 7 years I think. 69! I was guilty of letting my head drop after the first few stands, not bothering to read when a driven was a midi, so should have banked a handful more, but you get the picture. Maybe somebody will hit 90 but there were casualties all down the list when I left. 

The course was very hard to shoot in my opinion, with lots of tough sim pairs, distant stuff and high-speed low-time windows. Some good stands but generally just too many opportunities to lose clays. Certainly looked like a course with zero sense of appealing to a wide audience and no attention paid to a course score as a whole. I’m surprised as Ian Coleys started the year similarly and have since been through a mix of shoots this year and got the last one about right.

Just to make sure I hadn’t suffered a stroke at Coleys, I stopped off at EJC and shot two Sportrap layouts. Nothing tough but 48/50 made me feel better.

Don't know what to say really but I personally think these kinds of shoots are put on when the course setter listens to the "shoots are too easy"/"wantmesomebigtargets" crowd.  It should always be about balance, something for everyone and nothing that's presented to cause or force misses.

My local ground has always had a good reputation for its mix of different types of birds as well as balance, it has always been a hard place to crawl past 90 but lately if you recall I've been somewhat critical of them both here and on FB when on more than one occasion in the last six months or so they have cranked things up to punishment levels on more than 2-3 stands. I hate to name names but even George has shot sub 90 there once or twice, last week we got a notification that they plan to reduce their weekly comps to two per month, when I enquired as to why I was told (they're just not getting the entries)   now it could all be coincidence of course but the place has a log cabin, zero parking issues, at least 4 permanent towers, gun shop, gunsmith, alcohol, restaurant, flush loos and at least 30 years worth of shooting clientele from all over !

Call me a cynic but methinks people don't all want "big" targets   most just want a challenge without the humiliation. You ever noticed how Horne is always crammed full despite being roundly criticised constantly about its "easy" targets. 

Gonna have a word and see if they'll let me do the course once or twice, what's there to lose ? 

 

[Richard59]

Also at Coleys, one hoped for a balance of targets accounting for the wide range of shooters that will / did attend, I dont feel that was the case today, entry according to pc screen was 92 in number, high gun was 86, about a dozen scores 80 and higher. 

Yes lots of long faces, me Ive been beasted by a shoot before, today though was a beating of a different kind.

Ground is on my doorstep, Ive been underwhelmed by this years offerings at Coleys

 

[Will Hewland]

Don't know what to say really but I personally think these kinds of shoots are put on when the course setter listens to the "shoots are too easy"/"wantmesomebigtargets" crowd.  It should always be about balance, something for everyone and nothing that's presented to cause or force misses.

My local ground has always had a good reputation for its mix of different types of birds as well as balance, it has always been a hard place to crawl past 90 but lately if you recall I've been somewhat critical of them both here and on FB when on more than one occasion in the last six months or so they have cranked things up to punishment levels on more than 2-3 stands. I hate to name names but even George has shot sub 90 there once or twice, last week we got a notification that they plan to reduce their weekly comps to two per month, when I enquired as to why I was told (they're just not getting the entries)   now it could all be coincidence of course but the place has a log cabin, zero parking issues, at least 4 permanent towers, gun shop, gunsmith, alcohol, restaurant, flush loos and at least 30 years worth of shooting clientele from all over !

Call me a cynic but methinks people don't all want "big" targets   most just want a challenge without the humiliation. You ever noticed how Horne is always crammed full despite being roundly criticised constantly about its "easy" targets. 

Gonna have a word and see if they'll let me do the course once or twice, what's there to lose ? 

You are right. Vocal shooters only ever say “bring it on”. Nobody speaks up to ask for it to be more easy for fear of mockery. All the highly attended shoots have reasonably high scores. I suspect Coleys wanted to toughen it up a bit from last month but fell into the cliche naive trap of stiffening loads of stands, when two is all you need..

 

[Richard59]

You are right. Vocal shooters only ever say “bring it on”. Nobody speaks up to ask for it to be more easy for fear of mockery. All the highly attended shoots have reasonably high scores. I suspect Coleys wanted to toughen it up a bit from last month but fell into the cliche naive trap of stiffening loads of stands, when two is all you need..

Id make a defence, but I do not understand for a moment what thought process, given recent history & the forecasted weather that was used for todays course

 

[GT2]

Shot Coley’s as well today.

In a good squad including Will above, enjoyed the company. 

Tough day, ended up on 78 but then looking  on CPSA - HG 86 and only 9 in the 80’s, looks like everyone had a tricky afternoon.   

Quite a few targets only had a very small shooting window, a lot of 2nd birds already heading into trees just after you’ve shot the first.

I missed a few first clays rushing to get to the 2nd which is all  part of learning of course.

Be interesting to see what the next one is like.

 

[Will Hewland]

Shot Coley’s as well today.

In a good squad including Will above, enjoyed the company. 

Tough day, ended up on 78 but then looking  on CPSA - HG 86 and only 9 in the 80’s, looks like everyone had a tricky afternoon.   

Quite a few targets only had a very small shooting window, a lot of 2nd birds already heading into trees just after you’ve shot the first.

I missed a few first clays rushing to get to the 2nd which is all  part of learning of course.

Be interesting to see what the next one is like.

Well shot today! And good to meet you. Sorry you had to watch me fall off a cliff.

 

[GT2]

Well shot today! And good to meet you. Sorry you had to watch me fall off a cliff.

Nice to meet you too mate, enjoyed the company! 

 

[Doug Pinnegar]

Well I shot my lowest ever registered score, 55/100

Did not bring my A game as rushed from work and it showed! 

 

[wynno]

This was one shoot I missed through attending a friends funeral. Seems I didn’t miss much though.  Ok so the course setter got it wrong, next month will be completely different. As coleys only has one regular registered shoot during the summer, they can screw up occasionally,however that’s not an excuse not to support them..... I’ll be back there next month.

 

[Will Hewland]

This was one shoot I missed through attending a friends funeral. Seems I didn’t miss much though.  Ok so the course setter got it wrong, next month will be completely different. As coleys only has one regular registered shoot during the summer, they can screw up occasionally,however that’s not an excuse not to support them..... I’ll be back there next month.

I’m back next month too. Course setter wasn’t happy that “he tried something different and most didn’t enjoy it”. This year Coleys really has been “like..a..box..uh..chocolates”..

 

[Richard59]

This was one shoot I missed through attending a friends funeral. Seems I didn’t miss much though.  Ok so the course setter got it wrong, next month will be completely different. As coleys only has one regular registered shoot during the summer, they can screw up occasionally,however that’s not an excuse not to support them..... I’ll be back there next month.

Ive been to all, its on my doorstep, Im of the opinion most of the six shoots this year have been ill thought out, yesterdays appeared like they had too many attempts at "wow" targets and not at all balanced, crumbs even the EO & BO have stands that a C class would expect to straight and if they / we don't  its down to own error, I cannot recall one such stand, yet on many were you are trying to hit 50% 

Its not just the targets though, we started on st9, a "new" stand, a walk up was practising on st10, the trap for this stand launched clays across the shooter in cage at st8! and the chap in said stand 10 could clearly see us whilst waving his barrels in our general direction!

One had, after 7 stands commented to a chum that "enough, not coming back" will no doubt eat those words and return, now if I had to travel I might not

I’m back next month too. Course setter wasn’t happy that “he tried something different and most didn’t enjoy it”. This year Coleys really has been “like..a..box..uh..chocolates”..

Yes, I will admit there were a few, As & AAs that said they really really enjoyed it, at 92 entrants on pc at close it was just short of their biggest ever entry which shows how popular mid-week competition shooting has become. 

 

[Westward]

I took 3 squads round and didn't hear any positive feedback at all.  It varied from "We'll just have to grin a bear it as it'll be better next month" to "Thank the lord there's a 10% rule".

Like Wynno I also shoot and I've been doing it long enough to know that short window targets and those that fall into trees in less than 1 second aren't challenging and nor are 70 yard chandelles, they're simply unfair.

I've know that ground for almost 20 years and it's well capable of really good presentations with it's varied terrain. Ultimately, the reg shooters are customers and shoots should be set up to be attractive to the majority.

We all get used to missing hittable targets - it's why we keep shooting - but no one likes getting beaten up by the course setter.

 

[wynno]

Box of chocolates...good analogy Will........roses or quality street ????

 

[Will Hewland]

Box of chocolates...good analogy Will........roses or quality street ????

This shoot was like the stuff you put on roses. And definitely not quality..

 

[Hamster]

This shoot was like the stuff you put on roses. And definitely not quality..

Even the usual tsunami of macho and plucky "likes" on FB posts has subsided to a trickle from diehards who still refuse to accept that majority (and) money talks. 

 

[GT2]

Lad in our squad shot 51 and been given 78 on the scorecard by the looks..

scratch that,  now been sorted

 

[Doug Pinnegar]

Hmmmm, weather looks fairly awful tomorrow. 

Auto shoot at Northampton or EJC?

 

[Bebo]

We'll either chance EJC or spend the day here and my husband can see if he can catch any carp.

 

[Sian]

Went to EJC very windy.   It wasn’t overly stiff and quite enjoyable but my gun set up is not right and i shot very badly.  Back to the drawing board.