Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Clay Shooting

Shooting continues to gather momentum, with grounds opening up and competitions getting under way. As I write this I’m back from the new Swinton ground’s very first CPSA registered Sporting competition. It’s a lovely new ground, worth a visit if you’re in the area. As always I saw shooters and staff alike following the Covid guidelines carefully throughout the day, with no need for monitoring or enforcement. It bears repeating: shooters are among the most law-abiding and responsible, and can be trusted to do the right thing. Mark Winser returned to shooting after his shoulder injury, and breezed straight to the top of the leaderboard. You can find a brief report of that in our news pages this month, and we’ll have a more detailed write-up in next month’s issue.…

Top shooting ground EJ Churchill have been busy over lockdown, carrying out extensive improvements to the ground, launching new products and planning new competitions. Last month we reported on their new One20 Challenge, a flush competition for teams of five, held on the West Wycombe Estate from 1 September to 1 February. Now they’ve announced The Churchill Cup, a CPSA registered competition over 150 Sporting targets set by George Digweed MBE. It will be shot across two courses in one day, and runs from 27 to 29 August. There’s a cash prize fund of more than £5,000, with the winner taking £1,000 plus the prestigious Churchill Cup. To book in telephone 01494 883227 or email events@ejchurchill.com. They have teamed up with Jean-Paul Gaudin, ‘The Seated Gun’, who will be promoting…

For years Clever cartridges have largely been associated with the top end of clay shooting. Founded by the Chiampan brothers back in 1952, the company was focused on excellence – and that’s what they have delivered. Visit their website at www.clevervr.com/en/ and you’ll find a list of European, World and Olympic medal winners who have put their faith in the Clever brand; it reads like a Who’s Who of clay shooting greats. Clever realised that many shooters would like to use such a prestigious brand but can’t justify premium ammunition for training, practice and the less demanding disciplines. They introduced their Mirage T1s for the club shooter. We reviewed them in our April 2020 issue, and they performed remarkably well. This month we have some cartridges from the premium end…

On June 20, I travelled for just over two hours down to Brook Bank Shooting Ground for the first time since the England selection shoot last June. I’m extremely glad that I made the trip, as I shot a 98/290, only one point off high gun. Sadly, my third line let me down as on the other three lines I shot 25/74, 25/75, and 25/74. The weather was constantly changing, with strong winds, rain and a plethora of light conditions – despite that, I am extremely pleased with how I shot. This is the best that I have ever shot at Brook Bank which makes the shoot a whole lot better. I came 1st in A Class and 2nd overall, which is also a bonus. I was discussing my scores…

Making full use of the freedom to travel at the moment, I’ve been clocking up miles in the car, trying to get myself back into the competitive mindset. That said, when writing collaborative articles with Team USA shooters, I have found it really interesting to see the difference in the willingness to travel in the UK compared to our friends across the pond. At the time of writing, the Georgia state championships have just taken place, and attracted a wealth of extremely successful American shooters. Amongst them, I spoke to David Radulovich, who finished third place in the main event. David drove fourteen hours to compete, which would seem ludicrous to most dedicated clay shooters in the UK. He also told me he had once driven East Coast to West…

“Lockdown was horrible,” confides Richard Faulds, “and enormously difficult for many people. But instead of getting sucked into negativity, Tanya and I decided to take the time to build something better for our customers. All of the stands have been re-built with brand new timberwork, the trap range has been re-roofed, and the hardstanding around the ground has been replaced. Lots of people are commenting that the ground has never looked better.” Fortunately, since restrictions were lifted in mid-May the ground has been very busy with practice days and registered shoots. It seems that club regulars were desperate to get out and start shooting again. “We’re open for practice most Tuesday and Thursdays and we’re running four or five fixtures every month. Both practice days and events are proving extremely…

The long awaited day has finally arrived! I can finally cross the border into Wales and proceed with some serious training! I have enjoyed attending the NCSC Bisley and I cannot thank them enough for their availability. All things must come to an end, and with the UK’s lockdown restrictions becoming less restrictive, it’s nice that my family and I won’t have to travel far and wide to keep my competitive standard high. I started training at South Wales 2000 in late June-early July when the Welsh government allowed non-Welsh residents into the country. Although it had only been 13 weeks since going there, a lot of nostalgic memories came flooding into my mind. This was the ground where I shot my first 25/25 straight, the first ground where I…

Velocity is measured at 2.5 metres from the muzzle. Pressure is the mean breech figure in Bar (as per CIP). SD is Standard Deviation (consistency). CD is the Central Density rating. This records the percentage of the total pellets landing in the 30-inch circle that were also within the inner 20-inch circle Shot size is derived from actual pellet count per ounce and is listed to the nearest UK size, with < and > symbols where shot is slightly larger or smaller than the nearest size. UK No.7 = 340 pellets/oz; UK No.7.5 = 400 pellets/oz; UK No.8 = 450/oz; UK No. 9 = 580/oz. Shot weight is the average actual shot load, measured in grains. 1 grain = 0.065 grams = 0.0023 oz. CV is Crush Value. This is…

FIOCCHI 4HV A powerful cartridge with copper plated lead shot, suitable for hard clay targets and very long-distance shots. Gauge: 12 Case: 70mm Head: 22mm Load: 28g Shot size: 7, 7.5 Muzzle Velocity 28g: 415mps, 1361fps Material: Copper plated lead, 5% antimony BIOAMMO Rex Biodegradable casings and wads for shots who value the environment. Also available with steel shot Gauge: 12 Case: 70mm Head: 16mm Load: 24g, 28g Shot size: 7, 9 Muzzle Velocity 24g: 416mps, 1365fps Muzzle Velocity 28g: 410mps, 1345fps Material: Lead shot RIO Star Team Evo A premium quality, high performance cartridge from Spain that exhibits smooth, manageable recoil. Gauge: 12 Case: 70mm Head: 25mm Load: 24g, 28g Shot size: 7, 7.5, 8, 9 Muzzle Velocity 24g: 410mps, 1345fps Muzzle Velocity 28g: 400mps, 1310fps Material: Carbon/quartz lead…

Squads of six can shoot again Squads of up to six people can now shoot together following new guidance from the CPSA, issued in late July after the government eased its lockdown restrictions. Where the referee cannot distance a minimum of one metre, and preferably two, a maximum squad of five is permitted. Bear in mind the guidelines will be updated as necessary if government advice changes. You can find the latest version at /www.cpsa.co.uk/staysafe British Shooting Grand Festival With British Shooting’s Shotgun Series becoming a casualty of the Covid pandemic, they have announced a Shotgun Grand Festival at East Yorkshire SG, Beverley, from 11 to 13 September. The event will encompass 125-target competitions in Olympic Trap and Olympic Skeet, and replaces the Shotgun Grand Final that would have been…

Where were you at 22? I was selling TV’s, desperately trying to scrape together enough commission to cover the weekend’s cartridges while dreaming of travelling the world, experiencing new cultures and maybe getting in a bit of shooting along the way. And yet at 22, Ellie Seward has already achieved the dream that I’m still attempting to realise. Since she started shooting just six short years ago, she has represented England and Great Britain across the globe, bagging trophies and breaking records. Ellie is a true representation of the benefit of low price, simple, have-a-go sessions. She isn’t from a long line of famous shooters, but was hooked from her first clay break. “My dad shot a bit of Sporting when he was younger, but other than that no one…

Richard Atkins Clay Shooting’s resident technical expert, Richard has decades of experience reviewing guns, cartridges and accessories. He’s well equipped to solve problems on everything from shot sizes to stock dimensions. Ed Lyons Director of Flint & Partners, Ed’s optometry work has helped top-level athletes reach their goals on domestic and international level. Countless shooters rely on him to keep their vision in top shape. Stuart Farr A lawyer specialising in the shooting sports, Stuart has extensive experience in all things legal – from solving civil disputes relating to firearms ownership, to helping a governing body draft its code of ethics. Becky McKenzie One of our top lady Sporting shots and the current English Open Compak Ladies Champion, Becky is a clay shooting coach. She writes about guns, kit and…

The American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, declared that “Wood is universally beautiful to man. It is the most humanly intimate of all materials.” A sentiment I found myself agreeing with as I sat, somewhat misty eyed, in the showroom at Midland Gun Services (MGS) looking through a selection of gorgeous stock ‘blanks’. This February, at my appointment with Kristian Reilly, the owner of MGS, I had weighed up the pros and cons of either trying to make alterations to the stock of my Caesar Guerini or having a bespoke stock made. I had chosen the latter. Kristian had picked out a selection of grade 3 blanks for me to look at. My face lit up as he sprayed them with a solution to reveal their characters. If there’s one thing…

I’m writing this article in July, and there is progress with the considered return to training and competing for Olympic Trap and Olympic Skeet. The international scene The international scene is still in a state of limbo as we continue to await an updated calendar from the ISSF. Fingers crossed this is issued in the next few weeks, so that by the next issue I will be able to report on positive news. There are still quota places and medals to be won in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics. One announcement made on 17 July by the European Shooting Confederation, after much speculation, is the official cancellation of the 2020 European Championships. This will of course impact on shooters’ training plans. However, as I have said previously, you can…