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JUNE 2003 NEWSLETTER © Bruce Buck, editor

IMPORTANT–PULEEZ READ THIS! The date of the June Connecticut
Traveler’s National Wild Turkey Federation Northeast Sporting Clays
Championship shoot at Tamarack Preserve has been changed from June
22nd to: SUNDAY, JUNE 29TH Sunday,

May Minuet

Tamarack Preserve,

Millbrook, NY

May 18, 2003 May is a busy month on the shooting calendar. Although
the deluxe Tamarack Preserve is always a big draw, we were running
against the Masters at M&M in New Jersey and thus had a surprisingly
low turnout of only 69 shooters compared to 150 two years ago. Still,
Bob Vanacek’s targets were as good as ever and the roast duck luncheon
was superlative.

The targets were moderate distance, but sneaky. It was a knuckle ball,
not a fastball, course. With only three shooters managing to break
into the 80s, everyone had their hands full. On the other side of the
coin, the lower class scores were pretty good, indicating that there
may have been a glass ceiling, but generally the targets were quite
hittable.

Tamarack requires the use of fiber wads in order to reduce litter in
the woods. Many of our shooters had no experience with shells of this
type and were anxious as to whether there would be performance
problems, especially in overbored guns like the newer Citoris. These
shells are quite commonly used in England when shooting over arable
fields. I noticed quite a few “off sounding” shots on my squad at the
beginning of the day, but it wasn’t noticeable at the end of the day.
I think I just got used to the occasional different sound. At first I
paid a great deal of attention to how well the shells were breaking
the targets and also to the functioning of my gas gun. After a bit, it
became obvious that the targets broke normally and the autos
functioned correctly, so I forgot about it and enjoyed the shoot. I
heard no unfavorable comments from the owners of backbored Citoris
where gas seal problems might arise if there was an issue.

One of the more interesting shots was on the five-stand field. There
was a 20 yard hot rabbit crosser from 3 o’clock, followed by a
semi-chandelle quartering out from the right. For what it’s worth, I
like to shoot rabbits pre-mounted because you know exactly when and
where they will appear. Shoot the lower edge of the rabbit and
remember that rabbits generally require a less lead than an airborne
target, even though they may look just as fast.

One of the best descriptions of how to shoot a chandelle or battue
I’ve heard was from a Hi-Viz shooting pro at the Shot Show this year.
Because a chandelle is hooking so much, it’s very hard to use any
conventional sustain, pull away or swing through lead method. Try this
next time- let’s say the chandelle/battue is starting on your right,
crossing to your left in a big loop. Envision a rectangle with the
target in the upper right corner. Just stick your muzzle in the lower
left corner of the rectangle and yank yard. For many people, this
rectangle image is an easier way to deal with the necessity of getting
in front, but under the target.

There’s another chandelle/battue technique that has the shooter take
the bird absolutely at its apex by simply swinging through on a
horizontal line, cutting the trajectory of the target twice. This has
the advantage of maintaining good gun speed. So often we fixate on the
vertical movement of the chandelle/battue and forget that the target
still has considerable lateral movement.

Tamarack is one of the nicest clubs we shoot at and always offers
challenging and imaginative targets, fabulous catered luncheons and a
refined atmosphere without being stuffy. Don’t miss the Sunday, June
29th national Wild Turkey Federation Travelers shoot. It will be a
doozy.



HOA TED BURKE 88
I-1 Lavert Cypher 86
I-2 Vin LaScalza 78
II-1 Ted Fedun 79
II-2 Steve Andiorio 79*
II-3 Dean Anglace 77
III-1 Dennis Maffei 76
III-2 Kevin Sterk 74
III-3 Vin Fabano 70
IV-1 Joe Massey 68
IV-2 Lans Christensen 68*
IV-3 Peter Colomello 67
V-1 Joe Sproviero 68
V-2 Carlos Chaparro 65
V-3 Jim Thorsen 58
VI-1 Jack Buchmiller 41
VI-2 Bill Hawley 32
Msdm Edie Ellis 66
Ldy-1 Fran Gallogly 75
Ldy-2 Jan Allardt 62
Ldy-3 Susie Clarke 61
SrVet George Begbie 71
Vet-1 John Mohler 80
Vet-2 Al Anglace 76
Vet-3 Ed Moritt 74
Jr-1 Mike Fabano 62
Jr-2 Luke Sproviero 61
Jr-3 Jason Lenhart 58
Jr-4 Jason Costa 27
* ties decided by tie-breaker stations


GOT A SHOTGUN QUESTION…

If you have a question about shotguns or sporting clays, drop us an
email at CTSCA@email.com and we’ll see if we can find someone who can
answer it for you. What the heck, as the Technoid says: “Bad advice is
better than no advice at all.”

Courting Clays

East Mountain, Dover Plains, NY

May 4, 2003

by Lans Christensen

Despite a conflict with two other major shoots on the same day, our
annual Courting Clays event attracted 22 lucky couples. It was a
perfect spring day that greeted the group and things only improved
from there. George Holomakoff set the ideal mix of targets for the
event: enjoyable and hittable. Skeet chokes and #8’s worked all day,
but we all know that “close” does not always equal “easy”. It was a
course that brand new shooters (and we had several) could enjoy
without discouragement, and experienced shooters could use to practice
the art of staying focused and maintaining concentration. And there
were some good laughs when we wiffed on the 15 yard incoming beach
balls. The flush station is always a favorite, and it was tweaked this
year by throwing both 60 and 90mm targets at the same time.

Chef Mark provided flowers, chocolates, and an exceptional luncheon.
Our host poured admirable chardonnay and merlot, and the guests
happily recalled their brilliant shooting. The usual extravagant door
prize selection was made even more grand through the great generosity
of Jasen Jasensky’s daughter, Tina, and her company, Global Sourcing
Inc. Every couple was given a fine leather business binder/portfolio
from Tina before we even started with drawing names. In keeping with
tradition, no one went home with an empty trunk. As always, it was
great to see some of the ladies who don’t attend monthly shoots as
often as their partners. A bright new star appeared….Lindsay Davies
shot with her dad, Ed, and has the real look of a future champion.
This year we introduced the “Competition” division, but stressed that
it really only meant more fun, a chance for more loot, and hopefully,
to bring you back next year. Congratulations to all, and please come
again.

1st Jim & Anna Maria Collins 172
2nd Dom & Sue Uliano 167
3rd Carol Rizza & Fran Soltes 163
4th Lans & Debbe Christensen 160
5th Olive & John Lawlor 159
6th Fred & Carol Roesslein 154
7th Bob & Florence Solinski 152
8th Bob M & Fran(cine) C 152
9th Kip & Jan Allardt 141
10th Joyce & Al Anglace 132

NEWGATE COON CLUB…

To make shooting reservations for Wednesdays and weekends, contact Joe
Gimelli, email: coonclubclays@earthlink.net or tel: 860-738-3619. The
previous number we gave for club contact was incorrect. In addition to
full meals, which require reservations, the club also serves lighter
informal fare for shooters.

QUESTIONAIRE QUESTIONAIRE…

At the end of summer, we’ll mail out our bi-annual CTSCA
questionnaire. If you have a particular question you’d like included
in the questionnaire, feel free to send your suggestion to
CTSCA@email.com and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

THE TECHNOID CHOKES… OR NOT

Choke selection advice to the new sporting clays shooter…

As a very general rule of thumb, choose a choke and pellet size
appropriate to the distance and target area exposure. That said, a new
shooter is usually best off not changing chokes. If you picked an IC
choke and #8s, you'd be in the ballpark for most shots on most
courses. The one or two birds you might miss by not having exactly the
correct choke would be compensated for by hitting far more birds
because you were able to concentrate on watching the presentations
rather than fuss with changing chokes.

Changing chokes and shells is what gets you the last one or two birds.
Analyzing target flight is what gets you the first 70 or so targets.
In sporting clays, unlike trap and skeet where targets are shot at
known distances, misses are usually by a considerable margin due to
failure to understand the target trajectory. There really ought to be
a rule that says that shooters aren't allowed to change chokes at all
until they have a dozen shoots under their belts. It would be doing
them a favor.

There is a natural tendency for sporting clays shooters to fixate on
the selection of choke and shells (they always go together and you
can't discuss one without the other). It's something you have control
over. You can make a concrete decision and that makes you feel better.
As a gun writer I gleefully contribute to "gear mania" with my
Technoid columns.

People love swapping chokes and shells and making gun modifications
because they think it is performance that you can buy, not earn with
practice. But the fact of the matter is that it doesn't make too much
difference to the new shooter. To the pro shooter who will win or lose
the shoot by one bird, it sure makes a difference though. Most of the
pros pay attention to chokes and shells and the new shooters copy the
pros.

As to some of the pros shooting a lot of choke all the time (George
Digweed is a good example), he has simply made the observation that
his skill level is such that the occasional hole in his pattern will
cost him more birds than a consistently smaller pattern on the nearer
shots. Very, very, very few other shooters are in his league and most
would be better served with more forgiving patterns. When you learn to
shoot like George, then you can choke like George. It isn't the choke
selection that makes him shoot the way he does, that's for sure.

If you absolutely can't resist swapping chokes, make sure to pair the
chokes with the shells or you are only doing half the job. My general
rule of thumb for edge-on or slightly turned birds is

Skeet choke and #9s to 20 yards, Light Modified and #8s from 20~35
yards Full and #7-1/2s from 35 yards out.

The more the bird is thrown "face open" the more you can open your
chokes. If you have the slightest doubt as to what the bird is doing,
use a bit more choke and pellet. Better safe than sorry.

You may hear all sorts of drivel about how #9s are never right for
sporting or never needing a Full choke. Baloney. Skeet shooters know
darn well that a jug-full of #9s through a Skeet choke is the way to
run the birds. How many trap shooters use anything except Full and
#7-1/2s from 24 yards and back? Clay shooters would be well served to
learn from the experience of other disciplines in these instances.

Sporting clays gives rise to a lot of choke/pellet myths compared to
trap and skeet. In trap and skeet, millions of shooters have shot
billions of shells at exactly the same targets. They can make direct
comparisons as to what works and what doesn't. Seeing the same target
over and over again ensures that a little experimentation will produce
the best results. Everyone does it and everyone comes up with more or
less the same conclusions.

Not so in sporting clays. You can never spend enough time on one
particular presentation to know absolutely for sure what the ideal
choke/pellet combination is. I've seen guys break 40 yard crossers
with skeet choke and #9s. They then declare to the world that's all
you "need" for 40 yard crossers. Lunacy. If you absolutely perfectly
center a bird it might work, but over the long run with normal aiming
error, a full choke with #7-1/2s gives a larger effective kill zone.
Has to be. Got to be. But since that shooter may not see exactly the
same target again for months and months, he is more inclined to rely
on anecdotal evidence, rather than any in depth study.

It's amazing how many people will agonize over whether to use a Skeet
choke or an IC choke for a particular shot. Or an IC vs a Light Mod. A
full degree of choke only buys you another 5 yards! Half a degree of
choke (as in Skeet to IC or IC to Light Mod) gets you 2-1/2 yards!
Come on! That can't matter to a new shooter.

Here are some very rough numbers to support the above. I won't argue
that they are exact, but they are pretty close:

Cylinder bore (.000" constriction) produces about a 75% pattern at 20
yards. Improved Cylinder (.010") is 75% at 25 yards. Modified (.020")
is 75% at 30 yards. Improved Modified (.030”) is 75% at 35 yards. Full
(.040”) is 75% at 40 yards.

This means that when you are fussing around whether to use an IC or a
Mod, you have to be able to discern whether that bird is 25 or 30
yards away. Can you judge distance that accurately? On a bird against
the sky? Maybe so, maybe not.

Bottom line; save the fussing around with chokes and shells for the
time in the future when you have learned most of the presentations and
know what they take. As a new shooter, spend your valuable time before
you shoot in watching the targets and how the other shooters in front
of you address them. That will do you more good than sweating the
small details. There will be time enough for that later when one bird
more or less will be very important to you. For now, look at the
forest, not at the trees.




**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****

2003 SHOOTING CALENDAR

JUN 29 TAMARACK, NY-NAT’L WILD TURKEY FED CONCURRENT SHOOT
JUL * MID HUDSON, NY-CTSCA FITASC CHAMPIONSHIP
JUL 20 SANDANONA/ORVIS, NY-SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME
AUG 8~10 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI-GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC
SEP 14 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT-SMALL GAUGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
OCT 3~5 PENNSYLVANIA -FALL TRIP
OCT 19 MILLBROOK ROD & GUN, NY- OKTOBERSCHUTZENFEST
NOV 16 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
NOV * EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-KOEHLER SOC. FUNDRAISER THREE SHOT
DEC 14 MID-COUNTY, NY-DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
* An asterisk indicates an exact date still to be determined




*** OTHER SHOOTS OF INTEREST ***
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM


JUN 8 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY (845-877-6274) WIPE YOUR EYE 2 MAN SC
JUN 14 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI (401-568-3185) RGS SOCIETY NAT’L CH.
JUN 16~22 HOPKINS, MD (410-348-5287) US OPEN
JUN 21 FIN, FUR & FEATHER, CT (860-429-0172) DU FUN SHOOT + CLINIC
JUN 22 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) THREE SHOT SHOOT OUT
JUL 9~13 CLAYTHORNE, KS (620-597-2568) FITASC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUL 13 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI (401-568-3185) 16th ANNUAL DU SC OPEN
JUL 25-27 PEACE DALE, RI (401-789-3730) NEW ENGLAND FITASC CH
AUG 3 PEACE DALE, RI (401-789-3730) OPEN SC CHAMPIONSHIP
SEP 6 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) SPORTING CLAYS CLASSIC
SEP 9~14 NATIONAL GUNCLUB, TX (800- 877-5338) NSCA NATIONALS
OCT 11 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI (401-568-3185) CLAYS FOR STRAYS SC CH
NOV 2 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) THREE SHOT SHOOT OUT
NOV 7~9 PEACE DALE, RI (401-789-3730) FALL FITASC CH
DEC 7 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) CHRISTMAS AT THE COON



CONTACTING THE TRAVELERS...

CTSCA Home Office: Email <ctsca @email.com> (by far the best way) or
telephone 860-354-9351 if you absolutely must.

Membership, Address Changes and Shooting Class status: Contact Cyndi
Dalena at 860-582-3142 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Or Email
shotguncyndi@prodigy.net

Guide Book questions, contact Dick Orenstein <oren@umich.edu> or call
203-226-5251.

To place an ad, post a shoot date in Reload! or simply heap abuse on
the editor, contact Bruce Buck at tel: 203-454-1080, fax: 707-215-0668
or email: <bcb23@columbia.edu>.



NOTE NEW DATE!!!!!!

**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2003
NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION NORTHEAST S.C. CHAMPIONSHIP
TAMARACK PRESERVE, MILLBROOK, NY

Continuing the successful format of the last few years, in lieu of our
usual “Bustin’ Out” June shoot, we are uniting with our good friends
at Tamarack Preserve to support the National Wild Turkey Federation.
The June shoot is 150 birds over Two courses! That’s right. 150 of the
little darlins. Eighteen stations. Two courses. It’s a big deal. The
Travelers will have their own shoot within a shoot. We will run a
concurrent tied in with the Tamarack scores we shot in May. Don’t ask
how. You don’t know how electricity works or why grass is green
either. Just have faith that there will be all sorts of
prizes. Registration is 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM. This is European
Start. Begin shooting between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Your starting
course will be preselected, but the rest is up to you. A fancy catered
gourmet luncheon is served after you finish shooting both courses.

Entry is $140 pre-registered, $160 walk-in. Tamarack requires fiber
wads shell and these shells are included in your entry fee. They have
12 and 20 ga. Since the NWTF is a 501-c-3 charitable organization, the
entry fee may be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Jakes
(Juniors) 17 and under shoot for $25. Note that registration is sent
directly to Tamarack, NOT to the CTSCA and the check is made out to
the “National Wild Turkey Federation”. Travelers $55 “shoot credit
awards” are not redeemable at this particular shoot. Also, because
this is an open “mixed” shoot, Travelers subgauge HANDICAPS will be
SUSPENDED to keep the scorers sane.

Directions to Tamarack Preserve, Millbrook, NY:

From US84/NY22 junction take NY 22 North about, more or less, sort of
35 miles to traffic light in Amenia, NY. Go West (left) on NY 44 for
2.9 miles to Turkey Hollow Road on Left. Look for Tamarack sign.

From the Taconic Parkway, take the NY 44 exit. Go East on NY 44 for
1.7 miles. Go Left onto NY 44-A heading East for 3.2 miles, then
merging back onto NY 44 East. Continue on NY 44 East for 6.7 miles to
Turkey Hollow Road on Right. Look for Tamarack sign.

If lost, strayed or stolen, the Tamarack Preserve number is
845-373-7084.

EYE AND EAR PROTECTION ARE MANDATORY AT TRAVELERS’ SHOOTS!

INTERNET READERS: The National Wild Turkey Federation shoot at
Tamarack Preserve on June 29, 2003 is an OPEN SHOOT. Members of the
public are cordially invited.