This Month In Clay Target Nation

CTN April 2025

The April issue of Clay Target Nation is full of hard-hitting tips and tactics to help you improve your shooting and have more fun.

In our Training Tips columns, instructor Al Scooler offers a simple tip to improve your odds on high 1, while Anthony Matarese Jr. gets serious about confronting the excuses that are holding you back from reaching your full potential.

This year, we’re celebrating CTN’s 10th anniversary by bringing you one article each issue from our 2016 archives, and in April, that’s a feature on a topic most shooters can relate to: how to break out of a rut. You’ll also find a feature outlining what to expect out of the fully custom gunstock process, and a cool feature highlighting some successful Ladies Nights at various clubs. We interview some of skeet’s best shooters about how they handle the pressure to constantly be perfect, and we also take a look at how to understand target types as well as target presentations during your shot planning. And don’t miss instructor Deon Thompson’s article “Body of Work,” in which he encourages shooters to pay attention to how they body feels—not just how everything looks—when they’re setting up.

Advertisers in the April issue are:

Clay Target Nation is available monthly to all members in digital and/or print form. Not a member? You can receive the next issue when you join at http://nssa-nsca.org/join-nssa-nsca/.

Update Regarding Sportsman’s Insurance Agency, Inc.

NSSA-NSCA logo

We are pleased to report that Sportsman’s Insurance Agency, Inc. (SIAI) has notified NSSA-NSCA of an update regarding the gun, gun club and instructor coverages they offer to our members and member clubs.

“Sportsman’s Insurance Agency is excited to announce the continuation of our regular operations with our customers,” said Leslie Casanova, president of SIAI.

If your firearm, gun club, or instructor’s coverage recently expired, please contact Sportsman’s at 386-677-2588 to discuss resuming these valuable coverages.

If your policy expires on a future date, your coverage will remain in force until the expiration date listed on your Certificate of Coverage. SIAI will contact you for renewal of your coverage at that time.

Please contact SIAI at 386-677-2588 with any questions regarding your existing or lapsed coverage.

“We thank you for your patience, understanding and support,” said Leslie. “We are happy to continue to support the NSSA/NSCA and its members, member clubs, and instructors the same as we have for the past 33 years. Again, thank you from the SIAI team.”

 

K-80 Raffle Tickets Available Now!

The annual Krieghoff K-80 shotgun raffle is now underway, with one lucky winner taking home a dream gun worth $20,345 when their ticket is drawn during the National Sporting Clays Championship. You do not have to be present to win.

Krieghoff has generously donated a K-80 Sporting model with a tapered flat rib on 32-inch barrels. It will be enhanced with beautiful Symphony Nitride engraving and a category 002 #3 Sporting adjustable stock and Schnabel forend.

The annual K-80 raffle is one of the major fundraisers for the USA Sporting Clays Team and also supports the Krieghoff All-American programs for both NSCA and NSSA. Only 407 tickets will be sold at $100 each. To purchase your tickets, call Glynne Moseley, 210-688-3371 ext. 270. The raffle is open only to U.S. residents.

Note: The Krieghoff shotgun winner must have a valid U.S. social security number, as NSSA-NSCA must collect tax and report the winning value to the IRS. We cannot ship firearms outside the U.S
 
 

Win VIP Package with Purchase of 2 Raffle Tickets

NSSA-NSCA has two big gun raffles underway, and buying a ticket for each can net you a huge reward! If you purchase both a Kolar shotgun raffle ticket and a Krieghoff K-80 raffle ticket, you will not only be entered to win both of these shotguns, but you’ll also be entered to win your choice of either a 2024 World Skeet Championships VIP Package or 2024 National Sporting Clays Championship VIP Package. Buying multiple pairs of tickets will get your name entered for each pair. If you have previously purchased the pair of tickets, your name will be automatically entered for the event VIP package.

If you select the 2024 National Championship VIP Package, as the winner you would receive the following prizes for next year’s Nationals:

  • Free Main Event Entry (options not included)
  • Free K-Kup Entry (options not included)
  • 100 Practice Sporting Clays Targets
  • VIP Parking Spot
  • 2 NSCA Hall of Fame Banquet Tickets
  • Shotgun Storage for Two Guns for the Duration of the Event
  • 1 National Championship Shirt and 1 National Championship Cap

If you select the 2024 World Skeet Championships VIP Package, you would receive the following for next year’s World Shoot:

  • Mini World Event Entry, All Guns (no options)
  • Main World Entry, All Guns (no options)
  • VIP Parking Spot
  • 10 Rounds of Skeet Practice
  • Shotgun Storage for Two Guns for Duration of the Event
  • 2 NSSA Hall of Fame Banquet Tickets
  • 1 World Championships Shirt and 1 World Championships Cap

Here are the two shotguns you can win in the raffles:

Kolar 12-gauge over/under shotgun valued at $30,000. All proceeds of this raffle will go to the NSSA-NSCA Endowment Fund. The gun is a Regal Extra model with cloisonne pheasant inlaid on the receiver. It has a 32-inch flat-rib barrel. Only 600 tickets will be sold at $100 each, and the drawing will be held on October 5 during the 2023 World Skeet Championships. The raffle is open to NSSA-NSCA members and non-members who are U.S. residents. 

Krieghoff K-80 over/under shotgun valued at $22,745. This is the annual Krieghoff K-80 shotgun raffle benefiting the USA Sporting Clays Team and the Krieghoff All-American programs for both NSCA and NSSA. The drawing will be held during the National Sporting Clays Championship. The prize gun is a K-80 Pro Sporter Parcours Special III with 30-inch O/U Pro Sporter barrels with adjustable rib. It will have an engraved nickel finish and #3FRA/#7 forend Pro Sporter stock of Cat003 wood.

To purchase tickets for both raffles, call Glynne Moseley at 210-688-3371 ext. 270 or Sheri Giles at 210-688-3371 ext. 212. Both gun drawings will be held on October 27 during the National Sporting Clays Championship.
 

10 Ways to Enjoy National Shooting Sports Month in August

August is National Shooting Sports Month, and America’s firearm owners will find it a great time to spend a day at the range enjoying their favorite target-shooting sports with friends and family members. It’s also a time for millions of first-time gun owners to check out all the shooting sports have to offer.

Developed by NSSF, the firearms industry trade association, National Shooting Sports Month is marking its seventh year of celebrating the great American pastime of target shooting. Whether you enjoy shattering clay targets with a shotgun, hearing the clang of hitting steel plates with a handgun, or hitting a target 100 yards away with a rifle, the shooting sports have something for you. Target shooting is fun, safe, and welcoming to those who have never fired their first shots. More than 63 million adults and youth participate in target shooting sports.

Here are 10 ways to enjoy National Shooting Sports Month:

1. Mentoring/+ONE Movement
It helps to have a mentor show you the ropes when learning a new activity. NSSF’s +ONE Movement asks experienced shooters to guide newcomers and novices on how to safely handle firearms and develop their marksmanship skills. Experienced shooters can help secure the future of shooting sports by taking the +ONE pledge to introduce someone new to target shooting this August!

2. Win a Great Prize!
The #RangeChallenge offers an ongoing series of target-shooting challenges and incentives that promotes firearm safety, mentorship, training, and shooting sports awareness. Shooters can request an official #RangeChallenge target from a partnering range or download one from the website. Read the contest rules, shoot your target and enter to win one of 10 gift cards valued at $500.00 each. Learn more.

3. A Date at the Range
Make it a date! Ask your spouse, partner, boyfriend, or girlfriend to go target shooting with you. You’ll have a great time together. Women are the fastest growing group in target shooting, and more gear than ever has been designed for their fit and comfort. Don’t have someone to go with? Call the range and ask about their leagues and training classes.

4. Rediscover Shooting
Haven’t shot in a while? Dust off your shooting gear — always check to see if firearms are loaded when removing them from storage — and call an old shooting buddy or ask a family member to join you. Clay target sports such as skeet and sporting clays are perfect for socializing.

5. What to Expect at the Range
Safety orientation, range rules, range officers … there are things you need to know about if you haven’t spent much time at a target shooting range, or perhaps you need to refresh your memory. You can brush up on the rules, safety, and etiquette in the NSSA Rule Book and NSCA Rule Book.

6. #LetsGoShooting
#LetsGoShooting is the theme of National Shooting Sports Month. Share the hashtag and your experiences on your favorite social media networks and remind others to head out to the range for a day of fun and socializing. Discover the skill-building and fun other target shooters are having at the range by following the #LetsGoShooting feeds.

7. Cash in on Deals
Retailers and ranges will be offering specials during National Shooting Sports Month at thousands of events nationwide. Find a participating business near you to take advantage of these offers at ShootingSportsmonth.org.

8. Tune Up for Hunting Season
Many people are taking up hunting because they’re interested in harvesting their own healthful food. A trip to a firearm retailer or range can provide answers on how to get started hunting, such as enrolling in a hunter education course and practicing your shooting to be ready in time for the fall seasons. NSSF’s LetsGoHunting.org website has loads of information.

9. Practice Safe Firearm Handling and Storage
National Shooting Sports Month is a good time to enroll in a firearm training course. Need an instructor? You can find an NSSA Certified Instructor or an NSCA Certified Instructor for training. The shooting sports are safe. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Responsible gun owners safely handle their firearms and securely store them when not in use — at home, in vehicles, and at the range. Thanks to responsible gun owners and programs like NSSF’s Project ChildSafe, fatal firearms accidents are at historic low levels.

10. Celebrate Freedom and Tradition
In addition to passing on the great tradition of target shooting, you can educate others about the unique American freedoms that make firearm ownership and the shooting sports possible. See NSSF’s Proud to be a Firearms Owner pocket card and video and also learn about NSSF’s Gun Owners Care.

Remember, help make others aware of the great pastime of target shooting by sharing your experiences on social media and using the hashtag #LetsGoShooting and #RangeChallenge.