Clay Pigeon M&G Sat 7th December 2013

[bugman]

Ben,
I love this sport - have the license and gear - would love to come along depending on dates.
I can actually bring along a couple of guns to use for others if it brings down the cost any.
Brett

[tunaticer]

I absolutely love clays.....nothing better than challenging your hopes and honing your skills with #7.5 shot.

I let my licence expire last year and sold all of my firearms after 10 years of not even opening the cabinet. I knew i would regret it, but to be honest, I can't fit that lifestyle or past time into my life these days.

Clays are probably the best way to introduce a newcomer to the shooting sports, it is easy yet challenging and teaches you how to follow rules and behave responsibly. It also amazes me how many girls with a short bit of tuition on stance and leading start to beat the boys scores on a regular basis. I got all of my daughters onto the field one afternoon for the first time and they all took to it well. I wouldn't be surprised if the youngest one goes into a comp format one day, she is that good.

[burleygu]

I will be in for this also depending on dates, I have a cheap U/O akkar That im happy to share around. But be warned it is addictive! I went to the local gun store today to buy a cpl of slabs of 12g shells and walked out with not only that but another gun! Damn impulse spending!

[Captain Seaweed]

what is it Tim, Big Boom or Bigger Boom?-

[Giffo65]

You gunna use it when you catch a fish ,instead of the horn Tim ! This sounds like fun,I am keen depending on my shifts.

[Captain Seaweed]

Giffo, need to catch up for a bevvie mate, your live very close!

[Giffo65]

Sounds good Marty,or a fish off Tweed in my tub.Mackeral should be here any day.

[PeterKroll]

I'm interested, very interested. However, I have a stuffed leg. Will there be a lot of walking involved? If yes, is a bike practical? Is there some sort of seating at each shooting station?

[thelump]

Yep I would be keen depending on dates. So a 12 year old is OK?? My son would love it. He is not a small 12 year old

[morphias]

PeterKroll: If we have a bigger group (more than 6 - which is what it looks like), walking will be bugger all.

thelump: 12yr old will be able to shoot.

We will use low recoil shells for the smaller amongst us...that said, I have seen some big guys carry on worse than 3yr old girls.

[Giffo65]

Will there be any girls there or is it a blokes day,I was thinking about bring my 17 yr old daughter.

[morphias]

Will there be any girls there or is it a blokes day,I was thinking about bring my 17 yr old daughter.

Well, looks like Muddy Toes and Crunchy will be there and tropicows said he was bringing his daughters; so your daughter is more than welcome.

Ben.

[morphias]

Count looks to be at 19 (inclusive of people bringing children) + some extras with a couple of people saying they would bring mates. Looks like we will have to break it into two groups, otherwise the wait between getting to soot will be two long. No issue in doing that though.

Chasing up the club for dates ATM.

Ben.

[liltuffy]

Yep I would be keen depending on dates. So a 12 year old is OK?? My son would love it. He is not a small 12 year old

Macca, let me know if you want to shoot other stuff as well. Got a 25-06, 243, 22 magnum and 22, might kick a bit less than a shotty. It's lots of fun and 11 year old's can handle the 243 and down.

Cheers

[morphias]

Macca, let me know if you want to shoot other stuff as well. Got a 25-06, 243, 22 magnum and 22, might kick a bit less than a shotty. It's lots of fun and 11 year old's can handle the 243 and down.

Cheers

No offence intended to liltuffy, but I just want to jump in to make sure no-one is potentially put off by talk of 'kick'.

The ‘kick’ (recoil)of a shotgun is not as bad as people or the movies will have you believe. Thereare a number of factors that contribute to recoil that can be controlled tosignificantly reduce the felt effects.

· Most important of all is gun mount – the placingof the firearm to the shoulder and face. Incorrect placement on the shoulderwill have the stock on the muscle rather than in the pocket on the collar bonenext to the muscle. On the muscle is what hurts. Also, incorrect placement ofthe face on the comb (the top edge of the stock) will allow the gun to ‘jump’and hit you in the cheek – again, this hurts. Both of these are easilyavoidable with correct supervision and coaching. Pushing the stock firmly (nothard) into the pocket next to the muscle of your upper arm/shoulder andpressing your cheek firmly (not hard) onto the comb will eliminate jump andhelp your body to move with the recoil. Gun fit is also a major factor in gunmount – for example, if the stock is too long or too short for your arms, neck,etc, you will not be able to mount it correctly.
· The weight of the firearm – this is simplephysics by way of Newton’s law. The heavier the gun, the less felt recoilbecause it take more energy to move a heavier object.Competition/under-and-over shotguns are typically much heavier than afield/hunting shotgun, which is designed to be carried all day.
· Shell selection – again, Newton’s law is at playhere – a stationary mass (the shot) is being enacted upon by a force (theexplosion). The more shot (the lead/steel pellets) in the shell, the more mass(weight) there is being pushed down the barrel and therefore, more backpressure (resistance) in your direction, so more felt recoil. There is also thepowder in said shell – faster burning powders will deliver a hard ‘punch’recoil; whereas slower burning powder will deliver more of a solid ‘push’.Quantity of power also plays a factor. Competition shells have lower quantitiesof both powder and shot. Hunting loads have much larger quantities of both.Hunting shells are not used, nor allowed, for clays.

I will explain the above on the day and will bring somehunting loads so that people that want to feel the difference, can.

With the right firearms for the task, the correct mount andproper shell selection, recoil can be made no worse than a .223Rem, which isbugger all.

In a competition, I can be firing as many as 200-250 shellsin a day. If recoil was bad, I would not be able to tolerate that amount ofpunishment. If I used hunting loads, I would be calling it quits after 10-15shots.

A .243Win off the bench with a decent powder load and a 100gr or 110gr projectile will give a kid a decent boot.

I have a .22LR, .223Rem and .270Win rifle.

Ben.