Nordic Clays: clay shooting, but not as we know it

Words by Digby Taylor

Even for those of us who enjoy a bit of clay shooting, there is a certain amount of truth to the statement that once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. There’s a reason why clay grounds are constantly moving traps to adjust the targets presented. A clay follows a true trajectory that can be honed in on with a bit of practice - there’s a limit to how much variety you can show from a static trap. 

The very best I’ve seen in terms of variety has been from manual trappers on a simulated day where the direction of each clay is decided by the person operating the trap rather than a pre-set or programmed angle and trajectory. Even then though, unlike live game, once the clay has left the trap, it won’t alter it’s line and the speed is consistent. 

Trapmaster: a revolutionary take on throwing clays

That was until I came across the Nordic Clays Trapmaster. Having seen it advertised to me on social media I had to get my hands on one. Our first day’s shooting at home was mid-November and I thought it was the perfect time to try it out. We shoot on a saturday and get the clay trap out on a sunday to have a couple of bangs before everyone heads home. 

You can see straight away just by looking at the bio-clay that it’s a step away from the conventional. Rather than being flung, the bio-clay is spun round before being released, flying away from the hand-held Trapmaster.

They say on their website that “it is only the imagination that sets the limit of the direction, speed and angle the clay pigeons are shot at” and that is absolutely true. The range and speed is particularly impressive, spinning out the properllor-like targets at speeds of up to 60km/h and to distances of up to 100m. 

The most realistic clay targets

What I think is so impressive is that the bio-clay jinks and moves in the air rather like a pigeon would. When I used it first it was a still day and even then it never followed the same line. Plus, because the machine is hand-held there are infinite trajectories to launch from. Without a doubt the most realistic clays I’ve shot at. Another cool feature is that the Trapmaster is capable of throwing pairs of targets, something that a clay trap in a similar price bracket can't. 

Handheld clay launcher

Being hand-held gives it a great advantage over other traps too as you don’t need a trailer to move it. Since taking it out the first time I’ve been thinking of taking the trap into the woods to simulate some snap shooting too, something we wouldn’t be able to do with a bulkier piece of kit.

George Browne, Editor of GunsOnPegs was shooting with me on the saturday and stuck around with his wife Misha for Sunday morning just to see the clays fly:

“I've never really been much of a clay shot - it never quite seems to be able to come close to the thrill of live game - but I had a thoroughly enjoyable half an hour shooting at, and mostly missing, the Nordic Clays. There's something about the way that they fly, without apparently slowing and never quite following a 'true' path, that makes them really exciting and, as evidenced by my cartridge-hit ratio, very testing. I also love how easy and fuss-free it is to just grab and have half an hour with - so much more user-friendly than having to hump a manual trap out of the shed and position it just so. I've added one to my Christmas list!”

The Trapmaster costs £683, while the targets start at £46 per 196, with discounts for bulk orders. For reference, a clay trap in the same approximate price bracket can probably only do half of what this can. Forget everything you thought you knew about clay pigeon shooting and give the Nordic Clays Trapmaster a try. I can see this new invention revolutionising clay pigeon shooting into the future.