Drives Me Nuts

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B

bubblerboy64

Member
Jul 25, 2018
2,413
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Pa, United States
I'm not looking for explanations necessarily unless you might have something particularly interesting to contribute but I have a habit I MISS THE EASY SHOTS.

Shooting today at one of my farm permissions and I was sighted in well. The silo I was working on was at about 40 yards and has a metal railing running around its periphery. I typically sight the gun in on that railing. I can of course hear the pellet ping off the thing and usually can see the mark. So anyways I'm sighted in and NO wind. Not much bird activity but I was nailing sparrows rather easily. THEN ??? A pigeon lands and looks right at me still as can be AND I MISS THE DARNED PIGEON. I do this and I think I know most of the potential reasons. I have to assume that I jumped the trigger and pulled the shot off but honestly it drives me NUTS. Now I don't do this all the time but I miss more of the easy one's then I should. After that missed shot on the pigeon (and they have me figured out pretty much and didn't give many opportunities) I went back and sure enough pinged one off of the railing just to be sure. I'd like to claim it was the unexplained flyer but I don't think so. I thought I broke the shot right on is neck body joint but no wack sound and he flew off like it was a clean miss (which I'm sure it was) 

I'm glad no one was watching I embarrass myself some times. Oh well maybe in a couple days he'll give me another try. I'm working on video recording and maybe some day I'll have something to post. Might also help me see what I did wrong??? Heckman 
 
No excuses. I probably pulled the shot. I'm shooting out of a car window and I try to never let the barrel touch the door frame. Just the stock with my hand or a coat rolled up under it. I don't think it was touching but I felt I broke the trigger cleanly. One of those shots I'd have bet money on and would have lost. Hey, I'm an old guy and just getting out there and trying is a real blessing for me.

The one's you miss will be there the next time around and if you hit every one what's the point. Couple days ago I missed a couple starlings at 40 yards and figured I was probably shooting over top of them. I decided to aim low. Held about an inch under the next one nailed him and then went on to hitting sparrows off the same place one right after the other. I do find that if I miss it's usually a high miss. Unless and of course there is wind which does separate the men from the boys. I've been pretty lucky with the weather here in south central Pa. Rain most of next week.
 
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No clean miss. If you are sighted in and the gun is shooting it (for me at least) is trigger control which means follow through. I’m just guessing I got excited because it was a pigeon (and I’ve got my pigeons trained to recognize the gun barrel (( and you think I’m kidding)) and I rushed the shot and pulled it off. 

Canting will affect the shot but this was a give me shot at a pigeon at about 40 yards and I had been wacking sparrows sitting on exactly the same spot. I just pulled the shot off I’m all but certain. Driver error 
 
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You might miss easy shots B, but you nailed the reason why. "I have to assume that I jumped the trigger and pulled the shot off but honestly it drives me NUTS."

Though I have dozens of State and National Champion titles and National Record certificates, most of my most REGRETFUL failures have been best described by YOU, Buddy! Thank you for that invaluable insight; may we both use it to maximum enlightenment. 
 
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You might miss easy shots B, but you nailed the reason why. "I have to assume that I jumped the trigger and pulled the shot off but honestly it drives me NUTS."

Though I have dozens of State and National Champion titles and National Record certificates, most of my most REGRETFUL failures have been best described by YOU, Buddy! Thank you for that invaluable insight; may we both use it to maximum enlightenment.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words. One of the requirements for improvement is admitting your failures, short comings , mistakes or inabilities. 

I am an average shot I miss 

I see guys showing their best groups and claiming these represent their abilities or the quality of the equipment used. I’ve done it too but it’s not statistically meaningful .

One if the challenges of hunting with an air gun is knowing the trajectory of the projectile. Five yards plus or minus can be significant when shooting at small targets and wind ??? that’s a subject on to iitself. 

BUT after you have that all figured out it does come down to SIGHT PICTURE and TRIGGER RELEASE. 

I can make excuses but to do better a fellow has to be honest with himself. What he tells others doesn’t mean much. 

I shot in competition as well and I typically was in the middle or lower third of the hunt. I enjoyed shooting and I understood that my competition was only the guy holding my gun. I still got nervous as heck and that might have something to do with me missing that pigeon 

it IS an mental game 
 
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