TRAP & FIELD

TRAP & FIELD – JULY – 2021 Ian Darroch gives out advice on shotshell loads this month. Honestly, it is obvious to most experienced shooters, but to novices this could be good info. For Singles, 1145As for Handicap Ian sug gests 1200 fps, 1 1/8th oz., 7 ½’s for shooters closer than the 23-yard line. After that Ian likes to switch to the 1235-1250 fps Handicap loads. These Handicap specific loads have harder lead which is better for distance shooting. Finally, as to cheap off-brand shells, for Sin-

1150 fps for 1 1/8th oz., and 8 shot or 1180 fps for 1 oz., 8’s. Use the same shell for the first shot in Doubles. Second shot in Doubles is whatever gives you confidence. Many shooters shoot the second shot with those same 1 1/8th oz., 8’s as in Singles. I shoot a 1200 fps 1 1/8th oz., 7 ½ shot for the second shot. Calm days I use 8’s for the second shot. gles they’re fine, but you see the difference when you step back to shoot Handicap targets.

Bob Palmer has nothing new this month. His article is a take off on the Quiet Eye principle which he and John Shima have equated to a Quiet Mind process. Settling into the Quiet Eye where you allow your eyes to expand into soft focus maximizes utilization of your peripheral vision and at the same time quiets the conscious mind. This happens because the premise of Quiet Eye gives the conscious only one thing to concentrate on, seeing the target and reacting to it. Bob wants us to stay in the quiet mind mode as part of our life training to make it easier to enter quiet mind while we are shooting. The key to this is keeping our eyes fixed in the distance, not close up, “looking at the mountains in order to see the person (in front of you)”. He is telling us to stop engaging our conscious mind all the time and just stay unfocused to see everything around us. If this helps you get past your tournament anxiety then use it.