Not that I really minded, because I'm not a shotgun shooter, but I definitely got schooled by a bunch of clay-busters today.
Yesterday at the range, one of the skeet shooters that I was talking to invited me to come out and try my hand at skeet shooting. You know--that's where the little orange clay thing flies through the air and you try to hit it with a shotgun as it goes by.
So feeling like trying something new, I grabbed some #8 shot at Wal-Mart and headed out to the range after church. Bear in mind that I'm a rifleman and a combat handgun shooter--my shotgun training has pretty much been limited to clearing buildings with them. Shooting at small, fast-moving flying targets isn't exactly my thing. But that's why we try new things, right? To learn new things.
I met my new friend and joined a foursome on the skeet range. I knew right off that I was in with some dedicated shooters. These guys had the expensive over/under shotguns that showed signs of a lot of use and many custom modifications. A gun guy can look at another gun guy's guns and tell if that guy is serious or just a wanker. These guys weren't playing. And they all had the custom-made ear protectors, the well-worn shooting jackets, and the shell carriers on their belts. I of course had my stock Ithaca Model 87 pump gun. Lacking a shell carrier, I just dumped a box of shells into my coat pocket.
Skeet shooting involves standing in turn at eight different firing points and engaging clay birds at they fly back and forth from two different throwing machines, a high one and a low one. My shooting mates immediately established their credentials by seldom missing a bird. I of course missed most of them. The first try, I pegged about 8 out of 25, However they were free with the tips and suggestions, and the second go-round, I got 13 out of 25--an improvement but still lacking.
And then disaster struck. I racked the slide of my shotgun and instead of the reassuring, familiar sound of the action cycling, all I heard was a loud "CLACK, CLACK!" as the slide foregrip moved freely up and down the magazine tube. The foregrip had detached itself from the action bar, rendering the shotgun instantly useless unless someone needed a cricket bat or a pry bar. This is what happens when you buy the cheaply-built "budget" Ithaca Model 87 instead of the well-built Model 37 that it was patterned after. But when I bought this particular gun back in the 1980's, I can honestly say that I didn't know any better. However that hasn't stopped this gun from reminding me on more than one occasion via similar malfunctions.
Anyway, I finished the set with another shooter's Benelli semi-auto, which shot quite well although I kept trying to pump the fixed foregrip after every shot. Thanks for the loaner, Paul!
I'll be back out there again next week-end, assuming that I can fix the Ithaca or get a more suitable barrel for my Remington 870 by then. It is fun and I like the challenge of learning another gun sport, and for $2.25 a round plus a box of shells, it's really cheap entertainment! (That is, "cheap" until I decide that I need a spiffy new skeet shotgun...those darn things run to almost three grand!)
It's a great way to spend an afternoon! We're usually just launching them off the back of the hill behind my in-laws, or throwing by hand at Rose Lake, but it's still a lot of fun! I use my 20ga Mossberg 500 - it ain't much to look at, but it didn't cost 3 grand either! I'm usually about a 50% shooter, +/-
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