Well, it was a very cold old day (-7 C) with a thick misty fog that greeted the great turnout of 17 shooters, at least it wasn’t raining or windy!

We were competing for the Bushey’s Simultaneous Pairs Tankard, 20 x simultaneous pairs as targets. Always a good competition requiring some thought and speed shooting.  Two of the shooters opted for the 30 bird singles. The course was set over 5 stands with 4 x sim pairs targets being shot at on each.

Skeet sporting: A L-R crosser and an incomer

Grouse Butt: A fast midi from the high tower and a L-R quartering in target

Stand 11: A pair of dropping close-range incomers

Stand 9: A fast overhead going away and a high left to right from the tower

Stand 8: An incoming high crow and a L-R fast low battue

All targets were hittable as singles, but as pairs and with the weather conditions, some proved far more difficult! We split into2 squads and a brief summary for each squad follows:

Sandra’s Squad:

We had nine guns in this squad with only Clare shooting the non-comp 30 singles. Considering the very misty and damp conditions it was a poor decision on Bev’s part to use his double flint gun, as he suffered misfires and poor ignition from the start.  The squad started on stand 11, a pair of dropping close-range incomers. These looked very easy but no one straighted it, only Martin and Tony came close, each missing only one. The next stand was difficult to say the least, a fast overhead going away and a high left to right from the tower. If you were unfortunate, the drifting mist partly obscured the second bird making it nigh on impossible to pick it up in time to make a telling shot, but even so Viking managed to break 6 out of the eight targets including two pairs and Martin hit 5 which also included two pairs, that was very impressive and streaks ahead of the rest of the squad who struggled to get even half marks. After that it was a pleasure to get on a stand where we could clearly see both of the targets. Bev managed to get his flinter operating correctly and along with Martin straighted this stand. Derek only missed one, Viking and Dick two, the rest, fewer! We moved on to the grouse stand where again, because of the drifting mist and lingering smoke, it was difficult to pick up the fast midi launched from the high tower. Derek shot really well here hitting six followed by Martin with five, Dick four and the rest less than four. On to the final stand, the skeet layout. The lingering smoke caused issues here. Out of the pair it was only sensible to shoot the left to right crosser first and then the simple close incomer second, but the smoke from the first shot obscured the second target which made hitting it a bit of a lottery. Martin should do the lottery because he was the only one in this squad to hit the lot. His excellent final score of 33 from 40 targets was the highest in this squad and also the top gun overall. The other top scorers in this squad were Viking who ended with 24 and Derek 23. Clare shot her single gun really well in the conditions hitting 22 of the 30 singles.

Martin, as well as winning the engraved glass tankard also won a special prize donated by Tim Owen. Tim has been producing cappers and card dispensers using his 3D printers and he generously donated one of each of these which were to go to the top two shooters who shot most pairs. Martin who shot 14 pairs received the dispenser and Paul R, who won the toss with Dave E, went home with a new capper for breaking 11 pairs. As usual a big thank you to Sandra for buttoning and scoring in the cold and damp.

Rodney’s Squad:

We had eight guns in our squad with only Rodney shooting non-comp singles. We started on the Skeet layout with most scoring reasonably well. Dave straighted it and everyone else got 6 or 7, except for Phil who had a shaky start. On to stand 11 and the incoming pair proved relatively easy targets for most although no-one straighted it. Kevin and Phil both struggled a bit here, the targets never seemed to come out the same, but there were one or two 2 for 1 shots made. Next was stand 9, and the weather seemed to worsen for us. The high crosser proving very difficult to pick up after shooting at the overhead going away, even changing over and shooting the crosser first didn’t really help! Both Kevin and Paul excelled on this stand with 6 apiece and 2 pairs apiece, the rest struggled with 2’s and 1’s and Mike unusually failed to score at all! Onto stand 8 and what should have been an easy stand as both targets could be seen! Most did well with Bushey, Fred and Dave all scoring 7/8, Paul 3 pairs, Kevin, Phil and Mike with just 4’s and 5’s. The last stand was the Grouse Butt, and as reported by the other squad, the high bird was difficult to pick up causing the second target to be rushed as it sailed off to the right! Most managed 6’s and 5’s except Phil on 4.

An enjoyable shoot, even with the cold and misty conditions, Paul R shooting very well to take 2nd place overall with Dave E a close 3rd, Bushey and Fred a joint 4th.

Rodney struggled a bit today, he tried shooting his cast-on gun from both shoulders to no avail. When he did hit one, a mighty cheer went up which probably could be heard across the whole ground!

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Sunday 26 February 2023.

Mike & Bev provided the words.

This shoot took place a couple of weeks ago so I am writing this report from memory.

Inevitably it will match my memory and be short with few details. It will not contain any photos because Clare was not there to take them as she was still recovering from her back surgery. Eleven shooters turned up, eight shot the 40 bird doubles and the remaining three the 30 singles. We went round in one squad and the shooting took place on the sporting layouts at the skeet and ABT ranges. It was a windy day and there were some very testing targets which were seriously affected by the wind.

The first layout we tackled was on the skeet range. These targets were not too testing except for one, the incomer which was launched from the top of a bank about 100 yards away. This is always a tricky target and in this wind you could double the ‘trickiness’. The target was launched into the wind and went soaring up, stalled, and returned to earth going away from the shooter. Only Fred hit this target at an absolute phenomenal range. I have never witnessed such a long time delay from the bang to the break. In the doubles it was Bev who led the field at this stage having only missed two. Viking and Kevin were next in line each missing four. In the singles Martin had only missed one which put him in the top spot. Derek and Dick followed on behind.

The scores on the ABT layout reflected the difficulty of the targets. Again there were some very rangy ones which were missed by most. Fred and Viking did hit some and were top scorers in the doubles on this layout missing seven apiece. They both shot impressively hitting targets at extreme range. Viking won the doubles overall hitting 29/40. Fred and Bev tied for second position with 28 apiece. In the singles it was Martin who topped the trio breaking 24/30.

Scores:

What a lovely day, warm and sunny, not much wind, no excuses.

What a lovely day, warm and sunny, not much wind, no excuses. Ten shooters, six shooting the 40 doubles and the remainder the 30 singles. It was lovely to see Clare who was now fit enough to join us in an administration role. I am sure she will be shooting again in no time. We were fortunate to have Sandra, who along with Clare did the scoring and buttoning. It was also good to welcome back John Poole who has had health problems and not shot with us for well over a year. Five stands were used giving a wide variety of targets, none could be classed as easy and the overall scores reflected this. As in the last club shoot we went around in one squad. Martin and Bev were using their single-barrelled flint guns the rest their percussion guns.

We started on stand 3 which is normally a friendly stand where we could all get a few ‘kills’ under our belts, but the targets had been changed and were more challenging. In the doubles Viking shot well only missing two of the eight targets. Tony also did well missing three. The rest got half marks or less. Poor John had major ignition problems which could not be rectified. He swapped over to his hammer gun for the remainder of the shoot. The singles shooters had an absolute nightmare of a stand with Martin the best of the bunch hitting two of the six targets and the remaining three shooters only one!

We all moved on to stand 6, a left to right looper and a left to right crosser. In the doubles no one really mastered these targets. The top scorers were Tony and breech-loading Jon who both got half marks. In the singles Bev seemed to get the hang of these missing only one. The others struggled.

 Stand 7 was next, a long range right to left looper and a high right to left from the tower. Phil shot these well hitting five, the remaining muzzlers scored twos and threes. Uncharacteristically Viking struggled with these. John shot well with his suppository gun to hit six of the eight. Out of the four single shooters it was Peter Dann and Bev who seemed to master these targets each hitting five of the six targets. Martin hit three and Rodney less than three.

 The penultimate stand chosen was stand 8, a swift left to right crosser and a slow, stalling right to left crosser. Most shot these well with Tony topping the doubles hitting six, Graham and John five, Viking, Paul and Phil four. In the singles it was Martin who top-scored hitting five followed by Bev with four, Pete three and Rodney one.

The final stand consisted of a left to right crosser and a fast driven target. Viking found some form and hit six of these. Paul shot these well also hitting six, Graham hit five, Tony four and Phil three. John also hit six with his BL. In the singles Bev top-scored with four from the six targets followed by Martin with three, Pete two and Rodney one.

So the winner of the doubles was Tony who shot consistently well all day to end up with 22/40 followed by Paul who also shot well in his characteristically ‘snappy’ fashion 20 and Viking 19. Jon ended up with 21 with his BL. The winner of the singles was Bev with 19/30 followed by Martin 14 and Pete 12.

A big thanks to Sandra and Clare for scoring, buttoning and doing the admin.

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Saturday 6th May 2023 at CGC for the annual Trevor Watling Double Barrel Cup, 40 bird O/R pairs, single and double targets will also be set for those not entering the competition.

Mike & Bev provided the words.

A pleasant late spring day awaited the reduced turnout of 13 shooters, perhaps some other members preferred the spectacle of the Coronation of King Charles 3rd over the shooting? We beat the forecast of rain though with just a few drops on the last stands.

We shot the 40 bird doubles competition for the Trevor Watling Memorial Cup. Trevor’s 2 sons, Robert and Liam, came along for the morning with Robert shooting in the competition and Liam doing some trapping and scoring. After a couple of stands Liam was heard to say that the shoot is more about the company than the shooting, how true this is.

The course was set over 5 stands with 4 pairs or 6 single targets shot at on each.

Stand 8: A L-R fast battue and R-L slow crosser

Stand 9: A fast springing and quartering away teal and a high and rangy L-R crosser from the tower

Stand 10: A L-R fast crosser and a driven from the tower on the right

Stand 11: A simultaneous pair of similar incomers

Stand 12: A pair of rangy fast R-L loopers

All targets were hittable with our muzzle loading guns, but several were quite difficult hence the lower than normal scores. We split into 2 squads and a brief summary for each follows:

Sandra’s Squad:

We had 7 shooters in this squad. Dick and SP Pete were shooting the 30 singles, the rest the competition doubles. We started on stand 12 which turned out to be one of the hardest stands. It was a real confidence reducer with no one scoring more than 2 from the 8 targets. The 2 incomers on the next stand were taken as a pair and should have been relatively straight forward, most did well but no one straighted it. Top scorers were Bushey, Paul D and Bev who each missed 1. Stand 9 was another tricky one with only Bev getting more than half marks. Stand 8 was a pleasure to shoot after the previous one with everyone shooting well. Only Tony and Bev straighted it but very few were missed by the others. Stand 10 was our final stand, again a challenging one with Bushey shooting it well missing only 1. Viking, who had not been shooting to his normal standard, only missed 2 on this stand. So, in this squad it was Bev who topped the competition bunch with 26 which put him 3rd place overall. Bushey ended up one behind on 25 with Viking pulling it back at the end coming 3rd with 21. In the singles it was Dick who stole the show hitting 12 of the 30 targets.

A big thankyou to Sandra who scored and button-pushed for this squad.

Clare’s Squad:

There were 6 shooters in our squad, all shooting doubles in the competition. We started on Stand 8 which was one of the easier stands, most shot well with Martin taking all 8 and the rest 7. On to stand 9 and some more difficult targets awaited us, top score was again Martin with 4, the remainder less! Stand 10 was next, Paul shot very well to take all 8, Martin 7 and the rest somewhat less. On to Stand 11 for what should have been a given stand with a straightforward simultaneous pair. No-one got them all, but Martin, Paul and Robert all dropped just one. The remainder missing 3 or 4. Easy to hit, easy to miss!! The last stand 12 was another tricky one, Mike who had been shooting under par until this one took 5, the others less.

So the outcome, Martin shot very well to be top gun in the squad, and winner overall for the Cup. Newcomer Paul M also shot well to take 2nd place in the squad and the competition, and Robert Watling shot a good 21 which considering his lack of practice, was an excellent result for him and would have made his Dad proud. Thanks to Clare and Liam for trapping and scoring for the squad.

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Saturday 17th June 2023 for the Recession Trophy, AKA the ½ Ounce competition. .

Mike & Bev provided the words.

A warm and pleasant early summer day awaited the turnout of 14 shooters, little wind but thankfully not silly hot as it has been of late.

We shot the 30 bird single competition for the Recession Trophy, AKA the ½ ounce comp. This is always an interesting and sometimes frustrating competition, but it never ceases to amaze what these old guns can do with just a .410 load!

Nice to see Robert Watling again who seems to have got the bug again after last month’s meeting.

The course was set over 3 stands with 4 or 3 different singles targets being shown as follows:

Pond Stand: a high & fast R-L quartering away, a blaze low R-L quartering away over the pond, a distant incomer and a high & slow R-L quartering away.

Stand 2: a fast & low L-R quartering away target, a R-L crosser, a very distant and slow incomer and a fast R-L looper.

Stand 3: a close L-R rabbit on top of the bank, a R-L crosser and a fast R-L quartering away.

All targets were hittable with even light loads in our muzzle loading guns, but several were quite difficult with the reduced shot amount (clay size gaps in pattern?) and hence the significantly lower than normal scores. We split into 2 squads and a brief summary for each follows:

Clare’s Squad:

There were 7 shooters in our squad, all shooting in the competition. We started on the Pond stand and the first target was a problem to most with only Paul taking 2/3, the rest 1’s or 0’s! The second bird was another tricky one with only Martin, Mike and Paul scoring. There were sullen faces, but the next incomer target restored some confidence with all now ending up on the scoreboard. The last bird again proved tricky for some and we ended ex 12, Martin & Mike on 7, Paul on 6 and the rest 3’s & 4’s, not a great start! Onto stand 2, and the glum faces on the other squad told a story as they departed, was this to be another grim stand? Most scored at least one of each target, even that nasty quartering away first bird, and we ended ex 12, Paul with a fine 9, Derek with 7, Martin & Mike still tying on 6, Jon & Rob on 5 and poor old Pete struggling, and getting increasingly frustrated with scoring just the 1. Onto the last stand 3 and with only 6 targets on this one, the top place was up for grabs. Martin took a 5 in fine style, Jon & Derek on 4, Mike & Rob with 3, Paul with just 2 which cost him top spot and we won’t mention Pete!

So the outcome, Martin shot very well to be top gun in the squad and scored enough to join the top gun from the other squad in the shoot off for the trophy (see Bev’s totally unbiased report for the outcome!). Paul Mower also shot very well to take 2nd place in the squad and 3rd overall and Mike closely behind him for 4th overall.  Thanks to Clare (still match unfit!) for trapping and scoring for the squad.

Bev’s Squad:

Our squad of 7 started on stand 2 and to be honest the results were generally disappointing. Bushey top-scored on this stand with 7 ex 12, followed by Kevin and Paul D on 5, Bev 4, Viking and Rodney 3 and Dick less. Some of the squad faired a little better on the next stand. Kevin shot well with his little 32 bore Joseph Harkom hitting 5 ex 6, Bev also hit 5, Paul D, Dick and Bushey 4, Viking who was not shooting to his normal standard shot 3 and Rodney 2. Our final stand was the pond. We all needed to do well on this stand to make our score sheet presentable. Unfortunately, Kevin had to retire from the competition after the first few shots due to a gun malfunction which was a real shame as he was in contention to end up in one of the top slots in this squad. Bev also started having problems with his gun as it was periodically dropping into half cock when he pulled the trigger, even so he managed to top-score on this stand hitting 9 of the 12 targets. Viking finally got his act together and hit 8, Paul D 5, Rodney 4, Bushey and Dick 3.

Rodney deserves a special mention as he has kept at it and is hitting a lot more targets now. He did not come last in this shoot so a definite improvement! Top score in this squad was Bev with 18. Much to our astonishment the scores were also uncharacteristically low in Clare’s squad, which meant that there was to be a SHOOT-OFF.

The Shoot-off:

Martin and Bev had both managed to shoot 18 in this low-scoring competition, but we needed a winner. It was decided that the shoot-off would take place on the skeet/sporting layout. Bushey picked the targets to be shot. The first target was a medium range L to R crosser. Martin won the toss and shot first breaking the target in fine style. Bev, whose gun had started to play up during the last stand in the competition, now decided it did not want to join in the fun. Martin kindly offered to let Bev use his gun. It was very unusual for Bev to even handle a repro, but, so as not to slow down proceedings, Bev took up Martin’s kind offer and used Martin’s Pedersoli Gibbs. It was a wise choice because he also hit the target. The next clay chosen was a nasty R to L going away looper which Martin missed and Bev hit. So, finally the winner of the 2023 Recession shoot was Bev who thanked Martin heartily for the loan of his gun.

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Sunday 16th July 23 for the Small Bore Trophy, 16B and smaller singles competition.

Mike & Bev provided the words.

A warm summers day but with a good SW gusting wind awaited the turnout of 12 shooters, the wind impacted many of the targets but at least it didn’t rain!

The competition was for the annual small bore trophy (16b and smaller) 30 bird singles, which one of the squads shot for. The other squad shot singles and doubles targets with various guns.

Robert Watling appeared again, must definitely have the bug! He also has acquired a nice 12b Lancaster double which he shot for the first time today.

The course was set over 5 stands with 3x2 singles targets and 4xpairs being shown on each stand as follows:

Stand 3: a R-L high crosser and a close L-R rabbit on top of the bank.

Stand 4: a L-R looper and a low L-R quartering away.

Stand 5: a pair of L-R crossers

Stand 6: a pair of L-R loopers

Stand 7: a R-L fast climbing target and a R-L high crosser from the tower.

All targets were hittable, but as mentioned the SW wind played havoc with some targets, particularly the birds along the Eastern boundary (stands 5,6&7), which did not make things easy!

Both Clair and Sandra were sadly missed today, both being incapacitated, leaving the lads to do the admin and the buttoning/scoring. We all hope you both get well soon.

The Competition Squad:

We had 7 competitors in our squad all hoping to get their hands on the trophy. The squad started on stand 3 where Derek took an early lead hitting all 6 targets. Martin, Kevin, Bushey and Bev missed one. Everyone did reasonably well on these close-in targets. We moved on to stand 4. All the competitors found this stand difficult and nobody straighted it. Martin was top-scorer missing 2. Everybody else got half marks or less. Bushey in particular didn’t like these. Stand 6 was our next port of call, The ‘A’ bird  a wind assisted L to R looper caught nearly everyone out except for Dick who managed to break 2 of the 3 targets the others got either 1 or nothing. The ‘B’ bird was higher and slower allowing most competitors to get one or two kills registered on the score sheet. Moving on to stand 7, the targets looked quite daunting. A very fast rising and wind affected R to L teal and a high R to L from the tower which again was inconsistent due to the gusting wind. The scores here were equally inconsistent with Graham and Bev top scoring missing only 2, Martin and Dick got half marks and the remaining 3 competitors less. One more stand to go. It paid to be reasonably tall on stand 5 because the targets, which were from L to R and launched along the top of an overgrown bank were being forced down and out of view by the strong wind. This applied mainly to the ‘B’ target. This gave the taller shooters more ‘viewing time’ before disappearing. Graham and Dick liked these and demolished the lot. Martin, Derek and Bev missed 1, Kevin and Bushey 2. So that was it, competition over. The scores were toted up and the winner by one target was Martin on 20, Bev second on 19, Graham third on 18 and Dick who shot particularly well hit 17. The lowest score was 15 so it was a closely fought and very enjoyable competition.

The 'also rans' Squad:

There were 5 in our squad shooting doubles and singles of various caliber and ignition. We started on stand 7 where due to the wind, both targets lost speed rapidly causing misses in front if you were not careful. Fred shooting his single flintlock got off to a flying start with 5/6, as did Mike with a 7/8. Phil took 3/6, Paul struggled with 2/8 and Robert finding his new gun a bit short in the stock, failed to score.  Onto stand 6 and both targets were wind assisted and quite variable in path but Fred and Phil both took 4/6. Paul found out that powder then shot works better than wad then powder! and took only 3/8, as did Robert as he got used to the gun. Mike kept up the pressure with 6/8. Stand 5 next and the wind assisted crossers were difficult in speed and variable height, the B bird flying behind undergrowth if left too long, but Fred took another fine 5/6, Phil with 4/6, Paul getting to grips with a good 6/8, Robert with 3/8 and Mike romping away with 7/8. Onto stand 4 and we all struggled a little here, was it the wind or the narrow gap to shoot through? Fred still managed 4/6, Phil 2/6, Paul struggling again with 1/8, Robert 4/8 and Mike with 5/8. The last stand was 3 and Fred was relentless with his good scores this time with 5/6, Phil got the same, Paul and Robert both on 5/8 and Mike a good 6/8 to finish. A most enjoyable shoot with some good scores considering the wind, Fred shooting exceptionally well with his flintlock.

Scores:

A number of the CGC muzzleloaders have qualified to shoot in the European Muzzleloading Championships which take place in France at the beginning of August. Good Luck and Good Shooting to you all!

Next Meeting:

Sunday 13th August? 2023 for the Flintlock Trophy.

Mike & Bev provided the words.

A pleasant but partially overcast summer’s morn with sometimes a gusty SW wind awaited the turnout of 10 shooters, the wind impacted some of the targets but fortunately no rain.

The competition was for the annual Archie Owens Flintlock Cup 30 bird singles which attracted only 5 shooters this year, the remainder shot single and double targets with various percussion guns.

The course was set over 5 stands with 3x2 singles targets and 4xpairs being shown on each stand as follows:

Stand 3: a R-L high crosser and a close L-R crosser.

Stand 6: a L-R fast looper, and a slower L-R looper.

Stand 7: a R-L fast climbing target and a R-L high crosser from the tower.

Stand 10: a very fast L-R crossing target and a R-L incoming from the tower.

Stand 1 (pond): a R-L high quartering away target over the pond and a distant and very slow R-L incoming.

A good combination of targets, all were hittable, but some quite challenging as the final scores reflected. There were numerous guns with intermittent problems today, and not just with the flintlocks, strange as there was no damp in the air? Dave lost a frizzen face on the last stand, but fortunately he was shooting his original double flinter so this did not impact him too much.

Both Clare and Sandra were back on parade, not 100% match fit, but getting there and a relief to the shooters as they resumed admin and buttoning/scoring duties! Thankyou!

As only 10 shooters we stayed in a single squad, but will split them for the purpose of reporting.

The Flinters:

The competition started on stand 3, Martin and Dave got off to a flying start taking all 6, Fred and Bev missing just one and Graham having a slow start on 1. On to stand 6 with the wind assisted loopers and things reversed! Graham taking all 6, Fred 4, Martin and Dave 3, and Bev just the 2. Scoring changed again on a wind affected stand 7, this time Bev takes 5, Graham getting on with 4, Martin and Dave again on 3, and this time Fred bringing up the rear with 2. On to stand 10 and the “A” bird looked daunting and indeed it certainly was! The “B” driven target should have been a given, but some found this difficult too. Fred and Dave ended up taking 4, Martin 3, Bev 2 and Graham less. It was fairly even scoring and the cup up for grabs as the flinters approached the last stand, the pond. Here the “B” bird had a very inconsistent flight being very slow and wind affected. Bev and Fred shot good 5’s, Dave took 4, Graham 3 and Martin unusually just the 2. Final count-up showed Fred and Dave both equal on 20 requiring a shoot-off for the cup. Bev a close 3rd with 19.

The Shoot Off

The target chosen was a very fast low R-L quartering away target over the pond. Dave won the toss and went first, smashing it in fine style. Up went Fred and after numerous attempts his gun finally discharged and he also scored. Dave went up again and another fine kill, Fred again had problems, but when it went off this time, an unfortunate miss leaving a triumphant Dave the trophy winner.

The Percussioners:

5 shooters in this section of the squad, Robert shooting double targets, the rest on singles. A slowish start on stand 3 for some with Rodney taking 2, Tony and Phil on 3, Mike a reasonable 5 and Robert a good 6. Similar scoring on the next stand 6, Tony and Phil on 3, Mike 4, Robert another 6 and Rodney a fine 5. On to stand 7 with Mike and Tony on 4, Phil and Rodney on 2. Robert started having ignition problems and took just 4. Stand 10 next, and the “A” bird evaded most, Tony and Phil killing just one of these, Mike managing 2. Phil ended with 2, Tony and Rodney 3, Mike 4 and Robert having increasing ignition issues, failed to score. The Pond stand to end, Mike another 4, the rest all on 3. Tony taking all 3 of the nasty floating in “B” birds but strangely missing all 3 of the more straightforward “A”s.

Robert’s ignition issues were thought to be the nipples, being the old style small hole top, big hole bottom. These tend to block and cause problems after a dozen or so shots which is what occurred with Robert’s gun.

A special mention must be made of Rodney’s performance today, he shot 15/30 (50% kill rate) which is his best performance by far to date, and against some tricky targets! As Trigg would say, “very well done Dave”

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Saturday 9th September 2023 for the Holts Trophy.

Mike provided the words.

The sun beat down relentlessly on the 17 competitors who entered the 40 bird Holts Open Muzzleloading competition.

In fact 33°C was recorded at Waterbeach just a few miles away which was the highest in the Anglia region. A number of the regular AML shooters had volunteered to referee in the morning and shoot in the afternoon, unless of course they had melted in the meantime! Martin had chosen the stands that offered some shade to the shooters and the referees and Clare had kindly arranged that we had plenty of water so at least we were kept hydrated.

The competition took place over 6 stands. Eight targets (Four ‘A’ singles and four ’B’ singles) were shot on two of the stands and six targets on the remaining stands (Three ‘A’ singles and three ‘B’ singles) Martin had made sure that all the targets were worthy of a high level competition and there certainly weren’t any dustbin lids.

Although the majority of the competitors shoot regularly with the AML there were also some who had travelled long distances to compete, namely Geoff Berry, Steve Hough, Rob & Julie Mycock all from Derbyshire and Peter England from Yorkshire. Thanks for making the effort.

Most of the morning shooters had completed the competition by midday and it was clear that Fred Garrod was the man to beat. He had put in an intimidating score of 35 ex 40. To miss just five targets was impressive as none of them were easy. The afternoon shooters knew what they had to do.

There were determined looks and firm chins amongst the remaining competitors. Could one of them do it??

All the remaining shooters went round the course together which added to the excitement. Most would straight one stand and then miss the odd target on another. It became apparent to your author that Fred’s five misses did not not leave much room for manoeuvre! We approached the final stand and I knew it could still be done; although not by me! Martin Crix and Graham Bush were still in the running, but targets were missed and Fred’s 35 was not beaten, although Martin was snapping at his heels with 34 and Bushey one behind him with 33. What a great climax to a most enjoyable shoot.

It was prize-giving time. Along with the engraved medals and trophy, Holts Auctioneers had generously donated to the top three shooters, free subscription for their next three sale catalogues.

Fred looked very pleased with his well-deserved prize. Not bad when you consider his success here follows on from a win at the muzzle loading Helice competition a week ago. So well done Fred and to all the other medal winners.

Thank you Martin and Clare for doing the organising and administration and also a big thank you to Cambridge Gun Club for letting us have full use of the three buggies. These were invaluable to the less mobile amongst us. Without them, in that heat, it would have been impossible for them to compete.

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Sunday 22nd October at Cambridge gun club for the Big Bore Trophy (10b or larger), 30 bird singles. 30 Singles and 40 doubles targets will also be set for those not entering the competition.

Bev was your author.

A cool start to the morning, which became warmer, and with a slight SW wind was the weather which awaited the turnout of 15 shooters, and fortunately no rain.

The competition was for the much coveted annual Big Bore trophy, 30 bird singles, with 13 entering the competition and the other 2 shooting the same layout as double targets.

The course was set over 5 stands with 3x2 singles targets and 4xpairs being shown on each stand as follows:

Stand 7: a L-R high looper and a R-L high crosser from the tower.

Stand 8: a L-R fast low crosser and an incoming low crow.

Stand 9: a L-R fast and high crosser and a L-R high battue.

Stand 10: a fast L-R crossing target and a nasty L-R quartering away target, both from top of bank.

Stand ABT: a R-L high and long crossing target and a slow R-L incoming.

A good selection of targets chosen mainly for the big guns and all were hittable, but some quite difficult and challenging, as the final scores reflected.

Sandra’s Squad:

With 7 in this squad 5 shot their big bores, whilst Robert and Jon shot lesser size double guns. Stand 9 was first up, in the competition Fred took all 3 high crossers and only 1 battue, Viking was the reverse, 3 battues and 1 high crosser! The remainder just 2 and Dick less. In the doubles Jon made a good start with 5, Robert with just the 2. Onto Stand 10, only Fred shone here with 4, everyone else with 2’s. ABT stand next and again Fred shot well with a 5, everyone else with just 2’s and 3’s. Stand 8 next and Fred had a wobble, taking only 3. Viking and Tony on 4, Phil, Dick and Robert on 3 and unfortunately Jon retiring after 4 shots with a painful bruised cheek due to a gun fit issue, ouch! The last stand was 7, Fred finished in fine style with all 6, Dick, Viking and Phil on 4, Tony on 3 and Robert coming strongly back with a good 7/8 to end on 16/30. Fred was top gun in the group with a good 22 to finish 3rd overall, followed by Viking with a 16. Thanks go to Sandra for trapping and scoring.

Clare’s Squad:

All 8 shot their big bores. Stand 7 was first with Mike taking all 6, Martin and Graham 5, Kevin and Bushey on 4 (Bushey with some loading sequence issues!) the rest 2’s and 3’s. Onto stand 8, it was Graham and Bev’s turn to straight it, with Martin, Bushey and Mike all on 5, (Mike with a nasty hangfire which cost him an easy target!), Kevin on 4, Rodney on 3 and Paul failing to score. After these first two stands, Mike & Graham were tying for the top spot. Three more stands to go - Stand 9 was next with targets becoming more difficult, Mike, Graham and Bushey managed 4, Martin just the 3, the others 2’s, 1’s and less. Next was Stand 10 which was probably the hardest of the five stands, particularly the B bird which only Bushey, Graham and Mike managed to hit. Scores were Mike and Graham still neck and neck on 4, Bushey on 3 and the rest 2’s and 1’s.

The last stand was the ABT with the distant crosser causing problems followed by a “dead cert” incomer. Bev and Martin ended on 4, Kevin, Rodney and Bushey on 3 and Paul less. Mike & Graham both hungry for the highly coveted Big ‘Pig’ trophy battled it out right to the finish. Mike had dropped 2 out of his first 3 clays on this stand giving Graham an advantage who had dropped 1 at this point, so now for the last three “easy to hit easy to miss” targets. Mike polished them off with ease, now Graham needed to shoot all three to win and two to draw. Sadly it was not to be, as after he had smashed the first two clays, on his final shot the clay descended to the ground fully intact resulting in a tie on 23 and a shoot-off.  This was a really good score despite both losing one of the easier points along the way! Bushey finished with 19 and Martin 18. Rodney shooting his double 10 Greener, returned another good score, the practice is paying off!  Thanks go to Clare for trapping and scoring.

The Shoot-off:

With such an equal performance from Graham and Mike, it was a shame that an outright winner was required, but a winner there had to be. The Pond was picked as the venue and a particularly nasty edge on crosser at distance was chosen, worthy of any shoot off. Graham won the toss and elected to go in first and recorded a miss, Mike stepped up and broke it in fine style. As it was sudden death, Mike was declared the winner much to his delight as he had been 2nd and 3rd place many times over the years but had never actually won the Pig!

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Sunday 19th November 2023 for the Hammer Gun Trophy.

Mike provided the words

From the start we knew this was going to be a testing shoot. Although not a cold day the wind was so strong that it made one feel slightly uncomfortable.

Martin had difficulty picking stands where there was a reasonable chance of connecting with the targets. Five stands were eventually chosen, 4 ‘A’ birds and 4 ‘B’ birds from each.

For various reasons there wasn’t a huge turnout for this competition and the nine competitors went round in one squad. Rodney joined us and shot the 30 single birds using his single barrel hammer gun, more on that later!

We started on Stand 7, a left to right wind-assisted looper, followed by a high right to left target from the tower rapidly slowing and sliding away. It was Robert, Martin and Paul M who showed how it should be done, missing only one target each. Stand 9 was evil! An incredibly fast left to right high crosser from the tower followed by a seriously wind-affected long incomer. Paul’s 4 kills were outstanding. Fred also got to grips with some of these hitting 3. The remainder managed just one each with Bev and Tony not bothering the scorer at all! Stand 15 a nasty and very fast left to right quartering target which rapidly disappeared from view behind a bank. The on-report bird was a right to left low looper which also disappeared behind the bank. You had to be quick to get these and Fred showed how it should be done hitting all eight targets. Martin was close behind missing only one. Most made a reasonable fist of this stand.

On to the grouse layout, the two targets chosen were the fast driven midi from the tower and an incomer which drifted in and was shot at just a few yards or less away. It was very easy to miss. Nobody straighted this but Robert and Martin were the top scorers missing only two each. Moving on to the final stand, the ABT layout. The ‘A’ bird was quite a relief, a nice slow incomer which most competitors broke. The ‘B’ bird was a fast right to left quartering looper which needed to be shot very quickly as it only presented an edge-on profile and if left could easily slip through the pattern. Kevin excelled on this stand missing only one. The remainder missed three or four. That was it, the scores were toted up and it was Fred who won the trophy hitting 27 of the 40 targets. Martin and Robert tied for second with 25 each and it was Robert who won the shoot-off hitting the very long right to left crossing target selected.

A special mention here for Rodney who came first and last in the singles. In very confident fashion he shot a personal best hitting 12 ex 30 and won the wooden trophy.

A big thanks to Sandra and Clare who pressed buttons and kept score.

Scores:

Next Meeting:

Our next club shoot is on Sunday 17th December and this will be for the coveted Brad Randall Powder Horn Trophy. This competition will be shot over 30 single targets.

Words provided by Bev.

It was a very cold and very sunny day for this shoot and we had 14 shooters turn up, all of whom were in the single barrel competition – the Brad Randall Powder Horn Trophy, which is shot over 30 targets.

This trophy was presented to the club in 2009 by one of our American muzzle loading club members who used to shoot with us at Lakenheath Gun Club. Brad had gone home to Mississippi for Christmas in 2008 and returned with a beautifully scrimshaw engraved powder horn showing a map of Mississippi and Lakenheath, hand made by Brad Randall. It is one of our most coveted trophies to win.

Targets:

Stand 2 – Quartering away fast orange crosser - Going away black

Stand 3 – L/R Looper - R/L high crosser

Stand 5 – Very fast low going away orange blaze - Black going away

Stand 6 – R/L High looper - R/L Crosser

Stand 7 – L/R Battue – R/L High tower

The shooters were split into 2 groups with Sandra buttoning and scoring for one, and Clare who is still not quite fit enough to shoot, buttoning for the other group. As this was the festive season, we were missing some of our regular shooters including our very own resident scribes, Bev & Mike. We wanted to say to you all that you were missed that day.

The competition was a closely fought battle with several vying for the top spot. Stand 2 caused both squads issues as the sun was very low and exactly in the path of the going away target. Congratulations to Rodney, who finished on a 13 on what could be yet another PB, and also well done to Graham who shot the competition with his new double flinter finishing with a 20 – as such a good performance Graham was presented with the wooden trophy for his efforts. But it was Martin who won the day with a really good score of 25, closely followed by Fred with a 24.

Scores:

Thank you to everyone for supporting the club throughout this year, and we look forward to some equally good club shoots in 2024.

Next Meeting:

The next club shoot is on Sunday 14 January and for those who like to do the competitions, it will be the Bushey’s Pairs competition. This is shot over 40 targets with double guns only. Single targets will be set as normal.

Words provided by Clare