[BLSully]

Hello all. I'm kind of new to the forums here, but I was wondering if there was anyone from the Knoxville area. I have been doing the shotgun thing for a little over a month now, and just this weekend bought a CZ O/U for trap/sporting clays. I generally go to either the John Sevier Hunters Education Center in north Knoxville or the Gatlinburg Sportsman's Club just south of Pigeon Forge.

I have been trying to shoot every weekend, at least a couple boxes of ammo. If anyone would like to go shoot sometime, let me know

 

[Curly N]

The Chilhowee Sportsmans club is south of Maryville and quite a few folks go there every weekend. You could go there and hook up with some others. Most of the folks are quite friendly. We shoot every Wed and Thursday, which is not good for you if you work weekdays.
Curly

 

[BLSully]

Curly-

What times Wed/Thurs? I work out of the house and can "sacrifice" and afternoon here and there to shooting I don't think I can make it this week necessarily, but maybe after Thanksgiving I can join you guys. I have a friend that goes shooting with me, but he's more of a rifle/pistol aficionado. Would love to meet some friendly people to shoot with, and hopefully some experienced ones as well that can help me learn. I have <300 shells under my belt so far, and only 50 with my new O/U.

I've read a lot about techniques and such, but it's hard to self-evaluate when the clays go up so fast and I'm concentrating on just trying to hit the target

Thanks,

 

[NinjaKim]

Don't know how far it is for you but a good club to check out would be the Oak Ridge Sportsman's Association (ORSA). I tried john sevier (did 5-stand here, it was alright, though price is kind of steep if you include the gate fee and $ for rounds assuming you don't want a membership), chilhowee (did skeet here, that was fun and had a more informal feel than ORSA, also kind of pricey but i dont know what the fees are if you are a member), and finally ORSA. Hands down my favorite for facilities and pricing. You have to be a member since this one is a private club, but if you are looking to shoot even just once a month going through a couple of boxes each time, it's still worth it. It's $120 annually ($10 a month), and the per-round cost is only $2.50 a round for skeet and trap. The people are very welcoming, and if getting better is something you are looking for, several are quite serious about their shooting (lots of competitors) and very willing to give tips or help you out. There's lots of stuff for high powered rifles, handguns, archery and things like that too if you want variety. If you'd like to check it out, let me know. I try to make it out every weekend. Good luck!

 

[BLSully]

NinjaKim,

That sounds very promising. Honestly John Sevier isn't too bad... $5/round of trap/skeet/SC seemed relatively reasonable compared to the Gatlinburg Sportsman's Club and Chilhowee, both which, averaged out are WELL more than $5/25 clays for SC, and $6/25 for trap.

HOWEVER, the $120/year club fee for ORSA + the $2.50/round of clays would more than make up the entry fees at JSHEC over a year. I've so far managed at least one trip a week, average about 50 rounds, and would like to up that to more in the 75-100 range as I improve, and now that I've bought my O/U, I should have a little bit more money left on the side to buy ammo.

So JSHEC for a year ....

$5.50 x 30 (visits/year) = $165 (the 30 is just a guess, but I love this sport, and it's quickly becoming my main/only hobby, so I'd say i'll be out there at LEAST every other weekend)

So right there, i'm saving $45 on entry/membership fees, and then clays are half the price of JSHEC.

Sounds like a deal and it just gets "better" if I end up going more often. Main cash outlay will really just be for ammunition, and especially since I'm new, I've just been shooting the cheapest 2-3/4" shells I can find (so far either Rem Gun Clubs or Rem Small Game #8 at about $5-6/box).

I would really love to go with you this weekend if you're allowed to bring a guest. I will not have the cash to join til probably the 1st of the year or so (gotta buy the wife some presents for Christmas ) but if it's as good as you say, I will most definitely be joining that club.

I'm in Louisville (right near the airport), so Oak Ridge isn't too bad of a drive...just shoot out Pellisippi

I'll PM you my email and phone # so we can figure out a time to meet. Thanks again.

 

[jmqualls]

If you have a GPS I've put together many shotgun club locations in the east. The file is still building as clubs are location and verified. Your welcome to download and load into GPS. Oak Ridge is there and all other Tennessee clubs in Zone 4 file. Here is the link.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/9958

 

[T-roy 120]

Birds & Clays in wasburn Tn is a good shoot. They change up the coarse often.

 

[Camelot Kid]

Hey guys I am in Oak Ridge, wanted to know if anyone else has any more information about becoming a member at the oak ridge club. I have heard that you have to be sponsored by a member. What do I need to do to sign up?

 

[CharlieC]

If you have been to the John Sevier club you will want to join the Oak Ridge club when you see the facilities. I used to shoot every week at the Powell Valley Conservation Club. both trap and pistol, but the economy has me now shooting trap in my backyard when my grandson is here. That's what I get for buying him a new shotgun, Tri Star Youth model, now he can shoot and learn.
Anyway, if I were going to join a club near Knoxville I would join the Oak Ridge Gun Club. You do need a member to sponsor you, but that should not be too hard to find.

 

[DragonNester]

Howdy, I'm joining the Chilhowee Sportsman's Club (Blount County), being it's only ten minutes from my place and I want to learn to shoot SC. Just got back into guns in general and shotgun shooting specifically after a thirty three year absence. Just an old dog learning new tricks.

 

[birdhunter74]

I'm located in Greeneville and looking for trap and sporting clays in the area.