WHY DO TOP DOGS SHOOT TOGETHER

I will be make a few posts about Trapshooting so bear with me on the coverage, I know I will miss some items.

They shoot together because of their timing/Rithym smoothness of the squad.

Better scores are made when shooter comes to the line with all the shells needed + a few extras, he has all his equipment, shooting Glasses on, Ear plugs/ Headphones, Hat, wide brimmed to protect the ears from sun, which headphones does.

His favorite Shirt, Shoes, He has checked his Trapgun adjustments and made sure they are TIGHT, and the Pull/Release trigger is at correct pull/set weight.

He has become a machine and each and every shooter should be doing the same so as not to interrupt the squad to make adjustments/schanges.

GB............................................DLS

 

Well Doc this would make sense if this was a squad event but it's not. It's individual competition. Frankly if you shoot a different game with your 4 buddies then you do with 4 strangers you need to work on your game. Plain and simple.

 

I doubt this will "sink-in", but it is cold and I'm bored, so here goes .....

I was following a squad that had a "Lady" shooter on it ..... every time the shooter before her would mount his gun, she would close the action on her Beretta semi-auto. It would throw a target, he would lower his gun, then start over. This went on for all four traps. First "she" threw over twice as many targets as "she" paid for. Then, if "she" needs to be TOLD this was rude and a waste of targets, "she" doesn't need to have a real gun, "she" may hurt someone with it. FWIW ..... "she" was shooting on a "short squad" because "she" is known for this.

So, tell everyone here how HAPPY, and "on your game", you would be mounting your shotgun over two hundred times to shoot YOUR one hundred targets. And before you TELL everyone how you would "say something", it was an nice elderly "Black Lady" out to "enjoy her day of Trapshooting", that "she" has done many times before .....

If you are a serious competitor you "squad" with who you know ..... if your "goal" is "shoot for fun", then do not spoil the "fun" for "others" .....

 

I shot with the same 4 guys for almost 4 years. If you dropped a shell you didn't even think about picking it up. Timing was EVERYTHING, and we were FAST. On a nice hot day you could still see the black puff lingering in the air from the shooter 2 ahead of you. 96 or 97 was usually the low score on the squad. Shooting with the same squad has EVERYTHING to do with your confidence and the mental part of this game. And we all know that the mental part is what can kill you.

The extra pressure of not wanting to be the first to miss or to be the ONLY one to drop a target( I wasn't immune to that little honor) made you shoot better. MUCH BETTER

I remember reading an article many years ago about a squad that broke 499X500. A few years later someone asked the shooter that dropped that one target if he ever thought about it.

His answer without hesitation, "Every day of my life"

Now I don't know about you lady t but I wasn't there for the food, the atmosphere, or the "camaraderie". I was there to break targets and win money. Believe it or not, there used to be money in the game. Even if it was day money, that is why I wanted to run em and the best chance of doing that was shooting with the same 4 shooters.

And no, I don't want a medal. I have a drawer full of them somewhere around here.

 

If she is not informed then how is she supposed to know these things. What I see is a failure of the experienced shooters who failed to help this person learn the fundamental rules of Trap Etiquette. Instead of saying anything you have instead isolated this person who is for some reason is still shooting in the face of the hostility of the experienced shooters at this club. A poor excuse for human beings for sure.

 

So let me ask you a few questions. What do you do if 2 on your squad drop at the last moment do you still go to the shoot that your squad decided to shoot? If you do do you just shoot a short squad of three if possible?

You know I understand what you are saying but as I look at it I want to shoot with as many different people as possible. I want to be exposed to the different ways that they shoot. I see that as way to make myself a better shooter. Staying with the same people all of the time to me would seem to cause one to get comfortable and when confronted with a challenge the skills needed may not be there to pull one through so is how I'm looking at this. You know I'm still learning, questioning and becoming a better shooter. The greater the challenge the more I learn for my next time out.

 

You really need to try harder to "fit-in" in Kool Aid Land ..... They may be on more of a level of wishing they could shoot Trap that you are able to understand.

I would guess this "Lady" has shot more "ATA" targets than you ..... so I guess you would expect to be told a simple courtesy.

I have no doubt you will get your chance to see "the face of the hostility of the experienced shooters", when you expect "special treatment" .....

 

Fair enough.
We never had 2 "drop out at the last moment". I guess you could say we were fortunate that we were all in good health back then. We all knew the scheduled shoots in the area and planned accordingly. For the entire season. The only question would be, what time are we meeting? Our number 5 shooter was always a little late so we told him we were meeting 30 minutes before we were actually going to get there. That way we were all on time.

I got up one morning and felt lousy so I called 3 hours before start time to let them know I just couldn't make it. They asked a guy, he was a decent shot himself but he usually shot with guys that just went to have fun, if he wanted to take my slot. He had never broken anything to write home about. Until that day! His first 100 straight. I saw him the following Wednesday night at the summer league shoot and he was still smiling. Said he didn't have time to think about anything except breaking the next target. I gave him one of my 100 straight pins. He had that thing pinned to his vest for the next 20 years.

I think there was only one other time we were short and we picked up a really good shooter that had a better than most average. He broke a 99, there was one 100, and we hung him on trap 3. (124 X 125) We signed the score sheet, he had a copy made, and he hung it in his office.

"Staying with the same people all of the time to me would seem to cause one to get comfortable and when confronted with a challenge the skills needed may not be there to pull one through so is how I'm looking at this"

When you shoot with guys that get pissed off with a 97 or 98 up close, and are all legit 27 yard line shooters, and can shoot respectable doubles scores, you don't get "comfortable". Remember what I said about not wanting to be the one that missed? SHOOTING WITH GOOD SHOOTERS MAKES YOU BETTER.
They could overcome a "challenge". The skills were there, that's why we shot together.

"I want to be exposed to the different ways that they shoot."

Good luck with that one.

 

When at big shoots around the MidWest, and if Ray Stafford knew I was there, he's always ask me to squad with them.

I believe this had to do more with rhythm and less about ability. Ray, Gene Sears, Buford Bailey, Don Kockrow were great guys to shoot with. Buford used to say if you put the brass end in first, you'd slow down the squad. NO ONE EVER CHEATED either. They were always looking at each others targets and if a chip was seen by the majority of the squad, then there was discussion with the puller.

These guys all shot fast, so there was little time for your mind to wander. You miss one, and you were just one on the squad.

I learned good shooting habits from these guys, as well as Britt Robinson. As they'd say, "On ANY given day, anyone can beat anyone."

Ditto to the above thread. You get better shooting with better shooters. You miss, big deal everyone misses... just don't miss many.

Oh, almost forgot to add the pitch and carribage games were about as fun after we all shot.

Whiz

 

I heard of a great trapshooter all american that loved shooting with the regular folks.