Shotguns: Show us your clay / game / zombie bashers

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This thread brings back some nostalgia for me, I have not owned a 'gun' for many many years, I used to be a gunsmith many years ago but got out of it when they banned handguns that was the main thing I worked on.

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Soldato
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Congrats on your course.

I would love to just fire a Glock - have in past fired a .38 revolver and totally missed target at 20 feet or so - Was a bit more successful with a .22 semi pistol from Eastern Europe - This was a long time ago. - My dream has always been to owning a 1911.
 
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Well Xmas has passed so time for a little bit of clay shooting this weekend at the West Midlands shooting ground at hodnet- god knows what I’ll hit as I’ve not shot a thing since early summer
 
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Havent shot as much for the last few months either. I had a foot injury that kept me on crutches for a while, and after that work took over...

Still, have Syndicate day this saturday; once the season is over I'll start ramping up the training on clays -- I was doing pretty well earlier in the year until i had that accident.

Haven't changed kit in a while, still primarily Guerini Invictus 5. Only thing I did was switch from Hull to Eley Select as main cartridge; they pattern a lot better in my gun somehow, and it's about the same money.
 
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My shooting has come to an end - Got Wet Macular Degerneration in my right eye - that means when I look down the barrel I have a black cloud covering the front sight. - When weather brightens up I will go to Mickley Hall and see if I can pop off 50 shots left handed - I shoot a bow and arrow left handed and also write left but it will be interesting to see if I can shoot a shotgun left handed.
I have tried it in the past but it kicked hell out of my cheek but I can use stock spacers to change it to left cast.
The joys of getting old. :rolleyes:
 
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Sorry to hear that @DXP55. Here I had up and down last year, shoulder injury followed by a foot injury, so the standard had slipped a bit, but now that the game season is over, I'm getting back straight into FITASC and it's getting back pretty quickly, so perhaps this year I'll so some more competitions.

On a side note, just bought a 'new' (to me) game gun for next year: AYA #1 Round Body Self Opener. I wanted something strong, and steel proof I could use on everything, so this gun is getting fitted and I hope this will be my 'go to' main game gun from now on!

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@BusError I have the same gun albeit made by Eibar, picked it up for £150 including having the stock lengthened 15 years ago. I love the english stock and how flickable it is. Shoots lovely.

One day I might upgrade it for an Aya but then I would probably worry about it too much. Mines perfect for being slung in the gun bus or quad trailer :p
 
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I tend to use them, I have no kids to 'give them to', so I shoot them all, and if get the odd ding, it adds to the story really. I made a *really* good deal on that #1 as well (it was misidentified as a #2!) so couln't pass it up! I also part-exed a Browning B25 that hadn't been out in 3 years so overall a good operation.
 
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Currently going through the process of getting my shotgun certificate. Been out on the clays a few times with a friend and definitely got the bug, will be buying his old Marocchi once all sorted which is a nice gun to start with. Doctors on Tuesday because I was signed off with stress and depression years ago so need to get the all clear then a meeting with Firearms officer next month. Fingers crossed all goes well and and I'll have my certificate in the not too distant future :D
 
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Anyone been to the shooting show? Did it yesterday; it wasn't too bad. Got some loot but nothing really gun related, more clothing, knives, shoes etc. Went to see the new Guerinis too, some very nice ones!
 
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Anyone been to the shooting show? Did it yesterday; it wasn't too bad. Got some loot but nothing really gun related, more clothing, knives, shoes etc. Went to see the new Guerinis too, some very nice ones!
Went last year and thought it was pretty meh, so decided not to bother. I will attend the Northern shooting show as i know the peeps who set up the clay line. I went to try a Beretta semi auto on Wednesday as Im about to have some chemo, so i figured i might need something a bit lighter and less recoil than my browning pro sport.
 
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I need to transfer a shotgun from a dealer in Herefordshire who is in lock down, as his wife does not want visitors to the premises, to myself. Apparently it now has to be done through a secondary dealer as a paid for "gun transfer". West Midlands Shooting Ground offered to do it the other day, but now e-mails bounce saying they too are in lock down. Does anyone know a dealer in the North West or Midlands who would broker the transfer? The selling dealer has my shotgun certificate and is ready to move on this, by sending via (fully authorised) Parcel Force to the transferring dealer. Thanks.
 
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I need to transfer a shotgun from a dealer in Herefordshire who is in lock down, as his wife does not want visitors to the premises, to myself. Apparently it now has to be done through a secondary dealer as a paid for "gun transfer". West Midlands Shooting Ground offered to do it the other day, but now e-mails bounce saying they too are in lock down. Does anyone know a dealer in the North West or Midlands who would broker the transfer? The selling dealer has my shotgun certificate and is ready to move on this, by sending via (fully authorised) Parcel Force to the transferring dealer. Thanks.
Id imagine they are all on lock down. Probably best to go view it with some gloves in in their back garden then transfer the money if its ok, or wait until the virus is under control and the lockdown is over
 
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Yeah every single shop/ground is closed now down here, so there woudln't be a place to shoot it anyway. I have a nice AYA #1 at the gunsmith at the moment for reboring & stock adjustments, and I know I won't see it until it's all over.
 
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So what's been going on since last year (!!) ?

That AYA I mentioned I bought in january 2021... Part of the deal was a opening at 1/2,1/2, reproof for HP steel, and some work on the stock... lockdown etc stuck at Teague, then stuck at the proofhouse, and one day in september I get a call telling me the gun has failed proof! Bulged barrels. Doh.
There was an option to get a new set of barrels made in spain, but I really didnt want to wait 6 months so I got a refund...

With money in my pocket, I went to EJ Churchill where they had a big-ass 32" "continental" SxS. Single trigger. Not /as/ nice as the AYA #1, but definitely up to scratch for 3" chambers and heavier loads. So I bought that -- but I didn't take delivery, as I didn't like the trigger -- a bit floppy -- so off the gun goes to the inhouse gunsmith, and a while later comes back with a crisp trigger but.... the SECOND pull is now floppy. Doh. Of it goes again... Another lockdown happens, gun comes back again at the end, and now it's crisp on both pulls. Hurrah? Nope. test Skeet range, and the second trigger is so stiff you need to pull like a donkey on it, needless to say, it's not very useful to have the whole gun shaking around when you pull the trigger.
So I got a refund for that!

3 days later, first shop calls me telling me the new barrels have been made, the gun is coming back from spain, and I still have first refusal on it!

So I ended up, after 20 months of waiting, with a "as new" AYA #1, round body, assisted opener, with newly fitted barrels and refurbed action. In the meantime they even found me a matching box for it, and I paid the original price, which was a very very good deal as I traded in a lovely B25 back then.

Second gun is a Churchill XXV we bought for my wife. That's the problem of hanging around in nice gunshops for a couple hours, way too many goodies :)

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My shooting has ground to a halt.
My last shoot was at Dovey Valley at end if 2019 where I shot crap -Then lockdown came and also found my right eye had gone -Wet macular degeneration.
So funny enough I have no interest in shooting anymore where at one time i could never invisage me not shooting -it was my life -my hobby and I was reasonably good at it.
So now I am cleaning up my shotguns ready to sell everything. Might just go down to WMSG and see how much Tom will offer me for them.

The thing that has hit me most is everyone gets old -you never think you will but believe me there is no getting away from it.
To anyone now taking it up I wish you the best of luck and hope you do well - if you have a bad day don't kick yourself - everyone has gone through that when starting but just look at the good shooter on the stands and try and learn from how they hold their gun and where in regards to the clay - it will come to you.
I did try game shooting but it wasn't for me - I just enjoyed the competition of sporting clays - Done a few straights in DTL and was Shropshire skeet champ in I think 1998. - It was a bonus because I was only asked to make up the team.

All the best lads.
 
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Sorry to hear that @DXP55 -- hope your next hobbies are picking up too! We picked up fly fishing last year (as it was the only thing allowed!) it's surprisingly "technical" and interesting, and a mix of entertaining and relaxing.
 
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