A new device - the Trapmaster - from Nordic Clays turns everything you think you know about clay shooting on its head.

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.

That was until I came across the Nordic Clays Trapmaster. 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, 

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.

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.

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.

Another siginicant attribute is the targets themsevles are 100% Biodegradabe and are only 21% the mass of a standard target reducing shipping costs and enviromental footprint.