Too long, too heavy, to light, too short, too much recoil it's endless. I bought a gun intending on shooting trap[ with it. It was a trap specific gun. I shot maybe my worst score last night with it on my first night in practice. I went back to my Beretta O/U for my league scored shoot. I'm not sure there is a perfect gun for me anymore. My illness I believe has stolen that from me. I just hate to let my team down. I use to be the guy nobody could beat. I'm now just pathetic. It really hurts..it was one the things I did so well. I have come to grips with IMO, there's no gun that can fix the problem. It's hear to stay.
Anybody else struggling to do what you once could do and it seems lost forever?
I gather you're talking about clay targets, trap or skeet.
First of all, let me tell you what you already know:
1. You already know how to break every target.
2. You miss because you don't do what you know to do.
3. It's not the gun; it's not your physical ability; it's not your eyesight.
4. Get your head right, and the targets will break.
I'll give you an example - I shot skeet for about 5 years in the late 1970s, an average club shooter, then quit for 30 years, in fact quit shooting altogether.
About 5 years ago I decided to try skeet again, and I've been shooting with two other guys my age (early 70s). We all shoot about equally well, typical old duffers, about 85-90%.
A couple months ago I injured my back and laid off shooting for a couple months. Two weeks ago I decided I'd healed enough, and met my two buddies at the club. With them was a guy I didn't know. One of my friends whispered to me, "Watch this guy, he's fantastic, eight time state champion."
"Hmmmmm", I thought, "Way out of my league, but what the heck, let me concentrate on what I know how to do, and see how long I can stay with the great champ."
So the four of us shot a round. I was shooting 3rd, and the champ 4th.
The other two guys dropped a target or two early, but I missed none on the first four stations, and the champ was smokin' them right behind me.
On station 5 I missed the high house target. Rode it too far and knew what I'd done wrong before I pulled the trigger.
"Dang", I thought, "that didn't last long."
Then the great champ made the same mistake I had, and missed high 5 too. Amazing. What was even more amazing is that he missed it twice.
I ran out the rest and beat the great champ 24 to 23.
What's the lesson? Twofold. I did what I know how to do, 24/25, and the champ did what he knows to do 23/25.
It really is all in your head. When I have my head screwed on straight, I can shoot good scores left-handed, and I can shoot good scores without my prescription glasses - 20/200 vision.
And when I don't do what I know how to do, my scores stink.
I'll bet you're the same.
As they say, "It ain't the arrows, It's the Indian."