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Gun Fit and Clay Shooting
Posted by Junior Shooters
Featuring Cole Gunsmithing and TSK stocks
By: Georgie Seagraves (16)
From Volume 43 Summer 2021 Junior Shooters magazine
Georgie, shooting her Blaser from Cole Gunsmithing with a TSK stock.
In Clay Shooting, finding a gun that fits you can really bring your game to the next level. But there are a few things to consider beforehand: price, longevity, reliability, and fit.
I didn’t realize this when I started, but you can really spend as much or as little on a gun as you want, I know people who shoot guns that cost well over thirty thousand dollars, but others that shoot guns under five hundred dollars. It is important to note that, as the saying goes; “it is the archer, not the arrow.” This means that you could shoot the most expensive gun in the world, but that does not mean you’ll become the best shooter, and on the opposite end of that, you could shoot a more inexpensive gun but that doesn’t mean you can’t progress and become an exceptional shooting sports athlete. The goal when searching for a gun is to find one that fits your body and budget.
Georgie, shooting her Blaser from Cole Gunsmithing with a TSK stock.
Now, there are reasons some guns are so much more expensive than others and one of those is: longevity. Competitive clay shooters put a lot of rounds through our guns, and the most inexpensive of guns may not be able to handle it for very long, depending on how often you shoot. This kind of gun is made for someone who bird hunts once or twice a year, not a competitive shooter so you may find yourself having to buy a new gun often, maybe even multiple a year; because it isn’t built for that kind of wear and tear. Whereas there are actual competition guns, or guns geared toward the more avid hunter. So, if you’ve decided you are dedicated to shooting sports and have the ability, it may save you in the long run to make the investment on a gun that is built to last.
There are things that should be done to increase the longevity of even the nicest guns, such as regular cleanings and quality ammunition. At the very least, every time a gun is handled the exterior metal should be wiped down to remove the oils from touch, this can create rusting and pitting, I use gun oil wipes. Deep cleans are up to the shooter and how much they practice, to deep clean is to take apart all the pieces, remove all the oil and carbon buildup, and lubricate the moving parts. If you hate deep cleaning as much as I do you can also shoot shells that don’t produce much carbon buildup, Winchester ammunition happens to be my personal favorite for practice and competitions. Winchester produces a very reliable, inexpensive, and clean shell, they also happen to be the official SCTP ammunition!
TSK stock detail view. AWESOME! Get it at Cole Gunsmithing. Click on photo.
Reliability doesn’t mean having a gun that just won’t completely break on you. A gun is a complex machine even though it may not look that way on the outside, this can make cleaning and long term function a hassle. This is where another choice comes into play because a semi-automatic shotgun tends to be much lighter than its Over and Under (O/U) counterpart but it has a significantly more complex system and is therefore more prone to malfunction. In a competition malfunctions can be the difference between winning and losing, not only can they cause lost birds, but they also can break the competitors focus. The O/Ur separates into three, easily disconnecting, main parts so it’s easy to diagnose an issue, but the semi-automatic has tens of tiny parts which makes cleaning a daunting task. Most people start out with a semi-automatic and eventually move on to a O/U for better reliability among other advantages such as reduced recoil and better choke options. As someone who started with a semi-automatic and transitioned to a O/U, if I were able to go back and skip that stage altogether, I would.
How a gun should fit you is hard to put into words because it really depends on the shooters dimensions and shooting style. For me, and many others, when I was looking for my new O/U shotgun, a custom gun stock wasn’t in the cards. So, I tried many different guns: Blasers, Zolis, Berettas, Guerinis, etc. Cole Gunsmithing has the widest range of demo guns I have ever seen and are masters of finding the best fit for you! And I truly believe that anyone can find a gun that’s good for them straight out of the box. For example, I’m a five-foot-three girl with less than broad shoulders so, for me, a Blaser F3 out of the box was absolutely perfect because they tend to have thinner butt stocks and forearms along with the other qualities I was looking for: price, longevity, reliability, and of course the superior triggers and craftsmanship was a huge plus! I wouldn’t trade my Blaser for the world! If you do want or need to make a change to a stock and are considering a custom stock I would highly recommend the TSK which can also be bought and demoed at Cole Gunsmithing. The reason it can function in the place of a custom wooden stock is because it is adjustable in many ways but I’ll break it down into three parts: the comb, the cast, and the length of pull. The TSK is an excellent option for youth shooters, especially kids who still have a lot of growing to do because it will be able to grow with them. I personally shoot a recoil reducing TSK on my Blaser F3 and they are a match made in heaven!
Finding a gun that is best for you is amazing, but there’s no rush! Take the time to do the research, test them out, and save up that money for your dream gun!
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