Back to earth with a bump

[BTC3]

Work was a bit slow today, so I thought I'd go shooting. Went up to CGC and thought I'd go for one round of DTL to warm up (plus it's easy on your own) as it's been a couple of weeks since I last went shooting. For giggles, I thought I'd limit myself to 25 cartridges. Hit 24 of 25, missing only the second shot. I've never managed a score like that before, and I was thrilled. Before all you experts start up the "DTL is boring" routine, save it, I was enjoying myself.
I then went onto the ESP stands. I hit a couple of longish incomers, some overhead going away ones and then put 50 cartridges at a left to right crosser thrown from a 30ft tower. Hit two clays. I went up the lane to the practice stands and hit 5 from 5 on the equivalent target there, hit the rabbits, the quartering away target and incomer. No problem, I thought, got this sorted. Went back to the tower crosser, and put another 25 cartridges at it, and hit it once.
I then went to the gunshop, thought about chopping in my gun for the first thing I could find, but was thankfully talked down by the great guys in the shop, and went home to stew.
I might go back tomorrow for another bash at that stand, get right back in the saddle and all that, or I may just stay grumpy B@stard thing, I was so happy until then...

 

[ips]

Shootings a real *****

 

[BTC3]

Yep

 

[Hamster]

I have some good news, you're doing something fundamentally wrong on that target which means in all likelihood it will be very obvious to someone with a bit of experience. 

 

[BTC3]

Hamster, there's a website I like that has a section of "you're doing it all wrong" videos, so you're quite right.
In fact, as the guys in the shop talked me away from the ledge, sorry, credit card machine, they offered to help out, so I'll be going back for a lesson. Probably time for one anyway.

 

[Tim]

A good instructor once said to me 'if you haven't hit it after ten shots walk away, shoot something else and come back to it later with a different approach'.  I find this very useful to bear in mind.  Even after you have worked out how to hit it go away and come back later to make sure you can still hit it.

 

[BTC3]

Tim, great advice, thanks. I did think along those lines, I've used it before in other sports, and no doubt it works.
But today the red mist descended. I mean, how dare that little inanimate disk mock me by dodging the curtain of lead that I sent in its general direction?
Think I might give it a few days before I go back, big breather and start fresh.

 

[Finners]

Don't forget you were on your own ie nobody to provide you with those standard, all encompassing words of wisdom "give more lead mate" :biggrin:

Seriously though, not for the first time, I think Mr Hammy has nailed it :good:

 

[Finners]

Hamster, there's a website I like that has a section of "you're doing it all wrong" videos, so you're quite right. In fact, as the guys in the shop talked me away from the ledge, sorry, credit card machine, they offered to help out, so I'll be going back for a lesson. Probably time for one anyway.

Can you share the link?

 

[BTC3]

Not shooting related, I'm afraid. I confess to being something of a foodie. Chow.com/videos look for "You're doing it all wrong"

 

[BTC3]

Finners, give it more lead you say? But I did! Best part of 75 cartridges, that's about 2kg of lead, how much more??
I'll grab my coat...

 

[Finners]

Finners, give it more lead you say? But I did! Best part of 75 cartridges, that's about 2kg of lead, how much more?? I'll grab my coat...

I see what you did there............. liking your work :biggrin:

 

[ehb102]

I knew DTL was your thing.

 

[Bryn12]

As Tim said, just walk away and come back to it in a day or so

 

[Rosso]

If you keep missing. Do something 100% different and see what happens.

Example:- instead of more lead more lead give it less.

Shoot straight at it. Shoot high on a looper. Kill it quick or slow. Etc.

Anything as long as its different.

See what happens.

We all have times when we could shoot at a bird all day long and not hit it.

 

[Santa2512]

Welcome to my world. 

:santa:

 

[Doctor Lecter]

nowt  wrong with dtl  its nice to smoke a few clays , but sporting  is so enjoyable  and difficult   , there is always one stand that wrecks you , as said must try something different , more or less lead usually sorts it .

 

[Will Hewland]

You can just stand there with a slab of shells and poke different places in the sky for an hour. As with enough goes at pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, you will get there in the end.

However, if you fancy saving some time and money, plus perhaps learning a bit more about WHY you are missing this target, get analytical. It isn't hard.

Start by following the clay with your finger (the one that usually guides the forend) and imagine shooting it, but watch exactly where the clay goes after your finger has "shot it". Presumably the clay will not reach your finger point "to be broken" as you hoped. Is the clay now apparently falling below your finger significantly? Has it moved a long way or hardly anything from your imagined kill point? The clues are there and this sort af analysis needs to be learned because you will need it in competition, ideally before you enter the stand.

 

[BTC3]

Thanks for the moral support, guys and gals! Didn't have much time today, but I have a free pass tomorrow, if it's dry I might head up for another go.
Rosso, I like your suggestion of trying something different, I guess it serves to reset quite nicely, and break up whatever I was doing so wrong.
In any case, I've been shooting since the start of the year, it's only to be expected that some days will be diamonds and others mere rocks.