Who shoots a practice card first ?

[malcolmbevan]

Hi Ive just got back from the club tonight [ 25yard smallbore prone ] , and I can tell you it happens to me every time! In practice, if I score my cards and average them then its about 95.5 to 96. , but my competition average is 94.44. I think it`s all in the mind [ stickers etc.] , and this has an effect on physical stuff , pulse rate, blood pressure , breathing , muscle tension and all that. However when I steel myself to shoot a county card first , without a practice card , I always seem to cock it up. So I retreat to having a practice card first to `warm up' then the important stuff. The result 97 in practice , and 94 on the competition card!! It`s all in the mind!!!!

[bullbarrel]

I shoot 20 yard LSR and my non stickered average is 91. Unstickered is 94.

Best ever was a 99, still long for that elusive ton.

I always shoot a practice card before starting on the stickers and its nearly always the best card of the night.

[Hemmers]

Used to, but the scores weren't much different. Sometimes the practice card was better, sometimes worse. Gave it up last season because I had too many cards and not enough time to shoot practice cards as well.

Came out with a 97.57 average across 5 leagues (54 cards). Well up from my previous season's 96.2 avg. Even managed to knock out 4 tons amongst them. Well chuffed.

There's definitely a psych element. I find if I do a practice card, then it focuses (read: distracts) my mind over the fact that my next card has a sticker on it. Having given up practice cards (except in dedicated training sessions obviously), one card becomes much the same as another. They're just cards and I forget about the stickers.

I would advocate just getting on with it. Yeah, you might be a bit nervous first couple of times round, but as long as you concentrate on decent sighters, then after a few times, the stickers vanish from your mind, and your shooting should improve.

[pinkwindmill]

I used to shoot a practise card first but now just warm up the rifle on the sighter and go straight into the comp card.

It's more important for me to get down on the point in the right frame of mind in the first place, rather than with my head spinning in a whirlwind of secretarial issues (I'm our club's secretary.)

I had a friend who would shoot half a practise card before his comp card, but that seemed like a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to me.

Cheers,

Guy

[c18rch]

Def those stickers their magnetic or something. sometimes I just shoot a couple of sighters and get the same results.

[jonyb]

Def those stickers their magnetic or something. sometimes I just shoot a couple of sighters and get the same results.

are those stickers magnetic? would explain a lot! or are you just pulling my leg?

[Fimbulvetr]

are those stickers magnetic? would explain a lot! or are you just pulling my leg?

No it's true. But the .22 lead air pellets are affected a lot more than the .22 rimfire - you know, because they're slower. They're in range of the sticker for more of the time, see.

[markp1169]

I used to shoot practice cards, but dont bother anymore. I now class all cards as match cards. I am usually shooting 3 or 4 postal comps at a time. These include county cards, pairs postal, East Midlands postal and any other competition that is available.

I tend to put five shots in the sighter and then move on to the card and dont look down the spotting scope after the sighter. It stops my heart from racing when I get five 10's on the trot only to pull a flyer on the sixth target.

I shot three cards lastnight, 96, 94 and a 99.

[Fimbulvetr]

Ah well I'm pleased to see it's not just me.

The next competition, I'm just going to steam in there with no practice cards, a few on the sighter and take it from there.

It'll be cheaper, too !!

[Hemmers]

I tend to put five shots in the sighter and then move on to the card and dont look down the spotting scope after the sighter. It stops my heart from racing when I get five 10's on the trot only to pull a flyer on the sixth target.

Risky...! A mate scoped the first two counting shots. Were both central 10s. Worked his way round the card, found he had put out eight 9s. Each 9 was in exactly the same place on every diagram. Evidently something had changed in his position after the second shot and he was putting them out very consistently.

I shoot quite a few competitions on the electronics at Bisley, so I have had to learn not to get excited by a string of good shots, since they are flashing at you from the screen and are difficult to ignore.

[markp1169]

Risky...! A mate scoped the first two counting shots. Were both central 10s. Worked his way round the card, found he had put out eight 9s. Each 9 was in exactly the same place on every diagram. Evidently something had changed in his position after the second shot and he was putting them out very consistently.

I shoot quite a few competitions on the electronics at Bisley, so I have had to learn not to get excited by a string of good shots, since they are flashing at you from the screen and are difficult to ignore.

Yes it could be risky and agree with what you are saying. Usually I get down to shoot from one week or detail to the next and I will only have to adjust my sights by one or two clicks at most. The other thing is that by not scoping after the first shot on the card my position doesnt get disturbed as much because I am not constantly looking down my spotting scope. I shoot right handed, with a lazy left eye so have to scope with my long sighted right eye. Things would be alot easier for me to spot if I had a scoring screen infront of me.