A high stocked [shooting] gun can get you into a lot of trouble [as in lost!, accentuated by a loud buzzer so all know you missed] on Helice. Assumptions that the birds will be rising is wishful thinking. Many are, but there are 'drivers', straight aways [no bird really is, but they sometimes have that appearance] and ground huggers that come out behind the trap and are not visible at all until they clear the fence or just before. The targets have two blades [orange] and a white 'witness' cap snapped in the center. The blades are constructed of a polystyrene type plastic and the witness is a much heaver and more durable plastic of a dif composition. The witness may be and often is reused. Targets are made in more than one country. Italian ones seem to separate better, those made in Mexico are more challenging [tougher], at least that has been the opinion of many folks that I have shot with. I would agree.
You do not need pigeon loads. The Remington 'Heavy Dove' loads [3&1/4DE 1.125oz. shot] in #7.5 will get the job done about as well as anything. If you think you need choke, then by all means. I use tight chokes personally. I have also run a number of targets with a no choke[cyl] damascus bbl'd English hammer gun using the gold hulled Remington handicap trap loads. Perhaps it was the 'borrowed gun' syndrome, but it sure made a lasting impression on me, 12/15 w/it that afternoon just screwing around. I personally checked the bores w/my gauge afterwards .. no choke. Didn't get to pattern it, but suspect the center was 'hot'. Most importantly, I shot it well.
Read Cyril Adams book, 'Lock, Stock & Bbl' for some further insight on techiques. Cyril shoots a 34" Parker, off the shoulder, never premounted. Also read Michael Raye Forehand's book, 'Competition Shotgun Shooting' for helice and other game specific information.
For me, I do best w/a flat shooting, lively gun. That does mean a bit more drop. The rythum is unique to helice and is not the same as other games, even though it was intended to be a 'Zinc Zuritto'(sp?), the native rock dove of Gibralter.
Box bird & trap guns are the predominant norm, however there are quite a few Beretta semi-autos and a smattering of 1100's and a good representation of old classic SxS's that do as well as any. We shoot them regularly, have two regulation rings that stay set up and aside from some competition matches, monthly Helice fun shoots, usually held on a Sat.
The 'trick' to getting the witness to separate is to break the outer ring of the prop portion of the target. Do that and the centrifugal force will break the rest of it and loose the witness pretty much 100% of the time.
edit: by 'outer ring' I am refering to the ring that the witness snaps into, between the propeller blades.
Last edited by tw; 11/13/07 08:47 AM.
