Thread: Summer Shotgun Practicing

jakewire, any gun for Sporting when you start. there are specific 'Sporting guns' so called usually shooting slightly high. Mine for example shoots 70/30- 70% above the point of impact 30% below. Means I can see the target above my barrel at all times.
They are normally 30-36 (rare, but a couple around at 36inch) and are more like a trap gun as to a skeet one.
I read this the other day and you may find it interesting.

""To understand the differences, it can be helpful first to look at the different types of targets presented in the two disciplines, Down the Line and Sporting.

Trap targets are always going away from you and, at the point you shoot them, they are rising.

They are also projected within an arc of about 60 degrees in front. Targets in the different trap disciplines vary slightly, but that’s the general picture.

To tackle rising targets, a trap gun is configured so that it shoots slightly high. This enables the shooter to fire with the target in view just above the muzzle end of the rib, and hit it right in the middle of the pattern.

As the target is retreating from the shooter at quite a rapid rate, choking is usually quite tight: 3/4in the lower barrel (which is fired first), and full in the top.

Also, when tackling trap targets you don’t have to swing the gun as quickly or as far as you do in Sporting, so the gun can be heavier (which helps to soak up recoil), and also steadier in its handling.

Many trap guns weigh over 8lb.

As you can see, it is a tool designed to do a job, and it isn’t much use for anything other than trap.

Sporting, however, is designed to be a simulation of field shooting, and the variety of targets is limited only by the course setter’s imagination and, of course, safety considerations.

Targets can be incoming, outgoing, crossing, quartering, rising, falling, curling – in fact doing almost anything a wild bird can do.

The Sporter, therefore, needs to be designed as a sort of ‘compromise’ gun.

It shoots closer to point of aim than a trap gun, is less tightly choked (1/4 and 1/4 being the norm in a fixed-choke), and its handling and balance are designed for fast swinging.

Sporters usually weigh between 7.1/2lb and 7.3/4lb.

Being a compromise gun in the way it handles, balances and shoots, you can also use a Sporter for skeet as well as pigeon and game shooting.

That’s why we usually advise newcomers to pick a Sporter as their first gun.

To describe perfectly look at: About Skeet - Trap - Sporting Clays - Five Stand - Clay Targets
Diagrammatically explains the shotgunning codes differences.
We shoot a version of 5 stand (Compak) as well as Sporting. Look at the https://www.facebook.com/pages/South...73?ref=profile page and the NZ Compak photos.
We ran this shoot the other day and the photos (past the aerial ones) will show you typical Compak layouts.
CHEERS!!

Cheers Madds

PLEASURE!! Happy to help anyone into Sporting!!

I scratch my head and wonder about the to many rules comment common sense would tell me that in and environment where firearms are present there would need to be a set of rules in place for the safety of everyone a to many rules attitude to me is a dangerous attitude to have around firearms

I personally don't think that there are too many rules within our Association . There are sufficient only to promote safety, the rest is all about the Association, different shoots, team selections, rules and regs. re
codes of conduct, qualifying etc,etc.
The only real rule is guns open at all times, no exceptions unless actually addressing the target. Pretty basic and simple.
One would hope that that sort of rule was adopted down on the farm or anywhere shooters gathered, informal or not!
If traps break down all guns must to unloaded, not just broken. Autos must be carried in a safe position, muzzle up or down, some are now reverting to those colored tags inserted in the breech.
Some clubs shoot in cages, adding to the safety, though for FITASC Sporting competition you are in a meter circle, safe as again only the shooter has a loaded firearm.
In the UK all shooters (law I think?) must have their guns in slips between stands.
There is a lot of carry on in some shotgun clubs little of it to do with safety or anything to be worried about for the casual shooters who just want to break (or otherwise) a few clays.

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There is a lot of carry on in some shotgun clubs little of it to do with safety or anything to be worried about for the casual shooters who just want to break (or otherwise) a few clays.

And that is it in a Nutshell.

I much prefer shooting with the group of "Gentlemen that I do rather than the GC. Only been to the "local" 2-3 times but no inclination to join them too. What I have seen of the politics turns me off rather than the Facilities (which are excellent by the way)

Fair call!!
Some of us enjoy, add to the politics and are even part of trying to change and develop some attitudes for the better!
But that's just a personal thing I suppose.
As I've said before G.C's should be taping into the huge potential of casual (for lack of a better word) shooters. It would make them in a very shooting powerful lobby if they had that sort of support. Not to mention wealthy and being able to provide excellent facilities for punters. Pipe dreams I'd say, unfortunately!!)

For years I was a turn up , pay my money , shoot some clays , somebody else will clean up my mess , why don't they do it differently , the club comity couldn't organize a chook raffle at a chicken farm, type of shooter .
To my surprise over the last little while I've become involved and have even become a comity member at my local club .
I decided that whinging about how it could be better managed is a lazy persons sport , and maybe it was time to put something back into what I'd taken for granted for so long .
I don't know all the clubs you guys are talking about , so I can only use my own one as an example .
The modern world of Safety , Liability , Legal requirements , Land usage , Local by-laws etc etc etc has invaded even our little Gun club . The old ways of Sunday being a get away from the hassles of our daily grind has disappeared and turned into a bureaucratic jungle war .
Next time your at a club and you witness things that seem unnecessary take a moment to think through the reasoning behind the perceived stupidity .
9 times out of 10 its stupidity that has been forced upon the club , and rightly or wrongly the only course of action the club has is to comply or possibly lose its license or accreditation .

Every club has at least one over the top idiot who was probably bullied at school and is now trying to right that injustice by becoming the club Sheriff who brings law and order to the mishmash of unruly members .
Its your choice whether you treat that person with respect , disdain or embarrassment .
Fundamentally all sports have rules , without them there is just chaos , the clubs that administer , organize and provide infrastructure for those sports are no different , they have rules they must play by as well .

I can certainly see how attractive and refreshing the idea of a few mates in a farmers paddock is .
But even though that is Fun with a capital F , that is not true competition , your not testing your skills against unknown and in my case usually better opponents which is a huge part of the attraction for many .

I'll probably not seek reelection to the Comity next year , Ive achieved what I set out to do and will leave the paperwork for those who are much more qualified than me , but I will retire with a better understanding of how things work and the knowledge that the carpark expert who is full of moans and groans is also full of Shit .


Ken

Ken, you can have some of our car park experts.
Never been outside their own club environment, big fish their and everyone knows.
It's not only shooting I must say, all clubs have these problems.
Take that 'expert' outside to a big shoot with some real competition maybe International top shooters and , well that's worth a laugh every excuse in the world why they shot badly, how bad the targets were, never should have set a target at 50/65 meters how ridiculous!! MOAN, MOAN, back to small pond. digress!
I suppose its just a matter of what you want out of it personally.
I feel sorry for the Aussies, permits, taking months for approval, no autos, no bar normally (legally), We shot their Nationals in October, as we do every year, they needed months of organizing. NZ, knock on the door ask the farmer, we always tell local cops as a courtesy, but then away we go. Long may it happen.

Originally Posted by northdude

I scratch my head and wonder about the to many rules comment common sense would tell me that in and environment where firearms are present there would need to be a set of rules in place for the safety of everyone a to many rules attitude to me is a dangerous attitude to have around firearms

When it comes to safety around guns, I'm right there with you. For that matter, I get twitchy even with open guns and barrels are pointing at me (or someone). I can't stand it, it annoys the living shit out of me....

When I say too many rules example would be "gun on the shoulder before you say pull" (a got asked to do this when I did DTL - not skeet), when hunting my gun is not on the shoulder when I ask my dog to flush a bird.
So doing the same in a clay practice environment (which I am only doing to get better for hunting) does not really reflect the real life hunting situation IMHO.

Originally Posted by Petros_mk

When it comes to safety around guns, I'm right there with you. For that matter, I get twitchy even with open guns and barrels are pointing at me (or someone). I can't stand it, it annoys the living shit out of me....

When I say too many rules example would be "gun on the shoulder before you say pull" (a got asked to do this when I did DTL - not skeet), when hunting my gun is not on the shoulder when I ask my dog to flush a bird.
So doing the same in a clay practice environment (which I am only doing to get better for hunting) does not really reflect the real life hunting situation IMHO.

I only shoot sporting so its "gun down" for me. Petros if you are ever in Nelson mate, Come shoot with us. I am sure you will enjoy it. We shoot Round of 25 Sport clays followed by 100 clays, sometimes "on report" or usually "true pairs".

Originally Posted by mikee

I only shoot sporting so its "gun down" for me. Petros if you are ever in Nelson mate, Come shoot with us. I am sure you will enjoy it. We shoot Round of 25 Sport clays followed by 100 clays, sometimes "on report" or usually "true pairs".

Thanks Mike, same applies to you,
I'm well overdue for a south island trip that I've never done.

You might want to check with the local branches of NZDA , the Thames Valley branch run twilight sporting clays threw summer on Thursdays .Start is 5pm ,nominations close at 7pm. BBQ on & a couple of bevies after if you want .Muareen Coleman is the man to contact via the TVDA web site ,only a 1 1/2 hr from Auck;s .Club has 80k of automatic traps & a good group of people .
But check with the local branchs round Auckland ,south Auckland use to be very active on most things .

Invitation also extends from South island Sporting Clay Shooters. We set up because other NZCTA clubs were not running shoots or extending the attitude we wanted to portrait to outsiders, or potential members, so we formed a new club.
We run a great little winter series of Compak and 'The Great Sporting Weekend of two days of Duck shooters style Sporting Clays plus run some bigger competitions on behalf of the NZCTA.
Just run a very successful NZ Compak 4 days in Oamaru, and are hosting 5 days of Sporting including NZ Sporting Champs and NZ Grand Prix in Wanaka next February.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/South...73?ref=profile

Originally Posted by madds

Invitation also extends from South island Sporting Clay Shooters. We set up because other NZCTA clubs were not running shoots or extending the attitude we wanted to portrait to outsiders, or potential members, so we formed a new club.
We run a great little winter series of Compak and 'The Great Sporting Weekend of two days of Duck shooters style Sporting Clays plus run some bigger competitions on behalf of the NZCTA.
Just run a very successful NZ Compak 4 days in Oamaru, and are hosting 5 days of Sporting including NZ Sporting Champs and NZ Grand Prix in Wanaka next February.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/South...73?ref=profile

Sounds similar to the way our little group got formed as far as I understand it. Some of them I believe were attending your shoot in Oamaru too.