Sporting Clays: Anyone have advice?

Brad · December 05, 2011, 01:54:25 PM

I'm going to start shooting (English) sporting clays (and probably skeet too) soon.

Anyone shoot skeet or clays and do you have any advice for me on guns, gear and training?

Zwart · December 05, 2011, 02:50:59 PM

"It's easier if you lay em down on the ground in front of you?" </general advice regardless of guns, gear or training>

dogboy · December 05, 2011, 03:38:24 PM

Sorry, no experience with either. We just had our own machine and it would toss them out more like trap... no etiquette involved, other than safe gun handling.

Brad · December 06, 2011, 11:58:15 AM

Quote from: dogboy on December 05, 2011, 03:38:24 PM
Sorry, no experience with either. We just had our own machine and it would toss them out more like trap... no etiquette involved, other than safe gun handling.

Yeah, thats pretty much what I've always done. I enjoyed trap shooting but that was all 40 years ago. I shot sporting clays once in the 1990's and enjoyed it, but was to short on money and time to continue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporting_clays

"golf with a shotgun" Hee, well that's more my kinda golf so I'll give it a whirl. Frankly. it may turn out to be less expensive than golf!

rcjordan · December 06, 2011, 06:35:20 PM

I'd go 12ga, just for the price of the shells. When you get really good, switch to a .22 to make it more sporting. Seriously, I had a friend in high school who could hit them easily with a rifle.

mick g · December 07, 2011, 12:12:35 AM

one of the lads who works for me has his shot gun licence and we went clay shooting about 2 months ago, its a lot of fun and seeing as it was my first time I have fired a shot gun i actually did do OK in hitting about 30 clays out of 100 rounds

it was only when we was walking back the guy in charge explained that the course was still set to the previous weekends competition which explained why a lot of the clays shot past you like a bullet and you had no chance of hitting

advice on guns and gear I have not got a clue, sorry...it was good fun but for me personally i could only go a couple of times a year and hopefully next time on a dry evening

littleman · December 07, 2011, 12:18:29 AM

>Seriously, I had a friend in high school who could hit them easily with a rifle.

That's impressive. I've only done skeet shooting a few times, but it's always been with a 12ga. shotgun, making the job a lot easier.

Brad · December 07, 2011, 12:11:03 PM

> 12 ga.

I went with a 12 ga over/under which should work for sporting clays and trap. I may pick up a 20 ga. for skeet.

mick g: I'm glad you enjoyed your shoot. Sounds like you are a natural wing shooter because that is pretty good score!

Now I need the gear: shooting coat for cold weather and shooting vest for warm, so I have pockets to lug all those shells around with.

Oh yeah, I bought a set of electronic hearing protectors. Never saw them before, but the idea that I can converse in normal tones and hear with them on but that they will cut out the loud bang seems like a good idea, especially if I take a lesson I won't have to be removing the ear muffs all the time. Technology marches on.

Gurtie · December 07, 2011, 04:43:19 PM

>> gear

plus fours and a hip flask, surely?

seriously - something to keep you warm. There's a lot of standing around clay shooting and none of the brisk climbing through hedges to warm you up

Brad · December 07, 2011, 05:00:58 PM

>>plus fours and a hip flask, surely?

I wish I could afford to get all tweedy. The British do like their shooting sports and like to look good doing it. Orvis is willing to oblige but it's all WAY too expensive for me. |Hunting|Continental Shooting -- Orvis http://bit.ly/sggjkQ

I am working layering against the cold and yet still be able to swing a gun around on target.