Down But Not Out!

Martin Calpin responds to having a bad day at the FT office.

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Every now and then field target shooting gives you a rude lesson just to remind you just how hard the sport actually is, and I got one of these this weekend. I’d been doing OK in the local competitions, not brilliant, but I was slowly improving my scores and skills back to where I was last year. I haven’t had that much time to practise and I know that my scores will take a hit because unlike some, I’m not a natural shot.

I’m one of the 90% who has to fight for every single target, and Sunday just reminded me what a struggle this can be. I was settled and on a lane with people I knew, so no problems there at all. The gun was to temperature and shooting well. I’d done my tests and was about a pellet high at 50 yards, nothing I couldn’t handle, just a few clicks off.

SO IT BEGINS …

The first target was 25mm in diameter and at a steep angle with 17-20mph wind left to right. I knew what to do; aim in the bottom of the target and come out 10mm to the left. Dink! The pellet landed 10mm off target on the right and high.