ROD & GUN CLUB


Our first R&G Club competitive shoot team. From left to right: Dick Singleton, Steve Blevins, Gary McCarbery, Kathy Blevins, Al Gaer


The SLV Rod & Gun Club offers a fun skeet shoot every Tuesday at the Hickory Knob State Park skeet and archery range. The shoot is attended by ladies and gentlemen interested in challenging their skills (and sometimes their patience). We are


SKEET SHOOTING A Fun Sport at SLV


by KEN WILES


comprised of all skill levels from beginner (never tried this before) to very skillful and accomplished shooters.


The challenge of the sport is to hit this “little” clay disk, 4 5/16” in diameter by 1 1/8” thick, with a shotgun. Sound simple? I thought; so until I tried and then I wondered how can you miss that “bird/ pigeon” at a distance of maybe 15 to 50 feet with a shotgun??? Did I mention


that it is moving through the air at varying speeds, angles, heights and sometimes complicated by the wind moving the bird to who knows where! This is what a skeet range looks like. It has eight shooting stations. The shooter shoots from seven positions on a semicircle with a radius of 21 yards, and an eighth position halfway between stations 1 and 7. There are two houses that hold devices known as “traps” that launch the targets, One at each corner of the semi-circle. The traps launch


20 • March 2017 • SavannahShorelines.com


the targets to a point 15 feet above ground and 18 feet outside of station 8. One trap launches targets from 10 feet above the ground (“high” house) and the other launches it from 3 feet above ground (“low” house).


At stations 1 and 2 the


shooter shoots at single targets launched from the high house and then the low house, then shoots a double where the two targets are launched simultaneously but shooting the high house target first. At stations 3, 4, and 5 the shooter shoots at single targets launched from the high house and then the low house. At stations 6 and 7 the shooter shoots at single targets launched from the high house and then the low house, then shoots a double, shooting the low house target first then the high house target. At station 8 the shooter shoots one high target and one low target.


The shooter must then re-shoot his first missed target or, if no targets are missed, must shoot his 25th shell at the low house station 8. This 25th shot was once referred to as the shooter’s option, as he was able to take it where he preferred. Now, to speed up rounds in competition, the shooter must shoot the low 8 twice for a perfect score.


The club has over 200 active members with approximately 30 taking active/semi-active participation in skeet shooting. The club also sponsors Skeet Teams (a team has 5 members called a squad) for competitive shooting. Their first shoot was against


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