Non-tactical shotgun schooling?

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Ed Ames

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This'll probably end up as a foot-in-mouth episode for me but hopefully someone can set me on the right track.

I've decided I want to actually learn (as in take at least a couple of lessons) to shoot clay targets... not sporting clays or skeet or trap specifically but moving targets flying through the air...whatever that's called. My only experience so far is going out with friends and trading off my 12ga pumpgun and a hand thrower. We all had fun and quite a few clays were busted we weren't really doing anything "right" (I don't think... if we were it was luck).

So I've been looking around for people or places to get some coaching or lessons in the Dallas, TX area.

Want to shoot handguns? No problem! I can find maybe 50 people or places that are falling over themselves to teach basic handgun courses, usually in conjunction with CHL courses but not always.

Tactical shotgun? I can find people teaching that.

Clay target shooting? So far I've found one person. She charges $100/hr and includes use of a shotgun "sized for women and youth" in the price. Actually I found someone else but he sounded more like a motivational speaker (he holds "clinics") than someone who teaches beginners.

Is this right? Why is it maybe 100 times easier to find a flight instructor and start learning to fly an airplane than find someone to teach the basics of good shotgunning? There have got to be more would-be shotgunners than would-be pilots and both are physical skills requiring coaching and practice.

Is it that I'm looking in the wrong places? The results online are embarrassing. Phone book? I actually looked, there are two entries (under "trap"... nothing under skeet though LOL) one of which is the aforementioned $100/hr "women and youth" person and the other is about 50 miles away and has no information at all about what they offer. Is there some secret communications method only people who are supposed to get into shotgunning can access and I'm not on the list? Or am I 50 years too late?

Bummer.

:banghead:
 
Go hang around a trap or skeet range, Ed. Talk to the old guys. Next thing you know, you'll have a bushel of advice and maybe a peck of it is good advice.

Most ranges have a SC instructor. Talk to him/her....
 
Me and a buddy of mine are looking for the same thing. The "she" you are referring to I assume to be Jeanie Almond of Elm Fork. I called Elm Fork. They said to call her Cell phone. I called twice. Got a message saying that her voicemail box was full. Meaning she isn't checking her messages. $100.00 per hour is about what I expect to pay for a good instructor, and my buddy and I are thinking of starting out with a couple of hours to get the fundamentals down. I have also called the gentleman that works at Alpine (name escapes me right now, Kennedy I think) twice, and left messages. He hasn't called me back. I am beginning to think that what we are looking for is in such high demand in the Dallas / Fort Worth area that these folks have more than they can get to anyway. I have taken tactical shotgun, and that is great, but that doesn't really teach you the fundamentals of skeet, trap, or sporting clays.

As the next best thing, I ordered and watched Todd Bender's "Winning with the Fundamentals in Skeet". Very good. I will be at Elm Fork this weekend to see if it does anything for me. If you hear of anybody that wants to take our money let me know. For now, I have kind of given up, but I would really love to get some lessons and coaching.

Talk to the old guys.
Click to expand...

Sheesh, I AM an old guy.

And, I hate to be stupid, but you are what you are, What is an SC instructor.
 
The NRA Shotgun class does what interests you. It includes a very good basic book. A call to the NRA training department should give you leads to instructors in your area.
 
Get in touch with two members here on THR ff the top of my head.

Will Fennell, who is in South Carolina.
Matthew Vannita who is out of the States at the moment.

Will knows folks, he may know of shooters in your area that do shoot places and can assist. The student becomes a mentor if you will.

MV, just knows folks too, and like Will has done a lot for shooting - period.
 
Snarling... yep, that's her and that matches my experience. If I figure out the secret knock I'll let you know.

Dave... you are kidding, right?
 
Add on... Robert: The NRA doesn't have a real basic shotgun training program (in TX) at this point. I've been to the NRA web page and searched. They list 5 upcoming courses for TX (a state of ~24 million people) when you search for basic shotgun as the discipline. Three of those are in July and take place at the same range (about 190 miles away) as parts of special (week long camp, women on target, etc) programs. The other two are 70+ and 210+ miles away. The closest spreads the 10 hour course over several (week...i.e., work) days so it would be 240+ miles of driving at minimum.

The courses are cheap at $250 for 10 hours but when you factor in time away from work and you can basically write the whole thing off as a misunderstanding.

sm... I appreciate the input.

PJR... Andy was the clinic guy. However: "This year Andy will be competing more and giving fewer lessons. If however, you are interested in scheduling a lesson after one of the tournaments or coming out to Montana for a lesson please email or give us a call."
 
MC... That's interesting... and it seems to matche at least some of the advice given on this forum (e.g., using a bb gun for training). I find this note amusing: "The sightless spring/air BB gun, around which the Shoot Where You Look SM program was developed, is not available. BB guns on the market at present, slow enough in velocity to be used for the program, are not accurate." Sort of matches my bias against BB guns. Still, might be an interesting starting point.

Hog... that's a good resource! I've heard (dunno how true it is) that sporting clays isn't the best place to start as a newb shotgunner so I haven't really looked into the sporting clays end of things. Thanks.
 
Ed, it seems to me that the basics of shooting moving targets with a shotgun are the same no matter what clay game or hunting scenario you choose. Find an instructor, or friend, or mentor who can get you started, then go from there.
 
Tejas Norte, enh?

I'll second the observations on Jeanie Almond of Elm Fork - she did a good job of getting me started after a long absence. She's an excellent teacher which is likely more important than being a great shot, but she's both.

As far as not being able to find stuff, the club I joined is hidden pretty well: http://www.gpgc.net/

It's mostly skeet, which I suck at but plenty of help available. It's also waaaay less costly than the Dallas Gun Club.
 
Ed Ames - just curious but I wonder why you ask if Dave Mc was kidding with his answer?


Here in Ohio multiple talented shooters have been very helpful to me. I've probably gotten a lot of free instruction that's been worth a whole lot more than what I've paid for it. :)
 
Your thinking works for me, Ed. But I am surprised that there aren't more NRA certified shotgun courses in Texas. There's an opportunity for Dick Cheyney when he leaves office.
 
LOL... "Lawyers are strongly discouraged from taking this class." On the plus side, I hear Cheney's a big fan of 28ga and could explain some of the gauge's less commonly enjoyed benefits.

It's possible there are more NRA classes... they just aren't listed on the NRA web page.

Huckster... I asked if Dave was kidding because I didn't think he was being serious. It seems like going to a dance with no partner and hoping someone will see you, take pity on you standing there alone, and teach you to dance. Worse, it seems like choosing a hall at random and hoping there will be a suitable dance starting when you arrive.
 
Good point Ed - but I find shooting ranges to be a lot more hospitible than proms! :)

Seriously, if you show up at any trap range around where I live you're likely to get more help than you can process! When I started out all I had to say was "Well, I'd like to try trap or skeet but I've never done it...." and I couldn't get another word out before I had offers of help.
 
I just looked at it too, and the prices seem high in general. If you get what you pay for it might be worth it, but a beginner doesn't need to spend that much money to learn the basics.
Click to expand...

I've seen this guy on TV and he's quite impressive with that BB gun thing. I'd love to do it and I'm not a beginner, but yeah, the cost put me off big time. I go no ambition far as competition goes and so I miss a few birds, no biggy. ROFL! I've seen Tom Knapp miss a bird now and then on those wing shooting shows. :D I'm afraid I miss a few more than he does, but hell, limit early and what's the point???? LOL
 
Ed, I wasn't kidding. Most days at PGC new shooters get lots of help, even if they aren't looking like the blond cheerleader who just broke up with the football star.

And lots of ranges have a "Learn To Shoot" program. Besides the kids program, PGC has starting sessions for skeet, trap and SC.

HTH....
 
That's cool. My limited experience is ... well ... limited. In my last state of residence I went to one shotgun range and that was a "watch out for the golf carts" experience. Didn't seem like much of a place to get advice. Only shotgun-capable range I've looked at in my current state had two spring traps set up in "use 'em if you want to" mode and nobody was using them... that was all they had. But that's just me going to the wrong hall and not finding a dance. Story of my life really. :D

I'm just worried that next time I'll end up singing about how it's a mixed up muddled up shook up world, except for..... :eek:
 
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