chippy
Well-known member
Northampton today a tough round probably made a little harder by the wind especially stand 13 but an enjoyable one. Only one clay was an eyesight test. I hit 77. 91 was leading when we left
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Sporting Shoots 2020
- Thread starter Richard59
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Will Hewland
Well-known member
Agree. Hit my worst score in about a year. Bottom line is that I didn’t shoot well when I see how many people did better than me. Never touched two targets, I think not knowing the ground well caught me out. I think I was in front. I think it could have been adjusted given the windy day and an already tough course. It seems their shoots last summer were way less gruelling. Winter has darkened their mood a bit. Stupidly I needed to drop two on stand 13 to hit a dropped score but only missed one. My average took a big kick right in the sim pair today.
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Bebo
Well-known member
Considered Horne, but didn't fancy having to clean my boots afterwards with last nights rain, so just went to Willow Farm for their 100 bird open. Good targets as usual, a few of them were quite wind affected, but was the same for everyone so can't complain. Started well only dropping 4 out of my first 50. Wheels fell off a bit after that, with quite a few odd misses and being unable to find what looked like a fairly simple l-r. Finished on 79.
Churchill’s today on my own. Lovely day, no wind and busy. The shoot was fine except for one stand where I step in and the second bird is a rabbit on edge and I am too short to be comfortable getting my gun down over the barrier in front. I needed a step really. I am not enjoying shooting at the moment anywhere, just really going out of habit. I want to enjoy it but I’m not. I have missed some weekday shoots out over the last few months and I haven’t been on a Saturday for a while. I might just give Sundays a miss maybe just walk around with Tony. It’s like self inflicted punishment at the moment.
Martinj
Well-known member
Burnout! it happened to me many years ago and I left the gun in the cabinet for years. These days I shoot mainly for fun, If I'm not enjoying it I'll give it a rest until I feel enthusiastic about the next shoot. Doing non-reg shoots can help because there is no self imposed pressure to do well.
donna
Well-known member
Been there Sian. I think with any sport/hobby, once the fun goes stop until you really want to go back to it. We stopped shooting years ago through buying a rundown house and spending all our money doing it up then after a few years Phil wanted to go back shooting but I wasn’t up to it, but I really enjoyed walking round with him, socialising, walking the dog and having a chat then all of a sudden I just thought I’d have a go again but I only have to have a few shoots where like you say, cage bar to high, clays wrong colour, hedges to high to see over and I do wonder why I bother! Do what you’re thinking of doing, have a break and just go and watch Tony. A break will do you the world of good and give us other ladies a chance
(only joking, love you really) 
Will Hewland
Well-known member
Have you tried the EJC Challenge or the RBSS species shoot? Just something different, not registered etc..
No,I haven’t yet. I only ever shoot the EJC one once anyway. Maybe towards the end of it I might feel inclined.
Will Hewland
Well-known member
It is nothing like 100 sporting. More like FSP really. Tough but interesting. RBSS is 5x 20 themed sequences. Sounds like fun.
Bebo
Well-known member
Gutted I couldn't get to EJC. Work meeting late afternoon that I couldn't get out of. Also meant I couldn't go to the Sussex CPSA AGM last night as I was stuck in north London until 6.30. No comp this weekend either with the high winds forecast. I'm getting an itchy trigger finger.
Will Hewland
Well-known member
Lloyd
Well-known member
Another trip to Sporting Targets today while my licence application drags on.
Last time out, I tried out stands which I hadn’t shot before. Some quite fast targets, minis and “stiff competition stuff” as my instructor called it. Had my best day yet.
Today however was very different. Stated out on OR teals, no more than 30 yards out. Think I maybe hit 2/10!
Gave up and moved onto some easy loopers (my bogey target) and well... yep, didn’t hit any. Well that was until I stepped further back and moved my hold point to the trap and shot them as fast crosser. Nailed em after that.
Finished off with a 70 yard R-L midi. Got it no problem. In fact the first was launched without prior awareness and that happens to be my best shot.
Conclusion of the instructor I’m “an enigma, and do better the more difficult the target with greater accuracy when given least amount of time”. It’s a theme I’ve become accustomed to over the years
The thing is, I know the problem is my head is in the shot when I miss and isn’t when I hit. I just don’t yet seem to have that under control.
This took me some time to just get used to the process of the harder the shot doesn’t actually require more thinking (well, not during the shot)
I’ve now accepted that, but on the slower, closer stuff where I have more time, I’m cocking it up. Even being gun down isn’t helping like it used to
Anyone got some tips to help me have the same intense focus and “instinctively” shoot the fast/small window/long targets to the slow and close ones?
Would be MUCH appreciated
TiA
Last time out, I tried out stands which I hadn’t shot before. Some quite fast targets, minis and “stiff competition stuff” as my instructor called it. Had my best day yet.
Today however was very different. Stated out on OR teals, no more than 30 yards out. Think I maybe hit 2/10!
Gave up and moved onto some easy loopers (my bogey target) and well... yep, didn’t hit any. Well that was until I stepped further back and moved my hold point to the trap and shot them as fast crosser. Nailed em after that.
Finished off with a 70 yard R-L midi. Got it no problem. In fact the first was launched without prior awareness and that happens to be my best shot.
Conclusion of the instructor I’m “an enigma, and do better the more difficult the target with greater accuracy when given least amount of time”. It’s a theme I’ve become accustomed to over the years
The thing is, I know the problem is my head is in the shot when I miss and isn’t when I hit. I just don’t yet seem to have that under control.
This took me some time to just get used to the process of the harder the shot doesn’t actually require more thinking (well, not during the shot)
I’ve now accepted that, but on the slower, closer stuff where I have more time, I’m cocking it up. Even being gun down isn’t helping like it used to
Anyone got some tips to help me have the same intense focus and “instinctively” shoot the fast/small window/long targets to the slow and close ones?
Would be MUCH appreciated
TiA
Charliedog
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2016
- Messages
- 459
aim straight at themAnother trip to Sporting Targets today while my licence application drags on.
Last time out, I tried out stands which I hadn’t shot before. Some quite fast targets, minis and “stiff competition stuff” as my instructor called it. Had my best day yet.
Today however was very different. Stated out on OR teals, no more than 30 yards out. Think I maybe hit 2/10!
Gave up and moved onto some easy loopers (my bogey target) and well... yep, didn’t hit any. Well that was until I stepped further back and moved my hold point to the trap and shot them as fast crosser. Nailed em after that.
Finished off with a 70 yard R-L midi. Got it no problem. In fact the first was launched without prior awareness and that happens to be my best shot.
Conclusion of the instructor I’m “an enigma, and do better the more difficult the target with greater accuracy when given least amount of time”. It’s a theme I’ve become accustomed to over the years
The thing is, I know the problem is my head is in the shot when I miss and isn’t when I hit. I just don’t yet seem to have that under control.
This took me some time to just get used to the process of the harder the shot doesn’t actually require more thinking (well, not during the shot)
I’ve now accepted that, but on the slower, closer stuff where I have more time, I’m cocking it up. Even being gun down isn’t helping like it used to
Anyone got some tips to help me have the same intense focus and “instinctively” shoot the fast/small window/long targets to the slow and close ones?
Would be MUCH appreciated
TiA
Lloyd
Well-known member
@Charliedog that’s what I though I was doing.
Kept missing over the top. Even when shooting consciously and deliberately low. (My most common miss)
Instructor checked my gun fit, which was ok.
Checked to see if I was lifting my head. I wasn’t.
Another instructor at a different grounds a few months ago thought my eye dominance was switching, put Vaseline on my lens, problem “fixed.
Yet another instructor at a third grounds said my comb was too high and that “fixed it” (I’ve gone back to the comb raiser with mixed success).
Maybe I should just shoot the ‘harder’ targets
Seriously though, I think I can identify with maybe two or three things.
1/ My mount isn’t yet consistent, but I’ve hit clays with the worst of mount many times. (cheek not even registering with the comb or/and butt not in the shoulder properly).
2/ My head ISN’T engaged with what I’m doing.
3/ My head IS engaged with what I’m doing
Kept missing over the top. Even when shooting consciously and deliberately low. (My most common miss)
Instructor checked my gun fit, which was ok.
Checked to see if I was lifting my head. I wasn’t.
Another instructor at a different grounds a few months ago thought my eye dominance was switching, put Vaseline on my lens, problem “fixed.
Yet another instructor at a third grounds said my comb was too high and that “fixed it” (I’ve gone back to the comb raiser with mixed success).
Maybe I should just shoot the ‘harder’ targets
Seriously though, I think I can identify with maybe two or three things.
1/ My mount isn’t yet consistent, but I’ve hit clays with the worst of mount many times. (cheek not even registering with the comb or/and butt not in the shoulder properly).
2/ My head ISN’T engaged with what I’m doing.
3/ My head IS engaged with what I’m doing
Will Hewland
Well-known member
Just cannot be assessed on a forum but I feel sure I’d let you know what you’re doing if I saw you. It could even be that your focus comes back to the muzzle when shooting closer targets...@Charliedog that’s what I though I was doing.
Kept missing over the top. Even when shooting consciously and deliberately low. (My most common miss)
Instructor checked my gun fit, which was ok.
Checked to see if I was lifting my head. I wasn’t.
Another instructor at a different grounds a few months ago thought my eye dominance was switching, put Vaseline on my lens, problem “fixed.
Yet another instructor at a third grounds said my comb was too high and that “fixed it” (I’ve gone back to the comb raiser with mixed success).
Maybe I should just shoot the ‘harder’ targets
Seriously though, I think I can identify with maybe two or three things.
1/ My mount isn’t yet consistent, but I’ve hit clays with the worst of mount many times. (cheek not even registering with the comb or/and butt not in the shoulder properly).
2/ My head ISN’T engaged with what I’m doing.
3/ My head IS engaged with what I’m doing
Lloyd
Well-known member
Hmm... that sort of rings true actually Will.
with long or fast or window type targets, or my instructors favourite the “surprise out of bloodily nowhere target” I feel sure my focus in definitely on the clay. In those shots, I’m kinda aware of the barrels and kinda aware of pulling the trigger, but on the closer, slower stuff my focus isn’t so finite. I’m wandering around all over the shop. In fact at one point I figured if I shot in the middle of all my misses I’d dust the darn thing!
Well I stuck to what I said, I did not shoot today. I did go to Westfield though and watched Tony shoot the sporting and the Fitasc. Steve did a good job given the very wild weather today. This afternoon was particularly savage during the Fitasc. There was sleet or hail I’m not sure which but when it hit your face it stung. Tony changed three times.
donna
Well-known member
Churchill Challenge for 5 of us today. I would say to anyone doing this, shoot in the afternoon! We started at 10 am and first 4 stands all into the sun. It was also wind affected (which can’t be helped) and the 20 bird sequence was horrendous! Only the rabbit and low blaze crosser were not affected by wind. A, C, D and F were miles out, we reckon the C bird, was at least 80+ yards. The ref taking us round said they were normally all inside the layout range but these were miles away. I also thought some of the sim pairs were a bit stupid to be honest. Couldn’t even get 2nd shot off on several stands which doesn’t help and 2 of our friends shoot fast!
