Personal Best at Sporting Clays!!

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Snarlingiron

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A friend and I decided to try a round of sporting clays after work yesterday. I was pretty tired and at first wasn't into it, but after a little warm up on the skeet field I was ready to go.

Beautiful day, in the high 70's with a nice breeze, and we were on the course by 5:30. I was shooting really well and scored my personal best, a 73. Now I know that for lots of guys that isn't much, but it is about 8 to 10 points above what I have been shooting lately. The clinic with Mike McAlpine seems to be paying off.

Now the best part... I bested my buddy by 4 points. I very rarely beat him, so this made it double fun.

I will be out there on Sunday teaching a couple of new shotgun shooters. A couple of very attractive ladies from work. Man it really sucks to be the "gun guy" at work (not). :D
 
Awesome and well done! Maybe some more folks here should try this - it IS a lot of fun....

One of these days I'll splurge for some lessons as well so I can get my scores up.
 
Nicely done. It is great fun :)

How popular is it over there? Its probably the most popular shooting sport here.
 
Sporting seems to be gaining new members every day. While not as prevalent as trap or skeet, (they had a many decades head start), I am seeing more new courses being built for sporting than I am for trap and skeet.

I like it, (and FITASC) due to the challenge and variety. For me, it would get boring shooting straight scores all the time, and sporting helps to prevent me from doing that quite easily!..:D
 
Nothing wrong with a 73, last weekend I shot a 32. (My personal best...)
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I think everybody that pursues this thing has been there. My boss always says, "Shun not humble beginnings." As I recall, my first round of sporting clays resulted in a 42 or there abouts. I have discovered that the secret to getting better is practice, practice. My friend and I are both firearms enthusiasts (ok, nuts) and we have both read extensively on the subject of shotgunning. We coach each other, and that has helped both of us.

It is also amazing how much you learn by teaching others. You begin to see little things that they do that adversely affect their shooting, and then you realize you may be doing the same thing sometime.
 
I have only had the opportunity to shoot one SC match and FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. Cant wait to do it again and with a few more games I might get close to a 72.

A personal best is a personal best and thats great. Since sporting clays is often compared to golf we can think about it the same with. Some guys would LOVE to break 90 in golf others get pissed at not breaking 70. Still some just try and keep under 100. The point is that comparing your own score to yourself is the only way to track progress.
 
The other point about sporting clays is trhat its different every time. My personal best is 82/100 at a big club, and 46/50 at my local club. I did that the other day with my 870 by the way, not only is it my best, but its my clubs record too :D That will teach my mates with thier Beretta over/unders :p

Thing is though, another week I might only get 65/100, and that partly is because the targets might be more difficult for me. Thats what I love about it, the variety.
 
I like SC. The fact that some presentations have my number doesn't diminish the fun, and heightens the challenge. Trap,skeet and wobble are more or less predictable. SC can be anything, including blooper battues that have to be taken falling after a shot at a supersonic 12 yard rabbit.

I've yet to do FITASC, but that's a lack of opportunity. I note that Will Fennell, a contributor here, won the last FITASC World Cup.


Good going, Will.

And like 1 oz, I'd like to see some of the Prac/Tacs take on some hinky crossers, droppers and that thrice accursed incomer at PGC with the dead tree in the best break point.
 
It can be humbling. Last Sunday Elm Fork had their NSCA Spring Blast competition. We went out after the last shooters took the course and shot it. Man what a challenge. There were a lot of targets that were very visually challenging. Station 1 was a fast left to right crosser, followed by a fast right to left crosser. Both were low, and both were on the opposite bank of the river. The first one flew in front of a bunch of brush and the other one presented over the water. They were ~50 yards away! Neither of us ever hit either one and we shot the station twice!!! I later looked up the scores and a Master class shooter that we know only hit 3 of them, so I don't feel too bad.

There were a couple of true pairs that quartered left to right. The left target started behind the right one, but was going faster and slightly higher. Just before the break point they crossed!! It's hard to describe how visually confusing this can be without actually seeing it. Scott Robertson is the owner of Elm Fork and he set the targets for the competition. We have arrived at the conclusion that he is fond of these kinds of visual puzzles.

I agree, that the tactical shooters can greatly benefit from this fun. That is how I started shotgunning. I can tell you that even after some world class tactical training, I am about 10 times more likely to hit a moving target now than I was before I started the clay games.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective), it is truly an addiction.
 
Snarlingiron said:
There were a couple of true pairs that quartered left to right. The left target started behind the right one, but was going faster and slightly higher. Just before the break point they crossed!! It's hard to describe how visually confusing this can be without actually seeing it. .
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I can relate to this one. At our 5-stand league there was a similar set up. they used the low house(skeet) and put another trap right beside the low house.It was a true pair,the springs were set different and they left the same.

when the low house bird got to the middle of the field the other clay caught it and went flying by.:what: talk about an eye crosser. as hard as I tried to just concentrate on the lower bird when the faster one caught the corner of my eye,it thew me and most of the others for a loop:confused:

did good to get one of them never did break both:eek:

after i finished up my league targets,i shot about half a box trying different things,never did get both:cuss:

then the range owner,who set them gave me a hint and guess what he was right it DID help. he said try this. don't watch them leave the trap,focus about two feet to the left of the trap house(shooting league on a combo field) and shoot the lower, slower bird first,then raise the gun a couple of feet and take the second bird.

Dang, if it didn't work out much better. still had a great time trying to figure it out:) and thought it was a great pair.
 
Congrats on your score! I just started shooting SC myself. What a blast!!!

I love the presentations and I am addicted to 5 stand at our club. I've shot a few times over at M&M in New Jersey, they have a great advanced course and intermediate course.
Shooting targets flying through the woods is so cool!
 
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