Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Clay Shooting

CPSA classifications The CPSA is postponing its classifications which would have been released on 1 September. “We believe this is still too soon after the lockdown to be meaningful,” they say. Instead issue 60 will be based on scores from 1 November 2019 to 31 October 2020, and published on 1 December 2020. That will include the four-month lockdown period but will include eight months of data. In the meantime they will not reset members to unclassified due to them being unable to shoot during this difficult time. After 1 December classifications will revert to the normal quarterly system. Coley’s sponsor Sam Usher Ian Coley Sporting is sponsoring England cap and AAA Class shooter Sam Usher for the 2020/21 season. Sam took up clay shooting in 2015 after seven years…

All simulated game shoots demand traps that are mobile, reliable and fast. But, the entertaining shoots are those with traps that can throw clays in an unpredictable fashion. After all, real game birds are a flighty lot! This is where the Bowman Flurry Master Trailer excels. The Flurry Master is compact, light, strong and super quick. It has a capacity of 300 standard clays and can throw one 150m every 1.5 seconds for fast and furious delivery. Impressive, but the fun really starts when the Flurry Master is filled with different size clays – standards, midis, 70mms, minis – it can handle them all. “Its multi-clay ability makes the world of difference for simulated game shoots,” says Nick Agosto, sales and marketing manager, Bowman Traps. “You can throw a variety…

A glance at the entry list told you this shoot was something special. The biggest names in Sporting clays, at least in the North of England, had flocked to the new EJ Churchill ground at Swinton for its first ever CPSA registered 100 Sporting. Shooters in this part of the country are used to travelling. “I generally reckon I’ll have to drive an hour to get to a decent ground,” said noted game and Fitasc shot Dave Carrie.“When it comes to the big competitions it’s often three hours!” So Dave was particularly pleased that EJ Churchill have chosen this location to set up a brand new ground that’s offering top quality Sporting competitions in stunning Yorkshire scenery. He had certainly enjoyed the experience.“It’s been testing but very very enjoyable,” he…

East Yorkshire hosted their first Olympic Trap Grand Prix on 15 and 16 August. There was a great turnout for the event with 120 shooters from across the British Isles competing. Rob, Gill and Georgie Hall and their team did a great job of organising and running the event and had secured some great sponsorship to ensure a good selection of prizes. Event sponsors included GMK/Beretta, The Gun Room, Manuel Ricardo, Corsivia and Eley Hawk. There were cash class prizes, category medals, and random draw prizes based on bib numbers, as well as a gun up for grabs in a head-to-head super final for the high gun from each day. In addition to the main weekend event, a preliminary event on the preceding Thursday was added – 100 OT plus…

Peter's love of shooting started at an early age, shooting vermin around the farm with his father more than 40 years ago. That led him to start competing at local shoots, and he won his first ‘senior’ trophy at 15. Many more accolades and achievements were to follow including Surrey County Side-by-Side Sporting Champion, South of England Olympic Skeet Veteran Champion, current Surrey Supreme Veteran Champion and English Open Skeet Championship class winner. Peter's passion is for Sporting and Skeet, but he has also been involved with coaching. He gained his Advanced Level Sporting coaching qualification in 1998 and is qualified as a safety officer and referee. Coaching may have started off as a hobby, helping members of his local club, but it took off to the extent that Peter…

How did you get into shooting? “As a kid, the first time I picked up a gun was to head out and chase dove and quail with my father, in South Georgia. My passion for the outdoors grew, and as a kid most days I’d be out looking or fishing for something – but I’d never shot a clay target. Around the age of 23, a friend asked me to come along to shoot a round of Skeet with him. At the time, I was shooting a Remington Model 1100, a hunting semi-auto with a 26in barrel and fixed choke. On my first round I killed 23 ex-25, then the next round I shot 24 ex-25. ‘Let’s go one more time,’ he said. ‘I think you can hit them all’…

Natalie Bales is the 2020 British Open English Skeet champion, beating both Archy Stannard and Sam Green in a shoot-off for the title at the Bisley National Clay Shooting Centre on 23 August. All three had scored 100-straight over the three days of the competition, despite difficult and very windy conditions. Archy, from Norfolk, was the first to score a perfect 100, shooting on the Saturday. The next day Sam joined him at the top of the leaderboard, followed by Natalie. The three gathered for the shoot-off only for Archy to miss his first target out. The other two cleared their full round, leaving Archy in third place, and the winner of the Juniors category. Sam and Natalie went to a sudden death battle on the middle peg for the…

The Farlows country sports shop in London has reopened after a five-month closure due to the pandemic. It’s thought to be the longest time the store’s doors have closed since it opened in 1840. Farlows have been operating online, and believe the time is right to return to the high street and bring its range back to the public. They have had a deep clean and installed precautions to keep customers and staff safe. The store will initially be operating revised opening hours of 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and customers will be asked to sanitise their hands at the store entrance, wear a face covering (unless exempt) inside, and use the disposable gloves provided if handling products. Customer numbers will be monitored and access may be limited at…

Perhaps you love clay shooting but you’re drawn to the idea of driven game. Maybe you’re a rusty game shot, nervous about underperforming on the first driven shoot of the season. Either way, why not try a simulated game day? Better still, cajole your best chums into joining you – you’ll have a hoot! Simulated game shoots are, as the name suggests, shoots organised to replicate a driven game shoot, but using clays rather than live quarry. So if the thought of shooting a bird is just not for you, don’t dismiss simulated game – chances are you’ll have a great time. Richard Jones, owner of the Dovey Valley Shooting Ground, organises simulated days on the neighbouring Brynmelin Estate, which lies in spectacular countryside on the edge of Snowdonia National…

What do you want to pass on to your children? A nice bit of inheritance? A priceless family heirloom? Your partner’s good looks? Well, ex Team England Captain Shaun Stacey has been able to pass something far more valuable on to his daughter Emma – a passion for Sporting and the skills to make her one of the country’s best. “From the age of two I loved going to watch my dad compete,” says Emma of her earliest memories. “I always wanted to carry his gun or his bag because then maybe people might think I was shooting too.” However, by the time Emma was able to do more than just watch the shoots or carry her father’s bags, Shaun had already ended his career on a high as part…

Snowdonia National Park, home to snow-capped mountains, mysterious towering castles, forgotten slate mines and an ancient forest dedicated to the memory of the legendary Welsh hero Gellert. On the southern border of this world-famous national park we find the biggest draw for us clay shooters, Dovey Valley Shooting Ground. Owner Richard Jones is on hand to give us the tour of everything this Welsh wonderland has on offer. Dovey Valley has been in the Jones family since the 60’s but Richard and his partner Nia only took ownership last year, as Richard explains. “My grandfather, Hugh, established the grounds and was well known for just how realistic his targets were. He would hide his traps and make the targets appear out of thin air. Eighteen years ago, he leased the…

Do you need an excuse to get that old heirloom Purdey out of the cabinet and give it an airing? The Purdey Cup at Royal Berkshire Shooting School could be just the ticket. It’s a fun 100-bird clay competition shot over four 25-target courses which simulate different live quarry – grouse, partridge, pheasant and rock pigeon. The competition is open to all with just one condition: you have to shoot it with a Purdey shotgun. Editor James Marchington shot the course prior to the opening on 1 September. He says “I can confirm it’s great fun, with some really challenging targets. The rock pigeons in particular kept you on your toes – they’re fast! I don’t own a Purdey but I was allowed a go with a lovely hammer side-by-side…

The first ever Keepers Cup was a sellout at the new EJ Churchill Shooting Ground at the Swinton Estate in Yorkshire. Representatives from more than 30 estates from all over the country took part in a fun competition to find out who really is the very best shot amongst them all. Teams were put into maximum groups of five, and went around the shooting ground testing themselves on a challenging 100 bird sporting course shot over 14 stands. There was some excellent shooting on display, but in the end Richard Thompson, the head keeper from Consall Valley in Staffordshire, made the score of 95 ex-100 and was crowned the winner, receiving the Swinton Cup from EJ Churchill’s Sir Edward Dashwood.…

Mark Heath, instructor at West London Shooting School, shares his tips on how to ensure you enjoy a cracking day out. Listen to the safety officer. It’s unlikely there will be cages at the pegs so, even in the heat of the moment, make sure safety is your first concern. Use light loads – 21g or 24g with 7 or 8 shot is fine. Fibre wads only. You are going to be firing a lot of cartridges, so don’t let a sore shoulder ruin your day. A modern O/U is probably a better bet than side-by-side because, with the throughput of shells and the summer heat, your barrels are going to get hot. Take a glove if you bring a side-by-side. Dress for the weather. There’s no requirement for Tweeds,…

Will my guns become obsolete? Q I have been following what seems to be a move to ban the use of lead shot cartridges in game shooting. It appears this has been supported by most shooting associations but not, I notice, by the CPSA. Do you think it likely that this will come to affect clay shooters too? I’m concerned because I have two older model guns I use for clay shooting, neither of which is steel shot proofed, and I really hope to be able to continue using them. A The truth is that no-one knows quite what will happen with regard to clay shooting and the continued use of lead shot. The pressures on the two areas of shotgun sport, clay shooting and game shooting, are very different.…

What makes the perfect Skeet gun? Stuart Smith, MD at Eriswell Lodge and current CPSA ranked No.1 English Skeet shot, has the answer. "Fit," he says emphatically. "Without the right fit it doesn't matter how expensive or beautiful the gun is, you won't hit a barn even if you stand in it with the door shut." You can shoot Skeet with a Sporting O/U, but dedicated Skeet variants do have characteristics worth seeking out. "Skeet guns tend to have shorter, lighter barrels – 28in are typical," says Stuart. "Multichokes are useful. A weighted stock can make the front end quicker and an adjustable comb is desirable, usually on a parallel stock, which can give you an advantage for flat targets. A standard height rib is the norm with Trap-style ribs…

Shooting grounds are slowly reopening following the closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Grounds are following strict guidelines provided by the CPSA, including restricted numbers of shooters and social distancing, and most will require you to book in advance. Don't just turn up – check the ground's website and/or Facebook page for details. BEDFORDSHIRE Chicksands Clay Target Club Shefford, CPSAAffiliated Disciplines: ESP, DTL, STR Open alternate Sundays and Wednesdays over Summer. Contact for competition details. Practice and coaching available Telephone: www.facebook.com/charlelister Email: info@chicksandsclaytarget.co.uk Web: www.chicksandsclaytarget.co.uk Maulden Gun Club Clophill Road, Maulden, CPSAAffiliated Disciplines: ESP Competition alternate Sundays. Practice and coaching for members only. Fibre wad only Telephone: 07951 651051 Web: www.mauldengunclub.com Shillington Clay Club Shillington, CPSAAffiliated Disciplines: ESP Shooting every other Sunday Telephone: 07860 940362 Email carol@hcduk.com Sporting Targets Ltd…