THE TECHNOID TAKES MORE GAS... As most Travelers know by
now, the Technoid (often in error, but never in doubt) has long espoused
the virtues of the semi-automatic shotgun for sporting clays. As you are
also probably aware, he is generally ignored in this preference by the
overwhelming majority of shooters- both beginner and expert alike.
Well folks, the mountain is slowly coming to Mohammed- toldyouso,
toldyouso. (Our Twinkie munching, slide rule thumping, pocket
protectored Guru of Gear never could resist a nice satisfying gloat.)

Gas gun usage among the Travelers is up- way up. Gas guns
traditionally have been "learners" guns in sporting, discarded as soon as
the new shooter can afford a "real sporting clays gun". Surprisingly
enough, the switch to gas is occurring among the more seasoned and
serious shooters. Starting at the top, Andy Duffy has been seen setting
up a Browning Gold semi-auto for sporting clays. Andy says that he
intends to use the gun in competition next year. This means that the
country's two best sporting shooters, Andy and Scott Robertson, will be
using semi-autos. Many other top shooting Travelers have switched over
or started shooting the gas gun again.

At the moment, the gun of choice is one of the Beretta models.
The older, lighter barreled flat ribbed 301, 302 or 303 models are being
replaced by the new, more weight forward stepped rib 390 model. It is
hard to tell if this is a preference or an availability decision. The new
390 Beretta gas system really can handle any shell from hot 1 1/4 oz
FITASC loads to 7/8 oz training loads. Break downs are virtually non-
existent.


Remington's 11-87 seems to have fallen out of favor after a spate
of parts breakage problems, but it is still a beautifully balanced gun.
Right now, those two brands are the popular choices. We will wait and
see how Andy does with the Browning. A big win or two will put it on
the map.

What has suddenly become so good about the gas gun? Nothing
new really. Target versions the Beretta 300 series have been around for
quite a while. The new A390 model is evolutionary, not revolutionary.

What may have changed is the shooter. When American sporting
clays started in 1986-87 we tried to copy the English in all respects.
With one or two exceptions, the English preferred the O/U. They still
do. The Americans tried to shoot what the English were shooting.

In recent years, American shooters have matured and no longer
reflexively copy everything English. Sure, the Brits are still the guys to
beat, but the gap is narrowing very fast and our UK cousins can no
longer count on paying for their US vacation by fleecing the sheep at a
few of our big money shoots.

Now that more and more of our shooters have been in the game
five or more years, they are making their own decisions on equipment
based on how they shoot, not on how someone else does.

For many recoil has started to take its inevitable toll. Beginning
shooters think that this will never happen to them, but it always does.
The choice soon becomes one of avoiding recoil by shooting lighter and
less efficient loads, or switching to softer recoiling guns and using all
that the law allows. If the recoil from a one ounce load and a 1 1/8 oz
load were exactly the same, which would you pick? What about
shooting 1 1/4 oz loads for FITASC? If your O/U makes you sacrifice
pellet count for control and recoil, it may be time to look around.

As the targets become longer, especially on the advanced courses
in Travelers turf, the unequalled ultra long sighting plane of the gas gun
becomes more attractive. An auto has an extra 3 1/2" of receiver, so a
30" barreled auto is almost equivalent to a 34" O/U, but without the
gross muzzle weight of the most recent screw choked long barreled
Berettas and Citoris. The gas guns can now actually be better balanced
than some currently popular O/Us.

As shooters become more sophisticated, they start to look for
little ways to improve their gun fit. Moving an O/Us stock up, down or
sideways involves having it bent. The auto's stock can be shimmed
around at will with just a screw driver and a couple of pieces of plastic.
It can be made to fit absolutely perfectly with no compromise. It is easy
to readjust it to account for changes in the shooter's weight or shooting
style. With the O/U, it is back to the bender yet again.

Some gas guns are much more reliable now. While the
Remingtons have some problems, the Berettas do not. The Technoid's
Beretta 303 is approaching 30,000 rounds with no broken parts. It is
averaging less than one malfunction per 1500 rounds (if you discount
that time last month when he tried to drown it). Most O/Us cannot boast
three seasons of shooting without any breakage.

When the gas gun does go down, it can be repaired with a few
simple tools and inexpensive spare parts. When something goes on the
O/U, your shoot is over right then and there. Field repairs are out of
the question.

A final reason for the resurgence of the gas gun may be that
many shooters have tried all the other guns and this is the only one left
to try before they have to start blaming themselves. No one wants to
accept plateauing scores. The superior shooting ease of the gas gun
often helps a shooter break into the next scoring level.

There it is. Another dose of salts from your self appointed and
opinionated Mogul of the Mechanism, the Technoid.