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Flustrated

Shooter13

Shooter13

Gold $$ Contributor
I love shooting, I love the competition we have and the time we share together shooting and just talking about shooting. My problem is I'm not consistent, 2 weeks ago I won 2nd in the 100 and 200 and 2nd in the agg. This past weekend was a disaster, 7th out of 12 but that doesn't bother me nearly as much as shooting a 481! I'm almost sure not many take as much time prepping and getting ready to shoot, I go to the range and spend hours working on load development and bench manners but it doesn't seem to matter. I try to tune on days without much wind (Central Kentucky doesn't have days on no wind!) and to test me and my load go shoot on days with wind. With all of that said we have 10 minutes during each match to shoot, rarely am I not finished with at least 5 minutes to go, a lot of times I use less time than that.
This past weekend after doing poorly at 100 I didn't even set flags at 200, my mind was on the 3.5 hour trip home.
Your insight is welcome and if you are my competitor you are welcome because I shoot so poorly ;):rolleyes:
 
Spend less energy on tuning and more on learning your flags. Biggest thing in my mind is learning what condition available you can handle. Learning when not to shot is as important as any thing else. Sounds like your too interested in winning. Your competition is the target, not the other shooters. You can not control them, you can only control your target. I never look at other targets, I don't get those points so I could care less. I do not 100 percent agree with Jim, I like to tune in a lull but I like to practice in the wind. One thing tuning in the wind will tell you is how good yout barrel is.
 
If I'm reading this correctly you have an attitude problem. Yes, you have worked hard to get ready for your match, but when things don't go perfectly you just throw up your hands and mentally head for home, if not actually. Seen that too many times. Remember, it ain't over until it's over. Everybody there is dealing with the same adversity that you are. You have to keep trying, and sometimes learning, until you finish that last shot. Work on your attitude, determination and concentration and you will find improvement. But always enjoy the sport and competition with your friends and don't get yourself all worked up when things don't seem to want to work well. Learn from all of it, and learn to be patient, learn the wind patterns and make good decisions about when to shoot.
 
I am not a BR shooter, I have shot in numerous pistol matches and other types of rifle matches.
All the practice and prep in the world is of little use if you don’t have your mind set straight. I have found shooting games to be as much mental as any thing else.

Drove a couple of hours to a match years ago, only to find out I had wrong ammo for three guns.
I thought “F” it gonna shoot just for the FUN of it and not seriously. I was as relaxed as ever, because I just knew I was gonna shoot like crap. Some ammo was three different lots and various loads, I had data and sight settings though.
Shot three 40x40’s that day, that was supposed to be a disaster.

When it quits being fun and is as serious as a heart attack one needs to step back and look at themselves, or at least I do.
Good luck and chill;-).
 
Mental preparation is as important as tuning the rifle, if not more so. Much easier said than done. If you have a few that are consistently winning maybe ask them how they prepare for a match, from a mental standpoint. Most are very happy to help a fellow shooter and welcome the comraderey. Good luck and relax a little.
Paul
 
JSH hit it right on the head. It's all about mindset. I have a friend who goes to matches with the attitude that he's happy to end up finishing in the top half of the shooters. If you have that kind of attitude your never going to win. When we talk when I get home from an out of state match that he didn't attend and I tell him I finished 2nd he said that's really great and I'm saying to him 2nd is nothing but first loser. I tell him I didn't travel 2500 miles to finish 2nd. I beat myself up all the way home from the shoot because I didn't win. I don't throw a fit like a few guy's that I know if they did the same thing. We have this one guy up here that if he gets beat by somebody he's on suicide watch. That's going overboard but you have to have that type of attitude if you want to be the best. Boyer is the same way as the guy I'm talking about. When Tony told me that he finished 2nd I said that's pretty good. He said no it's not, second place is nothing but first loser. That's the difference between me and guy's like Boyer and the guy I'm talking about that I shoot against up here. Yes I like to win but I don't have that killer attitude like they do. Shooting to them is their whole life. I could care less about it. I like shooting I just don't love it and that's why I'll always be a mediocre shooter. You have to have the right mindset and the natural gifted ability to be the best. Don't let it bother you Frankie. You can't do good every time you go to a match. Anyone who's ever competed wonders why we can win one week and the next week with the same combo you fell flat on your ass. Different day, different range, different set of conditions, different outcome.
 
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Been shooting HP Palma now F/Class Won a lot over the years but! Lost many also.
I say Bag of bad habits just waiting to open. It got me down a few times wanted to give shooting.
Paul has it right Mental Preparation..... That is my problem the Light Bulb not always on.
We just got to find that switch.

Best of Luck
 
One person had a decent score that day and I include myself in that statement. It wasn't me. Lol! It's the toughest range I've ever shot and there isn't a close 2nd. It has frustrated us all and Saturday was one of those days. It was pretty brutal and the scores reflect that. It wasn't just you Frankie. Challenge yourself to figure out what you can there and not try to beat that range on a tough day. You'll figure out something on days where others struggle and you'll have days like Saturday.
 
Shooter13 said:
I love shooting, I love the competition we have and the time we share together shooting and just talking about shooting. My problem is I'm not consistent, 2 weeks ago I won 2nd in the 100 and 200 and 2nd in the agg. This past weekend was a disaster, 7th out of 12 but that doesn't bother me nearly as much as shooting a 481! I'm almost sure not many take as much time prepping and getting ready to shoot, I go to the range and spend hours working on load development and bench manners but it doesn't seem to matter. I try to tune on days without much wind (Central Kentucky doesn't have days on no wind!) and to test me and my load go shoot on days with wind. With all of that said we have 10 minutes during each match to shoot, rarely am I not finished with at least 5 minutes to go, a lot of times I use less time than that.
This past weekend after doing poorly at 100 I didn't even set flags at 200, my mind was on the 3.5 hour trip home.
Your insight is welcome and if you are my competitor you are welcome because I shoot so poorly ;):rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Who won ?
 
After reading the replies.... Everyone is right and I know personally, it's not what you are going to want to hear.

Nobody that puts all the work into the science and technique of shooting ever wants to hear the problem is mental. Meaning, something that is not easily controlled by seating depth or a primer change.

I have not shot competitively but decades ago, I was a competitive golfer. Just at the club level. I would do as you describe. All the pre-match practice. Work on technique, equipment, putting, everything. Then 4 out of 5 times when I did our weekly match, I would blow it.

A friend of mine that I golfed with said, I can tell when you are going to do well and when you are going to have a horrible day. All I have to watch is your first hole, and your drive on the 2nd hole. (hole #1 was the hardest on the course). What was happening is those first 5-9 strokes set me up to either beat myself up mentally or relax for the rest of the 9 or 18 holes.

The best way I found to improve was to set myself a stupid easy goal on that first hole. And more often than not, I would be far more relaxed on the rest. I'd say, man I'd be super happy with a double bogey (+2). And I know I would be. If I had the choice, I'd take a auto double bogey rather than risk worse. It helped a ton. I averaged a bogey (+1) after I took this approach and my buddy said I was far more fun to golf with :)

This might not be the end all solution to your problem. But set yourself a very easy goal for the 100. Something you easily meet 80% of the time. That confidence of meeting that goal will carry to the 200. And, somehow it will help all your stages even the 100.
 
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