[Dave McCracken]

As part of my rehab following hip surgery I'm supposed to pursue any active hobbies within reason. So, I headed for PGC to shoot a couple sedate rounds of wobble, get a bit of exercise, and ward off cabin fever.

I'd have had more outside time this summer if I had been incarcerated instead.

So, I arrived at PGC with my nice shiny new handicapped vehicle tag hanging off my rear view mirror. I noted that Range 7 had the 5 stand booths setup they use for the big weekend shoots.

Slightly disappointed, I headed in to utilize the facilities and see what ranges were open. After a short conversation, I headed back to Range 7 with a new PGC employee in tow.

This kid was a summer hire, green as grass and had no idea of how to operate a 5 stand. The RO had said to just follow the posted menu and be safe.

No menu.

And, the kid didn't know how to turn on the launchers. Neither did I.

Attracting the attention of a trap guy, we got 4 of 5 launchers working.

So, with the B gun, IC and Mod chokes in, I stood in Post One and told the kid just to give me a report pair, his discretion as to which to launch.

His response," Wassa Report Pair?"....

I 'splained, then the fun began. I shot badly and had a wonderful time doing so.

I haven't shot much 5 stand. I like it, but PGC doesn't offer it as a regular feature.

Not knowing which way the next bird is coming from kicks the difficulty up a good bit. Some birds I hit a few feet off the deck and proud I am to do so.

Some I never saw in time. Some I just plain missed. Never hit any from the high house but powdered most low house. The trap house was set to send one to the stratosphere fast, just enough faster to break up any ingrained trap moves.

I cussed, laughed, shot and shot some more. 50 rounds went and I thanked the kid with enough cash for a tall frosty or two after work and I went back to the truck. Stowing the gear, I climbed into the Cherokee and settled into the seat like it was Mom's lap.

Sometimes the regular games just aren't enough. As I heal, I'm supposed to push my limits a bit. So, I enjoyed today's imprompto game even more than otherwise.

Why?

Doctor's orders.....

[Fred Fuller]

Doctor's orders.....

Sure is a darn good excuse- as if you needed one :D. Both physical AND psychological benefits at the same time- how much better could it get?

Glad you got some trigger time, Dave. I know you've been missing it.

lpl/nc

[ATAShooter]

Dave, I am glad to hear you can still shoot your gun. I had 3 disks removed and had to give up my M-12. Every trigger pull bought a bad sensation down my hip. I now shoot a Perazzi with a Gracoil system. Sure is a difference going from a Pump gun to a break open though.

[chas08]

Doctor's orders.....

Now if you could just get him to precsribe a nice single malt Scotch.....hmmm:D

[Dave McCracken]

Thanks, folks.

Lee, still grinnin' a mite. I may go back again tomorrow, after an upper body workout involving my MEC 600 JR.

ATA, I can sympathize. My T4 and 5 discs are in bad shape. Some ripped muscles also. I dread the day when I cannot shoot. The 7/8 oz loads help.

Meanwhile I count my blessings. Good luck with the P Gun.

Chas, there's a bottle of Chivas not far from me. Once I get off the painkillers I use only at night now, I can have a "wee dram" now and then. But not yet.

[TrapperReady]

Dave - Glad you're able to mix the healing and shooting!

BTW, just before hunting season starts up, a buddy of mine and I will shoot a bunch of 5-stand. Our rules (with the club's permission and assistance) are to have the targets thrown at random. Sometimes they'll show up as a single. Sometimes as true pairs. Sometimes as a flurry. We back each other up and yell out when we see them... just like when we're hunting ducks, geese, and pheasants.

It's not uncommon for us to run through 75-100 shells each within about 15 minutes... and do that a couple times per session. Usually we'll change shooting stands at the end of each box, just to get a different look at everything.

It's a great reactive drill and when done with your hunting gun, makes for an easy and fun transition to the hunting season.

[rantingredneck]

Keep at it Dave. Keep the healing going. :D.

I shot some skeet this weekend for the first time in a long time and didn't do too bad. It was part of range training for the Hunter's Ed Instructors course I was taking.

I expected to whiff pretty badly as I'm woefully out of practice and never was that great at it to begin with. Only missed two birds though and they were both on doubles.

[Catalina25]

Trapper thanks for going over 5-stand as I was going to ask Dave to 'splain it.
You guys with broke body parts I feel your pain. I was hit by a car when I was twenty five. Now at the age of fifty five freaking every thing seems to hurt.
You know some days I'll be shooting the trap or skeet and I'm on it and others,well, off. I just don't care, I mean either way it's fun. TKM

[TrapperReady]

Catalina - What I described isn't how 5-stand is "supposed" to be played.

Basically, 5-stand is a compact version of sporting clays. You'll have 5 shooting stands arranged in a line (sometimes the heights will vary). The field will have from 5 to 8 traps arranged in a variety of ways (incomers, crossers, quartering birds, rabbits, teal, etc... everything is fair game).

You take 5 shots from each station, then rotate to the next one. If you're shooting with a squad of more than one person, you each take a shot at a single or a pair, and then the next person shoots (just like when shooting trap).

At each station, there will be a menu, showing what is to be shot. You will often have something like:

Single - Trap 7
Report Pair - Trap 3 & Trap 6
True Pair - Trap 2 & Trap 4

That would be the menu for that station. The next one would be different. As you move down the line, the angle to each of the traps changes, making the presentations a little different.

[Dave McCracken]

Sounds like lots of fun TR,AND great practice. I've heard of a game called Crazy Quail that's a bit similar. Unknown shot presentations and so on.

RRN, thanks. I wish I could only miss two at skeet. My skeet scores reek. I could fix that by shooting more skeet, but I'd have to walk past the wobble trap to do so.

Catalina, I can identify. If I didn't hurt someplace, I'd think I had died.

5 stand is a compressed version of Sporting clays usually set up on a combined trap and skeet field. Adding a couple more launchers means a variety of targets at relatively low cost.

The big problem I have with 5 stand is I don't get to shoot it that often....

[chas08]

I've heard of a game called Crazy Quail that's a bit similar. Unknown shot presentations and so on.

It's a great game. The thrower at the range I go to sits behind a small dirt mound, so you cant't see it, and is mortorized to spin continually. There's a knee bump switch at the shooting station, for if your alone, or they can be launched at request from the "peanut gallery" behind you. When you launch or call for the bird it goes in any one of the 360 degrees the machine happens to be at, what fun!!!. Makes for some interesting shot angles. The only drawback is you have to have an icredibily large area to make it safe. If you ever have opportunity, try it you'll probably love it. Best wishes and a speedy recovery. :)

[Dave McCracken]

Thanks, Chas. Maybe someday....

[TrapperReady]

Dave - I've shot a lot of Crazy Quail. It's like a wobble flurry... only better! :D

[rantingredneck]

RRN, thanks. I wish I could only miss two at skeet.

We didn't shoot a complete round to be sure though. Had we I would have missed more than two :eek:

[Dave McCracken]

So many games, TR, so little time.

RRN, thanks for the honesty, so rare on the Net....

[rantingredneck]

Hey I was just happy I didn't miss them all. :D.

[Kingcreek]

I was expecting something from Monty Python but its a good reading thread anyway.

[Catalina25]

Dave you start the best threads
You know I've never shot anything but trap and skeet. I'm not to bad on the trap, but skeet, brother I bite. An old dog moving to slow. The range I shoot at has what seems to be a nice sporting clays layout, though I've nothing to compare it to. And they loan you a golf cart which is the least they can do given the cost. Which I believe to be seventy five dollars, honestly I can't swing that. But I'll be shooting Wednesday of next week and I'll check if they've got 5 stand or crazy quail. As aways thanks guys Tom

[Dave McCracken]

KingC, I was wondering if anyone would pick up on the MP crib.

Tom, hang in there. And anything on Long Giland is going to cost plenty.

[Kingcreek]

The fees at our local municipal range just went up from $2.50 to $4 for a round of 25 birds trap or skeet. I pay $30 for a round of 100 sporting clays at a nearby club.
life in the heartland is a little different. oh, and if you think $300k is a good price for a house? we'll sell you the whole block and every house and garage on it for that.

[Titan6]

Sounds like you have a great attitude towards it. Since you are learning something new to your body it will take some time. I don't think it will hold you back any though.

One of the best shooters on the Ft. Bliss skeet range is in a chair. He performs wonders with a shotgun that me on my two feet can not match.

Good luck with the recovery and glad to hear you are back on your feet again.

[Dave McCracken]

KC, $40 at PGC buys a 10 ticket book for trap or skeet. 2 tickets buys a round of 5 stand when they have it. SC runs $18 for 50 targets.

Thanks, Titan. One step at a time....

[sm]

Dave,

Ain't no such thang as too much fun my friend.

Re: Crazy Quail.

I learned from the best, how to pull this game. *evil grin*
Oh I am out in full view, where I can see the shooter, and the shooter can see me.
I actually want pull cords that hook up to the box on a skeet field.
I am a "nice guy", and if you load two, and shoot one, I am watching to see if you reload or not, as to what I pull next...one is well advised to know their gun like a body part, and not have to look at the gun, to load it, or run it.



Crazy Quail is one teaching tool I use, for Defensive Shotgun use. *yep*


Heel toe dosey doe
Scootin' our boots, swingin' doors
B & D Kix and Dunn
Honkin' tonk heaven, Double shotgun
Good time,
Lord, we're havin' a good time - Alan Jackson

.

[Catalina25]

Wow I want to move to the center of Kingcreek's universe. A 25 of trap or skeet here is $6 and going up. And on some days you've got to deal with protesters trying to close the range down and I'm not kidding. I was the trim sub on the housing development, 47 homes, built right across the street from the range nearly twenty years ago. At the time I had just traded in my Ithaca 37, actually two, for a new 11-87 and every so often I would shoot for lunch. But you could already feel the vibes that the new natives were going to get restless.
Your PGC is good too Dave. An dats Lawn Guylyn were day wawk dare dawgs and day drink dare cawfee.

[Dave McCracken]

Steve, I bet we could have a messa fun on a range together. CQ, Wobble flurries, Mongolian, etc.

Crazy Quail done with a crafty trapper would be great "Serious" practice.

Tom, one BIL lives in Suffolk County. He has a hilarious routine on the local dialect.

BTW, some protestors picketed the entrance to PGC once but left when no media showed.

Citiots, every one of them....

[chas08]

Citiots, every one of them....

"CITIOTS" heh,heh,heh....I like that one....heh,heh,heh :D

[Dave McCracken]

Chas, when I started in Cyberspace, it was on the old Prodigy Network debating a pack of rabid Animal Rights Activists. These cultists were rude, ignorant and as one sided as any religious fundamentalists.

Heck, to them it WAS a religion. And worth killing for. ALF had its adherents there.

Two terms came out of that mess.

PETAphile was the first, Citiot was the second.

I thought up the first. The kids came up with Citiot after hearing me expound on some one who dwelt in the environs of NYC but was sure he knew all about animals and their relationships. My guess is he couldn't even walk off pavement.

[Catalina25]

Citiots, perfect. And brothers I'm surrounded and their coming over the ramparts. Python was light years ahead. Citiots, good stuff. Thank you.

[Dave McCracken]

Glad you like it....