# Shooting clays with our new to us guns



## wburns (Feb 27, 2009)

Yesterday I received my AyA XXV I bought on gunbroker. I have been wanting a Churchill XXV, and this was as close to an original as I have come so far. Someday I will get an original, but I am pleased with this one.

Side view of the gun.



























Today my friend Greg came out to the farm for Easter weekend. He recently purchased a beautiful Beretta BL-3. He was anxious to pattern it and try it out on some clays. I was excited to use my AyA and my Cross Brothers underlever that I purchased late this winter.

Below is the lineup. 









Here is my trap thrower that my wife bought me for my birthday this last summer. We installed a wobbler today on it as well. We were very pleased with its performance.









The dogs checking out the action.









Greg getting ready to shoot his BL-3









Greg getting on the bird.









Clay in the air.









Success.









Getting ready to shoot my XXV for the first time.









Taking the shot.








I was very pleased with its performance. It took me a short time to adjust to it, but as long as I shoot using Churchill's method, it is a heck of a gun. It is not a gun to try and force to do what you want. You have to shoot the minute it is bedded in your shoulder. If you do that, the clays explode. If not you have a clean miss. I will come to love that little gun. It is pretty much already stocked to my dimensions. I do have to have the cast reduced as it is a little more than I need. By the end I was breaking clays with it successfully. I look forward to using it more this summer.

Here is my Birmingham Cross Brothers underlever which was built in 1879. I shoot 2 inch 12ga loads through it just to be easy on it. It is a fun little gun. I sat some 2 3/4 shells next to the 2 inch shells just to show the comparison.









Here I am taking a shot with it.








I really like this gun and look forward to restoring it and taking some birds with it.

My wife Christina also decided to join us for a round. She borrowed my AyA to see if she liked it.









Here she is taking a shot.









All in all it was a great day. We had fun getting out and shooting again, as well as trying out our new guns. I look forward to tweaking my guns to fit me just right, as well as shooting them this summer in preparation for this fall. Greg was very pleased with his new gun and is also excited to use it this summer in preparation for fall. Christina is eying my gun, so I may have to look for another for her  . She enjoys hunting some with me every fall which makes the hunts even more fun as I get to share the experience with her.


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## billy10388 (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks you for the post.


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

Great post... thanks for the pics too. I LOVE me some AYA's... that one you own is really pretty. Good luck with it.


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## The Norseman (Jan 8, 2005)

Thank you for sharing the wonderful pictures and photo essay.
Those are great shotguns.
I have never heard of the Birmingham Underlever, neat shotgun.

Looks like all had fun, even your dogs.
Looks like Greg lost track of the Clay and is shooting that great
old Windmill also. LOL

The only rare Shotgun I have is the circa 2004 Ruger Gold Label SxS English Grip 12Ga.
It is not a Safe queen. I use it for Pheasent hunting near Forbes ND.
Once in awhile I take it out shooting Clays.


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## Boonedog (Sep 10, 2006)

Which model do-all thrower are you using and could you please provide some more info on the unit. Thanks.

Norseman you are a lucky one to have the side x side ruger, not many of those around. Had a chance to buy one at Scheels when they were available but had one on order with another dealer for a couple hundred less. The one on order never came so should have pulled the trigger at scheels.


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## wburns (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks for the responses everyone! It was a great day to get out and shoot. 
Noresman that Ruger would be a heck of a fun gun. I almost bought one when they first came out but could not cough up the cash at the time due to I was just starting our business. My underlever is no safe queen either. It has been used and will continue to be. If all goes well I will shoot a sage grouse or two with it on the 1st over in MT.

Boonedog, it is a white wing model my wife bought me for my birthday last year. She got it at Scheels in Bismarck. I also have the wobbler attachment, extended rails for holding 90 clays in total and the remote for it. I added the wobbler since the post. I use it on average twice a week so it gets a workout. It has been a great machine. I have had no issues with it since I got it last year. Setup was simple and it throws the clays very fast and smooth. It throws the clays out to about 70yds. The wobbler throws the clays at various random angles both sideways and up and down. This summer I made it more user friendly by mounting it and the batteries on a cart I bought at Tractor Supply. Now I just wheel it were ever I want. The cart is very sturdy and does not move while the thrower is in motion. My main recommendation is buy a couple of battery tenders to keep a good charge on your batteries between throwing sessions. If not the motor on the thrower will not have enough power to cock the throwing arm. On a charge I can usually throw about 250-300 clays. It takes one car battery to run the thrower and one to run the wobbler. Below is a picture of it from this summer on the cart with the wobbler attached while I was shooting my 15ga black powder SxS.


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## Boonedog (Sep 10, 2006)

Many thanks for the review of the white wing, cabelas has them on sale and I was thinking of ordering one.


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