clay pigeon shooting on your own...

D

divil

New member
Wondering if anyone manages this, and how exactly, assuming you don't have expensive automatic traps etc. ?

I used to live near a great clay pigeon shooting range with dozens of automatic traps and I really miss shooting clays, but I shoot mostly on my own these days.

Anyone tried those launchers that you operate with a foot pedal?

Anyone know if it's feasible to throw your own clays with one hand while you hold the gun with the other...? (maybe that's a dumb question, I can imagine it working though)
 
Most of those cheapie spring loaded throwers you can buy have a string attached to the release mechanism. You pull the string and it launches the clay. This makes it feasible for one person to shoot clays. But, I've found that those throwers really need to be mounted to a spare tire or driven into the ground good to work. And when they work, they still produce pretty weak throws.

The only other experience I have is with a hand thrower. I imagine it would be possible to use that with one person, but very hectic and possibly dangerous :D

My brother tells me his friend has one that mounts to his trailer hitch that seems to work ok.

Those throwers you hook up to a car battery look pretty good, but then you have to have a trickle charger and they cost about $300.
 
Those throwers you hook up to a car battery look pretty good, but then you have to have a trickle charger and they cost about $300.
Click to expand...

You can buy a solar-powered trickler for deep=cycle marine batteries - we have them at our club for our 5-stand and FITASC fields - ran about $100 several years ago....prices have come down on that technology
 
I've got an old Trius that works well but needs to be bolted to an old car wheel to stay in place. It throws singles, doubles, even tin cans.
 
A foot release seems like a better idea than trying to shoot one handed. Before our club got a phono-pull system, I recall world champion Alan Clark practicing solo in flip-flops and launching targets with his toe on the pickle.
 
Champion Targets EasyBrid Auto-Feed Trap is what I use:

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=CM409101&src=tpMfg

Sears Deep cycle battery. 1 charge is worth something like 8000 clay throwns.

WalMart battery charger http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SpeedCharge-6-Amp-Battery-Charger/13005743


CM409101.jpg
 
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When you have your spring loaded trap staked to the ground you can have a rope with little slack staked at one end and attached to the release lever on the other. When you want to trow, step on the string to pull the lever and shoot your bird. You can tie a looped end to your leg, but I think it's a bit dangerous to have the trap trigger tied to your leg. One mis step while loading and you could really hurt yourself. Throwing for yourself with a manual trap would be a challenge unless you are a champiion shooter. rc
 
I have one of the foot pedal throwers and it works exactly as advertised. Cocking it raises the foot lever but it's not under any spring tension. Stepping down on the pedal tensions the spring and then releases the arm at the bottom of the stroke. It might take some fine-tuning to get it to fire when it's supposed to. It's also possible to throw stacked doubles or spread doubles. Like all of the spring throwers, it wants to walk around as it's used and you have to periodically reposition it to get the targets to go where you want them.

I load the target(s) and then hold my gun in the low-ready position with my left foot up on the lever and most of my weight on my right (back) foot. I transfer some weight to my left foot and simultaneously straighten my left leg. If I've done it correctly, I should end up in a decent stance just when the clays launch.

What I don't like about all of the spring throwers is that they only allow one target presentation. A few years ago, I bought a do-all automatic thrower with key-fob remote and 50 target feeder. Now I can practice just about any presentation I can think of, even when I'm by myself. I mounted it in my barn loft but it could just as easily be mounted to a small trailer or wagon if I needed it to be mobile. I just charge up the battery with a regular battery charger and it lasts a long time. When it starts sounding weak, I recharge it. Absolutely worth every penny.
 
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Buy some grandkids.

No seriously I have one of those spring loaded, string pulling contraptions. It works real well. I have it set up were I step on the string as I step into my stance. It works real well.
 
I bought a Trius One Step a few years ago for those times when I want to shot by myself and for the money I am very pleased with it. Pretty much throws straight away from you and not much else , but still simple and fun.
 
One man, one foot

As kids with limited budget, I'd balance a clay on the top of my foot and kick it out! Developed some bad habits though, as you can imagine; jumping a bird; dancing and shooting got me some funny looks. ;)
 
Dont get an automatic thrower. Unless you have a big group of ppl always shooting or you have money to spend, then Id say go for it.

My friends and I shoot clays informally at a state gamelands range near us. I, along with another friend of mine, have a Trius clay thrower. Its perfect - it has a seat, takes 15mins to put together, is well built, and throws clays perfectly. You can adjust the angle at which the clay is thrown, and you can throw anything from a single to a triple.

This is it:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=110001

Dont waste your time with the foot-action throwers, they do the job but its a pain in the butt bending down and cocking them for 3 hours straight. Plus your gonna pay the same amount for the seated thrower than you will a stick-in-the-ground thrower.
 
foot

I have one of the foot pedal throwers and it works exactly as advertised. Cocking it raises the foot lever but it's not under any spring tension. Stepping down on the pedal tensions the spring and then releases the arm at the bottom of the stroke. It might take some fine-tuning to get it to fire when it's supposed to. It's also possible to throw stacked doubles or spread doubles. Like all of the spring throwers, it wants to walk around as it's used and you have to periodically reposition it to get the targets to go where you want them.
Click to expand...

+1. I have had exactly the same experience. If you are shooting by yourself, it's the way to go.
Pete
 
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