Happiness is a warm gun... (but then again, so is a warm jacket)

My tale of huntin’ and shootin’ continues with the events of the Saturday afternoon.

When we set out we normally get 50 rounds each. This gives each one of us a 1 in 50 chance of hitting at least one clay.

We chatted, laughed and walked in the fresh air and enjoyed the scenery. The shooting ranges are situated on the outskirts of the 9 hole golf course, all this means is that we are in more danger of being hit by a golfers shots than a golfer is of being hit by our shots.

There are a number of shooting ranges at Cluny. We started, logically, at range number one and decided logically, who would shoot first. Logically in our case being, who happened to have picked up the shotgun first when we left the “armoury”.

At the first range, we decided from the choice of “A” or “B” what pattern of “launch” we thought we could handle, more importantly, what would make us look good in front of strangers. Egos are at stake in circumstances like this.

Clays come from all directions depending on what range you go to, this gives you a chance to test your skills and laugh at your friends inability to hit a small circular object travelling at high speed at a good height, of course the roles are reversed at the next range. For anyone who has never seen a clay pigeon the average one is roughly 100mm (4 inches) in diameter and 25mm (1 inch) in height. They come in two basic colours, black and orange. There are smaller ones for the more experienced shooter, but for us anything the size of a barn door will do.

Range number 2 gave us another chance to use our sharpshooter like skill and shoot lots of fresh air, and the occasional clay. One thing we did notice was that Raymond’s son was a slightly better shot than he was. Raymond’s excuse, “the heat from the barrel must be steaming up my contact lenses.” Yeah, sure it is, it couldn’t just be that he is a better shot than you are could it?

Because we had a younger member with us, (not shown here, this is actually Raymonds son) we had hired out a bolt-action small-bore rifle. The youngest that anyone is allowed to be, in order to use any sort of weapon (shotguns, air rifles, bow and arrow) at Cluny is 10 years of age. The bolt-action fires narrow gauge shotgun cartridges. With this weapon, we got a box of 25 rounds. I have to say that he was not the only one that used it. We all had a go. Range number 2 gave us a chance to “pot” clays with the Beretta 12 bore and the bolt-action. We actually felt a bit more skilful using the bolt-action, and it was pretty cool chambering a round in the way we knew our fathers who had served in the army did with their old (new then) Lee Enfield .303’s.

The most important thing for our young companion to learn was not how to hit clay in flight, but weapons safety. If any one reading this blog ever goes shooting, whether it is with shotguns, pistols or air rifles please always remember Safety First. Always treat a weapon, any weapon, as if it is live and loaded. We showed him how to carry the bolt-action, and to make sure the chamber was empty, and that the firing bolt is pulled back showing the chamber is empty. We explained about carrying a shotgun. Always make sure the gun is “broken” (opened exposing the chambers, this makes it impossible to fire) and to remove any rounds whether discharged or not, from the weapon. Try not to drop a round. The likelihood of it actually going off is slim, but you never know. He nodded politely and we went on our way. I suppose by the end of the day he was sick of hearing it, as we would repeat this at every range but we didn’t care. Stay alert, stay alive, always a good motto to live by.

Range number 3 led to more scattering of shot in all directions and banter and pleasant, light-hearted mockery, as well as more safety advice.

Range number 4 was different from the last time we went. Each occasion we have been to Cluny there has been a change, sometimes it is subtle sometimes it is pretty big. This isn’t annoying it is entertaining. A new landscape or new launcher means a new challenge!

The clays are launched either towards you, away from you or across your field of vision. In some cases, they roll across the ground to simulate land-based targets. In other cases they can be launched almost simultaneously, this is known as a driven pair. They can be a bit difficult to hit, but when you do this, it gives you a warm feeling of satisfaction inside. That feeling increases when you do it a second time. The smugness just grows and so does the grin across the face.

We moved from range 4 to range 5 and then onto range 6, repeating our successes and mistakes at every opportunity. Moving back through the track we headed towards the multi-shoot area. This gives you eight different launchers that not only vary in direction but also in speed. When you press the launch button, you have no idea what will happen next, this keeps you on your toes, and weaving and bobbing like a prize fighter in the boxing ring. At the command “Pull” the clay sores into the sky from nowhere and is “dusted” in the air by your shot or lands, smashing into the ground into a dozen bits.

The day was passing well, fun was being had. If the Clay Pigeon was a species all I can say is that as long as we are hunting it, this species will not only survive but flourish. Our success rate was about 50% for each of us, but that’s only part of the fun. The idea is to enjoy the day and the company, and I can honestly say that is what we did. We also enjoyed the very tasty meal that we had afterwards and of course the conversation and the wit and banter of good friends, both old and new and with that I bid you goodbye and farewell.

The Long and Winding Road... (to Cluny)

Saturday Morning...

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head… or words to that effect, not my words I have to say, but the words of Lennon and McCartney.

After getting ready I made sure I was fully prepared for the day ahead. Money, check, Camera, check, safety glasses, check, warm clothing, check, hat in case of rain, check, and also in case of raining bits of clay pigeon (this sometimes happens if you “pot” one as it passes over head. Sometimes the little blighters have one last go at you before they end up the ground.

My mate Alan collected me about 11am, and then we headed off to the Kingdom of Fife for a day of fun, buns and clay pigeon genocide.

The drive is a pleasant one, using many country roads and passing many places of interest. The Champnay Inn, very expensive and too fancy for the likes of us, well for our wallets anyway, further along there is The House of the Binns; this is the “country-seat” of the Dalziel family, the most famous member of that family being the Member of Parliament “Tam” Dalziel. In case you are wondering its pronounced Dee-el, don’t ask my why, it just is.

The journey is a nice relaxing one, sometimes due to the fact you are stuck behind some kind of farm machinery, which I’m sure is capable of more than 5 miles per hour, although that doesn’t always help relaxation. There are fields to the right and left occupied by farm houses and wildlife.

The first part of the pleasant journey comes to an end at a village called Newton just on the way to the round-about leading to the Forth Road Bridge, a kind of Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco look-a-like for anyone that doesn’t know it.
The views up to the bridge and on the bridge are spectacular. The journey over the bridge gives the passenger a chance to see some wonderful views along the River Forth. To the left, running up the “coast” of the Forth there are the towns of Blackness, then Bo’ ness, then on towards Grangemouth, to the right here are small islands in the Forth only approachable by boat, but lovely to see either in a car crossing the bridge or when walking across the length of the bridge. This is not recommended in high winds. Please do not try this at home!

Once over the bridge we were well on our way. On the way to Cluny many names of places whiz by that mean nothing to anyone other than the people who live there, places like Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Cardenden. This is possibly the most monumental due to the fact that it is the birthplace of fictional detective, and anti-hero John Rebus, as created by son of Cardenden, Ian Rankin.

When we got there, we sat down in the comfortable bar area with its open coal and log fire and got ourselves some warm drinks, tea for me and coffee for Big Al! Also, we splashed out on a couple of cakes, just for the sugar-rush you understand, to keep us motivated.

About 10 minutes later Ray and Phil turned up. The original “4 musketeers” plan was changed somewhat by the arrival of Ray’s son, Phil’s new “lay-dee” and her son. So we sat and bantered until we could wait no longer. We then headed to the “armoury” and selected our weapons and ammunition of choice. I won’t bore you, dear reader, with the technicalities of shotguns or cartridges, just to say it would hurt if it hit you. How exactly did we do? Well, that will have to wait till my next entry.

A Day in the Life (or maybe more)

A very good, dear friend of mine suggested I try this, (you know who you are), and I said I'd give it a go. So you have only yourself to blame.

Tomorrow 3 friends and I are going to meet up for the first time in months. We try to meet up about 3 or 4 or sometimes even 5 times a year and have a good day or good night out. Tomorrow we head back to one of our favourite places, Cluny Clays in Fife.

Cluny Clays is a “sporty” place. It caters for all kinds of people. You can go golfing, practice on the golf range, do archery, air rifle target practice, and, in our case clay pigeon shooting.

We’ve known each other for years, before and during our clay pigeon carnage we go hiking, hill walking, and play a bit of squash, it has to be said though that as real life starts to prey on our time we find the clays easier. We first started this about 4 years ago. We're not particularly good at it but we don’t care... we have fun. There is no real competition going on... just bragging rights.

Some people don't get the appeal. But then again, I don’t get the appeal of throwing myself out of a perfectly functioning aircraft, wearing a big nylon hankie that will float me to the ground. But lots of people do, and good luck to them. Also there is something quite good about being able to say "you're not as good as I am" to a mate, but in a friendly, meaningless way. Hey, let’s face it, it’s better than killing real things, and that we just don’t do. Cluny Clays give us the chance to attack small defenceless round objects with high velocity Beretta Silver Pigeon "S" 28" 12 bore Shotguns. It’s also a chance to unwind and have a bit of friendly banter... and the odd bit of friendly abuse. It’s always been good weather when we're there, never too hot never too cold, but then again, it is Scotland, so it'll never get too hot.

Raymond is probably the best shot out of the four of us, but I wouldn't let him know that, it would only give him an over inflated opinion of his own ability, and we can't have that, can we. The day starts about 12pm with tea or coffee and sticky buns... then we prepare ourselves, safety glasses, ear protection, and jackets with plenty of pockets and shoulder padding. Not exactly the "huntin' and shootin'" brigade, but pretty smart none the less.

After that we decide which one of the "shoots" we start with first. Each one has its own charm, some are easier than others, but we try and challenge ourselves and each other every time. It’s also a chance to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the countryside, all be it with loud bangs disturbing the peace, but hey, we can't have everything, and let’s face it, we're making the noise ourselves, so we can't really complain about it.

Well, I have started this blog. There will be more to add and I’ll take any constructive comments. I'll add some pictures as well to give you an idea (maybe this isn’t such a good idea now I think about it) of what kind of people we are. Let me know what you think.