A trip to Central Virginia Sporting Clays last July led to another trip in October. I headed down to CVSC with good friends John Petrolino and Cam Edwards. On the first trip, we encountered Brad Landseadel, the owner. He’s a great guy and started telling us some jokes. We got to talking, telling him what we do. Cam suggested we should do this again. John said I should film a show with Brad. Brad suggested we do the show in one of his planes. On the trip in the fall, I brought the GoPros and filmed a show from a shotgun cart driving around the path of the stations. It was a bit noisy, with the cameras rattling for 7 minutes, but we stopped, and the audio was better.
Brad started Central Virginia Sporting Clays back in 2007. He grew up in a military family, and they traveled often. He had a career in the government. When he got married he took a job doing construction. They ended up in central Virginia when they retired. Moving to this area, they finally felt at home. Brad said most of the gun clubs were private clubs with a waiting list, so he started his own.
Not growing up hunting or shooting, shotguns didn’t become an interest until he blew out his knee playing basketball. After some surgeries and recoveries, he was still moping around the house. His wife told him he needed to find something to do and suggested he go shotgunning. Without having any shooting experience, he found out that the gun community is full of great people who want to help you learn about firearms, safety, and shooting. He found the comradery, friendship, and competitiveness he was missing from basketball on the range. Naturally, he’s made lifelong friends from the shooting sports.
Some of the challenges of running a sporting clays range include getting the town to be on board with all of the permitting needed. Currently, his property is just under 400 acres. He bought it little by little, starting with 95 acres. He bought more property as it came up. Adding more land parcels keeps any neighbors from getting close or complaining about noise levels. He buys the land, takes the timber off, sells it, and uses those funds to purchase more land.
When we were there, Brad unfortunately locked himself out of his house. So he needed to tend to get into the house. With that excitement, he forgot to give us scorecards. We went into the office and picked up the clipboard and white sheets, thinking that was the easiest course of fire. Turns out, we were wrong. It was the hardest course. John was wondering if Brad was hitting the sauce when he layed out the white course. We all shot less than we usually would but still had a great day.
One of the wonderful things about CVSC is that every 30 days, Brad changes the course of fire. He’s out there moving the targets around so every month is different. It takes a day for him to move the throwers and make changes. There are four throwers at most stations. The next day, he goes out and shoots the course himself. If there’s something he can’t hit, he makes adjustments.The throwing machines at CVSC have timed delays, so someone could go out and shoot a round alone. But it’s always more fun with friends.
They have shotguns to rent and ammo to buy at CVSC. The rental fees aren’t much, and the cost per box is about what you’d pay at your local gun shop. Of course shotgun carts are available for rent, too. I’d always suggest getting the carts. There’s a lot to lug around: guns, ammo, water bottles, cigars, etc. Throughout the year, they host some fun shoots and competitions. He offers some instruction, too, so if you need help, you’ll get it. Obviously, safety is the top concern. But after that, having a good time is a close second when it comes to what’s important.
If you find yourself in central Virginia, you need to take an afternoon and shoot some clays at CVSC. I’m looking forward to going back and filming a show from his plane. As long as I can get a higher score than Petrolino, it’ll be a great day!
Favorite quotes:
- “I haven’t left a single target out there, I don’t leave any of them, if I can’t hit them.”
- “I did shoot trap and skeet… As soon as I found sporting clays, I was hooked.”
- “When we’re out here shooting, it’s all an even platform.”
- “Want to hear something unfair? This is me at work.”
- “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t womanize. I have airplanes and guns.”
About Riding Shotgun With Charlie
Riding Shotgun With Charlie isn’t about firearms. It is about having an intimate conversation with 2 people talking. You’re the fly on the rearview mirror. Many of the passengers are involved in the firearm community.
This is a more intimate conversation than a phone, radio, or Skype interview. You get to see the passengers. And you’ll see where the road and the conversation take you!
