Sporting clays with a S/S
 

I was in Anchorage for a couple of days last week and got invited to shoot sporting clays with some friends who shoot competition together as a team. I tried to borrow a Parker from Trigg but he doesn't have any 26" Parkers as I wanted so I 'borrowed' the 26" Linder Daly I left with him so his brother can buy it. It's a gorgeous gun, Superior grade, DT, SG, horn butt and forend tip, choked .010/.020, but cast on a tad for a leftie. I showed up with it and everyone else had nothing but 32"-34" fancy engraved, choke-tubed O/U's and I could see the scorn with which they viewed my sawed off gun. Well, I had the last laugh and shot a 70/100, which is about 20 more than I ever shoot on a SC course. I ran 3 stations of 4 prs and did the best on stations that were like a realistic grouse setting in woods; I powdered all those while the others would get only 3 of 8. After while they started hefting my gun when I put it on the rack and looking at it with wonderment. I even powdered the 50yd high flyers which really set them off. I was howling inside I can tell you. In the end I outshot 2 of the other 4 shooters, one by 18 birds, which is NOT like me at all. I guess I just had a good night but it sure was fun. Throughout it all I was hearing comments like "there's a reason target shooters don't shoot S/Sides" or "two barrels s/s are too confusing".... right.... I wish I could say I did it with one of my Parkers but at least I scored points for S/S guns! I'm thinking I maybe shouldn't part with that Daly, I can tell you, leftie stock and all....:cool:

I shot 1150 fps 1-1/8oz #8 Rio target loads and after 100rds the gun barely needed cleaning. I've never seen ammo that burns so clean.

Nice work Richard. After all the game of Sporting originally started as a game for SxS's. I think you need to keep that Daly....:rolleyes:

Richard, I think you need to come to Hausmann's in June and have fun on Ernie's two "hunter's clays" courses. We'll be looking for you!

An observation I've made, and in no way meant to stereotype anyone, is that the take-no-prisoner shooters take themselves, and the game way too seriously. The $400 glasses, dressed to the nines, Perrazi toters get so pissed off when they miss, It makes me wonder what they really do for fun.

Sporting clays with a SxS? I will have to give that a go. :-)

Absolutely spot-on sir!

Each to his own. But I've shot sporting for decades with a SxS of one sort or another, and have NEVER "kept score" beyond a hit or miss.

I don't hit them all, but I hit a good many.

And I can't tell you how much fun I have every time I go out.

At my local club and there is a gentleman who is constantly changing choke tubes on almost every station. One station was a tad out there and were batus, two report pair and a true pair. He figured he needed his Modified choke and was changing tubes when I went to shoot. I was shooting a J Venebles & Son 16ga back action hammer gun. I got 5 of the six and commented that I had no choke at all as it wasn't invented when this gun was produced. I think he hit two of them.

It's not about score for me it's getting these old guns out and using them.

Most of the old English double that I use for sporting are cylinder. Some are choked. I can't tell the difference at any station. I either hit or miss. And my success stays about the same. With Cylinder or Full. And 3/4 oz of No. 8

At our Tuesday afternoon SC shoots, side by side shooters are among the highest scoring shooters. Occasionally another shooter asks us about our guns, but not often. The same situation exists at our pigeon club. Side by sides shoot scores equal or higher than the over under shooters, but hardly anyone ever comments about the guns. Most of our side by side shooters switch guns at will and never worry about it. The over under and autoloader shooters are universally one gun shooters who feel that switching guns or shooting less than 1 1/8 ounce loads will negatively affect their scores.

On a good day when we are "on" we tend to focus 110% on the targets. When we are not shooting well nothing seems to help and we look for something to help, different choke, gun, lens color of glasses etc. Been in both places mentally many times.

The only thing I changed between stations is which bbl I shot first. If the first bird was way out there and the second much closer, I shot the left bbl first. Seemed to work, especially when the second bird came in slow at 15yds or so; those 34" guns weren't very good on that one. The best shooter in the group had an annoying habit of standing right behind me when I was shooting and sometimes tapping me on the shoulder just as I was about to call "pull" and telling me where to shoot the bird.... WTF?? I couldn't get him to just leave me alone. Very annoying. It's not that was wrong really; it was just rude. I thought he was going go find a bridge to jump off when I outshot him at any station! That part was really fun... Maybe next time I'll make sure to take my 24" gun, or better yet a hammer gun. I agree; O/U, S/S; it makes no difference. The O/U is just the current fad. The same shooter (Mr. shoulder tapper) that said "two bbls s/s is too confusing" also commented that " I don't even see my bbls when I shoot and don't have a front bead on my gun". Go figure. Is it just me or are those statements at odds with each other ??

SXS sporting clays....The only way to go. My favorite sporting clays gun is a 1889 hammer gun that someone in the past had the chokes opened by using a hacksaw.

Back in Feburary I shot a Spoting Clays Tounamant in Florida. I shot my Grulla 12 Gauge 209HL SxS w/ 28" Barrels - Choked IC & Mod. I was, to the best of my knowledge, the only SxS shooter. Lots of funny looks and a few dispariging comments were recieved that day.

I wound up shooting the 2nd highest score - 84 Hits! The guy that beat me was a dedicated target shooter with a 20K Perrazzi - Shoots every week. He was looking at my gun and, from the look on his face, was quite suprised when I mentioned that I hadn't shot sporting clays in over a year.....Very satisfying indeed.

I feel your pain, Richard. Those type take shooting way too seriously to have fun. My buddy and I were shooting together on such a squad where one shooter was shooting a high end K-gun and he was convinced he was the best shooter to hit the course that day. We, of course, were shooting our Parkers and generally someone will come up and ask us a question about them while we are waiting to shoot. Well, you would think that we were in the gallery on the 18th hole at the Masters because he would lower his gun and turn around and ask us to please keep quiet while he was shooting. Excuuuuuse me! That did it. From that station on I beared down and cleaned the next three stations. What happened at the next station was what this story is all about. He had been bragging to his friends about his super duper loads which will break targets past 60yds. His first shot ruptured his barrels at the chamber, completely destroying the receiver and peeling the top barrel like a banana. The gun was destroyed but he just had a few cuts on his hands and arms, otherwise unharmed. Here is where I could'nt help myself. I walked over and remarked that I would hate to see one of his 80yd. loads. Hey... if you can't take a joke. Never saw the guy again at this club.

I want to hit the "like" button on Wes's post about 50 times! Good job Wes! If I had shot 84 in Anchorage I would have been top gun by 1 bird over Mr shoulder tapper. I think I could easily do that if I could shoot that course 10 times or so and get it dialed in.

Same with Daryl's post! What a hoot. Too bad about the gun but good that he wasn't hurt. Hell, I can break clays at 60 yds with my 28ga and my 32" hammer gun will powder them at that range and beyond, and with light 1-oz loads. Wonder what kind of load he was using?? Must have been a hot handload.

Thanks for the kind words Richard. It was more of a fun/charity shoot. The targets were not too difficult...Hence my score.

Funny story that relates to the thread. About 10 years ago, a really good friend got me to go shoot skeet for the first time - I was immediatley hooked. Having been a History Major and just being attracted to the nostalgia of SxS's, I eventually purchased a 12 Gauge Fox Philly "A" Grade - Mod/Full. She was choked a little tight for Skeet, but in the long run, eventualy made me a better shooter.

When my friend found out that I had bought a SxS, he was absolutley beside himself. He said things like "Everyone else shoots O/U's out here - I'd be embarassed...Your stupid.. You look like an Idiot!, Blah, blah, blah...." (He's a really good friend; we can say anything to each other. So it was no suprise that he didn't get bent outta shape when I told him he could shove his opinion right up his...). I told him about the wider shooting plane, double triggers, instant choke selection, natural feel....Nope, didn't matter, I was an Idiot.

Time went by, my skills improved and my collection of SxS's increased. Too this day I don't own a single O/U, and most probally never will. It's not that I hate them, they have just never spoken too me...You know what I mean.
Over the same period of time, my friend went through one shotgun after another - Never finding the one that he was truly satisfied with. He would buy one...two months later it was sold.

Time passed and one day he called - He wanted to shoot. Having recently gone thru a very nasty divorce, he found himself without a shotgun. Being the Truly Wonderful Friend that I am, I said "no problem...I'll lend you one of mine". Now, he assumed that I was bringing my Beretta Extrema (My goose gun). But no Sir! I brought him my 12 bore Arrieta Model 871 SxS...Wood to die for, Magnificent Engraving, Leather Covered Recoil Pad....She IS truly a beauty.

We met up at the Skeet Range. When he saw what I had brought him...Too say that he was disapointed at my selection is an understatement. He was TRULY disgusted (By the way, he's not someone you want to get cross with - Italian temper, 6'4" Tall, 290#, 3 year OL starter at Alabama).

Many expletives later, and after some coaxing, I finally got him out on the Skeet Field.

GUESS WHAT? I had N...E...V...E...R seen him shoot as well as he did that day. From the beginning, no matter the station, target after target disentegrated into Orange Powder. Both he and I were truly amazed at the improvement in his shooting. Halfway thru the first round, double triggers were no loner an issue. Time and time again...POOF....Orange Dust.

Too this day, when we shoot; Skeet, Sporting Clays or a Continental Pheasant Shoot, he always asks for "that SxS of yours". Of course, I on occasion will bring up how stupid I am...What an Idiot I look like. He just smiles.

A-Freaking-Mazing

Good story. Show no mercy Wes!

yes that was a good storey for sure...charlie

I sold my Beretta 687EELL skeet gun with sub gauge tubes a year ago. It was a nice gun and I used it for skeet for years but I don't miss it. I don't own an O/U, I have a Winchester M42 and my brothers Remington 1100 20ga which hasn't been used in 20+ years the rest are all SXS's.