Tiha
Red Skull Member
I joined my first league. Shot thousands of clays, rounds of skeet and sporting clays. This trap thing is nothing like that. Not like hunting either.
So I am learning, slowly, but learning things I probably should have learned 30 years ago. Been a journey so far.
My son was supposed to be joining me but he ended up having classes on the same night so I got thrown in with a people I don't know. because of attrition they are still a little disorganized and the team seems to change every week. Too bad when you are ranked on a team score. But this is supposed to be fun right?
I am a pretty confident shooter. Probably too confident. This trap crap has totally ruined that. I can sit in a duck boat, shooting slow ass steel shot and still drop a bird at 60 yards, but busting a clay at 60 yards. No way. I suck.
First night I get to the range, thrown in with guys I don't know. I always assume they are better than me. I open my case and I brought the wrong gun. omg. My duck gun, pump action, wrong choke. I shot but not great. It had a IC choke for shooting steel and I think I could hear the clays laughing at me on the second round when we were handicapped back to the 18.
Second night, I am all set, no more mistakes. first round I shot a 24. I am good with that. Second round we were handicapped from the 16 back to the 22 yard line I shot 13. WTF?
Went home re examined everything. Originally thinking it was my loads I was shooting but dial caliper showed a worn out or just poor quality full choke. So purchased one of those fancy extended chokes.
Third night. I am confident, ready. by the second or 3rd station I am noticing an occasional failure to cycle correctly. I am shooting an remington 1100 (auto loader) with 30" barrel. I love shooting it. fits me so well. But is also 40 years old with unknown round count. We got to the 5th station and I had a spent round stuck in the chamber. Carrier will not travel back far enough to get the shell out. Score keeper tells me I already have 20 if I want to sit the last station out. So I did. But I am done for the night. Could not get the gun apart with the tools I had.
I find a broken pin in the trigger group, ordered new trigger group. Now what? Won't be here in time to make up or start next week. Could have went back to the 870 pump which has been an awesome gun for the last 32 years I have owned it. But I have to make up 2 rounds on tuesday, then league again wednesday, that is 4 rounds (more if I can get practice in) so I would like to be shooting something at least as good as comfortable and consistent as my 1100, plus would like it to be the gun I will use moving forward.
Last weekend went out and bought an 11-87 (very similar to my 1100) Used of course. Cleaned it up and took it to the range and feels and shoots just like my 1100 as expected. Barrel appears to be straight for being a used gun. But I have this fear in the back of my mind of mechanical failure again. Now I am gun shy LOL.
Went and bought a weatherby over under. I have had some pretty decent over unders. Hated them all but they were also all 26" barrels. Finding an O/U with 30" barrels local to me is a hard thing to do. Anyway I bought one, took it to the range. It is different. Even though it is 30" barrels it is still at least 4" shorter than my 1100. Of course it is at least a pound lighter. Shot come clays with it, but not actual trap.
Shot with 3 different rounds, some light trap loads, then normal loads, then some handicapped loads. With all 3 I had no problem reaching the farthest clays. So that shows the problem is not the rounds, it is me.
Was feeling pretty confident leaving the range with the weatherby but as time passes I am getting nervous. Taking both guns to the trap shoot tonight. If I suck with the O/U first round out comes the 11-87.
I am over reacting right? I mean the best shooters are shooting double guns, so the problem is me right? I need to figure this out.
Finding that I am over correcting when pulling up on the target. Shorter, lighter gun. Not sure how to over come that yet. I loved pulling the trigger on the 1100, so smooth, hearing the chamber cycle. The balance. I just don't get that same joy pulling the trigger on the weatherby.
Will that ever change?
Anyone else have similar experiences?
I don't have any desire to be the best, but I do want two perfect rounds in one night.
So I am learning, slowly, but learning things I probably should have learned 30 years ago. Been a journey so far.
My son was supposed to be joining me but he ended up having classes on the same night so I got thrown in with a people I don't know. because of attrition they are still a little disorganized and the team seems to change every week. Too bad when you are ranked on a team score. But this is supposed to be fun right?
I am a pretty confident shooter. Probably too confident. This trap crap has totally ruined that. I can sit in a duck boat, shooting slow ass steel shot and still drop a bird at 60 yards, but busting a clay at 60 yards. No way. I suck.
First night I get to the range, thrown in with guys I don't know. I always assume they are better than me. I open my case and I brought the wrong gun. omg. My duck gun, pump action, wrong choke. I shot but not great. It had a IC choke for shooting steel and I think I could hear the clays laughing at me on the second round when we were handicapped back to the 18.
Second night, I am all set, no more mistakes. first round I shot a 24. I am good with that. Second round we were handicapped from the 16 back to the 22 yard line I shot 13. WTF?
Went home re examined everything. Originally thinking it was my loads I was shooting but dial caliper showed a worn out or just poor quality full choke. So purchased one of those fancy extended chokes.
Third night. I am confident, ready. by the second or 3rd station I am noticing an occasional failure to cycle correctly. I am shooting an remington 1100 (auto loader) with 30" barrel. I love shooting it. fits me so well. But is also 40 years old with unknown round count. We got to the 5th station and I had a spent round stuck in the chamber. Carrier will not travel back far enough to get the shell out. Score keeper tells me I already have 20 if I want to sit the last station out. So I did. But I am done for the night. Could not get the gun apart with the tools I had.
I find a broken pin in the trigger group, ordered new trigger group. Now what? Won't be here in time to make up or start next week. Could have went back to the 870 pump which has been an awesome gun for the last 32 years I have owned it. But I have to make up 2 rounds on tuesday, then league again wednesday, that is 4 rounds (more if I can get practice in) so I would like to be shooting something at least as good as comfortable and consistent as my 1100, plus would like it to be the gun I will use moving forward.
Last weekend went out and bought an 11-87 (very similar to my 1100) Used of course. Cleaned it up and took it to the range and feels and shoots just like my 1100 as expected. Barrel appears to be straight for being a used gun. But I have this fear in the back of my mind of mechanical failure again. Now I am gun shy LOL.
Went and bought a weatherby over under. I have had some pretty decent over unders. Hated them all but they were also all 26" barrels. Finding an O/U with 30" barrels local to me is a hard thing to do. Anyway I bought one, took it to the range. It is different. Even though it is 30" barrels it is still at least 4" shorter than my 1100. Of course it is at least a pound lighter. Shot come clays with it, but not actual trap.
Shot with 3 different rounds, some light trap loads, then normal loads, then some handicapped loads. With all 3 I had no problem reaching the farthest clays. So that shows the problem is not the rounds, it is me.
Was feeling pretty confident leaving the range with the weatherby but as time passes I am getting nervous. Taking both guns to the trap shoot tonight. If I suck with the O/U first round out comes the 11-87.
I am over reacting right? I mean the best shooters are shooting double guns, so the problem is me right? I need to figure this out.
Finding that I am over correcting when pulling up on the target. Shorter, lighter gun. Not sure how to over come that yet. I loved pulling the trigger on the 1100, so smooth, hearing the chamber cycle. The balance. I just don't get that same joy pulling the trigger on the weatherby.
Will that ever change?
Anyone else have similar experiences?
I don't have any desire to be the best, but I do want two perfect rounds in one night.