Front beads

[ips]

Its not about type or colour really its more about if we actually use the bead consciously or unconsciously.

 

[Maxum]

Haven't had any beads on my guns for 10 yrs now. For me it distracts from my view of the clay.

Steve nut beam is a fan of no beads on guns.

Shoot sporting and fitasc sporting don't know how other disciplines find beads and target acquisition work.

Also think its a personal thing.

If you like a bead on your gun great, if you don't like to see one like me then that's also great.

Just get your gun out and go dust some clays )

 

[Will Hewland]

I am pretty long sighted now. I can see the clays (once my eyes have woken up after about 10.30 am) but cant read the cartridge cases. I think if there was a tangerine on my barrel I wouldnt see it.

 

[EdSolomons]

As Jake said, if you want to go with no bead you will want to be seeing some rib. I havent had beads for ages but am about 1.5" over the rib from the centre of my eye, so have a good guide. You are always aware of where the gun is in your peripheral viion, but thats all. Loo at it and its game over.

 

[jake.keeling]

As Jake said, if you want to go with no bead you will want to be seeing some rib. I havent had beads for ages but am about 1.5" over the rib from the centre of my eye, so have a good guide. You are always aware of where the gun is in your peripheral viion, but thats all. Loo at it and its game over.

1.5" bloody hell, I thought I was high. I do think most top shots see an awful lot of rib though. I suppose if you are pointing that rib then it doesn't shoot high? Because, correct me if I'm wrong but it's using the bead as a sight floating in the air that would make you shoot high?

 

[RobertBeard]

I imagine that whatever you do the vital thing is to be consistent from shot to shot and to know where the shot is going relative to your eye above the rib by having tested on a pattern plate

 

[EdSolomons]

Im certainly not aware of it shooting high as such, just gives me a great clear view of everything when Im moving onto the bird/line.

If I were to "touch" the end of the gun to what was shooting at in a rifle style then I guess I would be high.

 

[Les53]

I have always used a front bead and a mid bead, BUT purely to make sure the gun is sitting how I want it. I probably don't really need to have them, because of muscle memory, but I've always had 'em so I keep using 'em. After I mount/line up, I cease to look at the beads or any other part of the gun for that matter! If I do, then I will surely miss!

 

[ips]

This is not about colour of bead as such but about if shooters particularily trap shooters are aware of the bead. As stated earlier I consider that I am aware of it but not looking at it however the fact that top OT shooters have ruddy great big bright ones then I ask myself if they are not only aware of it but conciously using it. My argument is if this was not the case then why do they not remove them and if they only wanted to be slightly aware of them like me then why use such bright ones.

One theory is that some of us think that we only need them for reference purposes for gunmount or only need them in our peripheral vision but maybe just maybe the top OT shooters know different.

This could be one of those "Eaureka" moments eluded to in another post.

 

[Les53]

This is not about colour of bead as such but about if shooters particularily trap shooters are aware of the bead. As stated earlier I consider that I am aware of it but not looking at it however the fact that top OT shooters have ruddy great big bright ones then I ask myself if they are not only aware of it but conciously using it. My argument is if this was not the case then why do they not remove them and if they only wanted to be slightly aware of them like me then why use such bright ones.

One theory is that some of us think that we only need them for reference purposes for gunmount or only need them in our peripheral vision but maybe just maybe the top OT shooters know different.

This could be one of those "Eaureka" moments eluded to in another post.

I would bet Nic would be able to give us some info on this Ian. She was well up on this sort of thing. I have used some fairly bright beads, normally bright red, white, orange and green, but not all at the same time of course! I have only ever used them for the line up and after that I never consciously see them or the muzzles, unless I miss of course! It would be good to hear from a world class OT shooter on the subject Ian, but I don't think we have anyone like that on here.

 

[ips]

Les

Yes I too have tried various sizes and colours and even tried none. I allways seem to go back to a small brass bead the type usually found on game guns. Funny though why the OT shooters you see on issf have these bright ones as it seems to contradict what you, I and many others have said and that is dont look at it or, I am only just aware of it.

 

[Les53]

Well Ian, the shape, size and colour just makes no difference to me at all. I can bugger everything up no matter what the beads look like! Some coaches hate giving me tuition at times, mainly because I do not know where my muzzles are at any time, UNLESS I miss the bloody bird. I used to see the muzzles when I first started shooting, but it was "trained" out of me by Emilio, who insisted that I saw ONLY the target and NONE of the gun. He would always say to me......"just look at the bird and pull the trigger, dont conciously even move the gun". This I had trouble with of course! In the end I got the hang of it even though it felt totally odd, but it makes the curing of problems very difficult unless the coach fully understands that "method" of shooting, and not many do. Basically it is down to honed reflexes and instinct. Emilio always shot with a white front bead and red mid bead, but he only used them on line up.The beads were both quite small though, not the bloody great things that are about now! :.:

 

[jake.keeling]

I do know an older, very experienced OT shooter, who told me he does now aim at the targets and never moves his eyes far from the bead, he said that look then slash is an erratic reflex for younger shots. I'm probably not doing his explanation justice as it made sense at the time.....but we where in a Bar in Dehli!

 

[watchman]

I have found that when shooting OT (for myself anyway) it is important when setting up for the shot to just look above the bead out on to the area about 20 foot in front of the trench , so just before and as I call for the bird the bead is very much right in my eye line, once it gets about 10 yrds out of the trap I lose sight of the bead all together and just focus on the bird.....I have found that if I do not go through this process at the start of the shot I seem to get disconected from the gun....but why the need for the bead at the start of the shot ... maybe its like a security blanket!

 

[Les53]

I do know an older, very experienced OT shooter, who told me he does now aim at the targets and never moves his eyes far from the bead, he said that look then slash is an erratic reflex for younger shots. I'm probably not doing his explanation justice as it made sense at the time.....but we where in a Bar in Dehli!

I'm a bit confused about how he can be looking at the bead, which is only a few feet from his eye, and can hit something which is 35 yards away! He surely must look at the target at some point even if he switches focus, which becomes even harder as you get older. :wacko:

 

[ips]

Well I took a bit more notice of exactly what was happening with my eyes yesterday and this is what I concluded.

I mount on the trap lid and look 2 ft higher than barrels then lock onto target and swing, at some point just before barrel meets target as I suspected I become aware of the bead. Therefore one assumes that the bead does play a role at least in trap I think I am going to take my brass bead off and go back to a red one see if a eaureka moment occurs

 

[ips]

I do know an older, very experienced OT shooter, who told me he does now aim at the targets and never moves his eyes far from the bead, he said that look then slash is an erratic reflex for younger shots. I'm probably not doing his explanation justice as it made sense at the time.....but we where in a Bar in Dehli!

Makes sence to me and I agree that your shooting changes / evolves as you get older.

I dont shoot anything like as fast (or as good) as I used to when I was younger I put gun up shouted for target and pulled trigger I never knew how or why I did anything I just did what felt natural. Bear in mind I never had a lesson they werent really available, when I started in the early 80s you just got on with it. Only the last 4 years or so have I started to "think" about what I am doing. And I can confirm that it has only had a negative effect on my scores.

 

[ips]

Tried a red bead didnt like it back to my little brass one. I found it to distracting so my theory that maybe we / i do use the bead is for me at least not correct. I am back to my Never look at the bead method.

 

[Les53]

Tried a red bead didnt like it back to my little brass one. I found it to distracting so my theory that maybe we / i do use the bead is for me at least not correct. I am back to my Never look at the bead method.

Yep, if it aint broke don't try to fix it mate! :wink:

 

[ips]

good point les, I should have known better but nothing ventured and all that