Sporting Shoots; where- and how was it? (2018)

[Will Hewland]

I took myself and my new glasses to Westfield today. As ever a brilliant course. Only used these new prescription specs three times and this was the first time at Westfield where there is plenty of longer stuff against bare sky, where judging distance is everything. I got an excruciating but very useful lesson from today.. 

Starting on stand 2, a fairly rangey l-r followed by a closer l-r. Nice little stand to start I thought; then hit 1 out of 8! Had an extra pair at the end, cut my lead back a bit. Nothing. Durr.. the glasses.. one more pair with “far too much” lead.. pair dusted. Ah.. OK..

Next three stands I missed several targets behind again, but always hit last pair once I had added “too much” lead. Having dropped 16 targets in the first 6 stands I then missed another 6 over the last 7, so my very painful 78 did at least come with a valuable learning session.  20% more prescription = 20% more lead, or thereabouts. I’m sure it will take a couple more shoots to get natural with it, but at least mystery solved. 

 

[chippy]

I took myself and my new glasses to Westfield today. As ever a brilliant course. Only used these new prescription specs three times and this was the first time at Westfield where there is plenty of longer stuff against bare sky, where judging distance is everything. I got an excruciating but very useful lesson from today.. 

Starting on stand 2, a fairly rangey l-r followed by a closer l-r. Nice little stand to start I thought; then hit 1 out of 8! Had an extra pair at the end, cut my lead back a bit. Nothing. Durr.. the glasses.. one more pair with “far too much” lead.. pair dusted. Ah.. OK..

Next three stands I missed several targets behind again, but always hit last pair once I had added “too much” lead. Having dropped 16 targets in the first 6 stands I then missed another 6 over the last 7, so my very painful 78 did at least come with a valuable learning session.  20% more prescription = 20% more lead, or thereabouts. I’m sure it will take a couple more shoots to get natural with it, but at least mystery solved. 

So your new glasses must make every clay look like a dustbin lid.

 

[Will Hewland]

So your new glasses must make every clay look like a dustbin lid.

Exactly that. Just kids me into thinking they are closer than they are. I went through this whole experience about 5 years ago when I first wore prescription glasses. This is the first time the prescription has been increased. It may be a bit worse for me than for some people in same position because I’m a real measurer, totally reliant on picture.

 

[chippy]

That's got to be a nightmare, having to think (give it a bit more) on every clay. On top of thinking how much does this need.

 

[Will Hewland]

That's got to be a nightmare, having to think (give it a bit more) on every clay. On top of thinking how much does this need.

It’s odd for sure. Literally, touch the clay, add the right lead, add 20% more.. bang. I forced myself to do it last half of today well. I’m sure I’ll forget next time out.. But it will become natural in a while.. At least teal and edgey targets are plain easier to see, with no change of approach. 

 

[antse7en]

I really wanted to shoot today but couldn't really be bothered with the travel, so I went for a more leisurely one at Long Siberia Bisley with the father in law. 

I don't know if it was the mental toll of yesterday at Owls Lodge, but I felt extremely fatigued today and had a bit of a disaster. 

Much, much easier targets (which I have shot often and hit almost all of the time) escaped me today and I felt generally quite tired and unable to "switch on".

Interesting, and can only attribute it to the mental side. Something new for me.. 

 

[chippy]

88 at barrow today. My sort of round quite a bit of fast close stuff. And I purposely left the looping targets to shoot them dropping as I've been struggling with anything dropping lately and no problems with them today.  

 

[Will Hewland]

I really wanted to shoot today but couldn't really be bothered with the travel, so I went for a more leisurely one at Long Siberia Bisley with the father in law. 

I don't know if it was the mental toll of yesterday at Owls Lodge, but I felt extremely fatigued today and had a bit of a disaster. 

Much, much easier targets (which I have shot often and hit almost all of the time) escaped me today and I felt generally quite tired and unable to "switch on".

Interesting, and can only attribute it to the mental side. Something new for me.. 

You might already be developing the problem of the registered shooter. Any form of practice feels meaningless and you don’t apply properly.

 

[Sian]

Westfield for us, I enjoyed the course  but for some reason battues alluded me today.  I might drop 1 or 2 but I dropped 6 on two stands.  Teals and driven were fine.  78 to finish.

 

[Will Hewland]

Westfield for us, I enjoyed the course  but for some reason battues alluded me today.  I might drop 1 or 2 but I dropped 6 on two stands.  Teals and driven were fine.  78 to finish.

78. I share your pain.

(eluded). 

 

[Sian]

78. I share your pain.

(eluded). 

In my “pain” my spelling suffers

 

[Westward]

Our visitors finally left at around 10.30 yesterday so I had plenty of time to whizz up to Westfield. But thinking it would be absolutely rammed and as I hate long queues at stands - especially in winter - I decided to give it a miss.

Seems it was normal turnout after all. Bugger!

 

[P1Fanatic]

Learnt from my mistake last saturday and have headed down to Gatton Bottom early doors. Is there some unwritten rule here that you must walk past numerous empty stands to all gather at the top of the course around stands 11 & 12?

 

[Will Hewland]

Learnt from my mistake last saturday and have headed down to Gatton Bottom early doors. Is there some unwritten rule here that you must walk past numerous empty stands to all gather at the top of the course around stands 11 & 12?

We went at 11.30. Pretty full everywhere but 11 and 12 bad.

I missed 10 L-R crossers today and AGAIN found I was behind. Couldn’t believe it. Shot the rest of the course OK, only dropping another 5 (and two of those was an early button, causing a missed pair..). So score not great but feeling things will pick up with the new glasses once I suss the crossing lead thing in my head. 

 

[salop sniper]

Shot the: Hodnet challenge yesterday, came away with a 76/100 and enjoyed it. Shot better than expected as I haven't shot a clay since first week of September. All targets were good but stand one was a narrow corridor to get upto especially when alot of folk were queing up it. 

I believe 99/100 won it with first bird of the last pair dropped. 

ATB

Matt

 

[Bebo]

Also shot Gatton Bottom.  I was abysmal.  Missing stupid stuff, mostly in front and just generally sloppy on stuff that I should be all over.  Several dropped pairs for no good reason.  Shooting 8 out of the last 10 days may have overdone it.

 

[Sian]

Shot GB as well, don’t seem to be learning my lesson.  

 

[P1Fanatic]

First time I have shot at GB in over 6 months which showed as I over led a lot of stuff. Two stands where I dropped 4 which damaged my card so was happy enough to finish on 79. Took more time to shoot stands 11 & 12 than it did the rest of the course

 

[wynno]

Exactly that. Just kids me into thinking they are closer than they are. I went through this whole experience about 5 years ago when I first wore prescription glasses. This is the first time the prescription has been increased. It may be a bit worse for me than for some people in same position because I’m a real measurer, totally reliant on picture.

Will.

ive been shooting with prescription glasses for years, and always had a problem with flat going away birds, turns out that the frame was obstructing my view and I was lifting my head off the stock to see the target, with the results that I’d shoot over the top.

Now I’ve changed to larger lenses hopefully I’ve cured that problem.... only ten more to think about now...

seriously , go some where,look at something in the distance and mentally think of the distance. Then actually measure the distance, I bet your not far out....

 

[Will Hewland]

Will.

ive been shooting with prescription glasses for years, and always had a problem with flat going away birds, turns out that the frame was obstructing my view and I was lifting my head off the stock to see the target, with the results that I’d shoot over the top.

Now I’ve changed to larger lenses hopefully I’ve cured that problem.... only ten more to think about now...

seriously , go some where,look at something in the distance and mentally think of the distance. Then actually measure the distance, I bet your not far out....

I’ve definitely got a bit better with the edgey fiddly stuff and teal with the new specs. Despite only using Specsavers I got good Puma sunglass frames which are big enough and work very well. I’m simply not putting enough lead on crossers (unless I make myself, but it’s odd at the moment). I think another factor is that because everything is crystal clear, I’m moving a bit slower as I’m “fascinated” by the scene. So a bit of scale change added to that makes just enough difference for a miss behind. Apologies to everybody for putting up with my grief, but hope it’s useful for anybody else getting a new prescription..