ALBANY CLAY TARGET CLUB INC.
At the Albany Clay Target Club, we welcome all clay target shooters or anyone interested in having a go. We have many ages of clay target shooters; in fact it is one of the few sports in which shooters in their 80’s compete evenly with teenagers. If you have the physical ability to hold a shotgun, then you can be taught to safely participate in clay target shooting. As we are an ACTA and WACTA affiliated club, both members and visitors are insured when shooting at our range. As safety is the first priority, we have an impeccable safety record, and any shooter will be taught safe handling procedures and be expected to follow them at all times.
Experienced club members will show new shooters all the tricks of the trade (well, most of them) so that they can experience the fun and challenge of shooting a few clays. If you don’t have a shotgun, don’t worry. You can easily borrow shotguns at the club. In fact, it is a good idea to try different guns when you first start to find what style of gun fits you the best to maximise your comfort and results. If you chose to join our club, then we can assist you in licence applications and additions for suitable shotguns.
At Albany, we have four Down-The-Line layouts, two Skeet layouts and one Tower layout. If you don’t know what these are, have a read through the following descriptions of some of the terms encountered in clay target shooting.
Experienced club members will show new shooters all the tricks of the trade (well, most of them) so that they can experience the fun and challenge of shooting a few clays. If you don’t have a shotgun, don’t worry. You can easily borrow shotguns at the club. In fact, it is a good idea to try different guns when you first start to find what style of gun fits you the best to maximise your comfort and results. If you chose to join our club, then we can assist you in licence applications and additions for suitable shotguns.
At Albany, we have four Down-The-Line layouts, two Skeet layouts and one Tower layout. If you don’t know what these are, have a read through the following descriptions of some of the terms encountered in clay target shooting.
CLAY TARGETS (CLAYS)
“Clays” are not made of clay but a synthetic material that is both hard (to be thrown without breaking) and brittle (to break when hit by shot pellets). They are moulded into a standard domed disk shape and also to a standard weight. They are thrown off the trap arm with a spinning motion that stabilises them, to a known distance and in a predictable flight path.
TRAPS
Taking their name from the days when real pigeons were used, clay target throwing machines are known as Traps. Modern automatic traps are electrically powered, capable of throwing a target, reloading from a hopper and re-cocking the throwing arm all in as little as 2 seconds. They can be set to throw the targets in a fixed direction, or with varying angles and heights. Traps are remotely released with push button or automatic voice release systems.
DOWN-THE-LINE (DTL)
Down the Line (DTL). Also known as Trap, DTL consists of 5 slightly diverging shooting lanes coming back from the trap house. Each lane is marked with the distance in metres back from the trap position. Most DTL is shot from 15 metres (Common Mark), with some events using distances up to 25 metres from the trap. The targets are thrown away from the shooters at random angles within a 45 degree arc. Usually shot as double barrel, with two shot available per target, variations of DTL include Single Barrel, Point Score, Continental, Handicap, Double Rise and Deauville Doubles.
SKEET
Very different to Trap, Skeet is shot with targets coming from two trap houses 40 metres apart, one high and one low, with the targets crossing in the middle. Shooting takes place from 7 stations spread in a semi-circle between the two houses, giving a variety of target heights and angles. From some stations, only “singles” are shot, from others both “singles” and “pairs” are shot. Finally, an eighth station in between the trap houses has targets coming fast and presenting a tough but rewarding challenge. Skeet is shot with one shot per target, other variations are doubles and handicap.
TOWER
Shooting Tower can be quite a challenge for some shooters. The trap is 10 metres above the ground, with the targets being thrown from just behind the shooter. 5 shooting pads 5 metres apart in a line 1 metre in front of the tower present a variety of shooting positions to contend with. The targets are thrown with varying angles like in DTL, but the challenge is shooting at a falling target rather than a rising target. Usually shot double barrel, tower variations include single barrel and points.
