Clay Shooting August 2020

With restrictions gradually easing, it’s great to see shoots up and down the country getting under way again, albeit with the now obligatory distancing and procedures to control the coronavirus. For a while we all wondered whether there would be any clay shooting at all this summer, so shooters are delighted to be back out pulling the trigger under what is becoming known as the ‘New Normal’. We’re equally delighted to be bringing you our first shoot reports this season, after several months of concentrating on home training and gun maintenance tips. I hope you found those useful during lockdown, but it’s great to be out reporting on real shoots once again! In this issue you’ll find my report from the first CPSA registered events at Westfield, as well as…

The 2020 British Schools & Young Shots Championship has been postponed until April 2021. The event was originally planned for 25 April this year. After the coronavirus pandemic made that impossible, it was hoped to run it in September. With uncertainty still hanging over school dates and restrictions, the decision has now been taken to postpone it until next year. It will be held at the excellent Orston Shooting Ground in Nottinghamshire, with 24 April being the provisional new date. The Clay Shooting Classic has already been postponed, and will now be held at Orston from 26-30 May 2021. The British Schools & Young Shots Championship is the big one for individual young shots and school teams from around the country. It is renowned for highlighting emerging talent in the…

Gamebore have launched a new full cup wad that is biodegradable and safe to the environment – and it’s designed for steel shot. It represents a significant step in the development of environmentally friendly cartridges, at a time when there’s increasing focus on reducing single-use plastics and lead shot in shooting. The new Bio-Wad uses the same material as Gamebore’s recently announced Quad Seal, and is manufactured in-house by the company. As a full cup wad, however, it can be used with steel shot. The Quad Seal is designed to sit behind a traditional fibre wad, meaning it is best suited to lead shot loads. Gamebore say that The Bio-Wad has petals with newly designed unique 45 degree overlapping edges, giving complete barrel protection. They add “The high strength of…

New Evolution glasses Evolution Sunglasses have a new shooting eyewear set for prescription wearers. The Evolution Horizon RX has four complete frames with different colour lenses; you simply switch the prescription optical insert from one frame to another. The set comes in a hard case at a RRP of £69.95. For information call Evolution Eyewear on 01256 533955 or see www. evolutionsunglasses.com Northern Shooting Show cancelled The Northern Shooting Show has become the latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. The event will return on 8 and 9 May 2021. Organisers say “We know that you, like us, will be hugely disappointed, but it was just not possible to deliver the show with the current government restrictions.” Any tickets already purchased will automatically be valid for next year’s event. For details…

EJ Churchill have launched a new team flush competition, the One20 Flush Challenge. It will take place on the West Wycombe Estate in Buckinghamshire, and will run from 1 September 2020 until 1 February 2021. The Challenge is available to shoot Monday to Saturday between 9am and 5pm, using fibre wad cartridges only. Teams are made up of five people and each team will shoot five game inspired flushes on the estate. Each flush is 120 birds operated by a computerised Promatic clay system to ensure all flushes are equal. Entry is £475 per team and there are categories for: Open, Side by Side, Ladies, Keepers & Beaters, and Families. EJ Churchill say “there are some great prizes to be won, so get your team together and book today!” For…

The CPSA Premier League is back up and running again, after being paused due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first three fixtures were shot before lockdown, at Orston Shooting Ground, EJ Churchill and Cambridge Gun Club. The new dates are: 12 July, Southdown Gun Club 26 July, Highwaymans Shooting Ground (standing in for Doveridge CSC) 8 August, Owls Lodge Shooting School 29 August, Atkin Grant & Lang Shooting Ground 31 August, Sporting Targets Bookings should be made by telephone or email to the ground – see the CPSA website for details. The CPSA Premier League was established in 2015 and has since nearly doubled in size. The competition now features eight Premier and Premier Plus grounds competing in an exciting new format across two divisions, North v South. Sponsors include…