Sight marker position

[Tim Guy]

I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for 10
years now, always been average.

All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a week
I've found my shooting has dropped.

Driven, I seam to be able to shoot around. I always had the ability to drive
through, blank out the clay with the barrel and get it, these days I must be
shooting all the way around it.

Someone suggested a dominate eye which I can believe.

I am going to get an eye test. I digress from the thread.

Yesterday I also noticed something. When I'm loose and enjoying my shooting
I noitced that the rear sight is just below the forward sight. When that
occurs I'm blasting everything out of the sky.

If I get frustrated, or if I get time to aim at the clay, I use the sights,
get them both in line and general miss everything. The more frustrated I get
the more I was using the sights and the more I was missing.

It only occurred to me yesterday that the looser shooting results in the
sites being on top of each other.

So the question is, should I just be content with the fact I've 'maybe'
found my problem, or should I get the butt modified so that the sights line
up? And what would that modification be, a raised butt (cant remember the
term)

Cheers

Tim

[Dave P]

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for 10
years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a week
I've found my shooting has dropped.
Driven, I seam to be able to shoot around. I always had the ability to
drive through, blank out the clay with the barrel and get it, these days I
must be shooting all the way around it.
Someone suggested a dominate eye which I can believe.
I am going to get an eye test. I digress from the thread.
Yesterday I also noticed something. When I'm loose and enjoying my
shooting I noitced that the rear sight is just below the forward sight.
When that occurs I'm blasting everything out of the sky.
If I get frustrated, or if I get time to aim at the clay, I use the
sights, get them both in line and general miss everything. The more
frustrated I get the more I was using the sights and the more I was
missing.
It only occurred to me yesterday that the looser shooting results in the
sites being on top of each other.
So the question is, should I just be content with the fact I've 'maybe'
found my problem, or should I get the butt modified so that the sights
line up? And what would that modification be, a raised butt (cant remember
the term)
Cheers
Tim

Out of interest what's your shooting style? Do you shoot one eye open or
both? From your description I'd concentrate on getting that mount
consistent. I shoot both eyes open and really don't see more than just a
blurred impression of my barrels. It wouldn't matter to me if I saw some of
the rib or none of the rib as I'm not looking down the barrels with an eye
shut. Its more important to me that my mount is consistent so I practise
this in the house every couple of days. I look at a point in the garden and
mount my gun to it. I then shut an eye to see how much of the rib I am
seeing to check that the mount is consistent.

Is your gun a trap gun with two beads? I think a lot of trap shooters put
one bead on top of the other so that the gun is shooting high. This means
they can see the clay on top of the barrel when they shoot it. I shoot a
sporter for everything and I know that if I shut one eye on a DTL layout
that I'll have to blot out the clay as it rises to get it.

Having said all that I still learning but am grateful to the advice I had to
persevere with shooting with both eyes open. It was hard to start with but
now I think its an advantage, particularly in game shooting ( and ducks at
dusk) as I can see more of the sky and I can pick up targets quickly. We've
two eyes so why handicap yourself by closing one of them? You'll be getting
50% less information to the brain on what the clay is doing.

As I said I'm still learning and hope this makes some sense.

Dave

[Tim Guy]

Post by Dave P
Out of interest what's your shooting style? Do you shoot one eye open or
both?

<SNIP>

I actually shoot with my left shut tight. I think I always have but have
more so when trying to get the drivens (it does help)

If I shoot with both eyes open and focus on the target I see two barrels
(and its not a side by side, lol). Along with the fact if I do the old
circle a target with my finger and thumb and shut different eyes the target
goes all over the place outside of the circle.

Yes the gun has two beads. Front and middle.

Im going to try a 60birder tomorrow with the new theorys of bead over bead
and see how I get on.

Cheers

Tim

[Sarah Cooper]

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for
10 years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a
week I've found my shooting has dropped.
Driven, I seam to be able to shoot around. I always had the ability to
drive through, blank out the clay with the barrel and get it, these
days I must be shooting all the way around it.
Someone suggested a dominate eye which I can believe.
I am going to get an eye test. I digress from the thread.
Yesterday I also noticed something. When I'm loose and enjoying my
shooting I noitced that the rear sight is just below the forward sight.
When that occurs I'm blasting everything out of the sky.
If I get frustrated, or if I get time to aim at the clay, I use the
sights, get them both in line and general miss everything. The more
frustrated I get the more I was using the sights and the more I was
missing.
It only occurred to me yesterday that the looser shooting results in
the sites being on top of each other.
So the question is, should I just be content with the fact I've 'maybe'
found my problem, or should I get the butt modified so that the sights
line up? And what would that modification be, a raised butt (cant
remember the term)
Cheers
Tim

By the sounds of it you have several issues which you need to sort out in
turn. Only change one thing at a time or you won't know what's going on.
You really shouldn't be looking at the sights as you shoot, because then
you are not looking at the target (of which there will be 2!). Practice
mounting without looking at the beads, then look at them only to check
your mount when dry practising (they should look a bit like a snowman,
not one blanking out the other). After a while the mount will happen
without thinking about it or needing to check it's OK. (I've recently
removed mine so I can't look :-)

By the sounds of it, you are left eye dominant and right handed - like me,
so have to pick up the target with both eyes, but close your left, or it
appears "to jump". Hey, if its been working for 10 years why change it?

The other thing you mention is about being relaxed and hitting/missing.
Loads of people do it and you can see them do it too. More often than not
it's an easy shot; sloppy mount or whatever and a missed target. The
shoulders tighten and hunch up which alters the mount. It happens again,
then gets worse. I find trap the absolute worst for this and if I miss
one, I have to consciously lower and loosen my shoulders and lean right
out over the stock to get back on track. If it's really bad, go back to
the clubhouse for a coffee, then return in a better frame of mind.

These are only my personal findings and all are a lot cheaper and less
radical than gunfitting (which you may need, but these might cure the
problem first). I hope you find something of use.

[Tim Guy]

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for 10
years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a week
I've found my shooting has dropped.

See.. Now looking into this on the web many sites say that the front and
rear beads SHOULD be in a figure of 8 one on top of the other.

I didnt know that.... 10 years shooting and I didnt know that..

Tim

[Sarah Cooper]

Post by Tim Guy

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun
for 10 years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a
week I've found my shooting has dropped.

See.. Now looking into this on the web many sites say that the front
and rear beads SHOULD be in a figure of 8 one on top of the other.
I didnt know that.... 10 years shooting and I didnt know that..
Tim

maybe a couple of lessons might iron out a few "taken as read" things.

[David Christensen]

*Date:* Mon, 04 Sep 2006 20:04:50 GMT

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun
for 10 years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a
week I've found my shooting has dropped.

See.. Now looking into this on the web many sites say that the front
and rear beads SHOULD be in a figure of 8 one on top of the other.
I didnt know that.... 10 years shooting and I didnt know that..

Yup - make a snowman (*), as my first instructor said.

DC
(*) and then never look at him!

[Larry Armitstead]

Post by Tim Guy

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for 10
years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a week
I've found my shooting has dropped.

See.. Now looking into this on the web many sites say that the front and
rear beads SHOULD be in a figure of 8 one on top of the other.
I didnt know that.... 10 years shooting and I didnt know that..
Tim

Try NOT looking at the gun barrel/beads & all. Try looking at what you
are going to hit, THE CLAY!!
As long as your gun is mounted in the same/right place, by all means use
the beads to confirm this before you call if you premount or by
practising mounting if you don't, then the stuff between your ears will
do the rest. Honest!

See if you can get a look at a couple of books:
'To the target' by Dan Schindler and 'If it aint broke fix it' by Gill &
Vicki Ash

Above all, Enjoy!

Larry

[Tim Guy]

Post by Tim Guy

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for 10
years now, always been average.
All of a sudden, while upping my anti and shooting at least twice a week
I've found my shooting has dropped.

See.. Now looking into this on the web many sites say that the front and
rear beads SHOULD be in a figure of 8 one on top of the other.

Well a few shoots past and I left back where I was averaging 30-35 on a 50
shoot.

I check the beads at the start for the figure of 8 but then ignore and look
at the clay

BUT, I have to shoot with my left eye closed. I have perfect hit vision
with it closed. My misses a purley classic behinds/over/under misses that I
can see I am doing.

Cheers

Tim

[+.com (A.Lee)]

Tim Guy <***@hurtMAPSwood.demon.co.uk> wrote:
snip attribs;

Post by Tim Guy

Post by Tim Guy

Post by Tim Guy
I've been having a shocker of a few months. I've used the same gun for 10
years now, always been average.

See.. Now looking into this on the web many sites say that the front and
rear beads SHOULD be in a figure of 8 one on top of the other.

Well a few shoots past and I left back where I was averaging 30-35 on a 50
shoot.
I check the beads at the start for the figure of 8 but then ignore and look
at the clay
BUT, I have to shoot with my left eye closed. I have perfect hit vision
with it closed. My misses a purley classic behinds/over/under misses that I
can see I am doing.

I've had the same for the last month, I was getting better until July,
nearly always from 60's - high 70's on 100 ESP courses, now I'm
struggling to hit 50. I think I may have struggled to reach 40 on
Sunday, I was so disappointed, I didnt bother counting the score.

I'm going to have a lesson sometime soon, just to give me a bit of
confidence. I know my stance is changing at each cage, though I tried to
correct that last Sunday (but it didnt seem to work!).
I then realised I was holding the gun like it weighed 50 kgs - really
gripping it hard.That is never going to be a good shot with an iron
grip.
I couldnt see where I was missing either, a few months ago, I could have
said with confidence that it was high/low or behind, but I just cant
tell where I'm shooting at the mo.
Strange how I suddenly cant hit a thing again.
Alan.

[David Christensen]

*Date:* Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:22:18 +0100
snip attribs;
Strange how I suddenly cant hit a thing again.

Are you wearing more or different clothes?

DC

[+.com (A.Lee)]

Post by David Christensen

Post by +.com (A.Lee)
Strange how I suddenly cant hit a thing again.

Are you wearing more or different clothes?

No, same clothes since June, t-shirt or shirt with a waistoat.(I really
must change them, they are getting a bit smelly!)
I've just got back from shooting 100 shots this PM, I went round on my
own, just shooting at a target until I hit it everytime.
Of the misses,50% were missing behind, some were over the top, and I was
stopping the gun,and using it as a rifle on many birds. Once I realised,
I swung it through, and was breaking them every time.

I still cant read some though, there was a std. teal,the trap at 50yds,
almost going straight up, and straight down.Trouble was, I didnt notice
that the wind was blowing it away from the trap, and it was landing at
between 70 and 80 yds. I was firing at around 1 foot under it when it
started falling, and was missing over the top every time. When it was
pointed out that it was a lot longer away than it appeared, I got well
underneath it, and started hitting them.I just didnt notice that it was
near 80yds from the cage at its highest point, hence would need a lot
more lead.
I need some more of this type of practice - going round with a group,
and having 3 shots at each target is no good if you keep missing them,
you need to see where to hit them.
Alan.

[David Christensen]

*Date:* Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:29:50 +0100

Post by David Christensen

Post by +.com (A.Lee)
Strange how I suddenly cant hit a thing again.

Are you wearing more or different clothes?

No, same clothes since June, t-shirt or shirt with a waistoat.(I really
must change them, they are getting a bit smelly!)
I've just got back from shooting 100 shots this PM, I went round on my
own, just shooting at a target until I hit it everytime.
Of the misses,50% were missing behind, some were over the top, and I was
stopping the gun,and using it as a rifle on many birds. Once I realised,
I swung it through, and was breaking them every time.

Tip from a top coach (Stu Clark) - I think it's working on me - don't talk
about stopping the gun, talk about needing to follow through. Use a
phrase that includes what you need to do and you might increase your
chances of doing it. Neurolinguistic programming, and other buzzwords.
It might work, it might not. I really can't see how it could harm though!

DC