Decline in Sporting Clays Shooting?

[JohnUSCG]

Wasn't sure where to post this so if wrong....mods please feel free to correct where I have it.

I have been shooting Sporting Clays for about 6-7years now. Always have enjoyed it ever since my first outing. The National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) has always touted Sporting Clays as 'the fastest growing shotgun sport'. I have found it to be very popular and with that being true...have had very little trouble ever finding supplies an accessories that I have wanted.

Recently, (within the past year or so) I have found a real decline in the number of people I see shooting as well as the availabilty of sporting guns, supplies, etc. I wonder if this is a direct relation to the poor economy or if there is something else. I was at Trop Gun Shop today and all their clays vests are marked half price and they have approx 4 or 5 sporting shotguns in stock. Compare this with just a year or so ago and they had a dozen sporting shotguns and clays vests/pouches/etc, etc.

Just wondering if any other Sporting Clays shooters out there have seen a decline at their clubs or otherwise?

[H22ate]

Wasn't sure where to post this so if wrong....mods please feel free to correct where I have it.

I have been shooting Sporting Clays for about 6-7years now. Always have enjoyed it ever since my first outing. The National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) has always touted Sporting Clays as 'the fastest growing shotgun sport'. I have found it to be very popular and with that being true...have had very little trouble ever finding supplies an accessories that I have wanted.

Recently, (within the past year or so) I have found a real decline in the number of people I see shooting as well as the availabilty of sporting guns, supplies, etc. I wonder if this is a direct relation to the poor economy or if there is something else. I was at Trop Gun Shop today and all their clays vests are marked half price and they have approx 4 or 5 sporting shotguns in stock. Compare this with just a year or so ago and they had a dozen sporting shotguns and clays vests/pouches/etc, etc.

Just wondering if any other Sporting Clays shooters out there have seen a decline at their clubs or otherwise?

I tinker with clays and by tinker i mean buy a case from time to time and go out in the field with my buddies. About 4 years ago we did this about once a month or more if we got bored. When we would go and buy a brick of shells each and a couple casses of clays it seemed like we were taking wally worlds entire supply. Now when I go to wally world to shop I always walk by the sporting goods section and see pallets of clays and casses upon casses of shells, its the same with my local dunhams. But I definately noticed a change over the last few years and I was wondering if it could be from people constantly buying the stuff or nobody buying it at all. I still shoot them but everytime I walk into one of those places the shelves are full as can be!

[monco123]

I'm guessing it has to do with the ever enlarging suburbs pushing into once rural areas where stuff like that was commonplace. I grew up outside of Philly and I don't know anyone that shot clays or even owned a shotgun for anything other then home defense. Being in the military, its weird hearing guys who grew up outside of the city/subs talking about getting their first rifles as a pre-teen. That and being around dippers, lol.
We always thought of those things as games for people who lived in the "sticks". No offense, of course.


I'd be interested in shooting clays but like most people I grew up with, I'd have no idea how to start or what to do.

[Wiley-X]

I always thought that sporting clays looked interesting but like most shotgun sports, it isn't for the budget minded.

I'll stick to pistols where I can shoot all day for $10.

[jokusfocus]

I'm a frequent clay shooter, but I have not noticed a decline. Granted, I have only been shooting clays competitively for about 3 years (since I started college), but I have seen a huge increase in attendance of our competitions. However, we mostly shoot skeet/trap due to cost and time.

That being said, I do enjoy shooting sporting clays every chance I get. The local range lets us shoot for $20. But factoring in another $20 of ammo, that's an expensive afternoon when you only work 3 months out of the year.

[MaxPower]

anyone shot at the sporting clays range in the Lehigh Valley? Saw a billboard ad for it on my way outta A-town last wkend and was thinking of taking the GF next time in the area....Open to suggestions in the Bucks Co. area as well... Thnx

[jokusfocus]

anyone shot at the sporting clays range in the Lehigh Valley? Saw a billboard ad for it on my way outta A-town last wkend and was thinking of taking the GF next time in the area....Open to suggestions in the Bucks Co. area as well... Thnx

I can't comment specifically on your area, but this is a fairly good resource:
http://www.claytargetsonline.com/list.php/PA

I'm also going to guess the sign was for Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays:
http://www.lvsclays.com/

Hopefully somebody else has some first-hand information for you, but that should get you started.

[scott125]

anyone shot at the sporting clays range in the Lehigh Valley? Saw a billboard ad for it on my way outta A-town last wkend and was thinking of taking the GF next time in the area....Open to suggestions in the Bucks Co. area as well... Thnx

I was there once last summer and had a great day. My son and I went. It is a little salty to shot for the course fee but i thought it was worth it. Real nice facility. Nice people work there. I some how I didn't grab enough shells and their price was reasonable. I was afraid I was going to get gouged as a result of my "what was I thinking" moment.

The course is really fun. It is set in the old lime quarry and cement factory site. Some stations shoot at the quarry and some use the old buildings. Birds coming out of windows right at you are a real challenge.

You have a choice to shoot the A or B stations. The B's are tough enough. My recommendation for the casual shooter who wants to have fun and not get frustrated is shoot the B's. You carry a switch box that you plug into every station. It launches the remote thrower and counts the birds for you.

The one downside is there is a little bit of a snob factor from some of the other shooters. If you are on a budget like myself and don't shoot enough to justify spending $2500 on a "sporting clay" shotgun just take your everyday field gun and go out with friends and family and have a great day.

My 12yo son struggled a bit in the first half but got his head cleared and really started lighting them up in the second (Sorry, proud Dad. had to throw that in.)

Oley valley is also a place I would recommend. It is a classic out of the way gun club. Kind of place you feel right at home. Open kitchen that serves food. Not sure of their schedule.

[MaxPower]

niiiice review. Thank you kindly!

[Skullz]

I shot clays every weekend for 2 years, sometimes on both Saturday and Sunday. With membership discounts I could get through two trips around the course (100 birds per round) for ~$60. I was buying shells (premium Fiocchi or Clays brand) for $52.00 per case.

Now I can't get through 1 round for under $75. And even the standard shells are over $75 per case.

When that started to happen, I noticed that a lot of the folks that used to shoot for fun rather than because they could show of their Krieghoffs or Perazzis stopped showing up too.

I basically stopped shooting clays and went back to handgun and .22 rifle.