Learn and Earn

Arise and awaken ye’ ol’ trapshooter’s of planet Earth for the day of reckoning is near. Okay, sage warnings never could frighten hardened trap shooters, but low scores will make them #!*#!* scared stiff. Here’s some good advice and if you follow it no doubt you will make some money at trapshoots when you pass the initial learning curve

Here’s the skinny on ribs!

I’m not going to explain all of the features and benefits as I need to keep the article short and sweet, so here goes:

• The high rib lowers the bore line to reduce felt recoil and reduces head-lifting.
• Gives you superior visibility of the target rising under the barrel and when taking the shot.
• Keeps your eye on line as the head does not have to reach down to the comb.
• A better shooting stance is obtained and that means less shooting over the top of targets.
• Reduces flinching.
• Eliminates visual target optical illusions by chilling distorting heat waves from the barrel.
• Helps you get on the target quicker.

And that’s as far as we go here so nobody gets irate.

Now if you are shooting a flat-rib gun you are not receiving these benefits and likely your scores are reflecting this on the score sheet. So my advice is the next time you do go to a registered shoot to visit the ‘gun boys’ and test drive a high-rib gun. When the day comes to buy; beg, plead, stomp your feet and demand a adjustable rib gun or tell the dealer he must personally guarantee the gun will shoot where you look and in synchronization with your timing or you get your money back (they won’t do it, believe me). Some may even say, “Synchronize? What?” And make certain your comb is adjustable too for height and cast (on & off).

That adjustable rib is going to bail you out of many heartaches in the long haul as you work your way back from the short-yardage handicap to the long-yardage. You can make fine adjustments on each yardage punch (usually raising point of impact) and still maintain your timing and sight pictures without a troublesome learning curve.

For those who are already at the back fence the adjustable rib will help you fine-tune your shooting as you can experiment with different POI settings to maximize precise hits on the target using various timing schemes. You can’t do that with a fixed rib gun as easily as you may think.

So if you have a fix-rib gun with a solid comb stock you had better be ready to go see a stockfitter because if you haven’t you are shooting a gun that does not fit you. And if you don’t believe it, then look at your scores! Your score will tell you the truth regardless if your ignore the problem.

“I don’t have a personality problem… you do!”

There is one troubling common thread many trapshooters have as a personality defect and that is one of; “It ain’t me! It’s the other guy that has the problem!” And worse yet… “Yeah, yeah, I know, but…” Those “but’s” will kick ‘em in the butt every time they go out to win a tournament. So what’s the point?

If you are serious about trap shooting get the rig that can take you where you want to go and get all the features you can on your gun that will give you the winning edge. You must have the advantage over your competition in equipment and skill if you wish to win again, and again. Everybody wins here and there, but can you do it again and do it at the big shoots? Go test out a ventilated high-rib gun… they are true trap guns!

The gun you own may be lying to you!

“Loyalty breeds dishonesty.” Just read the news of politicians and other government civil servants in power and you’ll see the common theme of loyalty covering up one wrong deed after another. Trapshooters do the same thing in a way when they begin to give affectionate loyalty to the gun they paid $3,000 to $6,000 for and they can’t win a big shoot with it, ever. I say big shoots as anyone can get lucky and win a small shoot. And averages mean nothing in the “real world” of trapshooting. You can have a respectable average and still not walk out with the trophy and money at the Satellite or other Grand-type shoots.

So here lies the problem:

1. The gun you own is the wrong gun, but you don’t believe it.
2. You need shooting lessons and instructions.
3. Both number 1 and number 2 apply and you still won’t believe it and will do nothing.
4. This is why the better shooter’s take your money.
5. You can change your attitude and win shoots if you are willing to get rid of that silly loyalty thing that is holding you down, but you likely won’t do that either until you get sick and tired of your scores and finally cave-in to reason.

It’s not easy to give up a gun after you’ve spent big money on it and that is a problem for many trapshooters for they never did their homework and consulted the proper experts before buying the gun. I’ve said time and again buying expensive guns is a custom purchase… not an off the shelf on my shoulder deal. You don’t learn how to shoot a gun… you shoot a gun that fits you… then you learn how to shoot targets!

You don’t have to agree with me on anything here. Heaven forbid if I get blamed for divorcing your loyalty to your gun. I’m just telling you the way it is and maybe, just maybe, you’ll take a second look to see if the gun you are shooting is in fact the right gun for you. I know many will try a high-rib gun at the practice trap and fail to break as many targets as they did with their loyal spouse and say, “I can’t shoot this confounded thing!” That’s not proof. You may have to buy the gun and shoot 500 rounds to really tell if it’s right, and one thing I can assure you. If the gun fits, shoots where you look and the rib and comb are adjustable… you will learn how to shoot it! And in the end you too will swear by the high-rib gun.

Not all the pros shoot high-rib guns though many do. The key is to take the straight easiest route to success not the most twisted road that may lead nowhere. Trapshooting is never easy, but it is easier to see targets with a high-rib gun… and s/he who sees the target best usually breaks the targets best. That’s a shortcut worth taking. The low-rib gun is like paying tolls on an Eastern turnpike… who needs it? What benefits are there? All they do is tax the spirit and take your money and give it to someone else, and it’s still a bumpy ride.

So the bottom line is this. Your next gun purchase should be your last… or at least close to that figure. So step up to the stepped-up rib and go to work breaking targets. After all, you paid to break them so it’s just not fair to you to let those orange or green fruits just fly away unscathed into the horizon.