Choke and clays

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  • fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,770
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Thanks for the info. How long does it normally take to complete the circuit?

    Depends on how many people you are shooting with and how much you want to shoot any particular station. You pay for a certain number of targets and then you head out and they are thrown automatically or you can head out with a buddy and have the buddy throw them.

    Last time I was there, I cannot remember how many stations we shot, but we were easily there for well over an hour. Lazarus might remember, but I don't. I tend to lose track of time while hunting, shooting, and fishing. We didn't even shoot the group of stations to the right side of the skeet/trap fields, which are also on the right side of the road as you come into the club.

    If you want to shoot all 22 stations, and plan on spending 5 minutes walking and shooting per station, that is almost 2 hours. I think 5 minutes per station would also be a pretty fast pace and inevitably, on the weekend you will get stuck behind somebody else that is shooting.
     

    PapiBarcelona

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 1, 2011
    7,334
    Thanks for the info. How long does it normally take to complete the circuit?

    I think we walked 100 targets down there at PG in about hour and half, there wasn't really anybody else there.

    For my shooting crew, 4 sometimes 5 people - 100 targets/15-16 stations at any sporting clay course is an average hour and half. If there's a lot of people we always bypass to emptier stations but sometimes the long courses like Central Penn that doesn't loop back to the club house you can burn up 20 minutes just walking.

    I was just at Warrington yesterday, probably a little over 1/4 mile worth of walking, 100 targets, hour and 20 minutes.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,108
    Northern Virginia
    I spent two hours shooting the 15 stage circuit at Bull Run, so I suspect it will take longer at PG. That's with waiting on people to finish. I tend to dally getting up to the stage. With the weather being so bad, the range isn't as crowded as it usually is.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    When was the last time you shot it? In years past, I would use IC on it. This past summer, they had the targets dropping way the heck out there. Either the spring on the thrower was worn out, or they wanted to make it like ducks landing on the far edge of the decoys, just barely in range. Then, the out going birds on that station were screaming. Not many in the group before us broke them and not many in our group broke them. I know I broke a couple, but I don't think I ran the station. I do know that it separated me from my brothers score wise though.

    And yes, we are talking about the same station.

    Last time was inauguration day. Three of us from MDS did a round.

    I think one or two stations I tightened up the choke, but mainly Cyl/Skeet.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,108
    Northern Virginia
    So how does shooting a sub gauge affect choke choice? For instance, if one were to use a 20 or 28 gauge shotgun, would you use a tighter or looser choke?
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Choke is about putting a certain percentage of the shot in a certain size circle at a certain distance.

    But since sub-gauge means less shot, you may have to tighten up.

    One instructor I had, did some research (actually shooting targets) to determine how many pellets to break a clay. He found you needed 3 pellets to hit it, to reliably break it.

    So the choke needs to be chosen, that a clay gets hit with 3 pellets.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,108
    Northern Virginia
    I'd be really interested in seeing the patterns my shotguns shoot at distance. Right now, I can get patterns at 20 yards at an indoor range. Does PGTS have a section for this? Bull Run requires advance notice and has some other hoops to jump through.
     

    Markpixs

    Active Member
    Apr 23, 2011
    190
    NOVA
    I tend to tighten up for subgauge, normally I’m lt mod over lt mod but add imp mod for 28. 410’s about the same with an unhappier result(all me)
     

    STeveZ

    Thank you, Abelard
    Sep 22, 2011
    779
    Aberdeen, MD
    SK/SK for skeet. For sporting clays I start out with IC/LM and only change under extreme circumstances. I feel like you're better off studying the targets than spinning wrenches. IC/M is pretty useful for upland birds, probably why it was so common before the advent of choke tubes.
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,117
    Choke is about putting a certain percentage of the shot in a certain size circle at a certain distance.

    But since sub-gauge means less shot, you may have to tighten up.

    One instructor I had, did some research (actually shooting targets) to determine how many pellets to break a clay. He found you needed 3 pellets to hit it, to reliably break it.

    So the choke needs to be chosen, that a clay gets hit with 3 pellets.

    We shoot at a friend’s farm and we collect the unbroken clays and reshoot them. It’s amazing how many have a hole or two drilled through them but didn’t break.
     

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