Skeet, gotta know when to DUCK

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OkieCruffler

New member
A few weeks back I learned the hard way. Shooting the low 8 and wasn't really paying any attention since I never hit the danged thing anyway. Well, like my grandpappy always said, even a blind nut sometimes finds a squirrel, (Never really understood that) and I managed to hit it just enough to break it in 2. Now one of those pieces just sailed out into the feild as pretty as you please, but that other peice, it had revenge on its mind. Flying straight and fast like some dove outta hell it zeroed in on my mellon. Smacked me dead center in the forehead and took about a 2 inch bite out of the hide. I guess it was a good thing, I've never heard those fellas laugh that hard. I'll tell you this much, I'm gonna start working on that low 8 to make sure I never hit it again.
 
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71Eagle

New member
Revenge

Better your noggin than your gun, your head will heal. I had a pretty big chip hit my stock one time and made a nice divit, and I wasn't even the one shooting!
 
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zippy13

New member
Yep, you don't wanna blink at eight. That's a good reason to learn how to ink ball the targets there. And, it's not uncommon to be bloodied by target shards from adjacent fields.

ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN SHOOTING SKEET, OR NEAR AN ACTIVE FIELD.
 
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OkieCruffler

New member
I've been hit a few times but never in the noggin or even been hurt. We do have a shard that is enbedded in one of the wooden deviding fences, that one would have hurt. And I hate wearing a hat, makes me look old.
 
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TheKlawMan

Moderator
I have been hit in the hand once by a teensy piece of a clay. If it was my eye that would have been serious. Do as Zippy says and always wear eye protection.
 
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PJR

New member
ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN SHOOTING SKEET, OR NEAR AN ACTIVE FIELD.
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Same with sporting clays. A large piece of a very high chandelle that I'd poorly hit got caught by the wind came down directly onto my Decots as my attention was focused on the second target. Cuts to the face and I had a lovely shiner the next day but were it not for my glasses I would quite likely be blind in my left eye.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, shoots with me or is around me while I'm shooting without wearing eye protection.
 
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zippy13

New member
Often, old time trap shooters, who're accustomed to away targets, aren't aware of the hazards from shards and stray pellets and they get a rude awakening when trying crossing shots. Too many shooters assume safety glasses are just in case a gun blows up.
 
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BigJimP

New member
I shoot about 350 rounds of skeet a year - and t doesn't happen that often ....I get hit 4 or 5 times a year - and it rarely breaks the skin --- but I got hit yesterday with a small chunk of clay from station 8 - in the left cheek. ( .. it was for a 24 ...so no revenge could be taken )....it was just the skeet gods getting their licks in !

No big deal - scratch on my cheek is only about an inch long ...and it bled a little ...so its clean.../ nothing to dig out ...( and I'm happy it hit me in the face and not one of my squadmates ...and it didn't scratch my gun ..) ...but I always wear a hat and glasses...just in case.

We've been shooting these bio-degradeable targets at my club for a few months --- and we seem to be getting more big pieces off of these targets - even if we hit them pretty hard ( but I could have hit that one a little harder ...and its just part of the game ).
 
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.300 Weatherby Mag

New member
We've been shooting these bio-degradeable targets at my club for a few months --- and we seem to be getting more big pieces off of these targets - even if we hit them pretty hard ( but I could have hit that one a little harder ...and its just part of the game ).
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My range used those for several months and my experience was the same... Lots of big pieces... In the last month they have switched back to the traditional Whiteflyer targets... Out of curiosity... Did the biodegradable targets your club used have a white core or emit a white puff when shot??
 
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BigJimP

New member
Yes, they seem to emit a lot of extra white puffy dust when we hit them hard ...

They're a little harder to break ...and when it rains / the litter on the ground gets greasy ...and since we seem to have more litter - it's like a bunch of snail trails all over .../ and they're harder to sweep up off the concrete walkways or station pads after they get wet.

They don't fly very consistently either - especially if you get any breeze at all / but they're cheaper - so that's why a lot of clubs have gone to them - in my opinion. I know technically they're bio-degradeable ...but I think they'll still take many, many years - to really break down ...so I think its more "marketing speak" than anything else...
 
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Rugerismisticness

New member
I agree, those Bio targets are hard. I girl I was shooting with was using #9 shot at 20 yard crossers and just seemed to dust all of them. I handed her a mix of 7.5s and 8s, then she started racking points. IMHO, clay smoke should be black.
 
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OkieCruffler

New member
I have a pair of shooting glasses with an inch long deep gouge on the left lens from a shattered target that I keep in my range box to show people. If I hadn't been wearing them that day my depth perception would be shot today.
 
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zippy13

New member
If I hadn't been wearing them that day my depth perception would be shot today. ​
My friend, as well we know, it's a lot easier to get new glasses than new eyes.

There was a shooting demo on YouTube a while back. I made the comment that the shooter should have been wearing eye protection. I couldn't believe the grief I got: some folks thought shooting glasses were totally unnecessary and others called me a sissy for wearing them. Different strokes for different folks.
 
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OkieCruffler

New member
I have a more unfortunate reminder than just those glasses. My brother lost his left eye when he was 6. He was shooting a friend's red ryder at the pond. BB gun, what could happen. He shot a half full bottle of coke that had been sitting in the sun and it exploded. A piece of glass just wrecked his eye. I can still vividly remember seeing the fluid running down his face. Hard to get me to do anything without glasses since then. Only wish I would have protected my ears as well.
 
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