[Dot_mdb]

I'm two weeks into shotgun ownership. Two weeks ago I got an unofficial lesson and introduction to trap and last week I got an introduction to skeet.

Today I got to the club early to help them set up and to meet the skeet shooting "regulars". Shot four rounds with them and got plenty of advise. Not sure if all of it is correct but I am hitting more birds than I was last week. And I noticed something else. At the beginning I was hoping that I would hit the bird and now I am *expecting* to hit the bird. Still only hitting about 40% but I can feel when I am on target and when I'm not.

One piece of advice I didn't appreciate was when one fellow told me to get rid of the pump (BPS) if I was serious about skeet. Well, the truth is I am serious about learning to shoot a pump shotgun and I think skeet is a good game to play to learn that skill. So my goal isn't to run 25 straight but rather to get good enough to hit both birds on the doubles using the pump.

I also set up my MEC 9000G and produced one finished round. That round looks as good as any new one that came out of a box. And that is not due to my reloading skill but rather to the engineering that went into the machine. I suspect that if MEC decided to produce brass cartridge reloaders they could give Dillon a run for their money. I like the idea of a machine that primes on the down stroke.

Then I ran into a fellow who wants to practice every Saturday afternoon. Very important so that I can follow Dave's advice and BA/UU/R. . .

Bill

[Dave McCracken]

THANKS!! You just made my day....

As for getting another shotgun, sure. But that's for later. Right now, use that pump until it feels like it's always been there.

And don't get serious about skeet. Have fun, try to hit them all, but DO NOT TURN THIS INTO WORK.

Trust me on that....

[PJR]

Stick with it and I hope that moron who told you to get rid of the pump is there when you run 25. You will and you will do it with your pump gun. It's a great feeling.

I'm sitting here with a sun-burned face and short one flat of shells as I burned up the local clay course with a buddy today. My sporting clays was lackluster, trap was okay, skeet was showing promise but I hit my stride at 5-stand scoring my best score yet at 23/25 and crushed a double crosser that usually gives me fits.

I was was running them until I dropped my LAST TWO TARGETS :banghead:

I hate it when that happens.

But there's always next Sunday. :D :D :D

[Dave McCracken]

Paul, kudoes! Not just for the excellent score, but for the fact that you went and shot them all.
Was that with the new, uh, non-870?

[PJR]

Was that with the new, uh, non-870?
Dave:

Yes it was. I'm still working on my one gun for every game theory and so far is seems to be working. The gun is flat shooting which is still an adjustment on trap where for years I used a higher shooting gun. Breaking myself of a years long habit of floating the birds above the beads isn't as easy as I had thought.

The five-stand episode above is a reminder that this is as much a mental game as anything else. I know those last targets were missed because the mind was thinking about a clean round instead of focusing on breaking those last two targets.

Paul

[Dave McCracken]

Paul, been there. Instead of thinking "I just hit 23 of these, one more is a piece of cake", it was "Omigawd, just two more and I'm straight"....

It's not a 25 target round, it's 25 one target rounds.

Nothing matters except hitting THIS bird NOW.