Sporting Shoots; where- and how was it? (2018)

[Will Hewland]

Gotcha, cheers. I would guess that most teams are likely to be formed from bumping into and forming friendships due to shooting regularly then, be it from joining a club or whatever, cos I can't imagine there's many who have a load of mates who suddenly decide to start shooting at the same time on a whim! Even if I had the time, I certainly couldn't afford to go more than about once a week at most!

Ironic that this is a fairly expensive game but it's pretty much the same cost as going to a premiership football match nowadays!

I shot sporting alone to start with but soon found some shooting buddies. But even if you don’t go with mates, or arrange to meet up, you will soon just recognise many faces and probably get together on the day, or just chat in passing on the way round the course. Certainly the big message is never don’t go because you haven’t got somebody to go with. 

 

[schmokinn]

Squads for Sportrap will be formed most of the time from single shooters that have entered,you do not need to have anybody else to shoot with though it is usually possible to book more than one person on a squad.

You will usually be asked what time you want to shoot when booking and they will try to get you as close as they can 20/30 minute intervals,normal registered ones  all start on layout 1 and feed through to 4 in order taking about an hour.

Occasionally some events have 4 squads starting at once and rotating but this is not the norm.

Just book yourself on for one and turn up early and watch a squad or 2 before you start or watch some on the net,there should be a card in front of your stand telling you what targets to shoot just be ready when the previous shooter/shooter to your left has shot.

Fairly straightforward have fun  :biggrin:

 

[Will Hewland]

Another good course at College Farm today. Stand 1 was designed to ease everybody (else) in, but I shot in front of a 10 yard slow target 3 times. Just nonsensical. All other stands were testing enough without being brutal, but all needed your attention. Shot the rest OK (if not remarkably) to finish on 86. A 90 that really should have been.. yet again..

 

[Will Hewland]

Third day in a row this week.. Sportrap at EJ Churchill on a sunny day, if a bit cool in the shaded areas. Some big names along for this one I noticed. 

First layout was up the high platform, shooting downward and had some fiddly sim pairs.

Second layout was in the grouse area, which featured longer targets and was maybe the toughest one. Very good though. 

Third layout was in the pit area and was fairly steady as long as you got hold points right for a few high targets that emerged quickly.

The fourth layout was interesting as it was in “right of east” as it is known, but the cages were in a new place and it felt like a whole new shooting ground to me from that position. Good targets on here, nothing too close.

I missed a few on each layout ending on 87. As ever, some daft moments so should have been more.. very enjoyable though. 

 

[P1Fanatic]

Not been out since the Express Masters at AGL so was nice to get a shoot in today and the weather was lovely. Had a choice of Horne or 4C and picked Horne as needed to collect some winnings. It was a fairly steady course and surprisingly I wasn’t too rusty. I’d dropped 7 over the first 9 stands and then made the fatal mistake of thinking “i could hit a 93”. Cue 7 more dropped over last 3 stands. Still I would have gladly taken an 86 if you had offered it me at the start.

 

[Bebo]

Well shot.  I was considering heading to Court Farm today as well, but decided to spend the morning with family at a local club shoot, Mill Farm.  The good weather brought the punters out and the place was rammed.  Over two hours to get around a 70-bird local club shoot.  Almost wished I'd driven up to Court Farm instead, but it was a fun shoot and got to catch up with lots of people I know, so not all bad.

 

[woody]

Well shot.  I was considering heading to Court Farm today as well, but decided to spend the morning with family at a local club shoot, Mill Farm.  The good weather brought the punters out and the place was rammed.  Over two hours to get around a 70-bird local club shoot.  Almost wished I'd driven up to Court Farm instead, but it was a fun shoot and got to catch up with lots of people I know, so not all bad.

when i'm back out and about i'll be doing Mill at 12pm. Good shoot?  I like it there. 

 

[Sian]

Waste of a day for me both shoots.  

 

[Bebo]

when i'm back out and about i'll be doing Mill at 12pm. Good shoot?  I like it there. 

Stand 1 up on the scaffold, l-r quartering away rabbit and an away target from beneath to the right. 9/10 missed the second away bird -hold too far out and shot with a static gun.

Stand 2 sim pair  l-r flopping out from above the tree. 9/10 dropped the last bird (shot underneath, again static gun didn't connect with the target)

Stand 3 sy driven and tall incoming teal 9/10 dropped the first teal, hurried it and shot underneath (seeing a pattern here?)

Stand 4 sim pair l-r incomer and r-l long floaty incomer 6/10 started ok, but managed to miss the third pair entirely for no apparent reason

Stand 5 close slow full face l-r crosser and midi teal going away quick 10/10

Stand 6 r-l orange flat shoulder height crosser and r-l looper 8/10 missed the first two loopers, for some reason thought I could get away with no lead, but they needed a clay width in front

Stand 7 big l-r crosser and overhead 4/10.  Hit first two pairs then lost the plot completely.  Shooting under the overhead.

Finished on 55.  Wasn't a bad shoot, but the waits seemed interminable, especially with some of the groups you get there that seem to see no problems with taking an age to shoot.  I'll tolerate some waits at a busy Reg shoot, but it gets old quickly at a club shoot.

 

[Hamster]

Mate of mine had invited me round to shoot a charity shoot near Sittingbourne at a village called Wormshill which turned out to be a lovely few hours spent among farming folk. I had forgotten quite how rural parts of Kent can be as the last couple of miles were through extremely narrow single car tracks and as I was taking a newbie out with me as well following in his transit   it meant we both had to reverse a couple of times to let oncoming trucks through. 

It was like I'd stepped back in time with what turned out to be a 25 bird felt wad only 3 stand affair, bless them the organisation left a little to be desired with no scorers or trappers or pens to be seen but that was part of the charm, I literally ended up operating the manual trap on one stand   that definitely brought back memories. The stands were pretty much all throwing into the sun so my 22 was leading when I left so every chance I might end up with some lovely silverware.   

 

[schmokinn]

Urchfont first for those that haven't been its a lovely little shoot on the side of a hill in a wood with some great targets and an awesome backdrop to some of the stands,on a good day you can see for miles.

They only run about 4 100 reg sporting during the year but well worth going as they put on a pretty good layout.

Then to Meadowcroft love the shoot hate the bloody traffic every time i go there,some good targets but unfortunately late on the last 2 stands into the sun saw me drop out of the 80's stand 12 i couldn't see the targets even after changing to 10 ED

Great weather all day though so can't really complain at this time of year.

The one bloody thing i hate about the ground is no matter what i do its feckin' 2 hours to do 65 miles,just ruins the day

 

[wynno]

I too was at meadowcroft and the stands on the right hand side were affected by the sun, only thing to do on stand 12 was tilt your cap...benny hill style.... and take them as late as possible.

we did suffer from a lot of no birds, one of our group had 20 shots on stand 3, he gave up in the end....

 

[schmokinn]

I too was at meadowcroft and the stands on the right hand side were affected by the sun, only thing to do on stand 12 was tilt your cap...benny hill style.... and take them as late as possible.

we did suffer from a lot of no birds, one of our group had 20 shots on stand 3, he gave up in the end....

Nothing was going to make the Teal on stand 12 visible at 2.30pm,could just about look at the sun with 10 ED but could not see the target!

 

[Will Hewland]

I did four counties. Not that impressed really. The usual 3 stands of sim aways. Plus the nasty visual test in the woods. Some good targets for sure, but nail in the coffin was a 50 yard sim pair of chondels which screwed everybody up. HG was 87. I should have been close to that but 82 was it. 

 

[Hamster]

I did four counties. Not that impressed really. The usual 3 stands of sim aways. Plus the nasty visual test in the woods. Some good targets for sure, but nail in the coffin was a 50 yard sim pair of chondels which screwed everybody up. HG was 87. I should have been close to that but 82 was it. 

Kinell.   

 

[schmokinn]

Haven't been to 4 CTC for ages because it always seems the same,hard to see in the woods and very little variation of targets doesn't seem like anybody has any imagination!

 

[Sian]

Haven't been to 4 CTC for ages because it always seems the same,hard to see in the woods and very little variation of targets doesn't seem like anybody has any imagination!

Drove me to distraction on Sunday.  Chondels were my favourite stand only got four mind.  I really do not know how to temper myself when faced with so many sim pairs stands of 5 pairs one after the other.  

 

[Will Hewland]

I did have a dig about the sim edgey pairs 2 years ago and they seemed to be used less, but last two shoots it’s all very 1985. 

 

[Sian]

Well after the horrid Sunday shooting I have had two very pleasant shoots. Yesterday Owls in good company and shooting well and quite consistently. Finished on an 86 but stupidly lost four on my last stand which was 12 with the left to right low quartering and bunny.  Today thought was going to,have to shoot alone but bumped into a shooting pal I haven’t seen in ages so went round together.  He’s very calm (Army) which is good for me and keeps me in check.  Shot well but thought We had finished - sim pair orange crosser and rabbit getting them all,  was feeling very good and then realised we had left out stand 3.  Got there did not reset myself thought they would be okay and consequently missed 3 on wha was one of the easer stands.  Finished on 83 and really could have kicked myself.  Still a very pleasant morning spent.

 

[Bebo]

Deeply jealous that you got to AGL.  Was hoping to go today, but work got in the way.