Next week is the NSCA National Championships which are held annually at the National Shooting Center in San Antonio. Except last year when participation was somewhat down due to Covid, there are usually over 2000 shooters at the event. This year almost 2300 are already signed up. It's by far the largest sporting clays event in the country. (you can see details on winscoreonline.com)

Each year, it includes a side by side event, which in the two years prior to Covid attracted just under 150 SXS shooters. This year, that number is already approaching 160 shooters, so SXS participation appears to be not only holding, but slightly growing. (BTW, there is also a pump event with similar number of people registered)

I shot the SXS event at nationals last year and there were some seriously challenging targets, as one might expect at a national championship. And on my squad there were a couple guys shooting very non-vintage Perazzi SXS shotguns, which is probably not unexpected as this is a shooting event, not a collectors event. But I also saw a number of people shooting SXS guns you might see at a vintage event.

Now comparing the SXS event at the Nationals to collector gatherings such as the Southern or Vintage Cup is certainly apples to oranges. But nonetheless, I think its interesting and encouraging to see a large and somewhat growing number of shooters shooting SXS guns at a major sporting clays event.

Very interesting news indeed.
If you attend this year, please try to report back to us about the guns, the shooters and scores.

You can see the shooters and scores on Winscoreonline.com . Just search the state of Texas for the National Championship.

I won't be attending Nationals this year. However, I'm signed up to shoot the SXS event at the World Championships which are next April at the same venue. I'm also signed up to shoot the SXS event at the U.S. Open at Backwoods Quail Club in South Carolina next Spring so are lots of opportunities to shoot SXSs at the big registered shoots coming up.

Thanks for that encouraging report, Daryl. I probably will never get to shoot the Nationals, as long as it is held at this time of year. I do enjoy the competition at the big events, and have shot a couple US Opens. I met my friend and fellow board member, Leighton Stallones, at the S X S event at the Open in Tunica. That was just a great trip, all around.

I've certainly got the Open at Rick's next year on my to-do list. Might have to drive over for the day and just shoot the S X S event. Maybe I and the old BSS are up to it again. Sure would be nice to get to meet some more of my "forum friends" there.

Stan, I think it was just after Tunica that I shot the US Open for the first time at M&M. Had never shot registered targets before but went out of curiosity. I took advantage of the free NSCA membership offered to new shooters and shot the SXS event, finishing 2nd in my class. I also shot a BSS that day. Was a cool experience. There are a lot of SXS events at the big NSCA shoots, as well as at the state championships and some local shoots. Worth looking into.

... the big Southeast NSCA Regional shoot at the Meadows in Georgia this year had a SXS event. It started the day after the Southern so I went there from the Southern after it ended on Sunday. Ran into several people there who had also shot at the Southern.

One of the “best” SxS game shots of recent times died a few weeks ago, my good friend Stephen Imes. He got interested in Heliece a few years back and backed the building of three Heliece courses at Jimmy Bryan’s place in West Point, Ms. He went to Italy for the world championship last year and was (I believe) in the top 3 in his age class, shooting LOW gun as he always has for anything in the 35+ years I have shot with him. I wish him PEACE.

If there's an easier gun to shoot well on clays than a 30" BSS I hope it finds me.

Ever shot a Perazzi SxS?

No, but that was the gun that was on my mind when I posted that. I may be better off financially if I never do, if you know what I mean. Have you?

How about a Galazan M-21?

Yes, I’ve shot one. A couple of my rich friends own them. They are a little on the heavy side, have a locking system like a vault and shoot sweet. I don’t shoot much SxS events so I can’t justify buying one even if I could afford one. But, I must say, they are very nice guns. I do have a Model 21 though. I like it for clays.

I'm afraid if I shot one I'd like it too much, Buzz. Heavy doesn't bother me on a clays gun. My MX 8 hits the scales at 9 lbs. +. Thanks.

I've been shooting everything but trap these last few years with S by S's. I have a Model 23 Heavy Duck that's been a good waterfowl gun. I'm changing the buttstock to give it some more length and cast and generally fit it for competition. I'll see how it works for everything where I want a 12.

Daryl and Stan, do all of the bigger NSCA side by side shoots have a Veteran and Super Veteran class? My shooting is not what it was when I wore a four gun AA NSSA pin. My NSCA class stopped short at A when things got kind of professional in the nineties and the two thousands. At 76 years not so young, I would be interested in shooting if the Veteran classes were available. Thanks for any information. Your friend, Bill Murphy

Yes, Bill, they do. At least, all I have been to or looked at registering for. I shoot AA class and also Super Vet.

Here are the NSCA concurrent classes:


Sub-Junior Has not reached the 16th birthday by Jan. 1 of the target year
Junior Has not reached the 21st birthday
Veteran 55 years or older but less than 65
Super Veteran 65 years or older but less than 73
Sr. Super Veteran 73 years or older but less than 80
Legacy 80 years or older
Lady A female of any age

I won the AA class S X S at the US Open at Tunica in 2010, and also the Veterans concurrent, with a score of 87/100. The seven punches I earned overall, at that shoot, punched me into Master class. I soon learned that Master class is another name for Donor class for most of us, at big shoots. In a few years I was moved back to AA class, where I really belong. I don't shoot enough registered targets to be a Master class sporting shooter. For some it's a badge. Not me. I'd rather have a chance at winning in AA than be 15th in M.

162 people shot the Side by Side event at Nationals this year. A big increase from last year. Also a nice increase from the pre-Covid years, which were under 150 shooters. I take that as a good sign. You can see all the class results including the many concurrent results (on the pull down menus) on Winscore:

http://winscoreonline.com/view_resu...478&event_id=209807&class_id=All

There are now 75 shooters signed up for the SXS event at next years US Open at Backwoods Quail Club in South Carolina. You can see details on scorechaser.com

There should be now 76 ......

Thanks 4 the reminder, Daryl.

Nice to see that there were shooters in all these concurrents in the Nationals SXS event. That means the SXS shooters ranged from under 16 to over 80. The sub-juniors posted some impressive scores including an amazing 84/100 which was only 8 shots below the high overall!