Thinking of setting up a simulated game shoot, or adding to your existing sim set-up? In this article we explore the best Manual and Automatic Traps for Simulated Game.
Before we talk about the traps, here’s a little Bowman history to explain the principles on which our machines are built, which we believe makes them the best traps for simulated game.
About Bowman Traps
Barry Davidson and his business partner, George, set up Bowman Traps in 1966, making manual clay pigeon traps which, to this day are still being used at shooting grounds, clubs and homes all over the world. Barry’s design of our manual traps (which we still make today) produced a fantastic machine with a brilliant lifespan.
Barry was an excellent engineer however, at the point automatic traps emerged into the market, he was hesitant to design and produce them, feeling there were more components that could go wrong, which would lead to travelling around the country servicing.
Barry’s son, Andrew took over the helm at Bowmans in 1997, at this point the market was becoming dominated by automatic traps. Andrew had grown up around the family business and had been working full-time at Bowmans from the age of 16 years. To ensure the continuation of the business, Andrew used his knowledge to develop the Bowman Supermatch range of automatic traps.
Heavily influenced by his father’s work, Andrew had one concept in mind; to build the strongest, most reliable traps on the market. He ensured every component in our automatic range was robust, which resulted in machines that are reliable, simple to maintain and reduce clay breakages. The design heavily supports throwing clay targets a long distance which is perfect for simulated game.
Bearing that in mind, we’ll move onto the traps ….
Andrew Davidson Age 9 – now MD of Bowman Traps
Manual Clay Pigeon Traps for Simulated Game
Manual traps get somewhat overlooked for use in simulated game, as they’re commonly thought of as not being powerful enough compared to automatics. In most cases this is correct however, our Bowman Super 2000 is our best manual trap for simulated game and can hold its own out in the field.
The Super 2000 has a high tensile aluminium casting, combined with a tripod stand and cocking lever means it is able to function with the power of our red spring, matching our most powerful automatic traps that throw a standard clay 150m.
When comparing manuals to automatics most people, understandably prefer the convenience of automatics however, in our opinion you shouldn’t discount having a manual to hand that could help fire clays from locations that automatics physically can’t get to.
In fact Royal Berkshire, well renowned for their simulated days, still use some Bowman Manual traps because of their simplicity of design, independence from batteries, and the control it gives them to replicate game.
If you would like to see the full details of our Super 2000 Click Here <<<
Automatic Traps for Simulated Game
There is one trap in the Bowman Automatic Range that is undoubtedly the ultimate machine for Simulated Game and that has to be the Supermatch 8 (SPM8). SPM8 has a popular following amongst simulated shoots because of it’s ability to throw a standard clay 150m, making it the most powerful machine on the market. Combined with a fast re-cocking speed of 1.5 seconds and Bowman reliability, the SPM8 has been taking the UK’s simulated scene by storm.
The SPM8 lends itself to simulated game because it throws a powerful clay that doesn’t stall over the shooting line which is what you need to replicate live quarry. If you are fortunate enough to have wind behind you, those clays will sail past the 150m marker for sure and in a head wind you will be glad of the extra power.
The SPM8 comes in many designs which are suited to Simulated Game including 3 trap trailers, individual trailers, DTL and
ABT bases to name a few but the basic design of the SPM8 remains the same. Here are the features of the SPM8 that make it number 1 choice for many shoots in the UK.
SPM8’s main frame is made from high tensile cast aluminium. Every part of the trap is fixed to this frame, allowing it to withstand heavy use without altering over time. Our tilt bases are made from 8mm thick British steel and are expertly designed to support the weight of the trap when being transported. We pay attention to every detail making sure that the traps weight is positioned perfectly on its base allowing you to move them easily into position.
All our traps are designed to be adjusted with lever lock handles which avoids the use of spanners. The SPM8 is capable of quick alterations because you can adjust the elevation, tilt and spring tension by hand. On a simulated day, time is vital and changes between drives need to be seamless. There’s no time for losing tools or struggling with adjustments.
Domed carousel hoppers are another of our time saving designs. Doming of the carousel tubes allows the trappers to feed clays into the hoppers smoothly and quickly. This might seem like an insignificant thing but, when your loading multiple traps on a short time scale, it really helps.
SPM8’s electronics have been kept simple and functional for ease of use. If you encounter a problem on the day, you’re likely to be able to fix it. You get spare fuses and relays with the trap and we give you guidance about which parts to carry in the event of a break down so you can get up and running quickly and easily.
The SPM8 can be a dedicated standard or midi trap, however it can also be purchased as a Multi-Clay trap which we believe to be an excellent advantage for simulated shoots.
A Multi-Clay SPM8 can produce varied targets because, from the one carousel it is able to fire a mixture of standard, midi or mini clays with the use of different inserts. This random presentation of targets is the closest thing to a real game presentation because the different sizes of clay fly at different speeds and trajectories which replicates live quarry fantastically.
Our multi-clay traps have been in production since 2014 and are becoming increasingly popular with shoots all over the UK. if you would like to learn more about them click Here <<<
So, there you have it, we hope you enjoyed reading why we think our Supermatch 8 is the ultimate trap for simulated game.
In our next article, we’re going to discuss how to use the Supermatch 8 Multi-Clay to create a variety of game targets on your drives.
Below are some popular SPM8 set ups used for simulated game.
