Recoil Doesn't B'..B'..B'..B'..B'..Bother Me One B'..B'..Bit!
July 2010 Sporting Clays Tip
by Dan Schindler
OK, I understand this,.......sort of. Many folks put shotgun aesthetics at the top of their list. No arguments from me. A beautiful shotgun is a joy to behold, a masterpiece of craftsmanship, function and form, making it a delight to hold. Few "tools" deliver anywhere near this level of pride of ownership. I own one for upland hunting. So I do understand,......right up until all those "dynamite" loads take a trap, skeet or sporting clays shooter down with flinching, head lifting, debilitating neck and shoulder problems.
The affects of recoil are cumulative. It's a price we all pay, some more than others by the choices we make. So it's in our own best interests to mitigate recoil every chance we have. First are ammunition choices. Here, Lite loads get it done,....all day,....every day. 2 3/4 dram loads will help you shoot better and do it more consistently.
Try as they might, some just cannot buy into lighter loads. If you are one of those, consider modifying your gun. Some semiautomatic shotguns are a worthwhile alternative. There is a ton of aftermarket solutions to minimize recoil. Adding weight to the gun is a good start. My favorite way to reduce recoil is to add a recoil reducing system to your stock. A good hydraulic system, while not the most aesthetically pleasing, can easily reduce felt recoil by 1/3 and more. That's a lot! For those who place a very high priority on performance consistency and match scores, I recommend the Precision Fit Stock (www.precisionfitstocks.com). Mine has been totally reliable,.....allowed me to fine tune my fit to a very high level of precision,.....and makes time in the box a downright pleasure.
Every shooter I've ever talked to who owned a recoil reduction system in their stock absolutely loves it. If you're like me and so many others who run not hundreds but many thousands of rounds through our guns in a year, do yourself a favor and take a hard look at reducing recoil,.....every way you can. Your performances and your scores will thank you for it.
June 2010 Tip
Excuse me,.... I think you dropped this.
Sunday evenings and Mondays can be busy answering calls and emails from my students around the US. Typically, we're discussing this week-end's tournament - play by play - and results. Listening, I hear a Field by Field account of what happened and why.
It is worthwhile to do a post-game review of stations - provided we don't get caught up in replaying certain misses too many times and reinforcing those particular images - which we really don't want to do............
August 2010 Tip
To Be Perfectly Clear
Being a pragmatic person, I am usually more inclined to look at things from a practical perspective. What follows is something that I've learned is best for me. YMMV. Here's what I've discovered.
I have a drawer full of shooting glasses, some dating all the way back to 1979. If you need a particular color, call me.
When I am teaching in really bright sunlight, I greatly appreciate my Randolph Engineering CMT's............
