Feburary Newsletter

Promatic’s
Scrappage Scheme
We will scrap any make of complete
400 carousel trap you have and
give you £450 credit against
the list price of a brand new
Promatic SuperSporter!
SAVE
£450!
OFFER
TO 30 EXTENDED
APRIL
2010
AN
UK M D APPLIES
TO
AIN
TRANS LAND ON
LY
PORT
TBA .
The World’s NO 1 trap supplier
Over 65,000 traps used worldwide in over 60 countries
PROMATIC INTERNATIONAL LTD STATION WORKS, HOOTON, SOUTH WIRRAL CH66 7NF
Call Iain today for more details of the Promatic Scrappage Scheme
Iain Petrie: 01407 860800 Mobile: 07836 507579 iainpetrie@promatic.co.uk
www.promatic.co.uk
THE WORLD OF
PROMATIC
NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2010
IN THIS ISSUE
READ ALL ABOUT:
SIMULATED GAME SHOOTING
KEEPING A HEALTHY BATTERY
PROMATIC INTERNATIONAL LTD, STATION WORKS, HOOTON, SOUTH WIRRAL CH66 7NF
MORAG: 0151 203 6339 JANET: 0151 327 2220 IAIN PETRIE: 07836 507579 E-MAIL: SALES@PROMATIC.CO.UK
PROMATIC INC, 7803 WEST HWY 116, GOWER, MO 64454
TOLL FREE: 1 888 767 2529 FAX: 816 539 0257 E-MAIL: SALES@PROMATIC.BIZ
FOREWORD...
FOREWORD BY BRIAN JARDINE
Another fantastic
year behind us!
2009 was a difficult year for the
global economy and despite the
tough market conditions for
Promatic, it has been a period of
steady growth. The business has
gone from strength to strength,
further consolidating its position as
the global market leader. We have
invested in the future of shooting
by recruiting new enthusiastic
personnel, by sponsoring some of
the most important competitions
worldwide and by investing in new
product development. We
broadened our product range by
expanding into the air rifle shooting
industry with our automatic multitarget system (Sharp Shooter),
we have also made major
improvements to our Claymate
target controllers and shooters all
over the world have enjoyed
shooting our left-handed Super
Sporters, made more affordable
through our Scrappage Scheme.
This year we look forward to
surprising you with other
numerous projects we’ve been
working on, so keep an eye on our
website for further developments
and new products.
2010 has started with a
fantastic success at the Shot
Show, giving us a glance of the
exciting year ahead. We will bring
you the harvest of our efforts and
continued commitment to the
sport.
We count on you to give us
your feedback on how we can
better satisfy your requirements
or to share with us events you’re
planning this year. It will be our
priority to keep all communication
channels open and listen to our
customers. For this purpose we
have included a short questionnaire
with this newsletter and would ask
that you take just a few minutes to
complete it and return it to us.
We hope your year is full of
accomplishments and great
shooting results!
Kind regards
Brian Jardine
Promatic Group, CEO ●
JUST LIKE THE
REAL THING
Have you ever thought what it
would be like to shoot a really big
driven day? I have, but the thought
of a 500 or 600-bird day, although
fascinating, makes me feel a little
uncomfortable morally – let alone
the hole it would put in my wallet at
say £30 a bird. However, it can be
done and with no conscience or
need to re-mortgage the house.
Simulated game days have
really taken off over the past few
years, especially in the current
economic climate. It’s well known
that game shooters dislike the
usual clay shoot where they have to
stand in a cage and demonstrate
their shooting skills in full view of
everyone and shoot at repetitive
targets – the same place, at the
same speed and the same angle
time after time. “Shooting live game,”
they argue, “is not like that. It’s far
more exciting and is a complete
day – not just a couple of hours.”
A simulated event ticks all the
right boxes. It offers a familiar
format, standing at a peg and
having the birds driven over you
from all angles, speeds and
heights – just like the real thing.
Done properly, each drive
replicates a given quarry – be it
high pheasants, low, fast partridge
or grouse, flighting duck or even
decoyed pigeon.
Part of the skill in running a
successful simulated day is to
create the atmosphere of a live
shoot day in every aspect. It is not
good enough to just continually fire off
the traps for ten minutes; it requires the
skill and ability to create a live bird drive.
As the Shoot Captain’s horn blows
to start the first drive, a lone bird flies
over the line and catches all the guns
unprepared. Next, a few birds dart over
one end of the line accompanied by
cries of ‘forward’, and the head keeper
barking, “OK lads take it on, nice and
steady.”
A pause, to build the excitement,
with only an odd bird appearing up and
down the line and then a mad flush for
a couple of minutes which dies to a
trickle before building again to a final
crescendo as the birds come so thick
and fast the guns struggle to load fast
enough.
Some syndicates have two teams
and swop over half way through, one
stuffing for the other and all the while
banter alternating between
encouragement and derision.
And so the day plays out;
a break for tiffin; more
drives and ending in the
pub for a hunters dinner –
swopping stories and
etching the days events into
the memory.
Behind the scenes the
Head Keeper has created
each drive consisting of
up to 2,000 birds with
just two Huntsman
trailers. With the six traps
set at different angles,
varying speeds and ‘on
the wobble’, it’s impossible
to judge where the next
bird is coming from and
the random pattern
properly imitates the real thing. He can
easily orchestrate the presentation of
birds up and down the line over the
guns with the master control box. It can
be done by one man, but realistically
two is the minimum required – to hitch
and unhitch the trailers from one drive
to the next and reload the traps.
Preparation is everything, so peg and
trap positions should be staked out and
clays dumped in advance. Another
secret to maintain the illusion of a real
drive is not to let the guns see the
trailers at anytime during the day –
sometimes easier said than done. If
you are interested in purchasing the
Huntsman trailer call Iain Petrie on:
01407 860800, mobile: 07836
507579 ●
Coventry SIlvercraft is proud to
support Promatic and is pleased
to offer a 20% discount on all
orders from Promatic customers.
Applies to all TROHIES, AWARDS,
BADGES & MEDALS.
Please call 02476 222845.
20% DISCOUNT @
www.justrewards.co.uk
Silver Plated Awards
Traditional Trophies
Badges Made to Order
Medals Made to Order
Shooting Awards
BATTERY CARE...
BATTERIES – MATTERS OF THE HEART
If the spring and frame are the
muscle and bone then the battery
is the heart of your trap. Know your
heart and avoid a heart attack.
The heart of the matter...
There are two types of 12 volt battery –
the vehicle battery, which supplies a
short high burst of 200 amps to start
your car and is quickly recharged by
the alternator (called shallow cycle
recharging), and, for your trap, the
leisure battery which supplies a much
lower current over a long period and
requires a long, slow charge – deep
cycle recharging.
Even though both types are similar
in shape and construction they are not
interchangeable. Both usually have six
cells containing sulphuric acid topped
up with distilled water housed in a
strong polypropylene casing. Each cell
has a set of lead plates and during
discharge and recharging the plates
expand and contract, and in doing so
Queues quickly form
if a trap goes down.
lose some of their active material –
lead dioxide in the positive plates and a
metallic sponge lead in the negative. A
separator between the plates helps
prevent deterioration but in a car
battery it is insufficient if constantly
discharged. A leisure battery has a
second layer of glass wool separators
which helps contain the active materials
and so prolong the battery’s life. The
sulphuric acid acts as a conductor
between the plates and as the cell
discharges the density of the acid
decreases, reducing the ability of the
plates to release the electric current.
Recharging increases the density and
reverses the process.
The traditional lead acid (or wet)
battery has a screw cap into each cell
that allows access to top up with
distilled water (never top up with acid).
A sealed battery has no cap and
supposedly does not require topping
up. Instead it has a glass, traffic light,
indicator that shows the state of
charge. Gel batteries are the newest
type on the market but can cost three
times as much; whether the extra is
justified in prolonged battery life is
debatable.
You pays your money….
There are a number of factors to
consider when choosing a battery to
power your trap. Batteries are rated
according to the ‘current’ (amps) it
outputs over one hour – Ampere/Hours
(AH). So, for example, if you discharged
an 80Ah battery at a constant rate of 8
Amps then theoretically the battery
would last 10 hours (Hours = Charge /
Tanya Batteries are pleased to support Promatic and are
offering a 5% discount on all batteries in 2010.
Please quote PRO2010 when ordering online or by phone.
BATTERY CARE...
Top up regularly
Amps = 80 / 8 = 10 Hours). In the
real world the theoretical value is
rarely achieved so you could
expect a new battery to give about
90% of it’s stated AH value.
For small traps, such as the
Promatic Hawk, Harrier and Eagle
series that hold from 50 – 300
clays, a 65 – 75 AH battery is
perfectly adequate for individual
and club shoots. For the larger
range of commercial traps, like the
Promatic Ranger, Super Sporter
and specialist traps, the 110 –
120 AH is more suitable and well
worth the little extra cost – the last
thing you want is a flat battery in
the middle of a competition.
Looking on the Internet, the
average price for a 65–85 AH
battery is about £53 (you can pay
as little as £43) with free delivery
and a warranty from 1–3 years.
The worth of a warranty is a little
dubious as it is very easy to
damage a battery – so suppliers
can make counter claims of poor
maintenance and misuse when
faced with a warranty claim – you
pays your money and takes your
choice. The average price of
batteries in the 110 – 120AH
range is £93, again most suppliers
offer free delivery and warranty.
The critical message is not to let
your battery discharge to less
than 80% of its capacity too
often. If it regularly goes below
50% it won’t take long before it is
degraded to such an extent it will
be unable to be fully charged
again. After a dozen charges,
don’t forget to check the
electrolyte (the acid/water mix) in
each cell. First clean the top of
the battery to ensure muck and
grit doesn’t get into the cell when
you unscrew the cap. It is also a
good idea to wear rubber gloves
and not smoke as you are playing
with acid. Use boiled or preferably
distilled water (it only costs £1.99
a litre from your garage). Do not
use tap water, even filtered, as it
contains impurities which will
degrade the charging process
and shorten the life of the battery.
The water must cover the plates,
so bring the level up to the mark
(usually a plastic ledge sticking
out) but never fully fill the cell.
A Voltmeter is a quick and
easy way to check the state of
your battery. A reading of 12.7
volts indicates a full charge, 12.5
is 80% and 12.2 is half charge.
Another method is to test the
strength of the electrolyte using a
hydrometer. A reading of less
than 1.17 indicates a charge of
less than 50%. At 1.28 the
battery is fully charged.
Use a coin to reseal the cap
and don’t over tighten the screws
as the heads burr very easily.
Clean any white deposits around
the terminals and then coat with
petroleum jelly (don’t forget to do
the battery clips as well). Get into
the habit of removing the negative
terminal first and replacing the
positive terminal first – job done. ●
AT THE END
OF THE LINE
It’s always nice to know
something about who’s at the
other end of the ‘phone when
you call so let
us introduce
you to some
members of
the team.
Sales Manager,
Janet Gornall,
has 24 years
experience in
retail sales, the last four
with Promatic. She is a keen shot
– game and clays – and has
Cheshire County Sporting caps.
Her gun of choice is a Perazzi MX
2000. When not shooting, she
works two Springer spaniels.
Janet’s partner, Phil Clarke, also
works for Promatic and is also a
keen shot. “The only reason I
started shooting,” she explains,
“was to spend more time with Phil
– now I beat him.” ●
LEADING THE WAY
A leading article in a recent Clay
Shooting magazine put Promatic
at the top of automatic traps with
‘known worldwide for quality,
reliability and value for money.’
That says it all really. ●
NEWS...
CLICK ON...
...To our new website:
www.promatic.co.uk. It has
recently had a re-vamp and is now
even easier to find your way
around. There are direct links to
Traps and Special Offers,
Simulated Game, Clays, Claymate
and hot news items – and that’s
just on the home page! ●
HELPING THE
HEROES
Promatic have long been a
benefactor of the Armed and
Emergency Services and have
sponsored and supported Service
shooting teams, clay competitions,
Service welfare and other charity
shoots. The company has always
responded to requests for help
including loaning traps and sending
traps to the forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan. "We value what our
Armed and Emergency Services do
and are proud to be associated
with them and will continue to help
where we can" said Sales Director,
Iain Petrie. ●
might expect but they are a hardy
lot in Wiltshire and many braved the
elements to turn up. Over the last
six years Keith has invested
heavily in the Claymate control
system and says “Even for
smaller clubs like ours, Claymate
has been a great investment,
not only for controlling clays but
it also saves on manpower. We
have seen a significant return on
clay purchases and employee
wages. Putting Claymate on
the Skeet layout has paid for
itself three times over in less
than a year.” ●
AN OFFER YOU
CAN’T REFUSE
Coventry Silvercraft is pleased to
offer a 20% discount on orders
from Promatic customers. Applies
to all TROPHIES, AWARDS,
BADGES AND MEDALS. Call
02476 222845 or visit:
www.gunsandbows.co.uk and
quote promotion code CSP10. ●
WE’LL BE THERE
Already the calendar is filling up and we will be up
and down the country as well as abroad at game
and country shows and major shooting competitions.
We look forward to seeing you.
NEVER MIND THE
WEATHER
IWA Nuremberg, Germany – March 12-15
Despite eight inches of snow on
Salisbury Plain and a wind chill
making it feel like -20° the Larkhill
Garrison Clay Club opened for
business during the recent cold
snap. “We were a little worried
about the icy conditions but we
switched on the traps (31) and
they all worked,” said Major Keith
Howe. Numbers were down as you
Rambouillet, France – March 26–29
British Shooting Show, Newark – February 22-23
Prince’s Trust Charity Shoot – May 10-11
English Open Sporting, West Midlands – May 14-16
Classic – June 2–5
US Open FITASC, Mississippi – June 18–20
Scottish Game Fair, Scone – July 02-04
Promatic World Sporting, Lakenheath – July 08-11
CLA Game Fair, Ragley Hall – July 23–25
Midland Game Fair, Weston Park - Sept 18–19
NEWS...
WORKERS
PLAYTIME
To help dispel the rumours that
Promatic boss Brian Jardine is a
hard taskmaster, some of the
indentured workers were
unshackled long enough to
experience and enjoy a days
shooting at the Wirral Shoot on the
Leverhulme Estate. For most it was
their first time and they were
supervised and instructed by
members of the Promatic Shooting
Club. To say that everyone
thoroughly enjoyed it would be an
understatement. As a result, the
club has more than a few new
members and Brian has more
requests for days off to go
shooting! ●
For
ground
owner
Peter
Harding
the decision to choose Promatic
was an easy one. “We wanted a
simple to use convenient system
that was easy to use from a
shooter’s point of view. The entire
system is wireless, which makes it
very easy to set up. Changing
stands is far less labour intensive
without having to worry about
any cables. Link that to the
Promatic traps we already have
and we have achieved a seamless
transition – and I don’t think you
could find a better system
anywhere.”
At the end of a great day
SPITFIRE CLIMBS
TO NEW HEIGHTS
The Wi card is a sophisticated
radio system that allows each
The Hampshire based Spitfire
shooter to use a ‘smart card’ which,
Shooting ground is the first in
when swiped through a controller on
the world to fully adopt the new each stand, records the number of
Claymate Wi Card trap
targets thrown. The system can be
controllers from Promatic.
wireless or operated via cables with
Having long been established as a the ability to control whole layouts
corporate venue, it is now open to from one handset. For more
the general public with practice
information on the Wi card Claymate
available six days a week offering a system visit www.Promatic.co.uk or
full 10 stand 100–target layout.
call 0151 3272220. ●
YOU CAN’T BEAT
PROMATIC BUT...
Can you beat a course set by
Arnie Palmer who uses
Promatic traps?
Over 250 intrepid shooters thought
the challenge exciting enough to
brave the driving rain, floods and
gales and turned up at Kegworth
Shooting Ground to give it a try.
Arnie and ground owner John
Wroughton (above) made the most
of the terrain and a variety of
Promatic traps to tease and test
the shooters.
Local man Nick Hendrick, using
a Browning XTR and RIO Star Team
shells, dropped only four targets to
claim the High Gun prize while
Bobby Bruce, having travelled down
from North Ayrshire, secured the
Veteran’s title and 20-year-old Ross
Ingamells from Spilsby, Lincolnshire,
was top Junior on 87 with his
Beretta 682 GE and Hull Sovereign
combination. Nearly £1,500 was
paid out in prize money. ●
Nick Hendrick
NEWS...
ON TOP DOWN
UNDER
A strong contingent of British
shooters made the trip half way
around the world to take part in
the 31st World FITASC
Championships at the Laang
Range near Warrnambool,
Victoria, Australia.
Besides the familiarity of the
language and driving on the left,
seeing the 95 navy blue Promatic
traps on the parcours must have
also made them feel at home and
given them a feeling of confidence
– in the traps at least.
Great Britain did well with
George Digweed (186), Mark
Marshall (184) and Mark Winser
(181) taking three of the top four
places. Top spot went to Australian
Damien Birgan on 187. John Dyson
won the Veterans class, pipping
Neville Jay into the runners–up
position, while Alan Coy came a
close second in the Super
Veterans.
Promatic have appointed
Geelong Sporting Clays
Association as their Australian
distributors with Ray McFarlane
heading up the Sales & Technical
Support team. Ray has been in the
business for over 30 years and
specialises in range building and
target setting for major competitions
– the ideal choice. He is currently
the Director of Target Shooting for
the Australian Federation as well as
L–R: Ray McFarlane Damien Birgan
and Tony Trevorrow
FITASC Vice President (Oceania). “If
we are to raise the profile of clay
shooting in Australia, competitors
demand, and must have, the best
equipment available,” he said.
“Many of the major sporting clay
clubs are switching to Promatic.
The Ranger and Super Sporter are
the most popular models, as word
Enjoy Scottish
wildfowling...
...at its best!
6,000 acres from Peterhead to Fraserborough
in the wilds of Aberdeenshire.
For over 35 years professional shooting guide Ian Robertson has put
shooters under 60,000 Pinkfeet and Graylag geese.
IAN IS NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2010 BUT HURRY AS HE GETS
IN EXCESS OF 75% RETURN BOOKINGS.
CALL STRATHBEG WILDFOWLING ON 07711 337685
NEWS...
of their robustness, performance,
unmatched warranty and after
sales service spreads throughout
the country. The 2009 World
FITASC Championship has certainly
enhanced that growing reputation.”
Promatic will be sponsoring
major competitions this year
including the Australian FITASC
Grand Prix, the Oceania FITASC
Championships and the Field &
Game Federations National
Championships. ●
INDIAN FIRST
Graham Fair journeyed to the
Jalore Rifle Association club in
Rajasthan to oversee the
installation of an Olympic
Trench (OT) layout consisting of
15 Promatic traps and a
Progetti OT Acoustic Controller.
The equipment, including all the
wiring and fixings, had been sent
on in advance in kit form and had
Nearly done
been put together by the club
members. Despite problems with
the electrical power supply and
bunker construction, the job was
completed inside a week. Gandap
Singh, President of the Rifle
Association presided at the
opening ceremony and along with
local and national shooters
witnessed the blessing of the site
by the region’s holy man. And it
isn’t finished yet. There are welladvanced plans to incorporate a
Skeet and Trap overlay later this
year. ●
SCRAPPAGE
SCHEME TO
CONTINUE
Due to the enormous success
of our Trap Scrappage Scheme
the deadline has been
extended to 30 April 2010.
“We’ve scrapped some traps that
we’ve never heard of before,”
explains Sales Director, Iain Petrie.
“Some clients have had
them in their sheds for
years and are happy to
trade them in to get the
£450 discount on a
brand new Super Sporter
trap.” The offer is open to
anyone owning a 400-
target capacity carousel trap – and
the good news is it doesn’t have to
be working or even be a Promatic.
For more information contact Iain
Petrie on: 01407 860800
Mobile: 07836 507579 or email:
iainpetrie@promatic.co.uk ●
NOT A FOURGONE
CONCLUSION
Just recently, one of our customers
found a very old trap in his
workshop that he thought he would
trade in for a
new Super
Sporter. It
turned out to
be one of the
first Promatic
Super
Sporters
Super Sporter No. 4 before and after
A well deserved party to celebrate completion
ever produced – number 4 to be
exact, made in 1987. This was too
much for the guys in the workshop
and rather than scrap it they have
totally refurbished it and it now
works as good as new. It proves
that our claim to build traps to last
is not an idle boast. ●
SHARP SHOOTER...
MORE THAN JUST
A TARGET
Sharp Shooter is a 21st century
development on the traditional
knockdown target.
However, it offers far more than
just a simple hit or miss. It has been
designed to take air rifle target
shooting to a new dimension.
Everything is very simple and
straightforward. A layout can be
set up in five minutes, rather than
an hour for traditional knockdowns.
Each target is a self-contained
unit, powered by an internal
rechargeable battery that can lower
and raise the target paddle on
command from a handheld remote
control via a wireless radio link. It is
this link that makes setup so very
easy. Simply place the targets
where you want them, arm them
with a flick of a switch
and the course is complete.
Targets fall when hit in the
same way as a standard dropdown
but new embedded technology
offers far more. Sharp Shooter
allows airgunner’s to shoot against
the clock; pitting their skills against
their own best speed, or in a head
to head against the clock. Try it
once and you’re hooked.
Hitting the first target starts the
clock and it is a race against time
to shoot the remaining targets.
Knock down the last and the clock
stops, showing the elapsed time.
There are also a variety of
targets available in different formats.
Kill zones come in 15, 25 and 40mm
sizes or for those who prefer a more
lifelike feel, then interchangeable
animal shaped silhouettes are
available and the Velcro paddle
attachments make it easy
to switch apertures or
silhouettes.
As well as its obvious
fun value, the system has
a more serious side. As a
tool for hunters it
enables them to practise
acquiring and tackling
targets rapidly. As the
Army says, “train hard,
fight easy,” which is
why the MoD was one of the first
organisations to buy Sharp Shooter.
BASC has also purchased a
system which will be seen at its
activity days and Game Fairs
throughout 2010. For those who
want to see the Sharp Shooter
system “up close”, Promatic will be
present at the British Shooting
Show, The Yorkshire Game Fair,
CLA and Midland Game Fairs. The
corporate entertainment market is
likely to be one of the biggest
customers, along with clay
shooting grounds looking to
diversify. But for the individual airgunner that has everything, a
stand-alone target is priced from
£425 (ex VAT).
There is no doubt that Sharp
Shooter represents a major
technological step forward in
airgun shooting. It’ s a lot of fun,
addictive and competitive. It is a
perfect way to introduce new
people to the sport and offers a
good return on investment without
incurring excessive time,
maintenance and labour costs. For
more information call Mark
Cokayne on 0151 327 2220,
Mobile: 07973 773096 or email:
markcokayne@promatic.co.uk ●
Editor & Advertising
Keith Fisher
Kingfisher Sporting Services
01264 772935
07711 93 1812
keith_fisher@btconnect.com
If you have a comment or question
or would like to contribute or
advertise please contact the Editor.