Dec 31, 2011
I do have a daughter
Great break
Had a nice vacation in Delaware/Maryland. Did some shooting (.22s, 5-stand) and beach combing.
Cal shooting my Dad's .44 caliber Colt black powder pistol. My wife bought me one for Christmas, lots to work on.
WWII-era watch tower near Cape Henlopen.
Carving "CE" into some driftwood.
Cal shooting my Dad's .44 caliber Colt black powder pistol. My wife bought me one for Christmas, lots to work on.
WWII-era watch tower near Cape Henlopen.
Carving "CE" into some driftwood.
Dec 19, 2011
Been shooting
Shot a little on both Saturday and Sunday, Sunday was very nice and the club was busy. I didn't shoot that good, one or two rounds I was in the groove on singles but still struggling with handicap targets.
Started another knife. Spent hours trying to get a mirror finish but I could not got the grind marks out of blade. Finally started over with windex and 400 thru 1500 grit sandpaper and it took them right out.
The buffer will absolutely, as the manual warns, grab whatever (that knife) you are buffing and fling onto the workbench if you are not paying attention. That is why you are suppossed to mount on a pedestal rather than a workbench so it will get spit out onto the floor. I'm not even sure if you need to buff if you hand rub the metal with a really fine sandpaper.
Started another knife. Spent hours trying to get a mirror finish but I could not got the grind marks out of blade. Finally started over with windex and 400 thru 1500 grit sandpaper and it took them right out.
The buffer will absolutely, as the manual warns, grab whatever (that knife) you are buffing and fling onto the workbench if you are not paying attention. That is why you are suppossed to mount on a pedestal rather than a workbench so it will get spit out onto the floor. I'm not even sure if you need to buff if you hand rub the metal with a really fine sandpaper.
Dec 7, 2011
Been busy, but not shooting
Just finished a third knife. I bought a kit, threw out the blanks that came with it and bought a piece of stabilized maple burl. Got both sides fitted and then shattered one side with a nail and hammer when I tried to start the screw. Dummy. Ordered this nice piece of Afzelia burl, its from Southeast Asia. I figure you might as well spend a few extra bucks on the wood, it takes the same amount of time to finish as a cheap piece of wood and it looks a lot better. You can get spectacular wood for not a lot of money.
I had to peen over nickel silver pins in the bolsters, file, sand and then buff down to where you can't see them. I shaped the scales on a belt sander and then progressively wet sanded down to 2000 grit. Finished the wood off with carnauba wax applied with a loose cotton buffing wheel.
Overall I was happy with how it came out, better than the first folder I did. I did a fixed blade knife for my Dad with exhibition grade Ironwood scales that came out really nice. I'll put some pictures up after Christmas.
I had to peen over nickel silver pins in the bolsters, file, sand and then buff down to where you can't see them. I shaped the scales on a belt sander and then progressively wet sanded down to 2000 grit. Finished the wood off with carnauba wax applied with a loose cotton buffing wheel.
Overall I was happy with how it came out, better than the first folder I did. I did a fixed blade knife for my Dad with exhibition grade Ironwood scales that came out really nice. I'll put some pictures up after Christmas.
Dec 1, 2011
Nov 29, 2011
Nov 23, 2011
Nov 19, 2011
New Book
This book came up for sale on ts.com, its in great condition. Local hero John McQuade was the winner in 1984 of the Grand American Handicap. The text notes that the former Dodger ran 100 from 21 yards but had a scare when the scorer called "lost" on his 80th target. The squad quickly protested and it was scored dead.
He's still a great shot.
He's still a great shot.
Nov 14, 2011
Nov 11, 2011
Getting back to posting
Weather is turning here, got snow flakes yesterday. Nice enough to go out and shoot a little at the club last night, 38 degrees and a moderate wind.
Sep 30, 2011
Sep 25, 2011
Sep 7, 2011
Today's New York Times
In a Game of Physical Prowess, It’s the Mind That Matters
By KAREN CROUSE
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was talking about how a tennis match is won between the ears as much as between the lines. “My game, you know, is very good when I have nothing in my head, when I just play my game,” he said Monday after defeating Mardy Fish in five sets at the United States Open.
Off to the side, a photographer was working away, his camera’s motor drive making a sound as if crickets were invading the room. The noise caused other journalists to turn their heads in his direction, but Tsonga kept talking.
He said that being “really, really strong in the head,” as he put it, meant he was not thinking “about other things like the wind, people in the box.” Tsonga’s voice trailed off as he joined the others in looking at the crouching photographer. He smiled and added, “All this stuff.”
Some players in the Open draw have faster serves than others or more penetrating ground strokes or better touch at the net. But at the elite level, those differences are negligible. Those who succeed are the ones who are really, really strong in the head.
“Physically, there is not much difference between No. 78 in the world and Nos. 2, 3, 1, 5,” said Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men’s player, who has lost two matches all year. “Everybody’s working hours and hours on the court.”
He added, “It’s a mental ability to handle the pressure, to play well at the right moments, and that’s why I think there is a certain difference with top-10 players.”
Djokovic’s fourth-round victory against Alexandr Dolgopolov, the No. 22 seed, was a case in point. Extended to a tie breaker in the first set, he weathered four set points by Dolgopolov and prevailed, 16-14, when Dolgopolov hit a forehand out after a long rally.
“I think mental strength you get over the years playing on the tour, getting experience, and using that experience in a right way,” said Djokovic, who turned professional in 2003.
The brain, like a muscle, gets stronger when pushed to the point of failure. In “Rafa,” his recently published autobiography, Rafael Nadal articulated what becomes patently obvious to anyone at the Open who watches the parade of players hitting on the practice courts.
“If you watch the No. 10 player in the world and the No. 500 in training, you won’t necessarily be able to tell who is higher up in the rankings,” Nadal wrote. “Without the pressure of competition, they’ll move and hit the ball much the same way.”
But in the caldron of competition, cooler, clearer heads prevail. Consider No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki’s three-set, three-hour match against 15th seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Wozniacki’s backhand brought her back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set, but her 13 winners off that wing do not tell the whole story of her 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1 victory. Her tactical adjustments, which included stepping closer to the baseline to become more of an aggressor, would have mattered little without her ability to play the right shot at a critical moment, to stay relaxed on the tensest points, to believe she was going to win even when she was eight points from defeat.
“It’s important to stay positive,” Wozniacki said, adding: “Tennis is a funny sport. You have to just keep going.”
Nobody at this Open has shown more staying power than Samantha Stosur, whose 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5) 7-5 victory against Nadia Petrova was the longest women’s match in tournament history, clocking in at 3 hours 16 minutes. She needed another two and a half hours to dispatch Maria Kirilenko in the fourth round.
Their match included a 32-point tie breaker in the second set, the longest for women in tournament history. Stosur came out on the losing end in the tie breaker but stormed back to advance, 6-2, 6-7 (15), 6-3, outlasting her reputation for being physically buff but mentally fragile.
“I haven’t always been known for my competitiveness out there, to really fight hard,” Stosur said.
She added: “It’s definitely very rewarding. I know now I can do it.”
Which comes first, self-belief or success? It’s the chicken-egg question of sports. For Janko Tipsarevic, lighting his pilot light of certainty has led him, at 27, to a career-high ranking of No. 20.
“My mental strength is better this year because of the determination that I want to improve,” Tipsarevic said. “When you have certain goals, good things are happening to you because you’re making the right decisions without making an effort.”
Mardy Fish made the effort to get physically fit and found that the discipline required to lose 30 pounds carried over to the court. He sticks to his game plans the way he does to his diet and has diligently pursued intermediate goals, which is how he found himself the top-ranked American, at eighth over all, in the Open.
In the fourth round, Fish ran into Tsonga, who did a better job of ignoring the gusty winds, the loud crowd and the cumulative fatigue of another endless summer. He removed the clutter from his head, clearing his path to success.
By KAREN CROUSE
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was talking about how a tennis match is won between the ears as much as between the lines. “My game, you know, is very good when I have nothing in my head, when I just play my game,” he said Monday after defeating Mardy Fish in five sets at the United States Open.
Off to the side, a photographer was working away, his camera’s motor drive making a sound as if crickets were invading the room. The noise caused other journalists to turn their heads in his direction, but Tsonga kept talking.
He said that being “really, really strong in the head,” as he put it, meant he was not thinking “about other things like the wind, people in the box.” Tsonga’s voice trailed off as he joined the others in looking at the crouching photographer. He smiled and added, “All this stuff.”
Some players in the Open draw have faster serves than others or more penetrating ground strokes or better touch at the net. But at the elite level, those differences are negligible. Those who succeed are the ones who are really, really strong in the head.
“Physically, there is not much difference between No. 78 in the world and Nos. 2, 3, 1, 5,” said Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men’s player, who has lost two matches all year. “Everybody’s working hours and hours on the court.”
He added, “It’s a mental ability to handle the pressure, to play well at the right moments, and that’s why I think there is a certain difference with top-10 players.”
Djokovic’s fourth-round victory against Alexandr Dolgopolov, the No. 22 seed, was a case in point. Extended to a tie breaker in the first set, he weathered four set points by Dolgopolov and prevailed, 16-14, when Dolgopolov hit a forehand out after a long rally.
“I think mental strength you get over the years playing on the tour, getting experience, and using that experience in a right way,” said Djokovic, who turned professional in 2003.
The brain, like a muscle, gets stronger when pushed to the point of failure. In “Rafa,” his recently published autobiography, Rafael Nadal articulated what becomes patently obvious to anyone at the Open who watches the parade of players hitting on the practice courts.
“If you watch the No. 10 player in the world and the No. 500 in training, you won’t necessarily be able to tell who is higher up in the rankings,” Nadal wrote. “Without the pressure of competition, they’ll move and hit the ball much the same way.”
But in the caldron of competition, cooler, clearer heads prevail. Consider No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki’s three-set, three-hour match against 15th seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Wozniacki’s backhand brought her back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set, but her 13 winners off that wing do not tell the whole story of her 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1 victory. Her tactical adjustments, which included stepping closer to the baseline to become more of an aggressor, would have mattered little without her ability to play the right shot at a critical moment, to stay relaxed on the tensest points, to believe she was going to win even when she was eight points from defeat.
“It’s important to stay positive,” Wozniacki said, adding: “Tennis is a funny sport. You have to just keep going.”
Nobody at this Open has shown more staying power than Samantha Stosur, whose 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5) 7-5 victory against Nadia Petrova was the longest women’s match in tournament history, clocking in at 3 hours 16 minutes. She needed another two and a half hours to dispatch Maria Kirilenko in the fourth round.
Their match included a 32-point tie breaker in the second set, the longest for women in tournament history. Stosur came out on the losing end in the tie breaker but stormed back to advance, 6-2, 6-7 (15), 6-3, outlasting her reputation for being physically buff but mentally fragile.
“I haven’t always been known for my competitiveness out there, to really fight hard,” Stosur said.
She added: “It’s definitely very rewarding. I know now I can do it.”
Which comes first, self-belief or success? It’s the chicken-egg question of sports. For Janko Tipsarevic, lighting his pilot light of certainty has led him, at 27, to a career-high ranking of No. 20.
“My mental strength is better this year because of the determination that I want to improve,” Tipsarevic said. “When you have certain goals, good things are happening to you because you’re making the right decisions without making an effort.”
Mardy Fish made the effort to get physically fit and found that the discipline required to lose 30 pounds carried over to the court. He sticks to his game plans the way he does to his diet and has diligently pursued intermediate goals, which is how he found himself the top-ranked American, at eighth over all, in the Open.
In the fourth round, Fish ran into Tsonga, who did a better job of ignoring the gusty winds, the loud crowd and the cumulative fatigue of another endless summer. He removed the clutter from his head, clearing his path to success.
Sep 6, 2011
Sep 5, 2011
"If you're still shooting, you haven't....
.. shot your worst score yet." That's an old saw you hear around the gun club and I have this year as I have shot some of my worst scores ever. After competently grinding up singles targets for a few weeks, I went 21, 21, 24, 21 at Peoria Skeet and Trap Club on Sunday, my new worst score ever. The targets on the first field were poorly set but that doesn't excuse my performance.
Handicap started out good, 23 and 25 but faded and went 21, 21 in the last 50. If that sounds familiar, see below.
The club got a nice turnout given it was Labor Day Weekend and there were two bigger, multi-day shoots going on in the area. Its a nice drive down there on Rt 26 along the Illinois River. Weather was great. Its a friendly club and when I told one of my handicap squad members that I want to get Cal shooting, he offered to send me a AL390 stock for free, to cut down.
I was going to shoot today at Darien but took a pass.
Handicap started out good, 23 and 25 but faded and went 21, 21 in the last 50. If that sounds familiar, see below.
The club got a nice turnout given it was Labor Day Weekend and there were two bigger, multi-day shoots going on in the area. Its a nice drive down there on Rt 26 along the Illinois River. Weather was great. Its a friendly club and when I told one of my handicap squad members that I want to get Cal shooting, he offered to send me a AL390 stock for free, to cut down.
I was going to shoot today at Darien but took a pass.
Sep 3, 2011
WSJ - The Key to Putting, Not Thinking
That's the title of a story in today's WSJ and it reminded me of a quote from Leo Harrison I read somewhere. He was asked what he thought about when shooting, the answer, "nothing."
A couple of quotes from the story about Dave Stockton:
“The essence of Stockton's philosophy, hinted at in the title of Morrison's book, is that putting is primarily a mental art and not a physical science. "Everybody, and I mean everybody, tries to get too technical with putting. They put too much effort into the mechanics," Stockton told me. "I understand why that is. It carries over from the long game, which does require more emphasis on mechanics. But that's why the putting game is so much easier. The stroke is, what, a foot and a half long? It should be very simple. The main thing I want is for people to have the best mental routine so that physically they can just step up to the ball and let it go."
"Stockton's paramount emphasis is on strongly visualizing the line of the putt. Never putt until after you "see" the ball fall into the hole, he advises. And putt right away, while that vision is fresh in your mind, before conscious thoughts can intervene. At the U.S. Open, you may have noticed, McIlroy putted without a practice stroke. That's a Stockton staple."
I'm trying to think less and just shoot and it seems to be working better, broke 97.6% of my last 550 singles targets.
Grace at the barn today
A couple of quotes from the story about Dave Stockton:
“The essence of Stockton's philosophy, hinted at in the title of Morrison's book, is that putting is primarily a mental art and not a physical science. "Everybody, and I mean everybody, tries to get too technical with putting. They put too much effort into the mechanics," Stockton told me. "I understand why that is. It carries over from the long game, which does require more emphasis on mechanics. But that's why the putting game is so much easier. The stroke is, what, a foot and a half long? It should be very simple. The main thing I want is for people to have the best mental routine so that physically they can just step up to the ball and let it go."
"Stockton's paramount emphasis is on strongly visualizing the line of the putt. Never putt until after you "see" the ball fall into the hole, he advises. And putt right away, while that vision is fresh in your mind, before conscious thoughts can intervene. At the U.S. Open, you may have noticed, McIlroy putted without a practice stroke. That's a Stockton staple."
I'm trying to think less and just shoot and it seems to be working better, broke 97.6% of my last 550 singles targets.
Grace at the barn today
Sep 2, 2011
Aug 23, 2011
Kim Rhode
I thiought this was a cool picture of Kim Rhode that she posted to her Twitter account. She shoots a Perazzi MX 2000S.
Update
Been busy at work lately and shooting has been mediocre so have been slow to update.
Grand - Was great. We had a good time. Dad shot his best ATA scores with my Beretta 391. Cal got another knife. We had some good meals including this one at the BBQ place in the shooting center. The weather was great. I broke 74 of my first 75 targets in one singles event and then shot a 20 on the last trap. Best handicap score was a 95 which was a target short of getting punch/place.
Janesville - Should have stayed home.
DGSC - Shot there last weekend, they had a great turnout and the weather/targets was/were perfect. In singles, I shot a 23, 24 and then ran last 50. I had a hard time seeing the handicap targets, broke a 48 on first 50, then shot a 20 and a 23. If that sounds familiar, its because its the same goddamn thing I did at the state shoot. I think these 20s are the result of poor concentration, mental errors, so have some work to do.
Grand - Was great. We had a good time. Dad shot his best ATA scores with my Beretta 391. Cal got another knife. We had some good meals including this one at the BBQ place in the shooting center. The weather was great. I broke 74 of my first 75 targets in one singles event and then shot a 20 on the last trap. Best handicap score was a 95 which was a target short of getting punch/place.
Janesville - Should have stayed home.
DGSC - Shot there last weekend, they had a great turnout and the weather/targets was/were perfect. In singles, I shot a 23, 24 and then ran last 50. I had a hard time seeing the handicap targets, broke a 48 on first 50, then shot a 20 and a 23. If that sounds familiar, its because its the same goddamn thing I did at the state shoot. I think these 20s are the result of poor concentration, mental errors, so have some work to do.
Aug 1, 2011
Jul 30, 2011
Think he likes trapshooting?
Saw this 24 hour old tattoo today at St. Charles.
While on the subject, found this on the web
While on the subject, found this on the web
Jul 23, 2011
Kim Rhode Interview
Sports Afield had an interview with Kim Rhode. There were a couple of interesting things. One, she is a big believer in muscle memory and drills stations, 500 to 1,000 targets a day. "When I go to a competition, mentally I have no fears of hitting any target or any thought of having a hard or tough target to deal with. Mentally, I know I can hit them all. I attribute much of my success to this training technique. I also think its important to compete as much as you can, because it makes you calmer as you get more experience from head to head competition."
Bunker/Trench/International/Olympic Trap
I've been wanting to try Olympic trap for awhile and found Prince George's Trap & Skeet outside Washington DC. My dad and I drove over while I was on my vacation at the beach. One of the members showed us the set-up and explained how the game worked. We shot four rounds, its pretty challenging. The best round I shot was a 17/25. I was shooting my Dad's sporting clays gun which didn't fit me that well, I would like to go back with my MX2005. The targets come out faster, at varying heights, at harder angles (45 degress v. 17.5 for ATA), are thicker than ATA targets and tournaments call for about a 7/8 ounce load.
This is the front of the bunker. There are 15 traps. 3 traps per station. They are set to throw a left, a center and right hand target but the shooter doesn't know the order.
Inside the bunker
Stations 1,2 and 3. The line runs parallel to the bunker, not in a semi-circle.
This is the front of the bunker. There are 15 traps. 3 traps per station. They are set to throw a left, a center and right hand target but the shooter doesn't know the order.
Inside the bunker
Stations 1,2 and 3. The line runs parallel to the bunker, not in a semi-circle.
Jul 11, 2011
1/2 Yard to 23
St. Charles had their shell shoot yesterday. It was hot and humid. I broke a 97 at singles, best singles score of the year. Felt pretty good about it, I know why I missed two of them. In the handicap, I went 24, 23, 24, 25 for a 96. A 27-yarder broke a 97 and there were three 96s. I won the shoot-off for runner up handicap champion. I haven't won anything at St. Charles since 2009. I've been practicing more off-hours when the club is closed, shooting hard angles and post 1 & 5. It seems to be paying off. Plus, I practice a yard back from my handicap. Trying to think less too, just get my eyes out in the field, wait a second, call, get a good look at the target and then make a smooth move to it.
Jul 5, 2011
Darien
Shot Saturday at Darien, broke a 96 in singles and a 94 in handicap. Not the best scores but better than I have been shooting. Handicap was consistent with 24, 23, 23, 24. Cal and I drove over to Lake Geneva afterwards and went swimming and bought fireworks. A nice weekend here.
Jun 20, 2011
Illinois State Shoot Recap
I shot sub-par the three days I was there, below my average for singles and handicaps. I never got in the groove and couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I had planned on shooting thru Saturday and Sunday but I wasn't having fun anymore and wasn't shooting well so I left Saturday morning. That was the right choice, I would have likely just kept plowing along repeating the same mistake which I think I have identified.
There were a couple of highlights. I got squadded with Harlan Campbell for singles on my first day. He broke 100 straight, couldn't have been any nicer of a guy. I broke 49 of my first 50 handicap targets in one event, went to the next trap to shoot the next 50 and broke an 18 and a 24. The 18 was the result of broken concentration and I left the trap stunned at the depth of my stupidity. I was happy to go back and break the 24. My handicap scores had 9s in front of them. I shot with a bunch of nice people and saw a lot of my friends from the local clubs in Northern Illinois. Some of them won events.
Sunday, I went over to St Charles to shoot my makeup for the Spring League and broke a 22 from the 16-yard line in a practice round. Still having problems. Signed up to shoot my makeup and told myself to wait that extra second or so after mounting the gun and before calling for the target. Ran the singles and broke a 24 from 23 yards. Best league score this year. Ran another round of singles and broke another 24 from 23 yards. Right back in the groove again. I have to slow down and let my eyes settle out in the field. I can shoot all the practice I want, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't slowdown in competition.
So a disappointment but that's sports and I learned something. Rory McIlroy had a complete meltdown at the Masters two months ago and then destroyed the US open this weekend.
The picture below is from St Charles' Paralyzed Veterans of America shoot this weekend.
There were a couple of highlights. I got squadded with Harlan Campbell for singles on my first day. He broke 100 straight, couldn't have been any nicer of a guy. I broke 49 of my first 50 handicap targets in one event, went to the next trap to shoot the next 50 and broke an 18 and a 24. The 18 was the result of broken concentration and I left the trap stunned at the depth of my stupidity. I was happy to go back and break the 24. My handicap scores had 9s in front of them. I shot with a bunch of nice people and saw a lot of my friends from the local clubs in Northern Illinois. Some of them won events.
Sunday, I went over to St Charles to shoot my makeup for the Spring League and broke a 22 from the 16-yard line in a practice round. Still having problems. Signed up to shoot my makeup and told myself to wait that extra second or so after mounting the gun and before calling for the target. Ran the singles and broke a 24 from 23 yards. Best league score this year. Ran another round of singles and broke another 24 from 23 yards. Right back in the groove again. I have to slow down and let my eyes settle out in the field. I can shoot all the practice I want, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't slowdown in competition.
So a disappointment but that's sports and I learned something. Rory McIlroy had a complete meltdown at the Masters two months ago and then destroyed the US open this weekend.
The picture below is from St Charles' Paralyzed Veterans of America shoot this weekend.
Jun 13, 2011
NYT article today on avoiding the Choke
Link to an interesting article on choking in golf (shooting) and how to avoid.
Jun 11, 2011
Perazzi DB81
A friend of mine at the club asked me to take some pictures of the Perazzi DB81 that he is planning on selling. Its a sharp gun. The DB stand for Dan Bonillas whom Perazzi designed the gun for and 81 for the year, 1981. Here is a link to an article about a shooter who used a DB81 to shoot bunker.
Jun 6, 2011
Bob Sommers shoot
St. Charles had their Bob Sommers Memorial Shoot Sunday, very nice day and they had a monster turnout. I shot a 91 at singles which was atrocious. I crushed the first 25 and then the wheels came off. I've won my class at two singles events so far this year under terrible conditions and then broke a 91 yesterday when the weather was perfect.
Moving on, the handicap event started late in the day. I went 22, 25, 23 24 for a 94, my best handicap score in a while. I was happy, I was having an off day and was able to get it together for a decent score. Not good enough to win but it felt good and my average continues to improve.
I did own half of the winner (97s from 27 and 20 yards) in the Calcutta so that was nice. My 94 was also good for a few bucks but I would have traded it for two more broken targets in a heart beat. Made my reservations today for the Illinois State Shoot.
Moving on, the handicap event started late in the day. I went 22, 25, 23 24 for a 94, my best handicap score in a while. I was happy, I was having an off day and was able to get it together for a decent score. Not good enough to win but it felt good and my average continues to improve.
I did own half of the winner (97s from 27 and 20 yards) in the Calcutta so that was nice. My 94 was also good for a few bucks but I would have traded it for two more broken targets in a heart beat. Made my reservations today for the Illinois State Shoot.
Jun 2, 2011
Great Lakes Grand Weather
This is a picture of a friend's trailer after tornado hit Great Lakes Grand.
May 30, 2011
May 22, 2011
Northbrook ATA
Shot at Northbrook today. Missed first target out of the house in singles, missed the third one out and then missed two more to end first trap with a 21. Uh oh, this is shaping up for a disaster. Regrouped and hit 74 of the next 75 to end with a 95. Committed some serious mental errors but was able to correct so a good lesson. Handicap didn't start much better, started with a 22, then went 25, 21, 24 to end with a 92. Again a few targets behind where I want to be but my average is moving higher so its coming together.
May 18, 2011
Sporting Clays US Open
My Dad shot the 28 gauge event at the US Open yesterday in New Jersey. He shot pretty good and sounds like they had fun.
We had our first decent day in awhile in Illinois yesterday. I went out to the club with Cal for a bit. I shot a 24 at singles with lots of chips, no dirt balls. I shot a round of handicap from 25 yards and went 17 straight before missing 5 of the last 8 targets. Tried one more round of handicap which didn't go well and then quit. Partial victory, usually I just keep blasting away til I am really frustrated. My eyes were tired and it just wasn't working.
A friend of mine brought out a 20 gauge semi-auto, 12-1/2 inch LOP and 23 inch barrrel. Cal took a couple of shots at low house #7 on the skeet field but the gun was still too big for him to hold comfortably.
May 1, 2011
Tough Shooting At Maywood
Maywood had their Illini Indian shoot today. It was very, very windy. In singles I shot 25, 24, 24, 23 for a 96. I was happy with that score considering the conditions. The high singles score was a AA shooter's 97, I tied for first place in A class with that 96. We shot off late in the day and I missed one while he missed two. I was happy with winning the shoot-off, good experience to get.
I was pretty confident that I could shoot a good handicap score but that didn't happen. There was no squad before us so I rushed to the trap to find everyone waiting for me. Missed the first target out of the house and then another one. Finished the first trap down 5 targets. Shot a 22 on the second trap and figured I could salvage the score. Shot a 15 on the third round and then a 22. So a 79. I had a really hard time seeing the targets, the wind made them very inconsistent as well. The high scores in caps were 88s, two from 20 yards and one from 27 yards. The 27-yarder won the shoot-off.
Great turnout, they had 90 shooters on a pretty crummy day early in the season.
So a tough start for handicap but today's handicap targets were an abberration from how I have been shooting. So on to the next event.
Apr 25, 2011
10,000 Hours
I read this book, here is a story of someone trying to do it. I think the quality of the 10,000 hours is pretty important and at the best levels of any sport, the differences in skills are small and the mental game is what wins.
I shot at Maywood Sportsman's Club Easter Sunday, St. Charles has a reciporcal membership agreement. I ran into some shooters that I haven't seen in awhile and watched the games being shot before heading home for Easter dinner.
I shot at Maywood Sportsman's Club Easter Sunday, St. Charles has a reciporcal membership agreement. I ran into some shooters that I haven't seen in awhile and watched the games being shot before heading home for Easter dinner.
Apr 17, 2011
Wall Street Journal Story
The WSJ has a good story above the mental game on Saturday. I shot Saturday and Sunday, we've had really windy weather and a drop back into the 30s and 40s. Unpleasant. McHenry Sportsman's Club had a ham shoot Sunday, I won a ham in the first race I shot and then couldn't hit much else.
Apr 12, 2011
Another shooting brake
1975 Ferrari 365 GTB/4. We've had some nice weather and I've been shooting a lot. My handicap average is inching higher thanks to higher POI on gun. Singles are still dicey but overall I am shooting better than I was last year at this time. Spring league gettinig ready to start.
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 2, 2011
Florida Fishing
Mar 24, 2011
Uncle's Farm
My uncle owns a farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I went on my first duck hunt there in the mid-1990s, its a neat place. My uncle got me started in the trading business by generously finding me (dumb college kid) a summer job in 1987 and letting me live in his house. It hasn't always been a smooth ride but its worked out pretty well.
Mar 20, 2011
Mar 18, 2011
Good quote for trap shooters
The body moves naturally, automatically, without any personal intervention or awareness. If we think too much, our actions become slow and hesitant. - Taisen Deshimaru
Mar 17, 2011
Spectacular Ithaca from early 1920s
This was at the club house tonight. Pretty cool, the owner's grandad is building barrels and a stock for it. I started a thread on trapshooters.com to get some information on it and it looks like it is a fairly rare Flues Grade 6.
Mar 14, 2011
Mar 11, 2011
Nice article in today's paper
I'm not a fan of the New York Times editorial page but a couple of times a year they have a constructive article on shooting/hunting in the sports page. See here.
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