Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Clay Shooting

Why are more and more people, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity and social background, getting their kicks from shooting little round targets that rocket across the sky or skip along the ground? Because it’s fun! Most of the time it’s going to put a broad grin on your face and a bouncy spring in your step. You’ll love it. The rest of the time it’s frustrating, disappointing, depressing and downright ruinous. But that’s what keeps it interesting. Clay target shooting is a sport nobody will ever master, which is why we keep coming back for those adrenaline fuelled moments. It’s challenging, but in a good way! Before you start shooting, you’ll need to find just two things. A good shooting ground and a great shooting instructor. Choosing a ground…

Owning your own gun will help your progress immeasurably, provided you buy the right one. “The best gun is the one that fits,” says Paul Dancer. “I always offer to accompany my clients when they are buying a new gun, because it helps to have another pair of experienced eyes in the gunroom to judge whether a gun is going to be suitable for the shooter. It is so easy to get carried away by marketing claims, healthy discounts and shiny new features. Having somebody with you who’s not emotionally involved in the purchase can be a godsend.” Be aware that gun manufacturers produce discipline specific models. For example, Trap guns tend to have very high ribs. So, if you’re not yet sure which discipline is for you, either hold…

“The 694’s action has a really eye-catching new look, which I really liked” I feel rather spoilt for choice now I am doing these gun reviews for Clay Shooting magazine. I’ve been wanting to try a Beretta, and this provided the perfect excuse. There’s a huge range of Berettas to choose from of course, but I fancied taking a look at the Beretta 694 – a 12 gauge with 32in barrels. I own a Beretta myself, an old Teknys 12 gauge 28in semi-auto. I really like that gun, and shoot it very well indeed. People sometimes ask why I don’t shoot it as my main gun, and there’s no easy answer. I think it’s probably down to a snobbish reluctance to shoot a good old cheap semi-auto! That aside, I…

I’m in lockdown again as I write this – the second lockdown has taken effect in England, shooting grounds are closed, and I haven’t been able to go training and prepare for the 2021 season. At times like this, when I am not physically active, my mind ponders on different things. Sometimes it’s my other interests, other times it is what I intend to do with shooting. Just now I am reflecting on the past, piecing together how every decision and action I have taken has led to where I am now with my shooting. Isaac Newton said “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” and I wondered how that might be true for my personal experiences. I clearly remember when I started shooting five years ago…

Olympian and multiple European Double Trap Champion On the Olympic circuit I’m constantly looking for an advantage. I believe enhanced vision can give me that edge, so I’ve built an excellent relationship with Denzil at Sunglasses for Sport. For competition use, I wear Pilla because their Zeiss lenses are simply outstanding. I favour their purple lenses because the Olympic disciplines usually feature green backgrounds and blue skies. For my eyes, purple works perfectly in these conditions. For everything else I use Evolution, which is a fantastic brand at an incredible price point. I rate Pilla at 100 percent for lens quality, but Evolution isn’t far behind at 85 – 90 percent. I’ll commonly wear a 22N, a 44N or a 66N lens, which in Pilla-speak is basically the same colour…

The name Ed Lyons is familiar to regular readers of this magazine – he’s our shooting vision expert who answers readers’ queries on our Q&A pages, and has helped several of our contributors with their vision. During Britain’s covid lockdown, Ed launched his eye training kit, and some of our regular columnists tried it out and found it helpful to enhance their visual performance, even though it was impossible to actually go outside and shoot clays. From an early age Ed was a regular visitor to his local optometrists due to short-sightedness. “I was always fascinated by the testing process and loved the newfound vision through my spectacles and later, my contact lenses,” he says. Later on his interest led to him following a career in optometry, and at 26…

Bruce Marks knows a thing or two about shooting. He first shouldered a gun at the tender age of 12, fell in love with the sport and has ended up dedicating most of his life to it. A career in the police as a firearms officer introduced him to the technical side of shooting, reinforced the importance of safety and saw him master of the legal framework that envelopes our sport. All very worthy qualities that have proved immensely useful during his time with the APSI. But anyone who's met Bruce will know that he adores shooting because, above all else, it's great fun. Bruce loves the social side of the sport. The smiles and the laughs he's enjoyed with the friends he's made on grounds up and down the…

Matt Hance shot a terrific 97 ex-100 to win the first CPSA registered 100 Sporting competition to be held at EJ Churchill following England’s second lockdown. The shoot was held on 4 December, just a couple of days after the lockdown was lifted, England went back to the tier system of Covid-19 controls, and shooting grounds were allowed to reopen. Weather on the day was far from ideal, with wind, rain and cold temperatures – but no one seemed to mind as shooters were grateful to be back out doing what they love. It was a great turnout, with more than 100 competitors booked in across the Sporting and Sportrap competitions. EJ Churchill report that there was great feedback from the Sporting course, with stands 10 and 11 provoking most…

Evolution Sunglasses have launched new prescription glasses specifically designed for shooting, the Evolution PRX 6925. They’ve partnered with a specialist manufacturing optician to make curved polycarbonate prescription lenses in six colour options. The lenses are shatterproof, impact resistant, and large enough for complete eye coverage. The matt black frame is designed so no part of it is visible when worn. It also has adjustable nose pads and pivot adjustment to the temples. Orders will need two measurements and the prescription information from your optician. That involves using a ‘demo’ frame which Evolution will post to you. The price of the glasses, with prescription single colour lenses, is £160. See www.evolutionsunglasses.com…

In order to own a shotgun, you must obtain a valid shotgun certificate. If you’re new to the sport, then don’t try to rush into buying a gun but, do apply for your licence in plenty of time because the process can take a while. The application for a licence is quite straightforward, and simply involves filling out a form available from your local police force. Essentially, the police just need to be satisfied that you can safely possess a shotgun without danger to public safety and that it can be stored securely. For the vast majority of us this shouldn’t be a concern.…

When you first try shooting, the ground will provide everything you need – but eventually you’ll want to start collecting your own equipment in order to be more comfortable and hopefully improve your performance. Eye protection is essential and you can spend a small fortune on featherweight glasses with specially coated lenses. If you’re on a tight budget remember that your local DIY store probably sells optically correct safety glasses for a few quid. Hearing protection is another must for any shooter. In-ear digital hearing protection is effective, comfortable and stylish. Again, these solutions are pricey so there’s no shame in wearing traditional-style passive hearing defenders provided they meet the correct standards. Clays have a habit of fighting back so wear a simple peaked hat or baseball hat to protect…

It’s been a difficult and frustrating year for Orston Shooting Ground’s Dan Martin. He was excited about hosting the 2020 Clay Shooting Classic, but the pandemic forced it to be cancelled. Now the event has been rescheduled for 26-30 May 2021 – and Dan, Emily and the team are looking forward to showing the potential of their 53-acre site, with the grounds in tip-top condition and equipped with over 50 brand new Promatic traps. Dan takes up the story… With one of the finest clubhouses in the UK and catering facilities to match, we will provide top notch hospitality and facilities for all competitors. A large marquee is also being attached to the clubhouse to provide extra tabled seating, along with a chill out area with sofas. Anglo Italian Arms…

Rather than bringing everyone’s spirits down by mentioning that we can’t go shooting for a month, maybe longer, due to the latest national lockdown, I thought that I would do a reflective piece and enlighten you all as to why I shoot. As most of you know, my shooting journey began in 2016 (however, I did start shooting Sporting with my dad when I was around 10 with a 20 gauge Beretta semi-auto, but I never really took much interest in it until I was 12). As you can imagine, as soon as people in my school began to find out that I had started shooting, they were relatively shocked as I was the quietest person in my whole year group and barely spoke to anyone. I only had a…

I am writing this article in the middle of another lockdown in England. Shooting activities have just about ground to a halt. It feels like we had just got back to some routine and it’s all stop again! On a positive note, elite sports have been able to continue during some of the lockdowns – so some GB shooters categorized as being in elite sport, for example those on the British Shooting World Class Programme, have been able to continue with their training, albeit with certain restrictions and requirements around their activities. This helps them continue their preparation for the international competitions in early 2021. So on the international side, things continue to gather pace towards the Tokyo Olympics. Eyes on Tokyo There has been further news on the Tokyo…

SportsVision specialist and Optometrist Ed Lyons, who is based at Flint and Partners Optometrists, has worked with numerous high-level athletes but he’s best known for his work with shotgun shooters. His innovative approach to assessing the visual profile of an athlete has contributed to his clients winning domestic, national, international and world titles, and him winning SportsVision Practice of The Year at the Optician Awards. The options If you need prescription lenses then the most cost-effective solution is inserts that clip into the rear of a non-prescription frame. I have many clients that have used them for years and if their prescription changes we simply put new lenses into the insert. However, some shooters find they add extra weight, steam up, narrow their field of vision and generally get in…

Few grounds in the UK can compete with the rich history of West London Shooting School. For over a century it has provided expert tuition to clay shots looking to boost their scores, while also providing a safe place for game shooters to get their eye in before heading out into the field. It stands today as a testament to England’s past glories, while still continuing to advance today’s shooters to a level their ancestors never would have dreamed of. “The school was founded back in 1901 by Richmond Watson,” explains shooting ground manager Mark Heath. “Originally it was based at Perivale, where the Hoover Building now stands, before moving, in 1931, to its current home in Northolt.” Mark joined the team at West London in 2011, having previously served…

Do you struggle with a ‘wrong’ dominant eye? Evolution Eyewear may have the answer. The Evolution Strike EDK is designed to overcome eye dominance. It does this by having a dark lens in front of the dominant eye, and a clear or yellow lens in front of the eye that looks down the rib. “The shooter can keep both eyes open and there will still be vision through the dark lens – but the non-dominant eye, looking through the clear or yellow lens, should take over,” the company say. The dark lens has a 4.4% visible light transmittance, and only lets through 4.4% of visible light, blocking the remaining 95%. The Strike EDK has a lightweight matt black TR90 frame that is super strong. Lenses are impact resistant, shatterproof polycarbonate…

It’s fair to say 2020 was a bit of a wash out. Despite our best intentions many competitions, from the mighty Olympic games to CPSA registered shoots, were cast aside as the world dealt with more pressing issues. Fortunately, many events were postponed rather than cancelled. That means 2021 is now packed to the brim with top level competitions and competitors itching to climb back onto the podium. Of course, uncertainty still looms large and while we have tried to gather accurate information on some of the best events and competitions to look forward to throughout the rest of 2021, it’s always worth double checking with event organisers before heading out this year. Olympic Trap and Skeet Checking with the organisers before leaving home is particularly important if you intend…

Is my European Firearms Pass still valid? Q After nearly a year of restricted travel abroad, I am desperate next year to do some clay shooting in much sunnier climes. I usually make an annual trip to the continent, and I have missed it. I want to take my own shotgun with me, so I renewed my European Firearms Pass (EFP), which states it is valid until the middle of 2021. Can I still use it? A I’m afraid that is unlikely. The EFP was a useful, convenient way to transport guns out of the UK to Europe and cut down on red tape for those wishing to shoot abroad. Sadly, as from 1 January 2021, UK residents are no longer be able to use an EFP and I believe…

The future of our sport is in the hands of the young shots. From the business minded James Bradley-Day to Olympic hopefuls Lucy Hall and Theo Ling, we can all take inspiration from the passion that they have for keeping our sport alive and well. One inspirational youngster shooting today is Philippa Stroud. At just 14 years of age she has already shown a phenomenal level of dedication to the sport she loves and found a way to turn her passion into a force for good. Her story begins with a have-ago session at her local clay ground in Oxfordshire. “I started shooting back in August 2017,” says Philippa. “I didn’t have any friends who shot but when I found out about a local novice day I signed up, thinking…

Within the world of sport, coaches often focus very heavily on identifying and developing areas of weakness in order to improve performances –but is that the right approach? If an athlete is expected to perform to a world-beating standard, it’s not enough to work on weaknesses. We need to develop world-beating strengths. That means embedding strengths-based approaches in our training in order to perform, spending less time trying to weed out all our weaknesses and more time on maximising our strengths. At the World Championships in 2011, Usain Bolt was disqualified as a result of causing a false start. This caused him concern in the lead up to London 2012 Olympic Games. In order to overcome this concern, Bolt worked on his strengths: “My coach told me ‘stop worrying about…

Have you ever had your gun professionally fitted? Many shooters buy a new gun that ‘feels right’, or trust the gun shop’s assurance that it fits, and just go shooting. Perhaps you had your gun fitted when it was new and have shot it for years, confident that it’s right. Mark Heath, chief instructor at the West London Shooting School, says that’s not enough. He reckons you should not only have your gun fitted from the start, you should also have its fit checked regularly, and certainly when something has changed – perhaps if you’ve lost or gained weight, or your scores aren’t progressing as they should. “Shotgun shooting is a hand-eye coordination sport, so it stands to reason that the better the relationship between hand and eye, the better…

BEDFORDSHIRE Chicksands Clay Target Club Shefford, CPSAAffiliated Disciplines: ESP, DTL, STR Open alternate Sundays and Wednesdays over Summer. Contact for competition details. Practice and coaching available Telephone: www.facebook.com/charlelister Email: info@chicksandsclaytarget.co.uk Web: www.chicksandsclaytarget.co.uk Maulden Gun Club Clophill Road, Maulden, CPSAAffiliated Disciplines: ESP Competition alternate Sundays. Practice and coaching for members only. Fibre wad only Telephone: 07951 651051 Web: www.mauldengunclub.com Shillington Clay Club Shillington, CPSAAffiliated Disciplines: ESP Shooting every other Sunday Telephone: 07860 940362 Email carol@hcduk.com Sporting Targets Ltd Riseley, CPSA Premier Ground Disciplines: DTL, ESK, ESP, FSP, DR, SB, STR, Fitasc Open 9am-6pm weekdays and Saturdays, 9am-2pm Sundays. Regular competitions. Practice all hours. Pre-booked coaching. Telephone: 01234 708893 Email: reception@sportingtargets.co.uk Web: www.sportingtargets.co.uk Tythe Farm Gun Club Disciplines: ESK, OSK Some OSK competitions & practice. Coaching available by arrangement. Telephone: 07719 329094…