Shooting re-evaluation?

[Jonny English]

Has the lack of shooting caused you to re-evaluate your shooting? Are you going to do anything different when shooting returns? Spend more, spend less, practise more, less comps, more comps etc

Personally I'm going to try and relax a bit more, try not to worry about my score and average and try and have more fun. Maybe shoot more local shoots, straw balers and practise. Minimise the kit I cart round, try and make shooting as simple as possible. Certainly going to give the new 20 bore a good few rounds through it.

Is there anything you are going to change?

 

[Richard59]

Doubt if I will shoot less, have thought about travelling less (time & miles wise) however am  lucky enough to have lots of grounds less than hours drive from front door, can’t claim to be the most sociable of fellows but I have missed the ambiance that I gleaned from being out shooting with & without chums. 
Looking very much forward to the gradual return to “normal life” both social and work wise, very much hope that each and every one of you are able to too.

 

[Lloyd]

This Covid 19 situation and losing my father to it most certainly has given me food for thought.

2020 was my year to begin competing, but honestly, in the few months prior to the lockdown, I had been shooting with my son, enjoyed it more and shot better.

So after lockdown, I actually plan to travel more, trying out more grounds and enjoy my shooting more. Focus on why I began shooting in the first place, i.e. to relax and enjoy myself, not worry about a score or if I have the right chokes to break 0.001% more clays.

 

[MartynB]

Less clays , more game , where the syndicate piss taking , pork pie and red wine lunch and tea at the pub are much more enjoyable to me than the 10 to 20 shots that I chose to take . Also the whole thing is about ownership , doing work parties , a bit of keepering etc . I’ll still shoot clays for practice and a bit of social do but I’m not going to go just because it’s a Tuesday etc .  

 

[Bebo]

Before all this kicked off, I was looking forward to the weather improving and ramping up the number of Reg shoots I was doing.  Currently at my best average and ranking and was hoping to build on that this season.  Covid19 effed that up.

When we do get back out I'll probably put a bit less pressure on myself about averages and do a bit more social shooting / bit less competition than I had planned.  We were planning on a lot of clay shooting / coarse fishing weekends away this year in the motorhome.  Fingers crossed we might still manage a few of those later in the year, but who knows!

 

[Will Hewland]

I really don’t know. First month+ break I’ve ever had from shooting since 2005. I’m not missing it badly funnily enough. Might actually be a healthy break. When it’s back on I suppose a practice somewhere will make sense before setting about damaging my average.  

 

[jasper]

First month + break for me since 2008. Not missing it as much as I thought. Hoping to be much more relaxed about it when we return. And as my beloved Dt11 is away under repair ( Maybe winging its way to Italy )  I will maybe have some fun shooting the Baikal or side by side at reg targets. Somehow the average doesn't seem that important anymore.

Maybe a tilt at the side X side category at the British. 

Jasper.

 

[Sian]

Well I had slowed down quite a bit before we were shutdown  so this is a really extended break for me.  I’ve got this irrational fear that I will have forgotten everything and that’s making me not even want to pick my gun up.   Tony is really missing it badly.  

 

[westley]

Before all this kicked off, I was looking forward to the weather improving and ramping up the number of Reg shoots I was doing.  Currently at my best average and ranking and was hoping to build on that this season.  Covid19 effed that up.

When we do get back out I'll probably put a bit less pressure on myself about averages and do a bit more social shooting / bit less competition than I had planned.  We were planning on a lot of clay shooting / coarse fishing weekends away this year in the motorhome.  Fingers crossed we might still manage a few of those later in the year, but who knows!

I used to worry about being a Ranker, now I have reached an age where I just do not care anymore  !   I often hear it said "Here comes that Ranker with the auto" but being deaf it does not bother me.        

 

[jonz]

Haven’t pull the trigger for 4 weeks now and that’s a first in over 35 years, does that count as a PB? Miss the chatter and fluffy rabbits and will get back to it as soon as allowed, what’s the odds of me missing the first bird on stand 1 ?.

 

[Jan Powell]

Has the lack of shooting caused you to re-evaluate your shooting? Are you going to do anything different when shooting returns? Spend more, spend less, practise more, less comps, more comps etc

The lockdown couldn’t really have happened at a worse time for me. I took the winter off then got back into training in February. My first competition was the 21st March, the day before grounds closed! 

I’ve written this season off really. All my events bar one overseas trip later in the year have been cancelled. I suppose I’ll do a few local registered events but that’s about it. It’s a shame, last year was the first time in many years I’ve actually made money from the sport.

 

[bisondan]

I was just getting back in to it after spending the winter shooting birds, scores were building nicely and I felt like I wasn't far off where I wanted to be again.

I'll carry on as usual when this is all over, probably get some time with coach at some point as well.

 

[Doctor Lecter]

I've missed the shooting  especially  in this glorious weather  ,   saved some money though  as we all have ,   wish I could see a end to this horrid situation ,   sociable distancing  and washing hands  certainly slows the spreading  of covid 19    but with no vaccine on the horizon   how , when do we return to normality ?     

 

[Charliedog]

The lockdown couldn’t really have happened at a worse time for me. I took the winter off then got back into training in February. My first competition was the 21st March, the day before grounds closed! 

I’ve written this season off really. All my events bar one overseas trip later in the year have been cancelled. I suppose I’ll do a few local registered events but that’s about it. It’s a shame, last year was the first time in many years I’ve actually made money from the sport.

wow, how does anyone make money from this sport?

 

[SIMON-B]

After catching this wretched disease I am now on the mend and grateful for the love and compassion shown by family and friends, it has made me evaluate the things I used to hold important. Not missing was the most important thing when shooting now all I want to do is spend time with shooting friends having a bloody good laugh and all the fluffy rabbits and piss taking that comes with it. I hope and pray none of you or my family and friends get it and stay healthy. I worry for my Mum as we lost my father at the end of last year and not being able to go near her or the rest of the people i hold dear is excruciating, this is coming from a normally blokey bloke that doesn't show his feelings. On the shooting front I am wondering why I am dragging an 8.5lb gun around when I don't feel recoil, so I am going retro and I am looking for a good used Beretta 682 gold e, I sold mine a few years ago and I still miss it. Hope you all stay safe and can't wait for when we all get back out there and start blaming every miss on chokes, wrong lens colour, I definitely chipped that, I shouldn't have bought these cartridges, my eye dominance has changed etc etc.

 

[Lloyd]

After catching this wretched disease I am now on the mend and grateful for the love and compassion shown by family and friends, it has made me evaluate the things I used to hold important. Not missing was the most important thing when shooting now all I want to do is spend time with shooting friends having a bloody good laugh and all the fluffy rabbits and piss taking that comes with it. I hope and pray none of you or my family and friends get it and stay healthy. I worry for my Mum as we lost my father at the end of last year and not being able to go near her or the rest of the people i hold dear is excruciating, this is coming from a normally blokey bloke that doesn't show his feelings. On the shooting front I am wondering why I am dragging an 8.5lb gun around when I don't feel recoil, so I am going retro and I am looking for a good used Beretta 682 gold e, I sold mine a few years ago and I still miss it. Hope you all stay safe and can't wait for when we all get back out there and start blaming every miss on chokes, wrong lens colour, I definitely chipped that, I shouldn't have bought these cartridges, my eye dominance has changed etc etc.

I feel your pain Simon, having lost my father to Covid, not being able to see him in his final two weeks of life and have been seperated from my children for over a month now.

Am I missing shooting? Yes, but it is for sure not important. I feel I’ve always prioritised my family, but often neglected myself. Shooting this last year has allowed me to have some enjoyment away from work and since my eldest son became interested in shooting, a great family time too.

So, this situation for me has reaffirmed my love of my family, I’ve recognised I need to enjoy life more outside of work (which I absolutely love). We only have one life and my father made it to 77, telling me a few years ago “75 isn’t enough” so I intend to make the most of the next 26 years and hopefully some more.

Stay safe, healthy and happy friend.

 

[SIMON-B]

Sorry about your father Lloyd it really makes you question what you feel is valuable, my father was only 72 with a good pension and 3 new grandchildren to dote over, sadly he had a massive brain hemorrhage sitting next to me at the dinner table and never regained conciousness. I had just bought him a gun and had it fitted (he was only a little bloke). I really enjoyed the time when he was shooting with me, I felt like a proud dad showing him what to do and cheering when he managed to hit something, when he was shooting with my gun with 32 inch barrels he looked like Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits.

 

[Lloyd]

@SIMON-B We will always have our memories to cherish Simon.

 I’ll miss the hours of conversations with my dad and his terrible jokes. 
I was and I am very proud of my dad and thankful for all the lessons he taught me over the years. 
 

Best wishes to you and yours from me and mine 

 

[Centrepin]

Having just bought a year plus worth of ammo prior to lockdown to save cash, I'm intending to get out more especially on the pigeons.