President's News
The club has remained busy throughout the summer, despite high temperatures. The sporting clays courses have been very popular, as the North Course is shaded by a thick tree canopy, while the South Course enjoys nice breezes. The calendar is filling up with events - many described below - but check our calendar often to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Sometime by the middle of August you will receive your membership renewal notice. The membership rates this year include a small increase to cover the increased operating costs. Completed renewal forms are due by September 30th. Also, if you are not receiving our emails please provide us with your current email address on the renewal form.
Remember that club membership policy provides for two different membership categories – Life Membership or Annual Membership. Sporting Clays is not part of a membership; but you may purchase an Annual Sporting Clays discount.
Founders Memberships Available Until 8/31/2017
Only five Sporting Clays Founder Memberships remain available. This membership opportunity will only be available until August 31, 2017. The proceeds from these memberships enable us to fund the new sporting clays courses. Each Founder Membership costs $7,500, while it rewards you with a long-term investment in the JCTS Sporting Clays courses plus $8,425 worth of membership value. Each membership provides a JCTS Lifetime Membership plus a 10-year sporting clays discount package, and a 50% discount on 275 sporting clays rounds (110 targets per rounds). Additionally, your name will be listed on the Founders' sign at the entrance to the South Sporting Clays Course. Please contact me or any board member, if you would like to become a Sporting Clays Course Founder.
October Hunting Trip
This year for the first time the club is arranging for a members-only pheasant hunt in South Dakota. We will be going to the Cottonwood Borco Ranch, which is on the White River just south of Pierre. If you have not been to the Ranch you are in for a rare treat. Birds are plentiful, the food is incredible, and the setting is beautiful. We will take eight hunters. Reservations are to be made by September 10th. The price for the hunt is $3333 and you will have to arrange for your own airfare. We will rent two cars for transportation to and from Sioux Falls, with car-rental cost divided equally among the participants. For those interested, the trip will begin on October 12 (counted as a travel day), followed by four full days of hunting from October 13 through the 16. October 17 will be our return travel day. For more information please contact me at 631-0577.
We hope to see you at the club during August sharpening your skills for the upcoming early duck season and the opening of the Georgia dove season!
Z. Mincek
President
904-757-4584
Upcoming Events
Every Wednesday Night
GRILL YOUR OWN Entree Night
Jax Belles With Shells Clinics
Every Saturday and Sunday 9:00am - Noon
Reservations 904-757-4584
August 11 - 13
NSSA Zone 4 Skeet Shoot
Saturday, August 19 9:00am
Ring O'Fire Sporting Clays Shoot NSCA registered
Thursday, August 24
Paul Giambrone Clinics
Friday, August 25 3:00pm
Jax Belles With Shells Ladies' Shoot-n-Network
Thursday, August 31 5:00pm
Ducks Unlimited Sporting Clays Shoot
Saturday, Sept. 2
FWC Bowhunter Class 8am - 3pm
Thursday, Sept. 7 11:30 - 5:00
Greater Jacksonville Fair Charity Sporting Clays Shoot
September 10
JU Shooting Team Clinic Fundraiser
Sept. 28 - 30
Boys Scouts NFC Charity Sporting Clays Shoot
October 14
JCTS Member Appreciation Day
See all events on JCTS calendar
Jax Belles With Shells, our ladies shooting group, meets once a month to enjoy shooting sports and networking. The group meets the last Friday of each month from 3:00 - 5:30pm, (see JCTS calendar). They are currently enjoying growing attendance by a diverse group of women who have a wide variety of shooting experience. The women have focused on skeet shooting the past few months with the assistance of several instructors from the club. Following each shooting session, the women break for refreshments, networking, and JCTS news.
All lady shooters are invited to join the monthly events. To get on the mailing list, or RSVP your attendance, please contact:
Michele McManamon 904.424.4484 or Michele@sandler.com
JCTS Pro Shop 904.757.4584
See the JCTS calendar to confirm dates and times.
Jax Belles With Shells Clinics
Every Saturday and Sunday
One hour clinics - 9:00am to Noon
Sign ups in the Pro Shop
904-757-4584
Skeet News
JCTS will welcome approximately 80 competitors to the 44th Annual NSSA Zone 4 Skeet Championship August 11 - 13. Only a few spots remain open at the Jacksonville location of this shoot. If you would like to participate in the shoot, register quickly at: Zone 4 registration.
The Zone 4 Championship has broken the registration record of 320 set in 2000. To date, 331 competitors have registered for next week's tournament. Competitors will be able to monitor their competition at the other sites and conduct shoot-offs simultaneously from the seven locations!
Paul Giambrone will offer clinics at JCTS August 24th. Do not miss a chance to receive skeet instruction from one of the best. Contact Bud Steil for details gsteil61@gmail.com
Mark your calendars for the annual Emory Pappy Memorial Shoot that will be held at JCTS November 3 – 5th!
Skeet tournaments are fun for shooters of all skill levels, and they are a great way to meet other skeet and clay target shooters. So come on out to join us for a tournament soon!
Bud Steil
Skeet Chairman
904-200-0889
Ring O'Fire Sporting Clay Shoot, Saturday, August 19
JCTS will host the Ring O'Fire Sporting Clay Shoot Saturday, August 19. These shoots are fun for shooters of all skill levels. You can request your own squad on ScoringPro, or we can assemble groups from participants. JCTS members participate in a member drawing in which two members will have the opportunity to win $150 each. Registration and event details are available on ScoringPro.
In spite of warm temperatures, the sporting clays courses have remained popular this summer for both recreational and competitive shooters. The North Course is shaded by a thick tree canopy, while the South Course often enjoys afternoon breezes.Come on out to shoot one or both courses. You can get a great workout walking the courses, or you can cruise around in one of the sporting carts!
Joe Luke
Sporting Clay Chairman
Collegiate News
Collegiate Shooting Has Begun!
The ever-winning JU Varsity Shooting Team took an 11-man squad to the SCTP National Championships during July and absolutely dominated the competition. The event was held for the second year in a row at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio with an estimated 3,000 high school and collegiate athletes competing in the largest SCTP Nationals to date.
In the Collegiate Division, JU reigned supreme across all divisions as they took the HOA National Championship Event titles in: Trap, Trap Doubles, Skeet, Skeet Doubles, Sporting Clays and RU in Handicap Trap, as well as the HOA Collegiate National title for a 4th year in a row. Matt DeBord took the individual HOA National Champion titles in Handicap Trap & Trap Doubles, while Brett Ollila took RU National Champion in Sporting Clays, with Parker Woodring taking Third in Sporting Clays and Joe DeYoung taking Third in Skeet. The JU 11-man squad consisted of: Sean Hensley (former Captain), Parker Woodring, Joe Byron, Benji Felder, Joe DeYoung, Palmer Szavuly, D’Ayn Sayre, Meagan Bertalan, Cassidy Pinto, Brett Ollila (former Captain) and Matt DeBord.
There are NO divisional lines in this shoot – all teams compete on the same level, and JU faced off against a number of powerhouse collegiate shooting talents. JU shooters went toe to toe with some of the top shooters in the US and made us proud!
Following their SCTP Nationals performance, the JU Varsity Shooting Team now holds 18 National (Divisional) Event Championship titles - remarkable! Collegiate shooters have 6 years of eligibility to compete in the ACUI & SCTP system from the time of their first Nationals event, regardless of Collegiate or Graduate level, making this the most competitive system in existence today – building better citizens for our future across all fronts. We congratulate ALL of our amazing student athletes!
The new semester and regular practice begin late August, followed quickly with competitive matches. We look forward to seeing these smart champions at the club!
JU Shooting Team Clinics, Sept. 10, 2017
The JU Shooting Team will hold its semi-annual clinic fundraiser at JCTS Sunday, September 10. JU team members will provide shooting instructions to participants for a $195 donation to the team. Shooters of all skill levels can participate in this afternoon clinic. This is a great way to support this championship-winning team, have fun, and improve your game all at once! Please come out to join us for this fundraiser.
David T. Dobson, MBA
NSSA/NSCA Certified Instructor/Level III
Paragon Master Instructor
JU Faculty & JU Varsity Shooting Team Head Coach
Emmett Kogan Takes on the World
Emmett Kogan, ripped it up at the 2017 NSSA Junior World last weekend at the St. Joe Valley Conservation Club (IN). Emmett tied for 13 place in the highly competitive Junior Division with a 391 HOA, against a leading score of 399! Look out world! Emmett brought in a 99 in 20ga, 98 in the 12ga, 99 in the 28ga, and a 95 in the 410! Emmett and his teammate, Avery Lawski (GA), also won team honors for the team 20ga and 28ga competitions. While Emmett is known to be very accurate behind a shotgun, you will all be happy to hear that he will soon be in possession of a Driver’s Learning Permit! Happy Birthday and congratulations Emmett and all the other hardworking Junior competitors!
Gunsmith News
The proper care and maintenance of your guns is critical to their performance. Whether you are new to target shooting sports, or you have been at it for decades, a quick review of shotgun field maintenance is very valuable. Here are a few important tips to maintain your shotguns throughout the sporting season.
Lubrication:
- Uses for Grease - Contact points or friction areas in the gun are very important to keep well-greased. Depending on the type of action you are shooting (over/under, semiautomatic, or side by side) these friction areas will vary. For over/under and side by side shotguns you will want to be sure to grease the hinge points (where the gun falls open and meets the barrels and forend). The ejectors are also very important to keep lubricated with grease. Our favorite product by far has been the “K-Gun Glide” grease by Krieghoff. It is petroleum based and will not cake or become stiff.
- Uses for Oil – Semiautomatic shotguns will develop a fair amount of carbon build-up in the gas system, causing addition wear and friction over the process of shooting. Using a spray oil lubricant in the gas system and action will keep the friction points from binding and make clean-up of the gas system much easier. Upon taking off the forend of your semi-automatic shotgun, a few sprays of your favorite gun oil will keep the carbon from caking up and becoming hard. Oils are also very useful in lubricating choke tubes. Carbon and plastic will wedge itself in the threads of your chokes over time – and without proper lubrication the chokes can become very stiff and stubborn to come out. Always take care to ensure your chokes are tightened down and properly seated. Our oil-based favorite lubrication products are the Q-Maxx and Safari Charlie CLP products.
Field Cleaning – Field cleaning is important for any action type. Swabbing barrels, cleaning chokes, and wiping the exterior metal areas of your shotgun will prevent wear and pitting. Most of us keep oil and a dedicated cleaning cloth in our cases just for this purpose. You will want to wipe down the exterior of the barrels and any area where you have been touching the metal of your shotgun. As we shoot, salts and oils from our hands make contact with the receiver and other metal parts. Without proper cleaning of these areas the bluing or other metal finishes will wear. Bore snakes and bore mops are useful to have on hand for barrel swabbing. You will not want to swab your barrels with oil, it will stick to the carbon and make it adhere to the inner wall of your barrel. Payne Galloway brass bore brushes are also an excellent way to clean debris from your barrels.
Performing these maintenance steps can preserve the life and performance of your valuable shotguns. As always feel free to stop by for additional information about gun maintenance and products. See you at the Club!!
Kelsey Doleo
Jacksonville Manager
904-410-2206
SAVE THE DATE
You are invited to JCTS Member Appreciation Day
October 14, 2017