BigDave Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Seeing the thread about the stages for the European Shotgun championship got the gears in my head turning a bit. I like shooting shotgun, really fast at a lot of targets. And, it seems that quite a few others do, too. Really, what's not to like? It seems as though the Southeastern or US Sg Championships gets a pretty good draw, but I havent' been to either one so I'm lacking a frame of reference. So, what makes a shotgun only match worth attending? I'm thinking a one-day shoot. How many stages makes it worth while? What kind of round count? Distances? Paper? Steel? Clays? Input from anyone is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 A special division for shooters that like the pump guns, or other manual action shotguns for that matter. Steel targets with slugs is always good. Targets that launches a claybird or other aerial targets. mcb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Dave, Old Bridge has one coming up in a couple of weeks. One day format, 9 stages ranging from short speed shoots to long field courses. Lots of steel and clay birds on holders, odds are some clays on swingers, some launched airborne clays from poppers, and a few slug on paper stages. Be wary of slug on steel stages ---- you really need lots of distance between shooter and target or stuff may come back. Old Bridge has been known to rig a door, opened by a falling weight, that is held shut by a piece of 1x2, that must be shot from ten feet or so, with as many rounds as are necessary to break the stick. One well aimed round will do the trick. Then proceed through the doorway, and engage the rest of the targets..... Divisions are usually Open/Limited/Pump ---- but there's nothing preventing you from recognizing more.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 The guys from Sacramento have this going on next month. Steel Challenge type shotgun match. Not big stages but lots of shooting, about 250 rounds for the match. http://web.mac.com/speedoption/iWeb/CAPSL/...0Challenge.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbullgpd Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 I haven't finalized all the ins and outs but I am putting together a shotgun only match For November here in AZ. Will post more when it is finalized but so far 5 stages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benelli2 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 I love the all shotgun as well and would love to do more of it, fast and furious with low equipment needs, too Good. Wish attendance would have been better when I ran them to keep it going. Beware the arial clays, they are an RO nightmare, unless everyone smokes them there will always be controversy over, weather they were hit or not and they take the RO away from watching the shooter and his weapon. We can discuss all the ins and outs if you are serious about putting one together. jc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 slugs on steel can get expensive, even rifle steel takes a beating. something the europeans are doing, that looks quite interesting is clay birds at 15 - 20 yds, with slugs. it could prove very humbling. also something i've never seen over here is no shoot clays or steel placed from 6" to 12" from shoot targets, at 10 to 20 yds. shotgun only matches ROCK. Trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Beverley Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 (edited) Dave You may or may not know that I am the IPSC Shotgun Course Reviewer (amongst other things) and as such I get to see many many SG Cs of F. I've also been involved in the admin of SG only matches for close on 20 years. I've been tight for time these last few days otherwise I would have posted a number of ideas but I'll try to add a couple for now. IMO, and this is an observation and not a criticism, a great many matches don't fully challenge the shooter nor do they test the full range of the capabilities of the gun. Oh so many matches focus only on speed and not accuracy and infrequently fully challenge pattern spread restrictions. I've read many comments about using spreader chokes and/or spreader cartridges but mostly if these are being employed the shooter is relying on the size of the pattern to assist in target engagement. This in turns results in speed being tested more than accuracy. I believe we should be setting up matches to test the full range of shooting skills and the full versatility of the gun and ammo. Trapr has spotted a stage in the Europeans (ESC) that brings in a test for accuracy but the stage presents additional problems in that it is a Short Course (speed shoot) that starts with an empty gun. Bearing in mind that shooters will look to load fast they then face a paper target that requires double tapping and the said 4 clays. There is a huge danger of over running on the clays so should the competitor opt to play safe and load an extra round? Or two? Should they slow down for the clays? How much? A simple stage becomes a bit more because of design. UK matches feature close up no-shoots in many varying presentations to test man and gun. This more often turns stages in a thinking man's challenge. I'll try to expand on this a bit more in a later post but I've added a couple of pictures to give an idea. Also the use of buckshot is very different in the UK compared to a great many other countries. We mix in paper targets among the metalwork and score the best 2 hits (we stipulate cartidges with a max of 9 pellets for expediency). Overlapping paper or metal no-shoots out to 25 or even 30 yards can cause problems. This type of target presentation features in one of the ESC stages. In other matches we've had bobbing scoring and no-shoot paper target combinations, again to be shot with buck. By setting the no-shoots suitably close to scoring targets you can create situations where the competitor has to aim to miss (point of aim) and so rely on the edge of the pattern to take the target. But how much do they lay off? Provide tough shooting challenges in conjuction with easy challenges but where the easy solution costs time. Let the competitor evaulate how much they can push the envelope. Take the tough shot to save time or play safe? Make it a thinking man's sport. Make it freestyle. Every competitor can choose their own gun configuration, the choke, the cartridge. Let them choose to get close or to the side to make it easy or save time by shopoting at a greater distance. Provide a stage with close up clays to be shot with birdshot that just beg to be shot with a spreader choke and then add in a couple of heavy long-distance plates and maybe a tight no-shoot challenge so the competitor has to thing about the best solution (which may now eliminate the use of spreader chokes). I like stages that make the competitor think, that force a change of pace, that require speed at times but accuracy as well. Pat Kelly was very generous in his comments after his visit to a UK match but I think he enjoyed the different type of stages that we try to create. His article in Front Sight did well to capture a lot of the flavour. All shooting is good but there is so much more to exploit at a SG match. If you haven't already looked at the stages, the ESC match C of F is available as a downloadable file from this forum. I hope some of this generates some ideas. Edited August 17, 2006 by Neil Beverley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 very well said....neil and i truly look forward to shooting the stages at ESC, i've just spent the better part of 2 hrs. looking and studying the stages and trying to decide what choke, and what tactic i will use when doing so. i really enjoyed seeing the close clays with longer range steel thrown in, so as to challenge the shooter in deciding which is better, playing on the edge or playing safe. see you soon.......trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactustactical Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I haven't finalized all the ins and outs but I am putting together a shotgun only match For November here in AZ. Will post more when it is finalized but so far 5 stages. J, where is this match going to be held? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbullgpd Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I haven't finalized all the ins and outs but I am putting together a shotgun only match For November here in AZ. Will post more when it is finalized but so far 5 stages. J, where is this match going to be held? Hosting it at the Cactus League at Ben Avery. If I can get off my but and get the application and flyer done I should have it posted soon. All the stages are done, classes set, etc. Just need to get the administrative stuff out of the way and get'er done . If memory serves me right we were planning on Nov 19th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbullgpd Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I haven't finalized all the ins and outs but I am putting together a shotgun only match For November here in AZ. Will post more when it is finalized but so far 5 stages. J, where is this match going to be held? Hosting it at the Cactus League at Ben Avery. If I can get off my but and get the application and flyer done I should have it posted soon. All the stages are done, classes set, etc. Just need to get the administrative stuff out of the way and get'er done . If memory serves me right we were planning on Nov 19th. Note I started a new thread reference my match, finally got everything finalized, so come one come all, I think it will be a fun match. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentG Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 Seeing the thread about the stages for the European Shotgun championship got the gears in my head turning a bit.I like shooting shotgun, really fast at a lot of targets. And, it seems that quite a few others do, too. Really, what's not to like? It seems as though the Southeastern or US Sg Championships gets a pretty good draw, but I havent' been to either one so I'm lacking a frame of reference. So, what makes a shotgun only match worth attending? I'm thinking a one-day shoot. How many stages makes it worth while? What kind of round count? Distances? Paper? Steel? Clays? Input from anyone is appreciated. Just say when and where! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 Make it 9-11 stages & we will come from c.c. tx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topmaul Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 I'm new here my gun club has a monthly tactical shotgun match let me post a link check out the pictures, it will give you an idea of what we do here. http://www.ncrr.net/IDPA/matchresults/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxman Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 The guys from Sacramento have this going on next month. Steel Challenge type shotgun match. Not big stages but lots of shooting, about 250 rounds for the match.http://web.mac.com/speedoption/iWeb/CAPSL/...0Challenge.html I shot this match this weekend. It was awesome! Well run, simple, but fast and furious shooting. There was everything there from the slickest race shotguns to guys like me who brought out my full camo Remington 870 with a +2 extension. I had fun, and so did everyone else. traxman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overkill Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 I shot this match this weekend. It was awesome! Well run, simple, but fast and furious shooting. There was everything there from the slickest race shotguns to guys like me who brought out my full camo Remington 870 with a +2 extension. I had fun, and so did everyone else. traxman Did you see the time of the guy that took first in pump division! That's amazing. BTW, it was good shooting with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 (edited) Did you see the time of the guy that took first in pump division! That's amazing. BTW, it was good shooting with you. I have to take credit for that, he's my friend, shooting my $179.95 Mossberg 500 with the 18" barrel, probally the cheapest gun there. He had never shot it or any other pump before for that matter. The only reason Chris used it was his 1100 was having problems and we're glad it did or he would have delivered a real whooppin to the rest of us. Just FYI he was shooting .30-.35 splits. Amazing! Todd Edited September 4, 2006 by TMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overkill Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 You should tell him to dump the 1100. If you can shoot a pump that fast there's no reason to risk the malfunction disaster factor associated with a autoloader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topmaul Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 This is a good thread let's not chase the pump v. auto rabbit trail. At my gun club we are restricted to 7 1/2 or smaller shot due to a highway they built behind the range. but we have some darn good shotgun matches, lots of steel, a round count of around 100 per match. It is usually fun and challenging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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