Trap & 5 Stand Shooting - See my new Cynergy O/U

[trippledigitss]

Thanks guys - got the email and Pm's. I went out today and shot 5 games, 2 trap and 3 5stand. I was shooting with both eyes open - well most of the time.. At 1st I tried and wasnt hitting jack so I went back to closing my left and/or blinking for a couple posts on the 1st line. Then I decided to stick with it. At 1st I was paying too much attention to the beads and not using 'instinct' - I guess - for lack of a better term. A few guys there were helping me and saying the same thing. Dont pay attention to the beads, just watch the bird. The 1st line I didnt do any worse than I have been lately, or really any better.

Then on the 2nd line it started coming around better after the 1st two posts. After only getting 2 birds at the 1st two posts I scored a 14 with 4/5 on the last 3 posts, all with both eyes open. Then I shot 5stand. Same thing, not much better than normal but certainly not worse. Part of it was I was shooting harder cards than normal.

But what really helped me get in the groove and flick the lightbulb on was shooting a zero card - where the birds are all random with a 1.5" delay on the following pair. So I had to keep my eyes up then mount, point & shoot once I saw them- Didnt do great but not terrible. It was like one of you guys said about not pre-mounting the gun and that motion helping.

All in all it was really encouraging, I wish I could go back out tomorrow but too many home projects that I ignored today....  The other thing I did - per my book - was spread my hands out farther apart. I put a felt sticker on the forearm to remind me to place my left hand in the same position every time.Then one of the guys who's a really good shot had me start pointing my left finger out vs curling it under on the right side of the gun. I liked that alot. I only shot about 150rds today but by the end of the day it felt alot more natural, alot more. I noticed I wasnt looking at the beads at all and just watching the birds - it felt alot more instinctive for sure!

I'm gonna keep at it, reading and talking to you guys and others. Lessons planned for the 28th, new gun next month - leaning cyngery right now but got to shoulder it and the citori before I decide. Wish I could shoot the Cynergy, actually both side by side. My buddy has a Citori XT and I've shot it once before. He'll let me shoot it more so I just need to find a Cynergy to shoot!

Thanks ALOT for the tips and help dudes!  Keep it coming! 

[trippledigitss]

Oh - I'm in the Woodinville area but I'm willing to travel within reason. Not only to try new places, but meet new people and gain some more help along the way too.

[Camp David]

Trip D, Glad you tried out the suggestions and saw the improvements    Stick with it. Keep shooting and reading. I'll be back in Seattle in April....lets go shoot a round or 5 at Kenmore. 

[Miles]

Here's something to think about and try while shooting trap.  The red lines are landing on the house where your shotgun should be pointed before saying pull at every station.   Make sure that your body and feet are pointed in a direction that will allow you to swing smoothly without tightening/stopping or having to re-adjust mid swing.  For example, when you are at #5 you should be pointing at the right hand corner of the house with you body positioned slightly facing right.  If you are pointing at the center or left of the house with your body facing the same and a bird comes out going hard right, you're going to have a hard time catching it.  Just think about the diagram and it will start to make sense.  Remember, the birds can only go so far to the left and so far to the right.  Once you find the right position for your feet and the required swing at each station, DON'T MOVE THEM or change it up.  If you want to hit targets consistently, you need to be consistent.

[C-Money]

You let out all the secrets Miles!  GREAT advise! We shot trap in the snow today. Kinda fun. I missed my 4th bird and ran the rest. Good times!

[trippledigitss]

Lets do it CD! Thanks Miles. As far as my aim, I am doing that, pointing at the house depending what post I'm at. But I hold a bit higher than I was told in my 1st class, I hold about 2ft above the house, pretty much hold my gun level. To me if felt like it gave me more time to swing the gun and not be behind the target so much. I think I need to work on feet and body position though.

I really had a good time shooting with both eyes open and pointing the gun (and my fingers) vs aiming. I'm busy Tues night but I think I'm heading up to Marysville on Weds and then back to Kenmore on Thurs - I'm pumped to get out and shoot again!

[Miles]

Lets do it CD! Thanks Miles. As far as my aim, I am doing that, pointing at the house depending what post I'm at. But I hold a bit higher than I was told in my 1st class, I hold about 2ft above the house, pretty much hold my gun level. To me if felt like it gave me more time to swing the gun and not be behind the target so much. I think I need to work on feet and body position though.

Stand at each station --  pick your gun up -- and make sure you can swing smoothly through the whole area that a bird can go.  If you come up against "the wall", re-position so you can swing through.   If you cannot swing all the way through, you will rush your shot and miss.   See if you can get someone to help you when the range is slow and no one is there.  Stand up there with an empty gun and have them launch birds while you point and follow them.  Work on your foot work/body positioning this way.   I always pointed my gun right on the very top edge of the house.  When that bird comes out, I want to see it as early as possible.   Aiming two feet over the house seems as though you're shorting yourself a little time.  It may work for you, but I'm just saying it wouldn't work for me.  Always divide the house in 5ths (like I showed you in the diagram) and point at the correct spot for the station you are standing at.    Also, pay attention to what chokes you are using and what distance you are getting on the birds and breaking them at.    I used to shoot with IC but I had to get on them pretty fast.  If I waited too long it was game over...  I just preferred to have the IC choke and bust them fast. It worked for me and I stuck with it.    Sometimes when shooting with a friend who was just starting out, it would mess him up if he shot after me and tried getting on them fast.    Are you shooting with a team, with random shooters, or by yourself?   

[trippledigitss]

I now shoot with Mod chokes most of the time but I used to shoot with IC and actually seemed to score better. I am just shooting with random people that happen to sign up for the same group. I would say my 'tempo' is very slow & deliberate more than quick for sure. But I usually shoot just before or as they get to the top point of their flight. Maybe I will try holding lower now that I am shooting with both eyes open. I dont want to change too many things at once. I want to make changes one or two at a time so not only I can focus on them and remember but also so I dont get overwhelmed.

[trippledigitss]

So I've been out a couple more times - I havent got the books mentioned here yet but I am reading one called Breaking Clays by Chris Batha. He even refers to the Insight book by Wayne Martin, so I'm gonna get that one for sure.

Anyway, not lighting any fires but feeling much more confident shooting with both eyes open. Shot 5 stand at MRC on Weds and pretty much sucked, it was depressing. I shot a FOUR (a freaking 4??!!??) then a SIX - ouch - then a 15, where the hell did that come from?? (but it was the 1st time I beat my boss head to head so I was LOVING THAT!) - then I think the final game was a 9. I think my biggest problem was stopping my swing on hard cross birds, I was behind most of them and usually I do well on the hard crosses at Kenmore. But I was hitting straight birds much better so that is a plus.

Then I shot at Kenmore last night, it was busy and I had my twins so I didnt stay long. 2 lines of trap, a 14 & 15, and one game of 5 stand, a 13 on a #1 card. Again not great but progress for me. But I was still missing hard crosses and other birds when I normally hit them. It felt really good to get back in the teens on trap. A few times I was like 3 or 4 in a row at a post and then thought - 'hey I havent missed yet' - then guess what happened.... miss the next 2 or 3.... 

Anyway, gonna shoot at Granite tonight and I think I'm gonna post a note to my forehead that says KEEP SWINGING!!!  So if you see me out there feel free to say hi! 

[trippledigitss]

YEAH BABE!  Shot a 21 on trap tonight at Granite!  My best score ever! It really feels like its coming together! Followed it up with a 17 but I'll gladly take a 17 the way I've been shooting lately! And I missed a couple easy birds and I felt like I knew why right away, so it wasnt so bad. My 5 stand scores were about the same but that was the 1st time I shot 5 stand out there and didnt know where/how the birds were flying so no big deal. Man it was a big confidence builder for sure. Going for a 22 at Kenmore tomorrow! Thanks for all the tips & help dudes!! 

[C-Money]

Very Nice, way to stick with it!

[trippledigitss]

Shot another 21 at Kenmore yesterday!  (we wont mention the 11....)  Still in the low teens on 5 stand but starting to feel really confident on trap. And now I'm getting ready to buy a new gun just when I'm getting used to my Mossberg??? (and I just got it in October...) Starting to feel like a bad idea! 

But I have decided to go Cynergy over Citori. When I was out at MRC on weds night, this guy had a Cyngery Field model that he just bought so he let me check it out. They had just closed but he said I could shoot if I came back out this week. It was a 28" field model in MOB with adj comb and I want the 30" sporting with adj comb but I got the basic feel of it. It felt really sleek and light, I liked the feel of it alot. Now as soon as Uncle Sam makes my deposit I'll see where I can find the exact model with the features I want. I was watching a really nice used one one on GB at a buy it price of 2350 but someone just bought it this weekend.  Oh well, I'm sure I'll find plenty others.

[mtncook]

Use caution when gun jumping.  Most will tell you it will take a year to find the sweetness in a new trap gun.  Also but a trap grade because there are reasons they are trap,sporting and field grade!

mtncook

[KFhunter]

I was going to suggest getting a new gun,  it may not be the answer to your delemma - but who doesn't want a new gun?
 
 

[uplandhunter870]

congrats on the new personal high score.

on the new gun topic if youre going to make it a dual sport gun (sporting clays and trap) id go with a sporting model, its a lot easier to shoot trap with a sporting gun than it is to shoot sporting with a trap gun.

trap is pretty one dimensional (as you are well aware) targets are always moving away from you within a set range of angles and rising, sporting targets can come from anywhere and go anywhere. if it were me shooting both games id definitely have a sporting model as my primary gun.

just to back up my point about using a sporting model for trap, i shot a few rounds of trap yesterday at the local club here in Bozo (first time shooting in close to three years) i was using a gun that i havent shot for 10 years and just got fixed (gunsmith had to do some repairs/modifications on the hammer springs and struts). shot 3 rounds of singles did ok (my scores arent important here) then to finish the day off i went out on a 27 yard squad, my gun made it 3 shots and it broke down a nice old gent offered his other gun for me to use. it was a beretta sporting model he uses for skeet (no mid bead, non stepped flat rib) i was able to hit targets just as hard with it as my trap model gun. by simply mounting the gun so it had a proper trapshooting sight picture i was able to get a 20 from the 27.