Trap, highs and lows

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PapaG

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I am a "seasoned" trap shooter. 73 years old, at it for fifty plus years. Wore out an 870TB (actually going in to Remington for a new receiver) and maintain a 96% average, 16 and caps, in two leagues. What I have learned is to not over think anything. My 1 1/8 oz 7 1/2 AA equivalent load has worked for 35 years. So, what the heck? Sunday, I miss bird #1, 3 and 4 on the first station and another one on station 4. 21/25. Miss one on the handicap 20 yard half. 45/50. My son, who shot a 47 asked, "Gee, dad, when was the last time you missed three on one station?" Couldn't remember. Bugged me all week. Thursday, after a long talk with myself, I shot 25/25 @16, 24/25 @ 24 yards and felt better.
This morning, shooting my backup 870 Classic I broke 25/25, 24/25 16 & caps. What have I learned from all this? You're gonna have a bad round sometime. Get over it and stick with what works. I have farted around with a dozen good trap guns and always go back to my 1975 Remington.
A "slump" ten years ago ended when I quit experimenting and went back to my basic gun, load, and setup.
 
I take a break from regular trap and shoot low gun for fun, no 25-25,s but its fun.
 
I used to go back to my fundamentals to get out of a slump. For me, that is holding a low gun below the lip of the house. Mounting the gun high on my shoulder. Keeping my feet in proper relationship to the post im shooting from. Follow through.

Finally it dawned on me to just stick with my fundamentals all the time. It works for me.

....and yes, some days im just not at the top of my game, for whatever reason.
I shot the Illinois state singles this year with two of my sons. That was more fun than breaking a good score.
 
PapaG said:
An eighteen year old young lady from our youth league didn't miss a bird all week in singles at Il state shoot. Hannah Martin. Great to watch. Machine.
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We were watching the junior scores, and the parent/child scores on the scoreboard. I had broken a 196 and the boys were both around 180s. I knew we didnt stand a chance, but were watching anyway. Then there was a 394x400 appeared. I said.....okay boys i think we can go home now...lol!
 
I shot a crappy round two weeks ago, but luckily I had labelled it a practice round first. :D I ignored my own usual advice to new shooters and shot some steel based rounds (Federal's Dove and Small Game load, 1 oz of 8's at 1290) and ripped my right hand ring finger open when I mortared a stuck hull out of my 870. Did it on the second station, and finished the round, holding my hand up higher than the heart in between shots. I never did find out what I shot that round, but I doubt it was over 15. I headed for my truck and first aid kit after the call of 'dead and out'. It's pretty much healed now. I did shoot a 24 for my league score before that happened, (with Handicap AA's) and shot better than my usual in the Annie Oakleys afterward, though. (Again with Handicap AA's)
 
Took my backup 870 out Friday to see how I would do after I send my TB back for receiver replacement. 16 practice only, 24, 25. I'm ok now.
 
I am primarily a sporting clays and FITASC shooter, where the object is not perfection, but to hit as many as you can. That said, a wise person once told me, "You have yet to shoot your lowest score". When that happens, shrug it off and go for the next target. If you treat every single target as a mini championship, keep your focus where it needs to be, empty your head and react, scores tend to go up.
 
I shot a 24-25 with my 12ga and a 22-25 with my 20ga last night, not my best, but far from my worst. I also believe if I miss one, I try to lean and go on. its in the past and can,t be changed, but the next one can.
 
I won our club championship two years in a row with 98s, shooting each bird as the only one that mattered. 75 straight and first misses were in the low and mid 90s when I let my mind wander. One at a time and when you start marking xs in your head before you shoot it is likely the scorer will soon be marking zeros.
 
Evidently your bad day is like one of my good days. Sadly, I'm addicted and will probably stay with it. Thanks for the advice.
 
PapaG said:
This morning, shooting my backup 870 Classic I broke 25/25, 24/25 16 & caps. What have I learned from all this? You're gonna have a bad round sometime. Get over it and stick with what works. I have farted around with a dozen good trap guns and always go back to my 1975 Remington.
A "slump" ten years ago ended when I quit experimenting and went back to my basic gun, load, and setup.
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So what you're saying is, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Words to live by Sir and good shooting too... :thumbup:
 
Last three weeks of league, 50, 46, 48. We are handicapped to 24 yards. Son 1 is either tieing or edging me. So cool. I gave him my late brother's 870TC and he is crushing them.
By week, 25, 25, 23, 23, 25, 23. I'm in my happy place.
 
Good shooting.

This year was a 'building year' for me (borrowing the sports term), having been out of league Trap for 32 years. I'm at 21 :oops:, and that being all 16 yd, our range handicaps by points, not actual yardage. (Which I'd prefer, I'm used to shooting at 22-23 yards) I'm also shooting with an 870 Tactical Magnum (with a 28" Remchoke barrel and pistol grip SpeedFeed III stock) ), not exactly a TB. ;) My other option would be an Ithaca 37 with an 18" cyl. bore. (Shot some decent hand trap with that one, though.) Next year I have the green light to use the tax return for a Trap gun, and have been following the many threads on this, as well as throwing my own two cents in. Price will have to be in the $1000-$1500 range, and preference being a BT-99, but I kind of want an O/U, also.

I noticed last week that the IM I ordered from Midway came as a Mod. I've been shooting Modified all summer.:cuss: Got an IM coming, but I only have one more scored shoot left to redeem myself. My kid took the full tube with when he took the 26" barrel with his 870, my other tubes are Super full (Which I use for Annie Oakleys) and an IC, for grouse. At least I can use the Mod. for pheasant, though the Super Full works quite well on them.

PapaG said:
I'm in my happy place.
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Not quite there again yet myself, but I'm feeling good about where I'm at. :)

Armored farmer said:
I shot the Illinois state singles this year with two of my sons. That was more fun than breaking a good score.
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I'd love to get my older son into Trap; he's matched me bird for bird on hand trap, and the only time he shot on a range, he shot a 20 with a rented gun. When the younger one gets the 870 he wants, I'll try to get him to shoot with me.
 
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Both leagues are now over. I'm proud of my PSTC River Rats team. We finished second in the second highest division and got bumped up to Division 1. We hoped to not embarrass ourselves but wound up as solid 3rd of eleven teams with a 216+ average and that from 25 yards in the handicap portion. My son almost caught me for average and I managed to be in the top ten. Four divisions, forty plus teams, and a great summer. Home club, last shoot yesterday and my team was leading by only ten birds going in and I don't have final results but think we will win this one.
My secret, keep every one up to date on placing, email after each shoot with results, email reminders before each shoot, serve "refreshments" AFTER each shoot and loosen them up with a good joke or two before going out to shoot. Coach only when asked. Stan, 73 and holding on.
 
Today was day one of a two Sunday inter club trap match between my club and a neighboring club about 20 miles away. We have been on the short end of it the past two years, starting out behind and staying there. We shot the first half today at the other club, two squads each, 25 at 16, 25 at 20 and we are leading by 9 birds. The River Valley Sportsmen have a chance this year to take the bragging rights as next week we have home field advantage. BTW, my squad, which has been shooting together in another league started out with a 121/125 and finished with 236. Fun in the hot sun.
 
Awesome for having some fun; but I do not get the bit about "home field advantage" as all trap fields and targets are the same................????????
 
George P said:
Awesome for having some fun; but I do not get the bit about "home field advantage" as all trap fields and targets are the same................????????
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All trap fields are NOT the same. Maybe the arrangement of the house, lanes and posts, but certainly not the orientation by compass, wind, background and light/shadow. Where we shot today had three distinctly different backgrounds ranging from fir trees to open sky to dead trees which helped the birds to "disappear". They shot to the ESE and we shoot South. At Peoria Skeet and Trap I tend to shoot my best as the background is open sky with no background distractions. See? It is all about adaptation. I shoot at the host club once a year. They visit mine monthly. I shoot at Peoria weekly. There is about a 1 1/2 to 2 percent advantage in my scores at Peoria. (yeah, I know, its all mental)
 
Every trap field I have ever seen is faced North. The angle is predetermined, except for clubs out West where brown is the background and targets are lime green, every other place used orange. Besides do not look at the background, you look at the target......now if you were talking about sporting clay layouts, that is something altogether different.
 
Not sure where you live but in fifty five years at this game and 300k rounds fired at it I have seen every orientation known to man. Small clubs make do with the land they have. If I were king of the world, my clubs would face East and no shots fired until one pm, and clear sky as the background. Yeah, look at the bird, but try seeing it when it goes from light to shadow and the sun is in your eyes. Or it flies into a background the same color as the bird.
I, by the way, am an NRA certified shotgun instructor and admit that each year I learn something new about the sport.
 
I have lived (*and shot) from the East Coast to the West and from the upper Midwest (ND) to the Gulf (Houston). Every clubs field faced North so the sun was always behind you. Now Skeet has an issue when shooting early or late as the sun WILL be in your eyes.

If you want to really see differing backgrounds and orientation, try shooting sporting clays. something I have about 300K rounds doing in 8 states.
 
I'll defer to your extensive geographical experience. Shoot at some small, local clubs and I think you'll see what I mean, however, about backgrounds, shadows, compass orientation and so on. None of us, as far as I know, look at the background. I wouldn't be shooting yearly averages of 96+ percent if I were. A varied background can cause you to lose sight of a bird if the color or light is wrong.
Peoria Skeet and Trap, an old organization with millions of birds thrown as well as holding the 3I skeet tournament faces East. I can think of only one club within fifty miles that faces north and that is Chillicothe, a fine club in its own right. Sporting Clays, I don't have enough time after chasing seven grandkids, coaching two trap teams, serving as a trustee in the church and chairman of the board of our club, and shooting two leagues, one a combo, to spend that much more time shooting. Enjoy.
 
Funny; most of them face east around here. (NW WI) The club I shoot at faces ENE, only ones that face north here are the big ones; Del-Tone/Luth, Minneapolis Gun Club, and Metro. One small one I used to shoot at was NNE, Bald Eagle in , Hugo, MN. Background does make a difference. I shoot best with sky behind the bird in daylight, and trees behind them at dusk/night under the lights.
 
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