Usefulness of #9 shot

[Tom Flanigan]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

I am friends with a former GA State Ladies Skeet Champion, several times over. First time she and her husband tried sporting she shot something in the neighborhood of a 37/100. Her husband shot even less. He stomped away muttering that there were targets out there that could not be possibly broken with a shotgun. My buddy had just shot a 96 on the same course. They were badly embarrassed.

I've shot two 100 straights in my life, at sporting, numerous 99s and 98s. A young man just shot a 100/100 at Super Sporting at the "Turkey Shoot", at The Meadows in Forsyth, GA last weekend. He also shot a 50/50 on the competition 5 stand. This wasn't a charity shoot, but real tournament quality targets.

There's a big difference in learning the lead on hundreds of presentations, and being able to put it there, and in memorizing it on a handful that are not over 21 yards. I've shot enough skeet and trap to appreciate the mental focus that is necessary to run long straights. It's not for me, it's boring, but at least I recognize them as legitimate clay target games.

I shoot sporting clays and don't find it boring. My only complaint is that a lot of sporting clay shots don't mimic field hunting. There are sometimes a lot of dropping birds that are implausable in the field unless you are shooting ducks over decoys. Also, all the sporting clays shooters I have seen shoot from a gun brought to the shoulder before the pull. Not good practice for field shooting.

I shoot low gun and generally take a 12 bore DHE for the longer shots and a 20 bore PHE for the shorter shots. Sometimes my small gun is a 28 bore Holland. I've been using the 28 bore for low gun trap shooting using the left full choke barrel. I'm the only one I have ever seen shooting trap low gun with a 28 bore. I'm always in the 20's with that gun shooting low gun. It is a real kick for me and gets people's attention.

[Woodcock survey]

Originally Posted by Tom Flanigan

I shoot sporting clays and don't find it boring. My only complaint is that a lot of sporting clay shots don't mimic field hunting. There are sometimes a lot of dropping birds that are implausable in the field unless you are shooting ducks over decoys. Also, all the sporting clays shooters I have seen shoot from a gun brought to the shoulder before the pull. Not good practice for field shooting.

I shoot low gun and generally take a 12 bore DHE for the longer shots and a 20 bore PHE for the shorter shots. Sometimes my small gun is a 28 bore Holland. I've been using the 28 bore for low gun trap shooting using the left full choke barrel. I'm the only one I have ever seen shooting trap low gun with a 28 bore. I'm always in the 20's with that gun shooting low gun. It is a real kick for me and gets people's attention.

I have voiced the same complaint about SC and 5 stand at the clubs i belong to and visit. It was brought to my attention that the majority of shooters in my area do not hunt and these targets are "normal to them. I took over the 5 stand at one club and did away with loopers and falling targets to only realistic presentations and had a number of hunters take it back up. We hunters need to realize that we will soon be in the minority in some sections of the country.

I invented another game to mimic upland birds and it is shot low gun with the puller deciding when to throw it and which trap to throw, same with the 5 stand some days you have to have all 8 traps in vision and then be able to focus and shoot.
There are no straights as yet in 5 stand and only 3 in 10 years in the other.

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by Tom Flanigan

I shoot sporting clays and don't find it boring. My only complaint is that a lot of sporting clay shots don't mimic field hunting. There are sometimes a lot of dropping birds that are implausable in the field unless you are shooting ducks over decoys. Also, all the sporting clays shooters I have seen shoot from a gun brought to the shoulder before the pull. Not good practice for field shooting.

I shoot low gun and generally take a 12 bore DHE for the longer shots and a 20 bore PHE for the shorter shots. Sometimes my small gun is a 28 bore Holland. I've been using the 28 bore for low gun trap shooting using the left full choke barrel. I'm the only one I have ever seen shooting trap low gun with a 28 bore. I'm always in the 20's with that gun shooting low gun. It is a real kick for me and gets people's attention.

Perhaps I didn't make it clear, but I don't find sporting clays boring either, Tom. I meant that I find skeet and trap boring. I would hasten to say that I do not look down on anyone who enjoys trap and skeet, much less excels at them. We're just not all wired alike, and I've likely got a bunch of short circuits.

I may not have worded that previous post properly. The only thing I find a bit boring about sporting clays is having to shoot 5 pairs on a station, on some courses. That's a little much for me. Four is aplenty, but I understand range owners trying to save money on traps. They're very expensive.

[Bruce Hering]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

Perhaps I didn't make it clear, but I don't find sporting clays boring either, Tom. I meant that I find skeet and trap boring. I would hasten to say that I do not look down on anyone who enjoys trap and skeet, much less excels at them. We're just not all wired alike, and I've likely got a bunch of short circuits.

I may not have worded that previous post properly. The only thing I find a bit boring about sporting clays is having to shoot 5 pairs on a station, on some courses. That's a little much for me. Four is aplenty, but I understand range owners trying to save money on traps. They're very expensive.

Stan: I think we can all agree that practice on clays whether sporting, trap or skeet is worth doing. I am about like you and some others here, I shoot clays of any form for different kinds of practice. Some games I just cant get my brain wrapped around while others challenge me. Shooting more then 3-4 pairs on a sporting course station is not ok for my ADD, A type personality. I can not stay focused that long. Thats why I like FITASC, old style or new.

JMHO