I bought a Whirly Bird clay pigeon thrower a while back, to replace the 35 year old clay pigeon thrower I have had. The old one is a pain to get clays to stay on the throwing arm, then it throws the birds very slowly for around the first 20 it throws. I have not had a chance to use the Whirly Bird, until this weekend. I got out most of my shotguns, and guns that have shotgun barrels.
The gun that was the big surprise, was my L.C. Smith, it has very tight bores, they are something like extra full, they produce some very small patterns. I only missed one shot with that gun Saturday, on a shot I just completely screwed up. Then I missed one shot Sunday, with that gun. The Whirly Bird chunked the last bird softly, it did not clear the tops of the trees, I tried to shoot it as it was going into the trees. Man that guns smokes clays. I was enjoying how well it was smoking clays Saturday, I was using Federal 7 1/2 shot Saturday, but ran out by the end of the day. So Sunday, I got into my 8 shot Winchester ammo. That gun was incinerating the clays Sunday, it was making extra fine powder out of them Sunday. I also got my 870 out, only missed one or two with the 870. Then went back to the L.C. Smith and was trying to rack the slide after the first few shots. The double triggers on that gun are a bit hard to get used to, I think that is the only shotgun, I have ever shot moving targets with, that had double triggers. Luckily for me, I was the one launching the birds, so I had plenty of time to move my trigger finger from one trigger to the other, and not screw up my focus on the clays. If I were at a skeet range, I don't think I would have done very good with that gun, mainly because of the double triggers. The tight choked barrels would also make things very challenging.
Then I had to try my Savage Model 24, on the clays. The main reason I got that gun, is to shoot deer and quail with the same gun. I knew it was not going to be easy to shoot flying targets with the scope on the gun, but turns out it was harder than I thought. The way the gun is made, it's difficult to get my head close enough to the scope to see through it properly. I concluded Saturday, I need a long eye relief scope or some type of red dot site. I would like to be able to use it out to maybe 200 yards, with the 30-30 barrel, my hand loads are good for quite a bit farther than that. Coming up with one site that works for both barrels, is turning out to be very difficult. I did shoot about a box of shells through the gun at clays, Saturday. I figured out where to aim, and was able to hit about 60% at one point. Then, I shot some other guns, couple of my double barrels and the 870, then went back to the Model 24 and could not hit anything but air with it. When I was able to hit birds with it, I found I had to put the crosshairs just over the bird, and it would bust them. When I tried later, I think I was aiming too high over them, not really sure what I was doing wrong, just know I did not hit anything but air. After trying to shoot clays with it, I may get a red dot with a magnifier, as much as I hate that idea.
Saturday, I had no problems with the Whirly Bird. But Sunday, I was wearing different shoes, and could not feel the pedal that controls the Whirly Bird. So a few times I wound up holding the pedal down, after throwing the first bird, and found it will just keep chunking birds as long as you are holding the pedal down. Which can be a good thing. The first time I did that to myself, I was using the L.C. Smith and had just shot my second bird, so the gun was empty, then the Whirly Bird chunked another bird, all I could do was watch it fly. The other two times I did that, one time I had the 870, I had only fired one shot, I was able to hit the second one without a problem. Then I got lucky with the L.C. Smith also, I threw the first one, then did not realize me foot was still on the pedal and it chunked a second bird. That time I still had one shell left in the gun, so I was able to get the second bird. All three times, it chunked a second bird, I was not expecting it, so it was more realistic bob white quail hunting simulation.
At one point, with the 870, I intentionally, was just holding the pedal down and was busting birds as fast as it would chunk them. Which is not fast at all, but compared to my old thrower, it was like a full auto pigeon thrower.
Once we have more brush cleared, I want to buy at least one more Whirly Bird, so we can have two or three set up at the same time, to throw at different angles and directions. Our family shooting events should be more fun in the future.
The gun that was the big surprise, was my L.C. Smith, it has very tight bores, they are something like extra full, they produce some very small patterns. I only missed one shot with that gun Saturday, on a shot I just completely screwed up. Then I missed one shot Sunday, with that gun. The Whirly Bird chunked the last bird softly, it did not clear the tops of the trees, I tried to shoot it as it was going into the trees. Man that guns smokes clays. I was enjoying how well it was smoking clays Saturday, I was using Federal 7 1/2 shot Saturday, but ran out by the end of the day. So Sunday, I got into my 8 shot Winchester ammo. That gun was incinerating the clays Sunday, it was making extra fine powder out of them Sunday. I also got my 870 out, only missed one or two with the 870. Then went back to the L.C. Smith and was trying to rack the slide after the first few shots. The double triggers on that gun are a bit hard to get used to, I think that is the only shotgun, I have ever shot moving targets with, that had double triggers. Luckily for me, I was the one launching the birds, so I had plenty of time to move my trigger finger from one trigger to the other, and not screw up my focus on the clays. If I were at a skeet range, I don't think I would have done very good with that gun, mainly because of the double triggers. The tight choked barrels would also make things very challenging.
Then I had to try my Savage Model 24, on the clays. The main reason I got that gun, is to shoot deer and quail with the same gun. I knew it was not going to be easy to shoot flying targets with the scope on the gun, but turns out it was harder than I thought. The way the gun is made, it's difficult to get my head close enough to the scope to see through it properly. I concluded Saturday, I need a long eye relief scope or some type of red dot site. I would like to be able to use it out to maybe 200 yards, with the 30-30 barrel, my hand loads are good for quite a bit farther than that. Coming up with one site that works for both barrels, is turning out to be very difficult. I did shoot about a box of shells through the gun at clays, Saturday. I figured out where to aim, and was able to hit about 60% at one point. Then, I shot some other guns, couple of my double barrels and the 870, then went back to the Model 24 and could not hit anything but air with it. When I was able to hit birds with it, I found I had to put the crosshairs just over the bird, and it would bust them. When I tried later, I think I was aiming too high over them, not really sure what I was doing wrong, just know I did not hit anything but air. After trying to shoot clays with it, I may get a red dot with a magnifier, as much as I hate that idea.
Saturday, I had no problems with the Whirly Bird. But Sunday, I was wearing different shoes, and could not feel the pedal that controls the Whirly Bird. So a few times I wound up holding the pedal down, after throwing the first bird, and found it will just keep chunking birds as long as you are holding the pedal down. Which can be a good thing. The first time I did that to myself, I was using the L.C. Smith and had just shot my second bird, so the gun was empty, then the Whirly Bird chunked another bird, all I could do was watch it fly. The other two times I did that, one time I had the 870, I had only fired one shot, I was able to hit the second one without a problem. Then I got lucky with the L.C. Smith also, I threw the first one, then did not realize me foot was still on the pedal and it chunked a second bird. That time I still had one shell left in the gun, so I was able to get the second bird. All three times, it chunked a second bird, I was not expecting it, so it was more realistic bob white quail hunting simulation.
At one point, with the 870, I intentionally, was just holding the pedal down and was busting birds as fast as it would chunk them. Which is not fast at all, but compared to my old thrower, it was like a full auto pigeon thrower.
Once we have more brush cleared, I want to buy at least one more Whirly Bird, so we can have two or three set up at the same time, to throw at different angles and directions. Our family shooting events should be more fun in the future.