Sunshine

Hi All,

Shooting at my local ground over the last few (glorious) weekends has highlighted a bit of a problem/question, the sun. I'm not shooting competitions yet, but as I shoot various stands, some have been unshootable due to the sun being directly in the field of view. What happens in competitions, especially when cloud cover may be sporadic i.e. some shooters are unaffected, other can't see a thing as looking into the sun?

Nothing actually happens, it's just one of those factors that may or may not affect the outcome of any given shoot particularly those held over several days. In fairness to some grounds where this is frequently a problem the reality is that topography and luck of the draw means many simply cannot avoid having stands that face into the direction of the sun, the trick is of course to try and minimise the issue by throwing lowish clays on such stands, unfortunately many don't even utilise such simple precautions.

Stands are supposed to be set up to avoid this as far as possible. In practice .... yer pays yer money and takes yer choice! 

A cap sometimes helps but I find it limits peripheral view so much that it spoils my shooting.

Few lenses ( if any ) on glasses can cope with a clay in the full sun.

Try to get in the cage when there's a cloud over the sun!  

I don’t shoot any smaller shoots, where course setting is not taken seriously enough to not do this. I only know one registered ground that is too lazy stupid and ignorant to care about the sun. It’s a reason I avoid the place mostly. Roasting my retinas is not part of good clay shooting in my opinion.

I know two. 

Most shoots have at some point have got that horribly wrong.

Sian said:

Most shoots have at some point have got that horribly wrong.

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Absolutely. Probably all of them at some point, but when a ground never gives a toss it is inexcusable. I actually want to punch a course setter who says “it was cloudy when I set it up”. Well, there are such things as weather forecasts to tell if it’s due to stay cloudy and guess what, that big bright thing in the sky has been moving in the same pattern for a heck of a long time. 

Its simple. Find another ground. Poor course setting. 

Thanks for the replies all, good to know.

In defence of my local ground, I have nothing to suggest that the stands in question would be used in competition shoots on sunny days.

I'm lucky on my ground that if I run a shoot between 10am and 1pm that nothing passes through the sun. 

But lots of shooters are terminally miserable and looking for something to moan about, even on a bluebird sunny day, a stand where their backs are to the sun that if a clay rises and catches the glint of the sun, they will moan about it, whilst not wearing any protective sunglasses. 

Will Hewland said:

I don’t shoot any smaller shoots, where course setting is not taken seriously enough to not do this. I only know one registered ground that is too lazy stupid and ignorant to care about the sun. It’s a reason I avoid the place mostly. Roasting my retinas is not part of good clay shooting in my opinion.

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I've shot with you at Southdown Will. Regularly sun in your eyes all the way down the lane on the South side!

stop moaning and get one of these.

Just as a slight aside, I have a large blister on my left thumb caused by the heat off the barrels when shooting my 20 bore at a 100 bird practice shoot yesterday. It was very hot and my Macwets were Quitewets, due to perspiration. I took the left glove off and managed to get burned.

westley said:

Just as a slight aside, I have a large blister on my left thumb caused by the heat off the barrels when shooting my 20 bore at a 100 bird practice shoot yesterday. It was very hot and my Macwets were Quitewets, due to perspiration. I took the left glove off and managed to get burned.

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 you need burning !

Rod M said:

Hi All,

Shooting at my local ground over the last few (glorious) weekends has highlighted a bit of a problem/question, the sun. I'm not shooting competitions yet, but as I shoot various stands, some have been unshootable due to the sun being directly in the field of view. What happens in competitions, especially when cloud cover may be sporadic i.e. some shooters are unaffected, other can't see a thing as looking into the sun?

Click to expand...

You actually saw the Sun?!?   Amazing! ! !

Hi there, for shooting glasses the bright colour of the lenses must be selected. My father is also a gun shooter, So, I bought wholesale reading glasses for him from some useful sites. I always prefer to buy sunglasses in bulk, as buying bulk gives number of choice to wear and it is also affordable in cost.