Unconvincing breaks

[Scotty]

Hello good people.

In my last couple of sessions I've witnessed my clay target visibly alter course, but not really break. And I'm not talking about any crazy long range birds.

The club cartridges that I shoot are Lyavale express, English Sporter, 28g plastic wads.

Is it possible that only the wad is hitting the clay, changing its course? Or could I be skiffing one edge with a single pellet? Could the cartridges be woefully underpowered? And In competition, would that still count as a break?

I'm not a complete car crash. I haven't entered a comp yet but keep a shooting journal most times I go, and comfortably hit upwards of 75% of targets. But I've seen these non breaks maybe once a session over the last 2 or 3.

 

[Will Hewland]

Hello good people.

In my last couple of sessions I've witnessed my clay target visibly alter course, but not really break. And I'm not talking about any crazy long range birds.

The club cartridges that I shoot are Lyavale express, English Sporter, 28g plastic wads.

Is it possible that only the wad is hitting the clay, changing its course? Or could I be skiffing one edge with a single pellet? Could the cartridges be woefully underpowered? And In competition, would that still count as a break?

I'm not a complete car crash. I haven't entered a comp yet but keep a shooting journal most times I go, and comfortably hit upwards of 75% of targets. But I've seen these non breaks maybe once a session over the last 2 or 3.

It does happen. You see a clay wobble. It’s a pellet knocking it off course or I reckon sometimes a disturbance of air from the pattern just going past. You must see a piece come off the clay for it to be a hit in competition. I wouldn’t blame the cartridge. (Those express are quite thumpy I found, as an aside). 

 

[Westward]

Will has it right and it's important for refs to understand this rule as well because many competitors don't...

I remember a situation some years ago which caused a lot of grumbling. The target was an orange edgy rabbit clay, quartering away and in bright sunlight. Over and over there'd be a puff of orange dust but no visible break. More than a few competitors thought it should count as a kill, including one who became world esp champion a few years later. He at least accepted my judgement with good grace but not everyone did.

 

[Scotty]

Will has it right and it's important for refs to understand this rule as well because many competitors don't...

I remember a situation some years ago which caused a lot of grumbling. The target was an orange edgy rabbit clay, quartering away and in bright sunlight. Over and over there'd be a puff of orange dust but no visible break. More than a few competitors thought it should count as a kill, including one who became world esp champion a few years later. He at least accepted my judgement with good grace but not everyone did.

So in that instance was the 'puff' lifting previous breaks off the ground or was it taking something off the target clays and just not cracking them?

 

[Freddypip]

I used to shoot at a local ground most Saturday afternoon and occasionally was there late with the owner having a coffee after time. It was not hard to find an intact clay with a hole in it or marks consistent with pellet contact but no break.

 

[Richard59]

Will has it right and it's important for refs to understand this rule as well because many competitors don't...

I remember a situation some years ago which caused a lot of grumbling. The target was an orange edgy rabbit clay, quartering away and in bright sunlight. Over and over there'd be a puff of orange dust but no visible break. More than a few competitors thought it should count as a kill, including one who became world esp champion a few years later. He at least accepted my judgement with good grace but not everyone did.

Having reffed both ESP & FITASC it’s surprising how many shots don’t or claim not to know certain rules regarding quite a few things.

 

[Westward]

So in that instance was the 'puff' lifting previous breaks off the ground or was it taking something off the target clays and just not cracking them?

They were pellet strikes that didn't break the clay but dislodged the orange paint. 

In this case the rabbits weren't a long way out but were fully airborne and looping & quartering away into the bushes. There was little to no margin of error if the shot wasn't  middled. After the shoot I wandered over and found loads of unbroken clays with pellet marks showing they'd been hit by a couple of pellets.