Clay Target Q&A
With Russell Mark, Olympic gold and silver medallist
Questions: russell@corporateshootingstars.com.au
Q I am currently looking at putting a portable clay target thrower on my farm. We own a property that is several hundred hectares and where we will be shooting at least 500m from the nearest neighbouring boundary. What I am wondering is exactly how far I should actually leave as a safety template. How far will my shot travel?
Harold Ireland, Tas
A There is a legal safety fall-out area template of 273m (300 yards), but this may vary from state to state.
According to data available from Remington in the US, 32g of No. 7.5 shot, with a muzzle velocity of 1250fps, aimed at 33 degrees above the ground, at sea level, with no wind will travel 191m. Wind and altitude will have some effect on this, but generally not more than 15 per cent at altitudes below 1500m. Interestingly, varying muzzle velocities of up to 200fps either side of this standard will have little impact on shot distance either. I have no idea why 33 degrees is the maximum angle instead of what I logically would have assumed to be 45 degrees, but I have no doubt the people at Remington know this better than myself.
In Europe, these days it is very common to see artificial backgrounds created with green heavy-duty mesh shade cloth. They normally stand at up to 10 to 15m high and are at a distance of 120m from the shooting stations. The shade cloth is hung at up to 45 to 60 degrees back to the ground, so they may cover an extra 10 to 20m closer to the shooting position. This practice has not only increased target recognition, but it has also been able to catch an amazing amount of shot before it hits the earth. Furthermore, it has tremendous financial and environmental rewards for the shooting ranges that adopt this practice. I have no doubt that it is a practice that we will see happen more often here in Australia, especially at ranges that own their own fall-out zones and are lucky enough to have access to developers looking to dump clean dirt, which will help build a mound that can act as the backstop for the shade cloth.
Editor's Note: If you are interested in creating your own shooting area on private property, contact your firearms registry.