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.