Joining the Rod and Gun Club

[Michael Antle]

Hey folks. I've been out busting clays with friends now for years. Just once in a while for some shooting fun. I've been thinking about joining the rod and gun club to get into a more "formal" way of shooting clays. Anyone do this regularly? How often does the club hold events or allow guys to come in and shoot clays? Are their any tournaments or competitions held?

[Mike Smith]

I'm a member of the club and shoot trap regularly.

 

Trap shooting is the shooting of clay targets launched by voice control from one of the 4 trap houses at the club. Each round of singles is 25 rounds, 5 at each of the five positions. Doubles is 50 rounds, 5 pairs from each of the 5 stations. Then there is handicap, which is singles shot from further back then the normal 16 yard line.

 

There are competitions throughout the year, a list can be found on the website. Theres a regular trap shoot every sunday from spring to fall (exact dates are on teh site). At these shoots, some are registered shoots (for members of the clun in the Amature Trap Association) but there is always room for ANYONE to shoot even if you dont join and register your rounds with teh ATA.  Later in the year there are only a few of us up there on sundays always just for fun, and we ususally contact each other through email to see who/if were going shooting. Yesterday 4 of us shot 4 rounds in teh cold and snow!!!

 

Wednesday evenings all summer theres a sporting clays shoot, from suppertime till dark. They use spring loaded throwers, and battery operated remote throwers set up in all kinds of different cool configurations. There are clays going away from you, to the left, right and sometimes right towards you!

 

The cost for shooting is $5 per round of 25 clays to cover the cost of clays. On sundays there's usually lunch served everyone chips in $5 for that. You need to bring your own shells.

 

Outside of all this, as a R&G club member, you can open the lodge building and take one of the spring loaded throwers up onto teh sporting clays range and shoot at ANYTIME you want. You need to supply your own clay targets and shells for this.

[Michael Antle]

sounds like a great club! So there are guys up there almost every Sunday throughout the year? I wish I'd have known, I would have went in yesterday. Me and a buddy of mine are thinking about joining. I'll be out of province for a few weeks now, I return on the 22nd of Dec. If there are any sporting clays or trap sessions going on over the holiday weeks give me a shout, I fly back on Jan. 3rd! I'll drag my buddy in to see all the action maybe try a few rounds!

[justin croft]

i am a member of the club as well i only do rifle shooting thou went to 1 of the shoots the summer the complete gunsmith one and won some ar back up sites was alot of fun. 

[Mike Smith]

Shoots are winding down for the year now. We winterized the lodge yesterday, and will be taking out the trap machines within the next couple weeks. They can get damaged if left there over the winter. Over the winter we usually get in a couple times using spring loaded hand throwers, but there is no formal shoots until spring.

 

Its an awesome club and well worth the money to use such a great facility. Fill out an application on the site and you'll need to do an orientation of the grounds for a full membership. They are done on the first sunday of each month, I dont know if they do them over the winter or not, you can ask when you send in your application.

 

The crew that shoots trap are a great bunch of fellas, we have alot of fun and the guys are only too eager to offer advise or help with your shooting.

[Grant]

Great info Mike.

In the winter the club is not always accessible because the road to the club is not regularly plowed. Sometimes if the road has been plowed it will be posted on the website under announcements.

Wednesday evening sporting clays usually starts in spring.

[Michael Antle]

Thanks for all the great info guys! What type of tournaments are held? Is it a year long championship type thing where the top guy over all season gets the bragging rights, or just a day-Long tournaments? I'll be filling out an application soon! I have shot a lot of clays but just fooling around. I'm excited that there is a place around here for trap and sporting clays!

[Mike Smith]

there are specialty shoots throughout the year where scores are tallied and posted for prizes. there is a provincial championship and atlantics  you can also register for amature trap association where your rounds are registered in a national database

[Mike Quinton]

For simple target practice I heard Coastal Marine and Recreation on Topsail Road is building an indoor range but to be honest it is only something I heard in passing.

[Michael Antle]

Hey guys, bringing this back from the dead.

Anyone gonna be at the R&G Club shooting clays from the 5th to the 16th?

[Mike Smith]

I have no idea, but personally I dont care who part of the money goes towards. My advise for this question would be to email the club president (his email should be listed on the club website somewhere) and pose your question to him directly.

[Mike Smith]

The first ATA (amature trap association) registered shoot is May 6, 2012, regular sunday shoots will be starting somtime later this month as soon as the trap equipment is reinstalled. I'll post back when I know when that has taken place.

[Mike Smith]

The trap machines were put in place this past weekend, and we busted the first clays of 2012 Sunday afternoon. i did a 17, 18, 20 out of 25 for my first rounds of singles since november. I'm just starting at doubles now and had a great lesson from Troy Caldwell, one of the top trap shooters at our club!

 

The crew will be there sunday afternoons, shooting starting around noon, till about suppertime. Rounds are 25 clays of singles at $5 per round, bring your own shells. Doubles are 25 pairs at $10 per round, again bring your own shells. Non members have to pay $3 and fill out a form for temporary one day insurnace for shooting at the club.