Summer is almost here and the weather is getting hot. With days in the high 80s and soon–to-be low 90s, it becomes challenging to shoot multiple rounds. I personally find that shooting sporting clays in the shade is much more comfortable than under the summer sun. Fortunately, some of our skeet fields are shaded and nicer to shoot from. And better yet, we can look forward to those long summer days when we can shoot till 9:00PM on Wednesdays.
Last week we finished our second sporting clays tournament. We had 66 participants in the morning and 44 in the afternoon, with class winners competed in the shoot-off for the purse immediately after the afternoon shoot. We saw some outstanding performances by several shooters and especially our own Phillip Teague, who took the third place.
The next sporting clays tournament is scheduled for July. I hope many of you will choose to participate.
As some of you have already discovered, we have a new caterer for the Wednesday night dinner. We are currently experiencing some challenges with this, but we anticipate that all these issues will be addressed and fine-tuned for our dinner experience in the future.
We are also working on the lounge area of the club. Within a month you will see a lot of improvements in that area with new lighting, upgraded wall treatments, area rugs, and new furniture.
Additionally, we are working to address the issue of dust at the entrance road and in front of the main building area. We plan to lay down asphalt millings in hopes of mitigating the dust problem.
This month we had a visit from Hayworth Cunningham, a sporting clay course designer, who laid down the design of our second sporting clay course. It will be located at the South end of the property and is of a circular design so that all lead shot will fall towards the middle of the circle. We are currently raising moneys for that course, with several opportunities for anyone wishing to participate. Packages describing these opportunities are available at the Pro Shop. For more information please contact me or Sarah at the Pro Shop.
As you can see, the club is moving forward with numerous interesting projects and planned activities. We hope that you will find some that are appealing to you.
See you at the club,
Z. Mincek
President
Upcoming Events
June 16, 2016
FWC Hunter Safety Course
June 18, 2016
FWC Hunter Safety Course
John Rutherford For Congress Sporting Clays Shoot
June 21, 2016
Safari Club Meeting
July 14, 2016
FWC Hunter Safety Course
July 16, 2016
FWC Hunter Safety Course
View The Complete Calendar
Membership News
JCTS shooting venues stayed very busy throughout the Spring.
Divine intervention must have been working when we relocated the club to its current site in 1984. Our location northeast of the 46,000 acre Timucuan Preserve and five miles north of the St. John’s River provides gentle breezes most of the year. All outdoor enthusiasts must take proper precautions for the coming summer heat. At JCTS, you can avoid extreme heat by shooting early or late in the day, or shoot the tree-covered Sporting Clays course. As always, hydrate before and during outdoor sports.
We welcome new JCTS members and we look forward to seeing you at the club.
Wednesdays
- Fields open Noon – 8:30pm
- Grill Your Own Dinner Nights
- RSVP for dinner at 904-757-4584 by 1:00pm the day of.
Fridays
- Fields open Noon – 6:00pm;
Saturdays and Sundays
- Fields open 10:00 – 6:00pm.
All GUESTS of the club are invited to take advantage of membership benefits by becoming a member. JCTS members enjoy the camaraderie of member-only events, receive member discounts on cost of rounds, bulk ammunition, and reloading supplies, as well as discounts with club vendors. Current JCTS vendors include Gunsmiths, Inc., Wild West Guns, and Jim’s Ear and Eye. JCTS is a jewel among US sporting clay clubs, offering all sporting clay disciplines, as well as the services of a nationally renowned gunsmith on the premises. If you are interested, talk to a current member or visit this link on the JCTS website.
Thank you,
George Prattos
Board Member, Mebership Chairman
Skeet News
Jacksonville Clay Targets Sports will be at the forefront of skeet shooting in the country over the next year. In addition to the Emory Pappy Memorial (OCT 2016) and the Dutch Dewitt Fish Fry Memorial (Feb 2017) that our club hosts annually, JCTS has been awarded the National Zone Four Skeet Championships (Aug 2016), the Florida State Skeet Championships (Apr 2017), and the World Armed Forces Skeet Championships (May 2017). The World Armed Forces Skeet Championships (AFSC) is preceded the weekend before by the Pletcher Memorial name after General Kenny Pletcher USAF who formed the Armed Forces Skeet Association. The Pletcher is open to all, whereas the AFSC is only open to the Military, Retired Military, and Military Veterans. The Military Veterans concurrent is a relatively new thing where anyone who received an honorable discharge from the Armed Forces may participate in shooting military events. If you were in the military and think you would like to participate in the AFSC you need to email/send a copy of your DD-214 to Carla Woodard at National Skeet Shooting Association NSSA (cwoodard@nssa-nsca.com) or mail it to 5931 Roft Road San Antonio, TX 78253 to establish your MV concurrent status.
World Champion skeet shooter Paul Giambrone III is scheduled to return to JCTS in November to hold shooting clinics. This is an opportunity to hone your skeet shooting skills by learning from one of the best. DETAILS ON CLINIC
More News from NSSA
Mike Schmidt topped more than 400 shooters to capture the victory at the 2016 Krieghoff Masters MORE. Mike has shot at JCTS in the past. He is a true Champion.
Registration is now open for the 2016 Junior World Skeet Shoot at Forest City Gun Club in Savannah, GA. The club has provided a schedule of events and pre-registration form for the July 21-24 shoot. Get the event schedule and pre-registration form.
Skeet season is in full swing around the country, with everything from weekly league to state championships happening near you. It's time to get out and enjoy the fun and fellowship skeet shooting provides. If you haven't made shooting plans for the upcoming weeks, check out our Shoot Register to find some events you can participate in.
Nashville Gun Club hosted the 56th annual Armed Forces Skeet Championships on May 9-13, with Stuart Brown taking the HOA championship and the Sailors from the U.S. Navy five-man team sinking the competition with a repeat HOA team win. 154 shooters from Zone 9 hailing from 36 states made the annual event a success. Watch for our article on the shoot in the August issue of Clay Target Nation. In the meantime, you can read coverage published on the Department of Defense website. Read the article.
Monthly Target Procedures
- When you arrive at the club, pick up a Monthly Target Individual Registration Report (MTIRR) and score sheet from the Cashier.
- Shoot your targets.
- Record your scores on the MTIRR.
- Submit your MTIRR, Score Sheet and daily fees to the Cashier.
Note:
- Monthly targets must be reported in increments of 100.
- The Monthly Target Individual Registration Report must be filled out completely and correctly for the gauge or gauges shot.
The Lead off Shooter is responsible to submit the score sheet to the Cashier when more than one shooter is shooting.
Skeet Fever-Catch it!
Tips From Your Gunsmith
I would like to take a few moments in this article to address a few points about gun fitting for the beginning shooter. Often times a new shooter with a new gun comes out to the club, heads out to the course with friends and has a frustrating first experience. The next thing you know he/she is being sent over to my shop at their friend’s recommendation to have their gun fit to them. Often times this doesn’t turn out to be the magic fix all that the beginning shooter needs in order for he or she to begin to break more birds. Here are some helpful hints for the beginning shooter that may aid you in starting your shooting experience correctly.
Shooting a Shotgun
When a customer requests a gun fitting what I’m attempting to achieve is that the gun shoots where the shooter is looking. Shot gunning for moving targets such as clay birds, live birds or running game works a bit different than shooting a rifle or handgun. With a rifle or handgun we are required to aim the firearm using sights since we are shooting a single projectile that must be placed in a very specific area. (Typically not moving much) With a shotgun however, we are shooting hundreds of pellets in a pattern attempting to have some of the pellets connect with a fast moving target. There isn’t enough time to “aim” at your quarry so when you spot the bird and determine what direction it’s moving we look at the bird point the shotgun instead of aim and when everything is set up correctly the shotgun should shoot where you are looking hitting the bird.
Gun Mount
One of the most important components that is required in order achieve the gun fitting you so it will shoot where you point is a proper and consistent gun mount. If you set up an appointment with me for a gun fitting what I will ask of you is that you mount the gun as if you are shooting. First I will make sure that the gun is unloaded and then I will have you position the gun as if you were going to shoot at a bird. At this point I will take a look and your length of pull, (the length of your stock) the cast of the stock (how much the stock leans to the left or right) and the drop at the comb ( how much lower the part of the stock that your face rests on is in relationship to the rib on the barrel). This is where I encounter some difficulties at times.
Sometimes when I request that the customer mounts the gun he or she mounts it differently every time which makes it impossible for me to determine exactly where adjustments need to be made and how much. At this point I will recommend that the shooter set up some time with a shooting instructor for some help on how to mount a shotgun properly. This is a very important factor and there are instructors available at the club such as Early Piety and David Dobson as well as other instructors listed on the clubs website that can aid you in how to mount your gun correctly.
Gun Fitting
Once you have your gun mounting fundamentals worked out then we can concentrate on making adjustments to your shotgun to make it right for you. Some guns that you buy off the shelf may have accessories such as shims, spacers, adjustable combs and adjustable butt plates that can aid in fitting your gun to you. Others may not and we can install these items if needed. Now that you mount the gun consistently I can make an accurate assessment of what adjustments I need to make to have the gun shoot where you are looking. When it all comes together when you look at the bird you’ll hit it. If you try to aim at the bird you’ll miss it. Ask any accomplished shooter and they will tell you the same thing. When your gun fits you correctly it will just be and extension of you and the amount of birds that you hit will dramatically increase. That’s when the fun starts.
Hopefully this will help out the new shooters that are giving the clay shooting sports a fast track to hitting more birds with the least amount of frustration. If you have any questions regarding what to look for in how your gun fits you feel free to drop by the shop on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday and we will be happy to help you out.
Remember safety first and have fun shooting.
Tim Ward
Gunsmiths Inc.
Introduction To Bad Boyz Concessions
Hello! We are Bob and Kim. We started our business at the concession stand at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds, which we have run for the past three years. Bob is a policeman and Kim works in the transportation business. Over the past three years we have done numerous catering jobs. We have catered for multiple bands during the fair, prior to their shows. We have also done several big dinner catering events for parties as well as drop off dinners. We appreciate the opportunity we have been given to do the weekend lunches as well as Wednesday dinner. We have been handling the lunches for approximately 6 months and have prepared the dinner for the past 3 weeks. We are working hard to overcome some of the hardships of being the new guys in the kitchen and trying to produce a meal that everyone can enjoy. Please let us know how your experience is as we move along and hopefully grow into a full time member of the Gun Club team. Thank you.
Feel free to contact us directly:
Bob 904-412-6682
Kim 904-412-7699
badboyzconcession@gmail.com
Technology News
Members as we have made updates to the club's internet, website and communications we have phased out the old bellsouth.net email account for the club. To email the club please use info@jacksonvilleclaytargetsports.commoving forward. Additional contact information is available on the websitecontact page.
Thank you,
Adam Lowe
Board Member, Technology Chairman