Clay Pigeon Shooting

Sporting targets 100 Birder 17th July 2011

2011-07-18T01:50:00.000-07:00

It turns out it isn't easy to shoot with a sore knee. Had a bit of a nightmare, only getting 67/100. Very difficult to move freely when every other word you say is Ouch!

Summer time at last

2009-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Now that spring is finally here, or the clocks have moved at any rate, it is the time to be thinking about getting out and doing more clay pigeon shooting . It seems to have been a long winter and just feeling the sun on your back is enough to put a spring in your step.

Master class day at sporting targets

2009-03-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

I am al prepared for a full day's Master Class at http://www.sportingtargets.co.uk with Carl Bloxham, Micky Rouse and Stuart Clark. It is going to be a big day for learning new things!

Back shooting with avengance

2009-03-17T12:11:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air and although I have spent the winter shooting I have not been blogging about it as it has been cold, wet and mostly uneventful.

I have however been steadily progressing and in the last five competitions I have scored 66, 70,70, 73 and 73. These have been around the country, not just at sporting targets so I feel like I am definately improving.

A few weeks ago I had a lesson with Ed Solomons and I think I learnt lots from it. He had me attacking the clay a lot more and refined everything from my pick up point and where I start my gun through to how I actually perceive each target. The same afternoon I shot the winter series at Sporting Targets and did well, followed by two 100 birders on Sunday and three rounds of something quite tricky at the Royal Berkshire shooting ground, that included a 20 target flurrey which was a new experience for me!

In all I shot a 61, 65 and 66 during my three attempts which I was not too displeased with. It was a handicap competition and I was given a 20 handicap so my best score was 86, not far off the 93 needed to qualify for the finals!!

Westfield 100 bird registered competition

2008-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

By Next month I will have to admit to having been a shooter for 12 months. This said I do believe that I should be able to shoot a 70/100 by now, which is what I set out to do at Westfield on Sunday.

It is never an easy shoot by all accounts but I felt it went ok. I didn't have any complete disaster stands and by the end thought I would be close to my target. As it is I shot a 64 which as we left the grount put me third in C class. Quite respectable for the first time at the ground, so I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I am still trying to find out the final results. It is easy to be spoilt at Sporting Targets, especially as they now have their Clay Pigeon Shooting live competition scoreboard on their website. You can even see the updated results on a mobile phone! This is technology being used for a practical purpose.

Sporting Targets 100 Bird Registered Competition August

2008-08-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

I was certain that I could pull out a personal best and, inspired by the olympics shoot a 70+ for the first time. How wrong can you be?? The Sporting targets clay pigeon shoot was harder than anything I have shot recently. Having said that, I excelled myself on a couple of stands that I was not expecting to do well on, and I did feel I had improved a lot over where I was a few months ago.

I ended up with a 52.... my worst score for ages, and almost my lowest ever! I only really had one nightmare stand, which was a simo pair driven off the tower. The stand was set behind a tree so you only had limited time to aquire both targets...... not enough time as it transpires! I hit 1/8 which at least negated blanking the stand. I seemed to just drop one or two more than I should on each stand which was frustrating.

I will get my 70 on the next one.

Sporting Targets 100 Bird Registered Competition August

2008-08-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was certain that I could pull out a personal best and, inspired by the olympics shoot a 70+ for the first time.

How wrong can you be?? The Sporting targets clay pigeon shoot was harder than anything I have shot recently. Having said that, I excelled myself on a couple of stands that I was not expecting to do well on, and I did feel I had improved a lot over where I was a few months ago.

I ended up with a 52.... my worst score for ages, and almost my lowest ever! I only really had one nightmare stand, which was a simo pair driven off the tower. The stand was set behind a tree so you only had limited time to aquire both targets...... not enough time as it transpires! I hit 1/8 which at least negated blanking the stand. I seemed to just drop one or two more than I should on each stand which was frustrating.

I will get my 70 on the next one.

Good Weather for Ducks!

2008-08-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of August and the weather is shocking. If like me you prefer to shoot without having rain running down your back or covering your glasses blurring your vision, then you will be as depressed as I am with the summer so far. It used to be that you could guarantee the weather in August, but it seems that that is the case no more.

Lets keep our fingers crossed for an Indian Summer,..... or maybe just a summer of some description!

Sporting Targets Members Fitasc Competition

2008-08-08T03:57:00.000-07:00

I thought I would have a go at a Fitasc competition as I usually shoot gun up to guarantee my gun mount is good. In Fitasc you have to shoot gun down and can only mount the gun when you see the clay, not when you hear the trap release.

I was expecting to do badly, but ended up with 28/50 which for a first attempt is not too bad. I thought some of the targets were a long way away and several were tricky to say the least.

I am planning to have a few more goes at the competition in order to score my goal of 35/50.

Results tables will be available here Sporting Targets Results

Sporting Targets Newsletter 2-August-2008

2008-08-06T05:05:00.000-07:00

Sporting Targets have an archive of published newsletters now available here Sporting Targets Newsletters

Kibworth 100 bird competition 3rd August 2008

2008-08-05T12:52:00.001-07:00

A fine day saw a good attendance at Kibworth for a challenging shoot. I was quite pleased with my 65 considering that several great shots were overheard saying what a tricky shoot it was.

I had been hoping for a 70 as I think it is about time I got one, but it was not to be. Two stands let me down and they were both 8's rather than 6's so the punishment to my score was worse.

I am going to shoot the members fitasc at Sporting targets during the week and then The Grange 100 registered on Sunday.

The High Tower Challenge is over

2008-08-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

So, for another year the High Tower Challenge is over. As it turns out, my repeated 23/50 wasn't quite enough to trouble the scorers! Clay Pigeon Shooting results are here for the competition.

I will aim for a 30 in next years competition.

Another attempt at the High Tower Challenge

2008-07-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was convinced last time I shot the high tower challenge at Sporting Targets that I could do better than I had. The interesting thing about clay pigeon shooting is that it can it can deceive you and have you believe that anything is possible.
I had one last go at improving my score from 23 up into the high 20's. I was certain that I should be able to hit all of the close fast birds which would easily add 6 to my score.

Try as I might though it didn't happen like that. The first round I shot another 23 which I was pleased with, but then backed it up with a shocking 20 on my secnd round. It turns out that hitting those six targets isn't as easy as I had thought it would be...... oh well, there is always next year!

Sporting Targets Video 3

2008-07-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

The third Sporting Targets video Gun Shop;

Second Clay Pigeon Shooting Video

2008-07-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sporting Targets second clay pigeon shooting video is here;

Clay Pigeon Shooting

2008-07-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sporting targets has just released a Corporate Entertainment new videos;

100 registered Competition at Sporting Targets

2008-07-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday the 20th saw July's 100 bird registered Clay Shooting competition. It proved to be a tricky shoot with many challenging stands. It was dry, sunny but with a gusty breeze so it offered some clays that skipped and jumped just when you didn't want them to.

I managed to scrape a 60/100 which I was disappointed with. I dropped lots of what I consider to be easy targets. Whether that was due to concentration issues or me refining my gun mount which is still proving troublesome. On the up side at least the gun didn't kick the shit out of my cheek so things are improving once more. I did find that sometimes my gun mount costs me and I almost know before I shoot that I will miss as the mount feels wrong.

I will keep practicing to see if I can be more consistent.

How easy is it to forget the basics?

2008-07-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

The answer to that one is simple........ remarkably so!! As I have improved my shooting and my scores have gone up, I have gained consistency. In doing so I have tried to pay attention to my set up procedure, feet, weight, gun mount head, eyes etc...... but while I have been making sure that my left eye was true to the rib of the gun, I have allowed the stock to gradually rise up my shoulder.
This has resulted in the stock kicking seven bells out of my cheek every time I shoot.

Last night I redesigned my gun mount so the stock is back where it should be in my shoulder..... and then shot really badly !!

I will get some practice in if possible before the shooting competition at Sporting Targets on Sunday

Sporting Targets High Tower Challenge Part Two

2008-07-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

I must be a glutton for punishment, either that or I don't know when to walk away? The Summer High Tower challenge at Sporting Targets is one of the hardest clay pigeon shooting competitions there is. Last time I scored 22/50 twice but felt that with a little application that I could get 26 or 27.

It turns out I was wrong! This time I scored 22/50 backed up with a truly woeful 19/50. I would like to tell you that the second score was as a result of my trying something new in order to improve and it not working out, but in truth I just missed more!

It is a really taxing competition because it mixes targets at different ranges, you have a first bird at 65 yds with a 15yd high speed crosser on report. These second birds always seem to attract too much lead.... well.... in my case they do!

I am still convinced that I can get a high 20's score, probably just need 10 or 15 more goes at it!

Lack of practice makes imperfect

2008-07-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

I missed two whole weeks of shooting so I was dubious as to how well I would get on. It turns out the answer is "terribly!" It was as if I had never shot before, stopping the gun, bad gun mount, bad stance and foot position etc...... it was all shocking. I ended up with 28/60 which althought the shoot we were on is tricky, it is no where near that tricky!

I will be back this weekend at Sporting targets to get some proper clay pigeon shooting practice in so I can get back to where I should be.

Highest score so far 67

2008-06-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

I originally set myself the target of scoring a 70/100 in a registered competition before my Birthday. That was yesterday, so with a 67/100 last Sunday at Sporting TargetsClay Pigeon Shooting ground, I suppose I should not be to disappointed.

I am now aiming for an 80/100 by my next birthday, which would get me into A class. It is an ambitious target so we will see, but you have to aim for something.

I shot the Sporting Targets high tower challenge which is probably the hardest set of targets known to man. I shot two rounds of 50 scoring 22 on both rounds. For a C class shot that is good apparently..... I am going to have another go and try to get a 25+ which is possible I think

Gun Speed

2008-05-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

Its odd how the learning process works. In the beginning I had to learn how to do the basics and in the process I was told about gun speed. At the time I wasn't really ready to listen and preferred to apply physics to the task.

As time rolls on and I have learnt more about the intricacy's of clay pigeon shooting I have begun to realise the point of what I was repeatedly told!

I am at a point and in reality have been for a while now whereby I enter a stand and quite often I will kill the first birds, even if they look fast and tricky. This often happens when they take me by surprise and I have to rush to catch up with the target. In this situation I clearly sweep through the target, using gun speed and hand eye coordination to kill the target. On the next target however I "see" the same picture as I saw in shot 1, but without the same gun speed so as a result I miss.

In my head gun speed has the result of "flicking" the shot as it leaves the gun, almost spraying it in a horizontal cigar pattern. Whether this actually happens or not I am still not totally sure, but that is what I feel happens. As a consequence it has got to be easier to kill targets as your shot is spread over a larger area. This is perhaps why it sometimes feels like I killed a target I didn't even see properly...... though perhaps not!

When I "do the maths" and apply physics to shooting I have far less gun speed so I need to be far more accurate as my shot is flying in a much tighter ball than if it was flicked with gun speed................ this might be pure conjecture on my part?!

My goal is going to be to concentrate on pushing through a shot with my shoulder and right arm in order to increase my gun speed where required. When I am coached, the times when I have hit birds when told to push with my shoulder and "attack" the bird means that it is something that I need to practice more. I need to lose some of my analytical approach on faster birds. The trick I suppose is knowing which targets to use which technique on.

Bank Holiday Monday 100 Bird Competition

2008-05-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

I am getting frighteningly close to achieving my goal of a 70 by the mddle of June. On what was a wet and windy Monday I hit 65 which put me 3rd equal in the Sporting Targets shoot for which i picked up my first ever prize money.

It was very satisfying to see some improvement in my shooting, although I am kicking myself a bit as I was careless with my concentration a couple of times and dropped birds as a consequence. If I had only applied myself and not allowed distractions to affect me then I would have had a great competition. I am allowing myself the next Sporting Targets shoot to achieve my goal which will be on the third Sunday of June.

The problem with winning prize money is that I took it straight into the Gun Shop and spent it on essentials!

Sporting Targets 100 Bird Competition

2008-05-26T01:19:00.000-07:00

It is a wet and windy bank holiday monday morning, Sporting Targets have their monthly
Clay Pigeon Shooting competition on today and the weather is just like you might expect a week before June in the UK!

Some time ago I set myself the target of shooting over 70 / 100 on a registered shoot before my birthday. Sadly I have yet to achieve this feat, the best I have done is a 64 in Oxford, and a 59 last week at Kibworth. I was given a 66 at Grange Farm, but that was a counting error to which I have set them straight....... surrendering =3rd place prize money in the process!

I now have only a couple of weeks left to hit my target and I will be away for the first week in June so it is looking increasingly unlikely. I am going to count up to the next Sporting Targets
shoot which is just after my birthday, but I still seem to be lacking the requisite skills to hit a 70.

I am hoping for at least a mid 60's round today, if I 2nd barrel the first bird if required it should up my score a bit so that is one tactic I will employ.

Kibworth 100 bird competition

2008-05-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I shot at Kibworth with my good friend Andy Clifton from Sporting targets Clay Pigeon Shooting Ground. It is always good to tag along with him as he does push me hard. I scored a 59 which was ok for the first time at that ground. I had been hoping for a 65+ if I was honest, but there were plenty of targets that I usually struggle with so I suppose I shouldn't be too disappointed.

Clay Pigeon Shooting boils down to two simple components in my opinion, firstly you need reasonable hand eye coordination, but that alone isn't enough. If good hand eye coordination was all it took we would all get straights every round. Second is the ability to read a target. This is the more important skill in my opinion as there are many factors to consider.

There are only 6 basic types of target, incoming, going away, crossers, quartering, teal and rabbits, everything else is a combination of these. My greatest problem is what I call 3 dimentional birds, namely a target that is not just going up, or crossing left to right, but the curling quartering going away type of swine that they put on against a sloping background for good measure.

I need to put systems in place to look firstly where the trap is, where the clay lands, its speed, if you can see more face early or late etc etc...... all these factors are things that currently I am not paying enough attention to and it is costing me points.

I am shooting the 100 bird sporting Competition at Sporting Targets on Monday the 26th so it will be a good opportunity to put these new measures into practice, although it will be raining so anything might happen!

My first "Not" win!

2008-05-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

I stopped by the Grange farm website to have a look at the scores for the comp on the 11th and blow me if I wasn't showing as 3rd equal on 66/100.

Now while it would be nice to jump up and down at this point and say yippee in only 6 months I have got into the prize money..... I do believe that my original scoring was correct (see last post) and that they must have made an error with their maths.

I called them today to report the matter so that they can have a recount and demote me to where I should be!

Where is the glory in a false win... or 3rd in this case?

When I do pick up my first prize money I want to do it knowing that I have really achieved the result. There is an outside possibility that I did add the scores wrong, but I am sure there were 44 "0"s on the sheet so I doubt it!!

100 registered Comp at Grange Farm

2008-05-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful morning I shot an ok round at the grange. I shot on my own which was interesting as I had to shoot first at most stands. John Taylor came round with me but was only have a 50 bird practice as he went as he was n his way to the English open for a possible shoot off for 2nd in A class. As it turned out his 88 was good enough to retain 2nd place, so congrats to him for that... his personal best in the countries biggest competition... you can't ask for more.

On Johnnys advice..... or because he wanted to be finished asap, we went anti clockwise around the course. This meant that I started as badly as I normally finish! I had a shocking start with 2/6 2/8 3/6 as my first three stands..... thankfully i then hit 6/6 which refucussed my attention on what was important. I still struggled a lot on what I thought was a tough shoot with lots of stuff that I wasn't happy with. I did straight another stand towards the end, then got 5/6 which was sloppy as it should have been straighted too, then 8/8 which did pick up my score. I think I am making progress as it was a tricky shoot, I tend to suffer on stands when I go first which today was most of them and still added 5 to my previous best round there. I went there hoping to be in the 60's so was initially disappointed, but on reflection I think I did ok.

My target of a 70's score by my birthday in 5 weeks is looking distant, but thats what targets are for.

Facing my nemesis.....

2008-05-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have this long standing issue with rising curling quartering clays. I have been practicing the ones I can at Sporting Targets, but these clays seem to be the ones that make clay pigeon shooting the challenging sport that it is.

I think however that I might have had a breakthrough as I believe my problem is as follows;

By the time I have tracked the clay, decided where it is going and allowed for lead etc I am quite late on it. Because the clay is traveling first up and to the right then curling down to the left it seems to me that the reason that I miss it so often is because I hang on it, but don't allow for its change in direction. I got on better when I took it on early as it didn't have time to move from the tradjectory that I had predicted for it.

I shall continue practicing and keep you posted. I hit another 22 on skeet using 24gm steel cartridges........ ther is nothing wrong with using steel at all. Randall was hitting my nemesis quartering bird with steel too.... which irked me slightly!

Steel Shot...

2008-05-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Having tried steel shot I will be using it for skeet practice as it offers a significant saving over the lead cartridges I currently use. I will still use lead for sporting and competitions, but steel for close up stuff.

I suppose the price of steel will soon be rising too as everyone starts using it, but I will enjoy the cost saving whilst I can!

Practice....

2008-05-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

I spent Wednesday evening clay pigeon shooting in the rain. I work on the theory that when I am booked into a competition I will have to shoot whatever the conditions so the more I practice and get used to wind, rain and low sun the happier I will be!

I started off practicing my two nemesis birds in the quarry at the top of the range. First the right left crosser that runs along the top of the bank, followed by the left right quartering away bird that has elluded me on such a regular basis. I found that by throwing 50+ shells at them, it is better for me to attack them both and shoot them earlier than I have been doing. My hit rate was higher than when I was hanging on them.

I am still missing too many of the quartering birds, especially as report pairs, something to keep working on I think.

Bitten by the bug!

2008-04-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

All my spare moments seem to be filled with how I can clay shoot better. I feel like I am on the edge of a breakthrough at the moment, just needing to put it all together in order to make a big leap forward. After last weekend when I almost got 23/25 on the skeet ..... but for choking on the last bird it seems! So I can't help but think that more practice will push me forwards faster.

With that in mind I will be at Sporting Targets this evening for 100 birds practice.......

Sunday Practice at Sporting targets

2008-04-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to spend the day practicing the main targets on my shit list. Heading up the range to the quarry to Shoot the climbing quartering arking bird that I have struggled with. Unfortunately it has been changed slightly this week and is now less arking, crosses more to the right and drops within my shooting zone. This made the target easier as I could kill it by just shooting below it, although Randy hit the first three he took on as report pairs and then missed 6 or 8 after that... which we both found very strange. He gave up and walked away from it, but I took on the competition pair of the right left along the top of the bank followed by the quartering bird..... I managed ok killing most of them.

I was disappointed that the bogey bird had been reset, but such is life. I will get more practice on similar birds in due course. On the upside I can't fixate on practicing a bird that no longer exists!

We moved on to skeet and with my first round of 16 against Randys 22 I wasn't optimistic, but relaxed and we shot a second round. I dropped the low in the pair on stand 1 and the repeat too which pissed me off. After that I concentrated as best as I could and straighted stand 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 which has been my bogey stand in the past. Moving onto the last stand, I missed the very last bird, the high from the pair....... a great shame as a 23 would have been fantastic. Still, a 22 is a new personal best and 2 better than before.

We moved onto the embankment to practice the low fast quartering birds. Making our own stand to get the angles right I ended up killing them as a simo pair which almost blew my mind as they are very quick and there is half the time I would have liked!

Randy practiced the pair as singles and then together, which he did ok considering that he doesn't shoot much sporting and these are some of the toughest in my opinion.

I had two cartridges left so took on the simo pair again..... and killed them which was great. I think that I have taken a step forward and think that it might be related to Seans Wednesday assistance. I have spent the day ignoring the gun barrel and looking to the target. I have also felt that I have been less analytical than before.

Time will tell

The learning process continues

2008-04-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have spent all week trying to work out in my mind how to hit the bogey targets that I always miss.

I shot Sporting Targets Clay Pigeon Shoot last Sunday and thought I was on for a new personal best until the wheels fell off!

It is always the same birds that I miss, so drop a whole stand when I do. It is the quartering bird that rises and curls as well as fast low quartering birds.

On Wednesday evening I took 100 cartridges and headed for the last stand n the previous competition in order to sort the problem out. I had Sean from Targets along as he offered his help, so I was optimistic of success.

I finished the evening as frustrated as I was at the outset, I only hit the target 3 or four times out of 20+ shots, and when I hit it is was because Sean told me to aim behind it and to the right (5 o'clock ish) My brain can't work out why this target needs to be shot somewhere that it doesn't even travel to..... but having shot it I can only say that it does. I would naturally be in front of the target, at about 2 o'clock and giving the bird a foot or two of lead, shooting well before the bird reached its peak. That is how I read the target, based on how I read other targets that I can hit. It seems totally wrong though as I didn't hit a single one using my own talent!

Being told where to hit it is one thing, but I want to know why it needs to be shot there as it makes no sense to me at all. I keep getting told that it will fall into place, but no one seems capable of explaining why this bird needs something totally different to any other bird.

I am stumped and intend to throw hundreds of cartridges at the problem on Sunday morning in order to sort it out in my head.

I feel like everyone is hiding some important fact from me........ otherwise they would explain it to me... surely??

Wednesday evening Practice (Sporting Targets)

2008-04-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Now that winter is out of the way...(almost) and spring is moving in, late night opening offers the chance to get out midweek and practice everything that I thing I have learned recently.

I started with some practice shooting in the 122 bay at Targets. Last time I was in here it was wet and windy and I had all sorts of issues so it was nice to be back on a calm dry evening. I practiced shooting the teal on the way up rather than on the drop as I would naturally prefer to do.

I also practiced the various crossers, trying to shoot them as early as possible. This was helped by the sun being low in the sky, as I tried to shoot each target before it raeched the sun.

I then headed up to the skeet range.

I shot two rounds with a couple of chaps who didn't mind me joining them. The first round I shot a 17 which is ok, then on the second round I concentrated on Steve Leonards advice for each stand which is to shoot at the first, give the second a foot, the third two feet same for the forth and fifth. Give the sixth one foot and aim at the seventh. It worked really well. I arrived at the sixth stand having only dropped one shot. However it was at this point that the wheels fell off! I don't quite know how, but I missed three out of four on the sixth stand... and although I would like to blame the sun which was in a bad place for the stand, one of the chaps I was with managed ok so I should be able to as well. I ended the round with a 20 which is a PB. I think it was more a case of not cutting back my lead for the sixth. I was so pleased with progress up until that point that I didn't prep myself correctly which led to the errors. What is worse is that I didn't fix it for the secont and third clays.

I headed down to the basin and again practiced on the c and d bird trying to shoot them as they left the trap and well before they reached the sun which was before their apex.
I was hitting over 50% really early and picking up 50% of the remainder on the drop so it was ok for me as I historically struggle with these birds.

I am looking forward to another competition at the weekend.

100 registered somewhere in a wood near Oxford

2008-04-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Even though I am not totally sure where I went (near Bicester I think) I had a great experience shooting in the trees of a wood. I surpassed my expectations with a 64 whichwas the best I have ever shot (by quite a margin). There were a few stands that I struggled with , one in the trees that I failed to pick up until after the spot where Johnny T had shot it! No wonder then that I missed it alot! I had a few issues with some rising 1/4 ing birds, but also got 10/10 on one stand and a 7/8 on another. Over all I was very pleased with progress and am looking forward to a competition every weekend this month. I had hoped to score a 65 by the end of the month, now, I might push it and aim for a 70.... which would be unbelievable if I could do it.

Shooting practice

2008-04-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Is the spring ever going to arrive? I need some decent weather in order to get some quality shooting practice in.
The past few weeks has been really difficult as with lots of wind and rain, it is hard to learn anything.

Hopefully I will be going to a 100 registered competition in the morning, I am looking forward to getting some practice at some new grounds

It blowing a gale - time to go shooting

2008-03-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

Why is it that every weekend the weather takes a turn for the worst? I am in two minds as to whether I should bother in the morning as it is supposed to be snowing and blowing a gale! Sunday was looking better but I am not so sure now..... I might just wait and shoot in the week once it has improved.

I did want to shoot the comp at Grange farm though.

100 registered in a windswept gale!

2008-03-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

For some reason I woke up this morning looked at the floods outside, the driving rain and the howling wind and decided rather that going back to bed to go and shoot the 100 registered at Sporting Targets.

As it turns out is wasn't too bad, I am beginning to think that I might shoot better in rubbish conditions!!

As it ended, I shot 50 which I wasn't very pleased with as I had hoped to sneak into the 60's, but the comp was won with a 78 which is a good 10 lower than normal so perhaps I should be pleased after all?

I need to shoot some different grounds now to give myself a larger range of targets to practice on.

Shooting in the wind

2008-03-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

I went practicing on Saturday even though it was a lot more breezy than I would have ideally liked.

We shot 50 skeet, and 50 sporting, 25 in the basis and 25 in the 122. The good thing about Shooting at Sporting targets is that just as you think you are getting to grips with a bay or a discipline thay come alone and change it enough to make you realise how mediocre you really are! It works wonders for keeping you on your toes!!

I shot a 14 and a 16 at skeet which considering the wind speed and gustyness I was not too disheartened. The increase in the lead required in the 20mph gusts was more than my brain was prepared to allow for so I was behind everything all day.

The sporting was equally shocking, in the basin I shot a 15 which I was pleased with, especially with a fast mini clay overhead that had foxed me last week. I kill most of them this week..... it was the C and D birds that I really struggled with..... again.

In the Bay of Bastards... the 122 all bets were off as the layout has been redesigned. Without the C bird teal to hit on the drop I struggled and hit a new worst score of 8 out of 25!! There were lots of challenging new targets and I am looking forward to working out how to hit them.

Shoulder pain

2008-03-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Having had two weeks off shooting I was hoping that my shoulders would heal themselves so that I would be able to shoot more now. It hasn't worked out like that though, they still both wake me up every night so I don't know the best way forward.

I am thinking about seeing a physio to get them fixed, or just working out a lot until they fix themselves which they should eventually.

The bottom line is that I need to do something as they are killing me at the moment

less windy today, but still not great...

2008-03-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

So as I had hoped the wind had dropped a little by this morning so Randall and I headed off for a mornings shooting at Sporting Targets.

We set off to do 2 rounds of sporting and two rounds of skeet. The first round of sporting compac ws in the basin. You could tell that we were a little rusty, I shot a 14 as did Randall. It was only half way through when Fletch my instructor appeared that I seemed to focus properly and concentrate like I need to.

We headed up to the skeet and after a short wait had round one. Concidering how gusty it was on top of the hill we did ok, I shot a 16 first round which sounds rubbish, but I was trying to kill birds early so I was pleased with some of my shots. Randall scored 17.

Our second round was fairly similar to the first, I scored 15 and Randall 16, which I should be disappointed with, but it was gusty and we had some unpredictable clays to shoot so it was not as bad as it seems.

Our last round of sporting compac was in the bay of bastards which continues to be kind to me. I was attacked by the teal clay in the wind which I missed as it came towards me, it passed through the stand I was in, brushing past me as it went........ I honestly thought it was going to hit me so I had lots of incentive to kill it..... and still missed!

The rest of the round was good for me and shocking for Randall....... I scored 17 and Randall about 10.... he stopped counting after having a mare on stand three. I still favour shooting the teal on the drop and have a great hit rate, but can't hit it on the way up. Something to work on.

I think we both suffered from our two week break and we now need to catch up.

Its too windy to shoot well......

2008-03-01T03:11:00.000-08:00

I was planning to get out and shoot this morning, but it is blowing a gale and that is not going to help my ring rust one little bit!

I think the wind will calm down tomorrow so I will aim to go in the morning if possible. Hopefully Randall will be about so we can shoot together.

I have ordered a click counter so that I can keep count of my score more easily.

It is especially pointless me trying to shoot the towers on a windy day as this just seems to highlight my weaknesses....... lets hope for calmer skies in the morning?

Feeling Rusty

2008-02-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Having been away for a couple of weeks I feel like I can't remember how to shoot. I am hoping that I won't have forgotten that quickly.

I was also hoping that my shoulder injuries, or maybe they are tricep injuries would have started to fix themselves but the opposite is true. They both still hurt in equal measure which is disappointing as it might mean less shooting in the short term until they have improved. I am going to go shooting at the weekend and see how it goes. It seems like ages since I last went.

Roll on Saturday......

Sunday Competition

2008-02-12T00:17:00.001-08:00

I am going away for ten days so I am going to miss the monthly competition at Targets. I am really going to miss my Clay Pigeon Shooting while I am away. I will be shooting a lot when I get back from Indonesia.

I am certain that my next competition score will be in the 60's..... that is my goal, and on the up side I suppose that at least my shoulder will get a chance to heal up a bit.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Practice on Saturday

2008-02-10T04:56:00.001-08:00

All things considered I think practice went quite well. I was with Randall which I find works well as we are quite similar skill level at Clay Pigeon shooting so we push each other to do better.

We started with a round of skeet. I scored a 14 which isn't very good, but I was trying to shoot everything above the DTL trap house. I struggle to shoot early so it didn't come easy and I found that I was stopping my gun over the DTL which was causing me to miss. Some helpful comments from some of the more experienced skeet shooters who were waiting their turn would help me out when we returned for the second round. Incidently Randall scored 23..... his best ever skeet score...... very impressive.

We next tried the compac in the basin. I scored 13 and Randall scored 12.... I was glad to beat him, but our low scores reflected the difficulty of the targets. The F bird comong overhead from behind is now a mini.. 2 inch clay which is a bit of a swine, but very satisfying when you hit it!

We headed back to the skeet again and I tried my best to put into practice everything I had learnt in the first round. It seems to have had some effect as I scored a 19 which I was very happy with..... Randall on the other hand was disappointed with his 18 as he normally gets in the 20's...... I think that I can put him under pressure when I go first..... he doesn't seem to shoot as well as when he goes first........

I was very pleased with the skeet so we headed back to the compac in the 122. A bird was not available so we returned to the basin for another compac, both doing slightly better with a 15 for Randall and a 16 for me. The basin is currently quite a challenge using the top board....... we have yet to be brave enough to try the bottom board which has some very tricky targets on it.

All in all a good practice and I feel that I am improving at skeet at a reasonable rate. In addition my shoulders don't seem to be suffering as much as they did last week so with a couple of weeks off they might recover completely.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Saturday Morning

2008-02-09T01:50:00.000-08:00

I have decided to shoot 100 today, 50 skeet and 50 sporting compac. This will give me some practice before I go away.

I am going to try to shoot everything on the skeet above the DTL trap house rather than wait for it.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Practice on Saturday

2008-02-08T00:31:00.001-08:00

The big question I am asking myself is whether I should practice on Saturday bearing in mind that I will then miss the next weekend and possibly the one after that?

I will see how my shoulders feel in the morning and take it from there I think.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Unidentified shooting injury

2008-02-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

I have now developed what I can only describe as a USI or Unidentified Shooting Injury! It began as a little niggle in my right shoulder and is now severe pain in both shoulders. I am a little concerned that it is getting worse not better, and it seems to be focussed in my triceps so I am working on the theory that it will get better in time once my arms get used to shooting. It must just be that I am using different muscles and they are not used to the forces etc.

The question is do I rest them as much as possible of weight train as much as possible??

The last thing I want to do is cut back on my shooting unless it as absolutely necessary.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Saturdays practice continued.......

2008-02-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

The compac in the basin at Sporting targets was a different proposition to the last time I shot it. It was different as it so often is and was much more challenging than I found it before. I shot a 13 and Randall shot a 12 which gives you some idea of how tough we found it.

It was however great practice and I felt I was learning lots trying to work out some targets that I was less used to.

I finished off with another round of skeet shooting . This went slightly better than the earlier go and I scored 17 which is acceptable I think. I let myself down by hanging on the targets too long which I am addressing. The targets that I took on early were a moderate success, and the practice of pairs is very good for me as it is speeding me up.

Overall I think I achieved lots as I have sorted my gun mount issues and am more aware of the need to shoot earlier where possible.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Beretta Trick Shooting Video

2008-02-04T01:48:00.000-08:00

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Saturday Practice

2008-02-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

It all went ok yesterday. I structured my shooting practice so that I shot 25 skeet first which was ok as I scored 16/25. While this isn't a brilliant score it was only the second time I have shot skeet properly so I was happy enough. We then went into the 122 and shot a round of compac. Considering that only a few months ago I had a dislike for the 122 in its entirity I shot 17 which while being 4 off my best is still ok I think.

I spent the day trying to concentrate on a couple of areas of my shooting. Firstly I paid attention to my gun mount as I have recently shown a tendency to shoot "over" targets. By making sure that I am mounting the gun correctly I should cure that problem and then be looking down the rib of the gun rather than down onto the rib as I think may have happened at times in the past.

The other area that I tried to improve was the speed of my shooting. I have a tendency to hang on a clay until it is dropping and shoot it late. I am determined to get in the habit of shooting clays earlier so that they are still under power. It is a skill that I need in my armoury and it is missing currently.

We then shot a second sporting compac in the Basin.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Its cold but I'm going anyway

2008-02-02T01:50:00.000-08:00

It may be an ice cold February Saturday morning but my eagerness to practice has overcome my eagerness to stay in the warm!

I intent to concentrate on;
1/ My gun mount
2/ Quartering birds
3/ Speed of gun and shooting using instinct rather than conscious thought process's.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Fair weather shooting

2008-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

I think I might be about to find out just how keen I am on clay pigeon shooting....... winter is on its' way back with avengance so I may well be shooting in a snow blizzard on Saturday........

The only drawback is that wearing too many clothes can hamper how much feel you get through the gun. I prefer to remove my coat whilst shooing, but this isn't ideal at times.....

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Back to basics....

2008-01-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

The more I think about it the more I think that my shooting over the top of stuff is more about basic set up than anything else. It might also explain why I strugglt with some tower birds..... if as I suspect I lose the rib of the gun as I point it skywards then I will naturally struggle.... whereas if I start right as I clearly do on occasion then I have a good hit rate.

It is something that I am going to work very hard on at the weekend. I intent to practice quartering birds by shooting skeet all morning, while concentrating on my gun mounting.....that should be more than enough to be going on with.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Grange Farm Leicestershire

2008-01-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

My second competition was somthing of an eye opener...... I ended up with a 51 which while being worse than at Targets is not too much of a catastrophy.

What it did do was open my eyes to some areas that I need to pay urgent attention to.

Firstly, I am not convinced that I mount the gun in the same place evety time, I believe that I might be holding the stock slightly lower in my shoulder on occasion causing me to shoot over the top of targets. I am not convinced that I am but it might explain why I am on occasion accused of being over the top of stuff.... especially on the towers.

It is something I will watch, to make sure that I am looking up the rib and not down onto the rib as I believe I might do on occasion.

Secondly I seem to have a habit of hitting difficult targets first time by "throwing" the gun at them...... but then when I process what I thought I had done and back engineer my shot I then miss.

This could be due to gun speed, as I try to create the same picture I do so with a slower gun as I improve my stance etc..... this takes away the gun speed as I am no longer pushing through the target..... to in effect try to catch up with it which I usually do on my first shot.

I am going to experiment with trying to shoot targets earlier, gun down also and use gun speed to kill the bird...... It is going to be a skill that I will need to learn, but my basic instinct seems ok when I first go for a target, it is only when I think about it that I cock it up.

This is a common problem apparently, but I intent to resolve it sooner rather than later.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Sunday morning.....

2008-01-26T23:23:00.000-08:00

I am up early and raring to go....... I am a little apprehensive that I am going to take a backward step today score wise, but I'm prepared for it. A score in the 40's will be acceptable at this stage of my learning curve.

Any score better than the 40's will be a major triumph I think although I am still being guided by JT etc when I shoot so I haven't really had a clean score to date.......

Wish me luck.....

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Saturday practice ok so far.......

2008-01-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

So todays practice went ok...... I had highs and lows as expected, following the path of last weeks 100 bird shooting competition. I still struggled with some..... the Grouse from the sleepers is not a favourite of mine and will soon be added to my shit list if I don't soon sort it out!

The low quartering birds into the banks were tricky as per last week, but then I got 7/8 on the tower left to right....... pleased as punch. I then got 7/8 on the rabbit pair again.... pleased with that.

The top stand in the embankment is still trouble though..... the going away bird curling left as it climbs is just like the second bird at the top tower last week and is definately on my shit list!

I finished in the "Bay of pigs" with a sporting compac..... unbelievable 21/25....... and I screwed a pair in the 4th stand that I still can't believe I screwed up.......... still very impressed so far.... roll on the comp at thr Grange tomorrow...... I have been told to expect a score in the 40's so I am prepared to be realistic about my chances........

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Bring on the weekend

2008-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow I am going to practice what I think I have learnt from my first clay pigeon shooting competition. I am going to be shooting somewhere in Leicestershire with Johnny T on Sunday so I am hoping to have a successful day tomorrow.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Things to do.......

2008-01-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

I have decided upon reflection that I am going to first concentrate on the following;

To practice shooting either on report or simo pairs in order to maximise the practice opportunity. This does mean that I will need to be more organised when I go shooting.

I will need to shoot with other people whenever possible in order to maximise shooting pairs as often as possible.

I am also going to get into the habit of shooting birds earlier so that I will have more control. Apparently by shooting the clay while it is under power it is easier to hit..... in addition I will then have longer on the second bird. This flys in the face of my latent ability of shooting clays on the drop.... which for me at least is easier.

I will also spend time on the towers.

I might be shooting in Leicestershire somewhere with Johnny T on Sunday...... to add to my cpsa ranking.........

I will practice on Saturday in the hope of building my confidence on the towers and maybe coming up with a strategy that I am happy with.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

My First Competition - part 3

2008-01-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

The tower was ok as it turned out, 3/6 and the last three so I was relatively happy that I homed in on the birds ok.

I excelled myself in the "Bay of pigs" which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite bays now I can wing afew of them! 7/8 and I missed the last bird due to a lack of concentration I think.

This shooting competition was turning out to be a lot more enjoyable than I expected. As I headed to the last two stands I was very pleased with the overall results so far.

The penultimate stand was a bird off the top tower right to left moving at no speed at all and a going away bird that curved to the left as it climbed steeply. The result was 1/8 which was a disappointment after so many success's but it is to be expected this early in my clay pigeon shooting career.

The last stand was off the two top towers, one right to left, the other straight towards me over my head, I think I scored 3/8 or maybe 4/8 which was ok considering I currently dislike towers and especially incoming directly overhead ones......

What I have learned is that I have much practice to do but now I know what areas to work on.....

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

My First Competition - part 2

2008-01-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

As we went behind the clubhouse at Sporting Targets I felt that all was going ok and this must be about the half way stage.

Behind the clubhouse we had a pair of crossers that looked easier than I made them, but I still walked away with over 50% so was happy enough.

We next headed for the heavily waterlogged 1st bay... I forget its proper title! Hear we shot from the top of some stairs at a pair on report below us, one going away the second incoming. The thing I learnt about these is that they needed more lead than I initially gave them. I left the stand 4/6 which as I missed the first two finding them I was very pleased with.

Next was the tower...................

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

My First Competition

2008-01-21T12:51:00.001-08:00

So I have completed my first 100 bird shooting competition. It was fantastic even if I say so myself. 59/100 was 20 more than I was expecting!

I have to admit I was a little unsure if I was starting too early, but I fine having a value attached to my performance allows me to improve. The competition provided a variety of targets that I had never seen before so they were very challenging.

I started with a 3/8 on some incoming simultaneous pairs that I really should have done better. Next was the best moment of my shooting career to date. 8/8 on the platform with the first bird being a quartering dropper that looks impossible but seemed to suit me.

I followed that stand up with a disaster on the next, a low left right quartering away and down into the ground and then a similar bird right to left that hit a low bank. I had cheekily had 8 shots the day before as I was finishing my practice and had hit 6/8 as singles so was quite confident that on report I would hit at least half of them...... it wasn't like that at all, I had a nightmare and only hit 1/8 though at least I did hit my last bird to avoid blanking the stand!

The next few stands were ok, I hit 7/8 rabbits on report which was great as I often struggle with rabbits.

Some tower birds were tricky, I had the same problem with twisting my body and dropping my shoulder in the process. The stand was acceptable though as was the next at the top of the embankment a looper I think and a right left quite high..... I should have done better here as I hit some early on and then missed too many, but all in all the first half was not too bad at all.

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

All ready for the off............

2008-01-20T04:08:00.001-08:00

So here we are, the morning of my first competition. I am due in Riseley at 1pm and am feeling good about my chances of achieving a respectable round.

I slept well which is important and I think I'm as ready as I can be. I am meeting up with Johnny Taylor to do the Competition with him. As I said it will be interesting to see if I can shoot to the standard that I have already done on occasion.

I will let you know later.......

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

Pre competition practice.

2008-01-19T11:22:00.001-08:00

I decided during in the week that how I got on today would govern whether I would shoot in the 100 bird competition on sunday. It has been raining all day so I waited as long as I dared in the hope that it might lift, but at 1 ish I headed to Riseley to get some practice under my belt.

I had my new ballistic Oakley shades to try out and even though it was not ideal conditions I did need to find out how much they would help me. I also made a decision to upgrade my cartridge choice. From now on and until further notice I will be shooting Hull Pro One 8's instead of the standard club cartridge that I have been shooting up until now.

I am so pleased with the change in cartridge. I am not sure whether it is purely psychological or whether they are that much better, but I found I could kill many more birds today than I had previously. I had a great day today, and excelled myself in the "Bay of pigs" especially which I was very pleased with myself about.

I met up with Steve Humpheries who like me was shooting on his own, so we buttoned for each other and I was very fortunate to benefit from his instruction and guidance.

I very much liked his view that I am trying to shoot in the space in front of the clay, and at say 40 yards I have a 3 ft pattern so if I shoot anywhere from 3 foot infront to 3 foot behind I should at least wing the clay. When it is put it terms like that it seems impossible to miss as that sounds like a large "window" to be aiming for. If it was that easy then everyone would straight every stand so I am thinking that there is still more to it!!!

I had a great day as I said, I halved my lead on the tower birds and hit some which was good. I still have a few bad habits to resolve, like stopping the gun on occasion, flicking the gun up as I shoot.... which is obviously bad, and not thinking about each clay and where I am going to kill it. I have some clays that I can't help but kill it seems and others that I never seem to catch up with.

I am happy that tomorrow my score is going to be towards the lower end, but if I can bank something in the 40's it will be ok as my lack of pairs will cost me dear I think.

Roll on tomorrow...

I shoot at Sporting Targets Corporate Entertainment and Clay Pigeon Shooting ground in Bedfordshire.

The weekend ahead

2008-01-18T12:56:00.001-08:00

I have a big weekends shooting lined up at Sporting Targets. I am going to have a practice in the rain tomorrow and then on Sunday assuming that the practice isn't completely shocking then I am going to enter my first 100 bird competition. I am hoping to creep into the 40's as a first score being realistic as I have had very limited experience or practice with two birds either on report or as simultaneous pairs.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow

Debrief continues

2008-01-16T13:25:00.001-08:00

I am now fairly happy with how to fix my faults on the tower. I am sure that rather than not giving enough lead, I was giving too much. I had based my previous "picture" on my success from a windy day when I had a good kill rate. The clays that day were moving at speed with a tail wind so when I gave the the same lead with out the tail wind I was in front by miles....... I am looking forward to seeing if this hypothesis is correct as I believe or whether I am barking up another blind alley..... to nicely mix a metaphor!

I am going to practice on Saturday and if that goes according to plan then I plan to enter my first competition 100 bird shoot on Sunday at Sporting Targets...... watch this space!

Accessories.... or toys!!

2008-01-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Today my new shooting shades arrived. I decided against the latest craze which seems to be for "Hi Def Spex" as worn by George Digweed the most successful shot for over a decade. I decided instead to go old school and opt for some Oakley M frames. My thinking was that I wear dark lenses most of the time outdoors anyway, so in anything but the darkest of days I would need something more than the yellow lens in the Hi def spex. I have three lenses with my oakleys, a blue looking dark tint G26 which strangely looks orangey red when worn, an orange lens which has a name too but I forget and a clear lens. I thing that will get little use but I have it as an option if required.

The reason for this purchase was purely practical, I was shooting a few weeks ago at dusk on an overcast day and had a problem picking out the clays. Andy, Owner of Sporting Targets where I was shooting lent me his oranged lensed Oakleys and I could then pick out the clays much easier. The orange lens makes the clay pop out from its background and hence is easier to find, follow and ultimately hit.

I am working on the practical theory that if I am going to spend lots of money shooting then wasting some of it trying to hit clays I can't see is pointless...... purchase justified!!

I will be using them in anger for practice n Saturday and possibly in my first competition on Sunday.

My mental Debrief

2008-01-14T13:10:00.001-08:00

So I have been thinking about why I had such a problem with the high tower on saturday. With the benefit of hindsight I was in the cage when I shot the tower well, so that wasn't the issue after all.

I now think that I was giving the clays too much lead as I had done when it had been windier. On Saturday it was a calm day and so I am thinking that the clay was moving slower than it had been previously. That would explain why I couldn't find the sweet spot by moving further in front. I think I was too far in front to start with.

I will try to adopt Steve Leonards strategy of giving it what you think, if you miss double it, if you miss aim at the clay...... If I had done that I would probably have found it.

Frustrating that I couldn't work through that thought process at the time. It is much like my Karting days, it would be the Tuesday after the race before I had fully debriefed myself and had a plan to fix any issues from the race.

I need to continue practicing my set up routine so that it becomes second nature, while watching for me lifting my cheek off the stock prematurely and stopping the gun. They are my too biggest issues currently I think, the stopping the gun sometimes when I pull the trigger is a bit awkward..... almost as if I can't multitask!!

There is a hundred birder shooting competition this coming Sunday and I am seriously considering entering so that I can start to gauge exactly where I am.

I am not expecting great things as there are still many birds I struggle with and pairs often pose a problem, especially simultaneous ones.

I am undecided, but realistically if I could get my first score in the 40's I wouldn't be too disappointed. I would love to be cocky at this point and say 60's, but there are so many birds that I struggle with that I could easily have ten shots at a target and miss them all like on Saturday with the tower so I think a 40's score will do to begin with.

Practice,practice,practice

2008-01-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

I spent Saturday afternoon at Sporting Targets clay pigeon shooting club. Having spent the pass few weeks shooting in windy conditions with different people.

I would at this time like to wish Fletch good luck for his forthcoming bypass operation and wish him a speedy recovery......... I will be somewhat lost until he returns.

I decided to go out on my own and try a variety of targets to see how I could fare on my own. I have to say the one thing that is difficult about going alone is that you can't have birds on report. Otherwise it is an opportunity to refresh yourself with just where you are in terms of progress.

I had a mixed bag, killing more than is normal for me in the "Bay of Pigs" even the long distance B bird that is far from easy.

My biggest disappointment of the day was at the high tower. On my last visit with Johnny T I had killed most of my tower birds and in a strong wind too.......... and yet today with no wind I missed all of the A birds off the tower apart from one, and most B & C birds. The only difference was that previously I had stood infront of the cage when being instructed and this time I was in the cage which is maybe more claustrophobic. It is something that I am going to have to work on in the future.

I did ok shooting into the sun on the platform though, and excelled myself just up from the grouse on a stand with two very tricky birds. The first goes away at waist height and hits a bank 40 ft away, the second is a left right crosser at waist height that hits a bank just to the right of the cage. I had previously missed both these birds when I had been out with Steve Leonard, but this time the going away bird I killed 4 out of 5 whereas last time I never caught up with it before it hit the bank.

The crosser I hit once out of 8 shots, but I was pleased that I worked out how to hit it, and that in spite of how close it is it needs more lead than I had given it before. I got a real sense of achievement from solving this clay and am looking forward to getting back to it next time.

My first proper go at skeet

2008-01-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

I head up to the Skeet Range at Sporting Targets for the first time. I have very little experience with two birds on report (one after the other) or simultaneous..... as a consequence I am a little concerned about how I will get on with skeet.

I am assured that it is a good place to practice as it is quite fast and also offers a wide variety of target from each of the stands.

I had mixed results to be frank, starting with 3 out of 4 on the first stand, and rapidly going downhill on stands two and three. The middle stand is without doubt the most taxing as both clays are crossers at there fastest.

When I go to the last stand stood right by the traphouse I experienced what must be the cruelest of all shooting related actions. With my first shot I killed both clays...... now to me this was clearly an act of genius....... I expected a ticker tape parade ........... drinks in the clubhouse...... the shooting equivalent of a hole in one in my mind. But no, it is not a good thing, quite the reverse, imagine getting a hole in one playing golf and being told that it doesn't count and you have to take your shot again...................

Gutted is the only word to describe my feeling at the time..........

In spite of this I do think that skeet is a good practice activity along with sporting compac which to be honest I currently prefer.

Tomorrow I am back for more ..... well if it isn't snowing!

Am I improving?

2008-01-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

That is a difficult question to answer. On the one had I think I am as I am now hitting more clays, but on the other I seem to just be swapping bad habits for new bad habits. My latest thing is to get "on" a clay but then rather than pulling the trigger I seem to take half a second to double check that I am right by which time I am wrong!

It is very frustrating at times, but then I am impatient to get to a level of competancy that I am happy with. I still look at most clays and have little idea as to what I should be giving it in terms of lead or not. So if I miss the same clay several times I end up experimenting trying to find out where the sweet spot is. This is of course a good thing, because if you are missing it where you are currently trying to shoot it then there is little point doing the same thing again because the result will be the same. To quote Steve Leonard..... who I think was quoting George Digweed..... "give it 2 ft, if you miss give it 4 ft, if you miss aim at it" which strikes me as sound advice as it should be coming from both of them.

I am currently working on the theory that if I shoot often enough then I will accumulate enough knowledge in time that I will learn to read a clay and hence have some idea of where to start off trying to kill it....... if it doesn't work like that then I am never going to be any good!

Positive mental attitude!

2008-01-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

The weekend went very well from a shooting perspective. I spent Saturday afternoon at Sporting Targets clay pigeon shooting ground with Johnny T and Randal. I am determined to keep my concentration, to prepare properly and to make sure that my set up is spot on for each clay.

We start off where I finished last time in the basin with a sportac. This was a little less successful than last time but that was to be expected as I needed to warm up and get my eye in. In spite of going straight in I impressed myself by concentrating throughout and killing several pairs including one simultaneous pair!! Promptly followed by missing an easy going away bird...... the usual reason, I had already killed it in my mind so I failed to respect this "easy" bird and it showed me the error of my ways!

Positive thinking.....

2008-01-05T03:23:00.000-08:00

I am optimistic after my last lesson and my additional extra tuition that today I will shoot like a demon! I am meeting Johnny T at Sporting Targets for an hour or twos shooting. Having had some minor success at the sporting compac I fancy some more of that along with some skeet too. The Bay of niceness now holds no fear for me........ although it is still a very challenging place to be.

The sun has come out, the temperature is rising and my enthusiasm knows no bounds..... wish me luck!

Too many cooks.......

2008-01-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

As I discover to my cost...... asking too many questions, listening to too many different opinions..... trying too hard will only result in a backwards step. I am very fortunate to have a rich vein of shooting knowledge to tap into. These include Andy Clifton the owner of Sporting Targets clay pigeon shooting ground and no mean shot himself, Fletch my Instructor, Sally Monday a fully certified instructor friend of mine and Steve Leonard who is about as good at shooting as you could hope to be. Between them my learning curve has been rapid, but as I said too many cooks....... even if they are individually brilliant....... will soon set you on the way to dispair!

My learning curve has been steep, but of the hundreds of new bytes of data I am currently filing away the biggest one is that you should stick to one method of learning to shoot and with one instructor.

Over the Christmas break I had the least successful days shooting I have so far experienced and two days later the best...... and it seems only because I was trying too hard to learn too fast.

My next goal is to practice shooting pairs as that is currently an area that I fall down at.

I shot three hundred cartridges on the day it all went well, starting with Fletch, a lesson and 100 skeet, which I hadn't previously done before. It is a very good discipline for beginners like me as you get to see a wide variety of birds.

After the skeet, the lesson continued on the high tower...... which isn't my favourite yet, but I am determined that I will end up loving it just as soon as I can shoot it properly.
We did another 50 there, which finished my lesson nicely and quite successfully. At that point Andy Clifton ambled past and suggested I join him. I did and had another 125 doing sporting compacs........ I think........... which under his guidance and having been dialed in to hitting things went extremely well.

My new years resolution is to shoot at least 100 cartridges per week and to aim to get into "B" class by the end of the year........ which might be interesting as I have yet to shoot a competition and the very act of having two birds in the air either on report or at the same time guarantees the survival of at least one of them.

My second resolution is to rename "The bay of bastards" as "The bay of easiness" .....but that is just for my own psychological wellbeing as I don't want it to become a negative trigger in my mind!

Lesson 2.........Part 1

2007-12-17T14:40:00.001-08:00

Its truly incredible just how much you can forget about clay pigeon shooting from one week to the next. I begin by trying to remember how to stand. It is still too early to have established routine, but I seem to realise the importance of getting the basics right.

In simple terms, I need to look at a clay in the air, decide where I am going to kill it and then point my feet and body in that direction. Then I need to look back to where I will first get sight of the clay. After that it is important to keep my weight on my front foot, gun butt firmly into my shoulder and cheek firmly onto the stock. All that remains is to pick up the clay, follow it, move through it and pull the trigger........ easy.......... not!

Teaching your body to do all of these things reliably is not easy, but I know it'll come if I stick with it.

Fletch offers me a refresher course of what we covered in the first lesson. I am already more fond of some types of birds than others. My natural stubborness leads me to want to practice the ones that I dislike the most. In my mind it is often the way that by doing this I will get better at these harder birds and as a consequence dislike them less.

I seem to spend the day missing the birds I could kill last week, and killing some that I struggled with before. I suppose that is often the way. Permanent frustration for most of the lesson as the information that I thought I had already learnt turns out to be somewhat flawed.

It is one thing to shot when you have a pro stood behind your shoulder guiding you onto the clay. The finite skill the way I see it is to read a clay and to know where you need to be in terms of lead etc. I found the instruction very useful and as I said, with Fletch guiding me my kill rate was more than acceptable. I was looking forward to having a walk round on my own to see how I got on......... I was expecting to take a backward step if truth be told.

Lesson 1 part 3.............................

2007-12-13T01:48:00.000-08:00

The towers at Sporting Targets Clay Pigeon Shooting ground are not only unusual, but also rather challenging. There are only a few places in the uk where then can launch such difficult birds, so obviously lesson 1 was the ideal time for me to have a go!

We started with a right to left crosser that seemed to be at about a mile away, but in fact was about 100 feet. This requires lots of skills that I seem to lack, firstly at the bird sails directly overhead it makes your stance much harder. I struggled to arch my back without twisting sideways. The other issue with high birds is the amount of lead required, this bird needed what I saw as 2 inches at the barrel, and eventually I killed one. The silent calculation in your head when you approach a stand like that is quite interesting, there are so many variables to include that I now see why experience counts for so much in shooting. The height, speed, wind direction, wind speed, type of cartridge, and choke etc etc, each of these will alter the amount of lead that a bird requires, and if I get all of those right then I will often have my feet in the wrong place, or my weight where it shouldn't be!

I seemed to hit more tower birds with my right eye closed...... Fletch seems to know how to get you to hit stuff that seems impossible, and one eye works for me for high stuff. Note to self, do not forget that information!

I am now starting to build up a database of knowledge for future reference, it doesn't make much sense currently, but I am confident that it will all fall into place eventually.

One of the first things I was told when I started was to stick with one instructor so as to not get confused with different methods........ I wasn't going to let that stop me though, so I set about grilling everyone I knew with any shooting knowledge at all.......... it transpires that everyone who shoots has something useful to bring to the party.

Roll on lesson 2

Lesson 1 Continued.......

2007-12-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

We progress from the Grouse to some gentle crossers. Apparently their are only 6 basic types of clays........ incoming, outgoing, left to right, right to left, teal (known as quail in my house) which are vertical birds and rabbits which bounce along the ground. I am told that everything is a variation of one of these, or a combination perhaps. At Sporting Targets Clay pigeon shooting ground they have umpteen variations of everything.

The first crosser I get to have a go at is a left to right that looks fairly straight forward. I miss it. It turns out it needs a bit of lead,( ie aiming in front of where it is so that by the time my shot gets to it it is where it should be and not behind it). Lead it seems is a quirky beast as everyone has a different way of interpreting and vocalising the lead that they see. I decide to give it what I perceive to be an inch an the end of my barrel, but what is probably two or three feet at the clay itself. I kill it. I try again...... perfect lead, weight on back foot.... I miss. And so it went on, miss, kill, kill, miss.... there is a lot to concentrate upon at first as you teach your body new disciplines. Keeping each aspect under control is suprisingly complex as I was finding out!

I was also having an issue with my eyes. I started shooting with my right eye closed as it seemed natural as I was aiming the gun. After a while I tried both eyes open with mixed results, but I am informed that it is better to start eyes open if possible so I muddle on until it seems natural.

We make our way up the range, shooting at a rabbit, which went ok, this particular little blighter wanted no lead, but to aim just under it. kill,kill,kill,kill,....... happy with rabbit we move on.

Shooting my first pair was fun, they were on report whereby the second bird is launched once you have shot at the first. These were outgoing first bird, incoming second..... with Fletch leading from just behind my shoulder I was doing ok. Still shifting my weight to where it shouldn't be on occasion and missing because of it, but otherwise ok.

And then we reached the towers............................

Lesson 1

2007-12-11T10:43:00.001-08:00

Right, so I bite the bullet so to speak and sign up for a lesson. This should give me a taster and let me know if Clay Pigeon Shooting is the sport for me.

I have been given to Fletch, one of the instructors at Sporting Targets, who I soon discover not only a petrol head like me , but also man with a fascinating history of not only shooting with Sir Jackie Stewart, but working with him in Formula 1 too....... He also worked with Ayrton Senna at Lotus in the 80's................. I decide to pay attention to all that I'm told.

We start off with a safety briefing. This seems more that a good idea to me, can't be too careful. Now I know the blunt end from the sharp end, that I must break the gun when carrying it or stick it in a sleeve, only load it in a cage when I 'm about to shoot etc. I also need eye and ear protection.......... now I can't hear Fletch.......... lets hope he's said the important stuff already!

There seems like there is plenty to remember, I am already soaking up bits of info and trying to store them neatly.

We move on to finding out which of my eyes is dominant. I'm left handed, but play golf (shockingly poorly I might add) right handed, I had been concerned that I might pose a bit of a problem as I am not classically wrong handed, but I should have worried not as I seem to be fine. Being left handed I mount the gun in my left shoulder, and I have a dominant left eye which sits looking straight up the top of the barrel. I am told this is good, but then I am told that unlike a rifle you don't "aim" a shotgun, but use hand eye coordination to point it in the right place. This seems to make looking straight up the barrel slightly pointless, but I don't argue at this point..... the man ran Ayrtons car.

We head off with 100 cartridges to try and shoot something. I think we are shooting at Grouse, or at least some clays that I presume behave like grouse do. My brain now has lots to think about, first I have to stand correctly, with feet apart, right leg forward ( as I'm a leftie ) right foot pointing at where I am expecting to shoot the grouse. Keep my weight forward on my right foot. Mount gun firmly into my shoulder, press cheek onto the stock of the gun. I am starting off shooting gun up, ie; with the gun in my shoulder before I shout pull. This is fine by me as time seems quite brief once the clay is airborne.

I am told where to start following the clay, and where I should be trying to kill the clay. The idea is to track its movement with the end of the barrel, and then move ahead of the clay if lead is required. Thankfully no lead is required....... these grouse seem to be ameniable little fellows whose sole purpose seems to be to convince me that I am a natural! I have a modicum of success over the next 10 shots along the lines of , kill,kill, miss (moved feet), kill,kill,kill, ( cheek not on stock), kill, kill, miss ( weight now on back foot ), kill. Lots to remember, and it seems very easy to forget the simplest thing that will make you miss.

Lesson 1 continues tomorrow

Clay Pigeon Shooting as a Newbie

2007-12-10T02:27:00.000-08:00

Turning forty requires some tough decisions, do you resolve to get fit and do some much needed exercise, or give up and except that some bodies are meant to be this shape! Do you set out on a new quest to discover something new, achieve something you previously thought was beyond you or do you sit where you are and stagnate? I chose the former, and for reveral reasons. For the ten years prior to 2005 I spent every weekend and on occasion some weekdays too Kart racing. I had a modicum of success but reached the point in time where it became too exhausting to continue to do it at a top level. It is I think a young mans game that rewards youth and good health in equal measure.

Since then I have thrown myself headlong into my Search Engine Optimization business. I have missed the competition, the challenge and the mental efforts that I used to enjoy racing, so I have been looking for a new pastime. It is remarkable that this has taken me so long, considering the circumstances, but I have taken up clay pigeon shooting. The reason I say it is remarkable is that firstly my best mate owns what I believe is considered to be one of the best clay pigeon shooting grounds in the UK. Because of this I have spent many evenings listening to discussions about constant lead, crossers, towers, driven birds, chokes, butts, over and unders etc.... without really knowing what was going on...... well now I was going to find out.