Sporting Clays Tip : August 2011 : Thanks, But No Thanks Dan...

Thanks, But No Thanks Dan...

August 2011 Sporting Clays Tip

by Dan Schindler

About 3 years ago, I was alone, training on a course about 6 hours from home. Halfway around the course, I looked up at the sky. Close my right eye, blue sky. Close my left eye - total, dark, ink black. I called my eye doctor who told me to come to the hospital in Spartanburg SC immediately. Right now. 6 hours later, Michael told me my retina had become partially detached - a very serious situation. The good news was - a laser treatment could reattach it. It did. I have been 100% OK since. Age 65, I still have 20/15 vision. I do not shoot heavy loads. Never have. I’ve been writing about recoil affects and reduction since the early 1990’s. What caused this? Don’t know. But it scared me. Shooting is not a hobby for me. I went looking for all the recoil reduction I could find.

When it comes to my personal shooting, I am a pragmatist. Pragmatists are less concerned with shotgun aesthetics and why things work - just as long as they do work - all the time. That’s important to us because we tend to be a bit more "score" conscious. Long past "fads & notions" we’re more attentive to what really does help us put more X’s on our score sheet. Gun fit, gun selection, gun weight, gun balance, lens color, shell selection - all are optimized for one very specific purpose: to run this Station, and the next. We train for this purpose - we intentionally build our equipment around this sole objective.

Whether you are a pragmatist or not - please heed the very real and undesirable affects of recoil. Unfortunately, far too many American shooters still cling to "more is better." More powder. More shot. Faster is better. Actually, none of that is better for Sporting Clays. A shell speed of 1,150 to 1,200 fps will do everything a 1,300 & 1,400 fps shell will do - and not beat you to death in the process. The negative affects of recoil are cumulative. A moderate 1,150 to 1,200 fps 1 ounce load - and 7/8 ounce load - can consistently, reliably break every-and-all fair Sporting Clays presentations inside 60 yards - and I believe that yardage can be safely stretched a bit.

I’m a serious fan of gun stock recoil reduction systems. Borrow a gun with one of these systems installed - shoot a round of 5-Stand with it. You will be pleasantly surprised. The difference isn’t a little - it’s a lot! It will spoil you. And it WILL help you shoot better. Thanks, but no thanks Dan. I hear that a lot. OK - maybe your not a pragmatist. Or maybe you are very happy with what you are presently shooting. If not - I’d like to suggest you look into the following. I highly recommend them. A true pragmatist, my shotgun is a tool. I take care of it - expect a lot from it - depend on it. I use a PFS and love it.

Here are 5 links for your consideration:

Be safe everyone and remember to stay hydrated.

July 2011 Tip

The Long & Painful Detour

Being a right-brain, artistic soul can also be a curse. It seems I can't touch anything mechanical without it exploding, burning up or just falling apart, never to be assembled again without pieces left over. A rock is a mechanical, engineering genius next to me.

That's why I get so frustrated when I attempt to use a new TV remote, reset the confused DVD player, or use my camera and other mechanical gadgetry. Way - way too many buttons and controls............

September 2011 Tip

Prime Time

Coupling long years of experience and skill development with advancing age creates the evolution of a wise and formidable competitor.

Forgive me but I've long been loyal, outspoken, and at times a maniac in support of the underdog. My rough count showed 21 of the 59 Master class shooters at the 2011 Turkey Shoot at the Meadows in GA - are classified as Veterans. 6 of those Veterans scored in the top half of all Master class............

Sporting Clays Tip, August 2011