How things have changed on here.

I know I have been away for some time but I am amazed at the thread / post activity in the Shooting Disciplines section. I must be bored today because I have checked on the recent posts in all disciplines with these results.

Sporting :-    3 new Threads this year and September was the most recent last year.

Fitasc :-         2 threads during last year

Helice :-         Last thread was 2017

Compac :-      1 thread in 2021

Trap :-            8 threads in 2022 plus the sad news of 40UP

Skeet :-          1 thread last year

I remember how long it used to take to catch up on all reviews, reports, ground chat, cartridges etc etc etc so where has it all gone, facebook perhaps, just seems very odd.  On most of the other forums I am involved in have gone the fb route, a sign of the times I guess although I really do believe it is the forums where friends are made not fb but that is just me. Really I have no room to make comments as I have been away for quite a while and what happened to 'Hamster' he was always on here.

Phil

philpot said:

I know I have been away for some time but I am amazed at the thread / post activity in the Shooting Disciplines section. I must be bored today because I have checked on the recent posts in all disciplines with these results.

Sporting :-    3 new Threads this year and September was the most recent last year.

Fitasc :-         2 threads during last year

Helice :-         Last thread was 2017

Compac :-      1 thread in 2021

Trap :-            8 threads in 2022 plus the sad news of 40UP

Skeet :-          1 thread last year

I remember how long it used to take to catch up on all reviews, reports, ground chat, cartridges etc etc etc so where has it all gone, facebook perhaps, just seems very odd.  On most of the other forums I am involved in have gone the fb route, a sign of the times I guess although I really do believe it is the forums where friends are made not fb but that is just me. Really I have no room to make comments as I have been away for quite a while and what happened to 'Hamster' he was always on here.

Phil

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Hi Philpot,

Sadly Hamster has past away. Very knowledgeable chap and I always followed his threads and answers because he was usually spot on.

I don't do facebook and really enjoy this forum. I wish it was busier.

It got a bit poisonous a few years back but it's now a very pleasant place to discuss things with no massive egos or bickering. Long may that continue.

PM.

Steve1066 said:

Hi Philpot,

Sadly Hamster has past away. Very knowledgeable chap and I always followed his threads and answers because he was usually spot on.

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Oh I am so very sorry to hear that, he was so active on here. I certainly didn't agree with some of what he said but nevertheless a real character always with something to say.

philpot said:

I know I have been away for some time but I am amazed at the thread / post activity in the Shooting Disciplines section. I must be bored today because I have checked on the recent posts in all disciplines with these results.

Sporting :-    3 new Threads this year and September was the most recent last year.

Fitasc :-         2 threads during last year

Helice :-         Last thread was 2017

Compac :-      1 thread in 2021

Trap :-            8 threads in 2022 plus the sad news of 40UP

Skeet :-          1 thread last year

I remember how long it used to take to catch up on all reviews, reports, ground chat, cartridges etc etc etc so where has it all gone, facebook perhaps, just seems very odd.  On most of the other forums I am involved in have gone the fb route, a sign of the times I guess although I really do believe it is the forums where friends are made not fb but that is just me. Really I have no room to make comments as I have been away for quite a while and what happened to 'Hamster' he was always on here.

Phil

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You’re right, the discussion boards are dying a slow death. I think primarily because there’s not often anything interesting to read and discuss. New posters tend to ask questions that have been covered in detail many times previously. That’s no criticism of them, I asked the same years ago but the more experienced amongst us find it boring.

As far as the trap shooters are concerned, plenty do participate in online discussion, just not here. trapshooters.com is the favourite.

Only SOME things have changed  !

Don't mention using a semi auto for Trap  !   

Don't mention using a semi auto for Trap  !      

Toooooo late 

I popped back in for a browse after a decent period away and was thinking the same thing - it’s a little sad the way the forum concept is declining but it seems to be a general issue across most interest group based boards not in any sense limited to shooting based sports 

We all share the responsibility for the forum's activity - one has to post stuff to generate responses.  I'm an Admin on a Audi car forum and there are times when I'll have a thought dump in the off topic section of the forum and it seems to burst back into life.

Well I was absent from here for quite a long time, until quite recently. 
Yes the place is quieter than it was. 
Lots of regulars seem to have gone, some have sadly passed away, ie Fred(40up) and Hammy. 
I do know that some have stopped shooting clays and others that have stopped shooting totally.

Well it’s up to us to start things rolling again. I will certainly be giving it a try. 

Cosmicblue said:

We all share the responsibility for the forum's activity - one has to post stuff to generate responses.  I'm an Admin on a Audi car forum and there are times when I'll have a thought dump in the off topic section of the forum and it seems to burst back into life.

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HHHMMmm   !  I might have kept quiet about the Audi car bit though  !   

This is very interesting. I am actually Salopian  but due to a glitch when the site was updated I could not login , after weeks of trying and numerous emails to admin I became frustrated and logged in as MR.ANGRY which as far as clayshooting is concerned  I certainly am not angry , frustrated ? Yes maybe but come on admin reinstate Salopian and lets get some worthwhile conversations going on here please.

We have lost many good friends off this site since the day we all met at Coley's , let us bring those types of days back please.

New discussion topic :- I have noticed the downturn and lack of footfall at grounds nowadays, YES  competition on Sundays seems stable and in good numbers , but practice days are very poorly attended apart from one ground local to me which is very popular on a Wednesday at £28 per hundred compared with other grounds charging £40 per hundred, with cartridges always getting more expensive we will soon revert to the days when clayshooting can only be done by the wealthy. 

Conistold Cold was busy yesterday, full squad on the DTL a few groups on the sporting layouts and skeet had a few.

MR.ANGRY said:

This is very interesting. I am actually Salopian  but due to a glitch when the site was updated I could not login , after weeks of trying and numerous emails to admin I became frustrated and logged in as MR.ANGRY which as far as clayshooting is concerned  I certainly am not angry , frustrated ? Yes maybe but come on admin reinstate Salopian and lets get some worthwhile conversations going on here please.

We have lost many good friends off this site since the day we all met at Coley's , let us bring those types of days back please.

New discussion topic :- I have noticed the downturn and lack of footfall at grounds nowadays, YES  competition on Sundays seems stable and in good numbers , but practice days are very poorly attended apart from one ground local to me which is very popular on a Wednesday at £28 per hundred compared with other grounds charging £40 per hundred, with cartridges always getting more expensive we will soon revert to the days when clayshooting can only be done by the wealthy. 

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Ah, so it’s you Pete!

Re Salopians post, I wonder if practice days are in decline due to the huge rise in registered shoots, which usually offer better value per clay and of course the interest factor. OK, I know I’m in a good locality, but without driving more than an hour, I could do 5 ESP registered shoots THIS WEEK. (I’m actually doing 4 and missing one I like just to avoid overload). Oh and all the shoots are full or nearly full, so no shortage of shooters in the South. (I just don’t know about the North). I also took my wife to the Bisley club shoot on Sunday which was fully booked. 

Mike said:

Conistold Cold was busy yesterday, full squad on the DTL a few groups on the sporting layouts and skeet had a few.

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WRT pay and play , EJ Churchill , Swinton ( The Benchmark ground IMHO) , was busy last Monday, no doubt the big Monday discount helps  ( good scheduling  to close Sundays and open Monday when everywhere else shuts down  ) 65 Mile drive each way but mitigated by the reduced clay price on Mondays !  . I was at Kelbrook on Wednesday , always a steady flow of people , the layouts there have switched from game orientated to technical target presentation now the seasons is over . Both grounds do  have something in common ,  well maintained, no birds a rarity , good shooting stands all timber cages nothing to bash your gun on .   On the weekend only type of shoot , turn up at. Upwood Hall ( Nobby’s ) Near East Riddlesden , West Yorks , on a  twice monthly Saturday shoot day and the place will be packed , 50 birds , great  sporting targets .  So if the place is quality , targets are quality , they still have customers  . I think there there is a demographic who are retired , don’t mind squandering the kid’s inheritance,  who want to fit shooting into their life , rather than schedule around it .  The danger for grounds IMHO is not particularly the cartridge price , it’s when their offering isn’t excellent for the price asked . 

Will Hewland said:

Re Salopians post, I wonder if practice days are in decline due to the huge rise in registered shoots, which usually offer better value per clay and of course the interest factor. OK, I know I’m in a good locality, but without driving more than an hour, I could do 5 ESP registered shoots THIS WEEK. (I’m actually doing 4 and missing one I like just to avoid overload). Oh and all the shoots are full or nearly full, so no shortage of shooters in the South. (I just don’t know about the North). I also took my wife to the Bisley club shoot on Sunday which was fully booked. 

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Do have to agree that there’s been quite the surge in ESP reg shoots in the sunny south, and yes all very well attended, some too well attended if you get drift. Have only ventured out for practice a few times this winter, and no the places were not at busy at all and certainly not as busy as last winter, the rise in both clay and cartridges no doubt a factor, although a chum of mine has also offered that usually over half the practice layouts are too soft to warrant the 75-80p a bang cost. 

Richard59 said:

Do have to agree that there’s been quite the surge in ESP reg shoots in the sunny south, and yes all very well attended, some too well attended if you get drift. Have only ventured out for practice a few times this winter, and no the places were not at busy at all and certainly not as busy as last winter, the rise in both clay and cartridges no doubt a factor, although a chum of mine has also offered that usually over half the practice layouts are too soft to warrant the 75-80p a bang cost. 

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Well I live in West Dorset and this is a trap shooting desert these days! Basically since the closure of Southern Counties back in 2015/16. Yes I can shoot DTL within about half an hour drive into Devon, other than that there’s bugger all trap shooting in less that 1.5 hrs (sometimes 2 hrs in summer) 

There is still some sporting in the county, but not much of it. 

Les53 said:

Well I live in West Dorset and this is a trap shooting desert these days! Basically since the closure of Southern Counties back in 2015/16. Yes I can shoot DTL within about half an hour drive into Devon, other than that there’s bugger all trap shooting in less that 1.5 hrs (sometimes 2 hrs in summer) 

There is still some sporting in the county, but not much of it. 

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Blimey, makes me feel very fortunate. I’ve three registered trap grounds within an hour, including East Yorkshire GC which probably wins the prize for the best in the country. Beyond that there’s another three within 2 hours.