Sub-Gauge Sporting Clays

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kudu

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Our club started holding a sub-gauge sporting clays handicap fun shoot on the last Saturday of every month. This was the first opportunity that I had to go shoot it. 100 birds on 12 stations where most stations you get 2 presentations, A as a single, B as a single, then an A-B report pair and a B-A report pair and a true pair and then two of the stations has an extra true pair to get 100 birds shot.

12 gauge gets no handicap, 20 gauge gets 7 targets, 28 gauge gets 10 targets and .410 gets an extra 15 targets of handicap. I opted to shoot 28 gauge and just left skeet and I/C chokes in my gun. I shot with an older guy of about 75 who was shooting a .410 with the same choke set-up, best of all I got to ride around in his Kawasaki side-by-side. Most targets were quite shoot-able, but had some thinking involved. With a mixture of standard, midi, mini, and battues and a couple rabbit targets. Had some very devious set-ups. From 20 yards out to 50+ yard targets, none real fast, but deceptive. The I/C was able to break even the farthest birds with a little juggling of shot size, I bumped up to 7.5 shot for longer shots and kept 8 for just about every thing else.

The morning had just dumped over 2 inches of rain and we started out shooting in a light mist which cleared up by the second station, then the wind started to pick up with 15mph gusts which would shake rain from the trees and dribble down your neck when you least expected it and make targets dance pretty good. We were the first shooters out at 10:30 this morning as everyone else waited for the rain to quit entirely, which sounded like a good thing but the wind was getting gustier as we shot.

I ended up shooting an 88 hard score with my 28 gauge and the gentleman I shot with broke a 70 with his .410, so we had handicap scores of 98 and 85. He said last month a 97 handicap score won the shoot, so I have a decent shot at maybe winning this weekend. I had to leave so I won't know until I go back to the club later in the week. I had a good time and burnt up a few shells, will just be a bonus if I win.
 
20 ga sounds like it should be a safe bet. Not much lost in the way of breaking ability but still getting a handicap sounds pretty good.
 
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Nice! We had a sub-gauge Annie Oakley (at 20 yards instead of 27) Thursday. I only own 12's, so I just watched. The winner used a Savage pump in 20, the runner up an Ithaca 37 in 20. All the .410 's were out right away, the lone 28 ga. stayed in a while only because he usually wins the regular Annies.
 
Fun shoots like that are nice to play now and again; glad you had a good time.
 
Sounds like fun. I shot SC today but with a 12 using 1 1/8 oz. Loads and believe me... you would have cleaned my clock with that 28 without a handicap.

Neither me or my partner switched chokes and I stayed with a Mod but my partner kept switching to 1 of 3 different types of ammo based on distance and speed. In the end I dont think it worked to his advantage.
 
The majority of what I used was brand new AA target loads, had 1 box of reloads in 8.5 shot size, used them mainly for the closest targets. I used 7.5 and 8 for the rest of the targets.

The old gentleman I shot with is a D class shooter, so he was right in his class average wise. I only shoot 2-3 sporting rounds a year and usually shoot in the AA or Master class. I just like to play.

The club had the Indiana State Skeet Championship going on this weekend also. It's been 25 years since I have competed in a registered event. I remember shooting with several of the guys shooting, but watching some of the others I didn't know made me want to jump onto their squad with my old 1897 Winchester and interrupt their primadonna performance. Perfectly dressed in the latest shooting fashion and preening with their $10,000 shotguns. I didn't see any of them on the squad I watched run a 25.

Maybe I am starting to be curmudgeonly at the early age of 50, oh well, could be worse. I like to be underestimated, surprises people.
 
I only shoot 2-3 sporting rounds a year and usually shoot in the AA or Master class. I just like to play.
Is that AA or Master in NSCA registered shoots?
 
Is that AA or Master in NSCA registered shoots?

On ranges that run NSCA tournaments I usually shoot around 92% average on them give or take. What I have read about it at my club the 90% area was considered master class. I don't shoot the NSCA tournaments, but shoot with several guys that do, they're always wanting me to join and compete.
 
Then you should be shooting NSCA if you can do that. Most of the top pros don't shoot that well.
 
Then you should be shooting NSCA if you can do that. Most of the top pros don't shoot that well.

Would love to if someone wanted to sponsor me and pickup my expenses, and tell my bosses at work that I couldn't work weekends because I am shooting. This fun shoot was the first one of 5 they have had this year that I could attend. I had worked during all but 1 of the rest. Being I was on vacation this week was probably the only reason I was able to shoot it anyway. Got three daughters that will be starting college next year and the year after, lots of expenses. Maybe when they all get out I will have a bit more flexibility on my time and finances.
 
When I went to college, way back when, it was called loans.........and they took me 10 years to pay. My dad was NYPD, there wasn't enough left over for college costs.........If the kids have some skin in the game, they tend to really appreciate it more and that gives you some free cash to go shooting!!!!!

I know several folks who make their living shooting sporting as a pro and are sponsored, etc. The REAL money comes from lessons, not prize purses, BUT you need to win those big tournaments to "get the rep" to charge the $150+/hour for lessons
 
Found out that I had high score. Got a free round of sporting when I want to shoot it. There were 16 shooters that Saturday. Normally about 25 for the sub gauge fun shoot. There was another sporting shoot going on down by Indianapolis same time.
 
Good for you! Several clubs that throw the tougher registered tournaments offer prizes. Some do all cash , some do all targets; one does cash for first place in each class and targets for 2nd and 3rd.......Always nice to win a little reward for a good performance!
 
The targets at our club are set up by a couple of difference people that shoot a lot of sporting and help with the Indiana Association. One is an older guy that used to be an excellent shooter, but at about 75 he isn't as quick as he once was but can still set up devious targets. The other guy is in his 60's and shoots very well also and goes to tournaments all over. Between them they have set up a couple of State tournaments in the last few years. These are set up mostly for average shooters to do decent and not be discouraged with <50 scores.

I shot a course several years ago that I broke about a 70 on, my buddy who was a decent shooter only got about a 55. Very extreme target presentations. When we finished up at the clubhouse the management said those were very respectably scores for their course. Many mediocre shooters shot there once and never returned again. Even hardcore sporting shooters said it was pretty bad set ups for a course. I would much rather shoot a course that had hit-able targets that you really had to think about than one that you had to throw a guess out at 80 yard targets.
 
There's a fine line between tough/challenging and stupid. Short windows, eye tests, extreme range are all examples of stupid targets. I know setters who can throw targets from 5 to 30 yards where you will miss most if you are not on your game. Hardest target I see regularly is a slow moving rabbit that isn't more than 15-20 yards away; especially when coupled with a fast target going the other way..........it's a great test of gun speed management and your ability to read the line. Clubs in central/north Florida do not have a lot of varying terrain to work with, so using curling/dropping targets makes you walk away scratching your head as to how you could drop on a "gimmee" station.
 
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