First Straight

Wednesday 25th April 2007.

Not a good day at work and left the office late. May as well go straight up to Llandegla as if I go home first it will be dark by the time I get there. I will not take the gun tonight because I am not in the mood to shoot, too stressed out! Lock the office and on the way out change my mind and go back into the workshop to pick it up. Get to Coedpoeth and stop at the garage to fill up on junk food. The ground is busy again tonight but I still don't feel like shooting. Have a cup of polystyrene tea and a chat with Erwin and Eifion. They go out to shoot some sporting and I wander over to the office to see who is booked on DTL. Short answer is no one. A little later there is a space on a card and so I may as well make up the squad. Last minute rush to grab my gear and put the gun together but then we have a wait for the trapper - of course! As soon as I see the sighter target I realise that they are well up in the air. At Llangdegla, the moor runs down in front of the traps and sometimes a gentle breeze from that direction can lift the targets. Now I do not like high targets and I am a little scared of them. There, I've admitted it. No logic in this I know. If I hold a high gun the target sometimes gets past the gun and if I hold a low one I have along way to move it and that increases the likelihood of a mistake. Too late now anyway so just have to get on with it. I am starting on 3 this time and manage to break the first 5 although not really in the centre. I am helped by the rest of the squad shooting really well and so we chug along. Change from 5 to 1 and manage the angles there quite easily. Last peg to go and I am nervous! I have been really working for these targets all through the line and don't want to mess it up now. Finish with a 25/75 and very relieved.

I think the high rib assisted with the high targets. The improved visibility gave me a slighter longer look at the target before I had to commit. That reduced the errors.

Well I guess this journal is now finished. It was never meant to be about me and how I shoot. After only 125 targets I can say that the set-up is perfect. It doesn't matter how I shoot from now on because the point is proven. If I can shoot a straight then the gun shoots where I am looking and any future miss will be my mistake. I am enjoying shooting this gun and so I will continue to shoot it and if I learn something new that may be of interest perhaps I will add it to this journal.

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