Step into the Arena

Yup, shot Field Target for a few years. Weather and traveling brings a whole new dimension to the mix. Got lucky to where I could actually place 1st or 2nd in a few matches, of course that's when the big dogs didn't show up that day?

Where as at home I wait for near as perfect weather as possible before I try for magic groups.

you dont have to be competitive to enjoy and learn from competition. Its the exam youve been studying for. First, Im not gonna be world champion until I retire and can practice and train more. second, shooting a match of any kind will show flaws you didnt knwo you had, point out flaws in ytour gear and soooooo much more.

After the match, Ive learned as much, no no MORE than I did during the match. Ive ahd the honor of shooting along side folks like LD, 22jim and Motorhead, and a lot more good natured folks willing to teach and share. Youd dont ahve to win to learn from the match/competition.

GO, have fun, learn from the other shooters. Deosnt matter if you win or lose.

Johninma 


please start a thread about your journey

the past successes to let you think you could compete in the top tier

any points or tips you could start a discussion on, some of us with experience in those areas might contribute to share our knowledge

to,those who can understand it, or appreciate it

jeff

It might be worth recording. I have pics saved on external drives from the first match to the latest. A lot of it is already here with posts and pics under John_in_Ma.

I’ve been thinking on this ever since I started competing with Airguns a couple of years ago. I had hunted for almost two years prior to competing, mostly ground squirrels at up to about 125 yards.

I started reading about EBR and other Airgun competitions. I thought “how hard can it be?” I shoot ground squirrels with head shots at up to 100+ yards. That target can’t be that hard, I’ll go and kick some butt... WRONG! 

So I started shooting in competitions - and getting my ass kicked. Hmmm, it’s not as easy as it looks... It takes practice, experience, patience, skill, and of course good equipment.

So what do I mean by Step into the Arena? Well, to me it means competing against your fellow shooters. You may shoot ground squirrel head shots at 125 yards, soda cans at 230 yards, or quarters at 175 yards. That’s great. And fun. But you don’t know just how good you really are until you shoot in competition against your fellow air gunners under the same conditions.

So Step into the Arena. Prove to yourself just how good you are, or think you are. It’ll be fun, and for sure it’ll prove eye opening. I know it was for me.

Click to expand...

Centercut:

Been there done that!...Ha! ...

Jeff Crisler from Anaconda MT (awesome shooter) and I used to put a little drop of sweet on the "X's" of the 25 m BR targets placed at 50 yards and shoot flies with out .177 LV's and HV's...It was so much fun and we almost shot those flies every time, we scored the number where the fly died...But then we shot a match and the 10's eluded us all day long! 

I met you at the Saguaro Classic last year, it was fun chatting with you and we will have to do it again once this viral crisis is over and we all return to semi-normal conditions....You might remember me with my face patched...I attended the competition (all dosed and flying high on pain killers) the very next day after a brain surgery through my nose...The doctor asked me to go home and to stay quiet for a week before coming back to the hospital for a clean up and changing bandages but my driver turned towards the range instead of entering Quail Creek and I had no choice but to shoot the Saguaro Classic ...You just can not trust today's drivers, they don't make them as reliable as they used to! I don't remember if it was at the Saguaro Invitational or the Saguaro Classic where we suddenly got 15-25 MPH winds while shooting 25 M and we all started joking and saying: "This is a GENTLEMEN Match" while asking our shooting neighbors to "Please shoot before us"...We all ended up being "Gentlemen" and responding: "By no means, please go ahead and you shoot fist"...I remember a very serious competition turning into laughter and at the end Mike Schlesinger renamed the shoot as: "The Gentlemen's Shoot at the Saguaro Classic or at the Saguaro Invitational". That Quail Creek crowd is very fun to shoot with and they are all very nice people to socialize and to hang around with and I believe that the club has turned into the largest dedicated air gun club in the US with 40 benches that soon will be 50.

You stay safe and take care of the family, we will all hopefully emerge out of this crisis being better people once the virus is controlled, our lifestyles and socialization will have to change forever but hey, the world needed a halt! 

Best regards,

AZ

I couldn't agree more with your analogy on testing your self in competition. Theres a lot to learn when under pressure its a whole new game.

Any sport or hobby can be whatever you want. I started shooting skeet competitively about a half century ago, then spent a few years with trap. Then family happened and about a 15 year break from serious shooting. Next was center fire bench rest (those folks are as crazy as trap shooters). Now I'm retired and enjoy air rifles and quiet trips to the range with my dog. Competition is fine, but it gets to be too much like work, which I am glad to have left behind. Each to his own. Nowadays, I shoot a few targets, then do some plinking, which I actually enjoy more. Love picking off empty .45 brass at 50 yards. And if I miss, neither the dog nor I care. Now, back to my bourbon sippin.