First Time shooting Clays

Misfires and Bloopers

Ii don't believe anyone covered a couple of other safety tips.

MISFIRES: A misfire is if nothing happens like when the primer fails to fire. You may hear a click but that is all. I may not have this right and jump in all if I don't, but keep your barrle pointed down range and DO NOT immediately open the action to eject the misfire. It may still "cook off"; meaning it may fire.

Wait at least 30 seconds and then, with the gun still pointed downrange, eject the bad round. At that point, I think it best to try to discharge it downrange. Sometimes a second firing pin strike will do the trick and sometimes it helps to try the second barrel if you have one.

BLOOPERS: A Blooper is when nothing but the primer ignites. You hear a funny little bloop sound and see your shot shoot a few feet ahead of you. DO NOT attempt to fire another round until your barrel is cleared, as the plastic wad may be stuck in the barrel. There are different ways to check to see if the barrel is clear and to clear a wad if it is present. Learn how to do so for your type of action. If you do not know, ask somebody on the line and they will be glad to help. If no one knows, as a range staff member. Firing down a barrel with a wad stuck in it is what I believe oneounceload calls bad juju.
I may have this all wrong

I thought to add how some people clear bloopers. Some clear a semi or a pump by blowing down the muzzle and blowing the wad into the open breech. I do not recommend this. My friend BigJimP told me about dropping a brass weight down the barrel to clear it. Much safer. If now one has a weight, there are ones sold just gor this purpose but I do not remember what they are called, you might try a clenaing rod or a fuzzy stick. You can even remove a barrel, clear it, and replace it in a couple of minues or less. It is even easier to clear a barrel on a break open action. Just open it and look down the barrel from the breach end.
 
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Klaw - a blooper is any round that is underpowered - not just a primer only - a short stroke on the MEC can drop a partial powder charge and the result is a soft-sounding blooper

As to the light strike - I get them now and again from Nobel primers and only in the lower barrel of my Browning - a common issue with Brownings in general. IF you know your gun then waiting can be a non-issue - I know I can open the action and move the shell top the top barrel where it will work fine next time I pull the trigger
 
Trap Microphones

Do not talk when the microphones are on less you accidentally set off clays. The mikes can sometimes be triggered by the sound of ejecting a pump gun. Especially if you are standing very close to a mike or if it is sensitive. When I shoot my pump, I try not to stand to near the mike.
 
Bloopers

Oneounce. I was thinking that a blooper could also be a poor powder burn, but just yesterday a guy told me that was unlikely, when I said I thought it possible. He is a nice guy but you probably have 20 times the experience so I will defer to you and to what I told him, which was that I had heard that insufficient powder packing pressure can cause a blooper. I think I learned that here and perhaps from you.

As for moving the FTF to the top barrel, I have had to FTF with the Browning. One fired fine when moved to the top barrel. The other didn't and was just a dud. Mu buddy had one yesterday in his Beretta. It was a Remington primer and both strikes looked sound, but it wouldn't fire from either lower or top barrels.

I tried to differentiate between a FTF when the primer doesn't fire and a blooper when it fires but the powder doesn't burn. You are aboslutely right that a primer may fire but for some reason you only get a partial powder burn. It could be that the primer fires, but weakly, not enough powder dropped, no powder dropped, insufficient wad pressure, . . . .
 
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I don't know about wad poppers or wad knockers. I always preferred . . . . Out of respect for any ladies on the board I am self censoring this.
 
Use a skeet choke or Imp cylinder if possible. Fixed choke, oh well. :rolleyes:
Station 5 is a 4 ft lead....lol!

1ounce had a very good point. If you can shoot station 7 and 1 if you can. Also asked the puller to throw you all singles. They won't care and it will give you a chance to get the hang of close fast moving targets.

Have fun, everybody had to shoot their first round. ;)
 
I carried a 415 Rigby with spent primer filled with shot and a slug pressed into place. Most sporting clay stands had a way of the sticks disappearing.
 
Not only can a skeet choke be used, if you don't want to go buy a new choke, an improved cylinder has always worked for me. But anything smaller I don't think, would be recommended.
 
Sure, you can use a improved cylinder choke on the Skeet field, or you can use a cylinder choke on the Skeet field, but the preferred choke is Skeet. Why… because they break more targets -- would you bowl with an undersized ball?
 
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