Ever get Frustrated?

[JohnMWoo]

Hello All,

I am back in the states now, and renewing my passion with shooting the precision rifle.

So, every week, off to the range to practice... However, sometimes I do well, with one hole, 5 shot groups with my SRS in 6.5 Creedmoor, and other times I am really off. Shotgun patterns (bit of an exaggeration, but it feels that way).

Ever get frustrated and just want to toss your whole rifle set up downrange?

I also realize that shooting the precision rifle is a very perishable skill. Things that I had known before, need to be relearned since I've been away from it for so long. I need those SH On-Line trainings!

R,
John W.

 

[diverdon]

If every day was great them it would get boring. The thing is to train yourself not to allow your last shot to effect your next shot.

 

[tna9001]

I had a guy tell me, when you’ve having an off day, it’s time to go home, after you bring it in and get some hits.

 

[D_TROS]

Don't get caught up in group size. If that's all you're doing, shooting is going to get boring really fast.

On the other hand, even shooting targets there are days I cant hit the smaller targets....so I aim for bigger ones. lol. That and slow down. Practice fundamentals and repeatability.


Regards,
DT

 

[Gray Squirrel]

Meh, some days you're the monkey, and some days you're the football.

Sucking every once in awhile is the name of the game, its the human in us, and the frustration is natural. We've all felt it. It's a mental discipline to dig down deeper and forge forward at the same level without allowing yourself to get flustered. If you are frustrated over group size and its starting to get to you, shoot another weapon system for a little while, or move onto a different precision rifle discipline, maybe shooting alternate positions or doing a short run and gun. If its the anomaly and not the standard, then you know you're just having an off day and things will shake out. As long as you are not getting sloppy with the fundamentals, then its still valuable training even if you're group size is a bit larger than you'd like it.

And in reality, I'm sure you're groups are actually still pretty good even when you think you suck.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I agree with "Go home after you bring it in and get some hits". Not going home on a losing string is crucial to your motivation, the thing that gets you up and headed out for the range the next time.

Even if it's only three hoops in a row into the trashcan with a wad of paper (like that sucky target).

I used to bring my supahdupah targets home and tack them up on the inside of the garage wall. I moved here to Arizona almost two years ago now.

I left them where they were. I can always make more...

Greg

 

[eicas]

Yea...I feel your pain. Had big plans today to shoot some older load development I did previously. Wasnt into it from the beginning. Just felt “off”. I couldnt find my ass with both hands. Gave up about halfway thru the 30rd test. I did get a bit of direction though so I guess it wasnt a total waste. Packed the rifle up and tossed some .44spl past the chrono for speed numbers. Since I really wasnt AIMING at anything doing that I succeeded.

There’s always next time

 

[demolitionman]

I used to get frustrated, then I got married, had kids, and now I cherish every minute shooting that I no longer get frustrated. I just really really enjoy my time shooting and if I'm not shooting worth a shit, then I just look forward to some time spent at the reloading bench on a rainy day when the kids are taking a nap and the wife is at work. Time gets to be so precious for me that the older I get the less I let things ruin my time spent doing something that is supposed to be fun. For me shooting is all about NOT being frustrated.

 

[sandwarrior]

I get frustrated. You just have to calm down, figure out where you're at and what's going on with you, or the rifle, or the load. It's a big reason why I stopped developing loads. I went with one or two loads per rifle years ago and stay with it.

I find most of the time, it's because my brain isn't in the game. I get it in the game and I'm workin' again.

 

[isofahunter]

I stop, go back through the mental check list of making the shot and remind myself to relax, then get back to it.

 

[ReaperMedic]

I had a day where I couldn't even group my M4 when I was in Afghanistan. I was pissed off at something, and just couldn't shoot worth a shit.

Just pack it in, figure out what you are doing wrong, and then go back to it.

 

[The Dakota Sniper]

If I'm having a terrible day at the range. I sometimes will switch to my off side and fire the weapon that way. Mix it up and see how you shoot. At times its us overthinking what we are doing rather than doing it.

Good fundamentals is huge in this world.

Shooting groups gets super boring, Try different sized targets, movers (balloons down range) Or reactive targets.

Mix it up! I don't get discouraged because I know my capability from prior DOPE. Sometimes we just have off days and have to make it fun again.

Shoot standing, Kneeling, Barricades, something fun.

-Regards
OE

 

[Stealff]

Had an off day couple weeks ago, couldn't hit 530 yd steel with my 243, switched to my ar-15 and only missed 4 out of 20.

 

[Snuby642]

When you get older off days come more often, eyesight, health, irs and a multitude of shit which you have no controll over.
Put your good gun away whithout changing anything for now.
Pick up a fun gun, an sbr, 45, maybe a 38 special and blow some rounds to cool off.
Go home maybe have a good drink and give thanks it was only a 1 way range.
Some times it takes a day or two and you get what went off, some times longer .
I have gotten pissed at the range and a year later figured out what went down.
Write it in your log and revisit later.

 

[D. Hargrove]

Precision shooting has a HUGE mental side and reminds me of golf in a way. Once the game goes wrong in your head, you can either regroup or change the game. Like others have said, I will simply leave the rifle lay and toss some 1911 rounds down range having a freaking ball and doing it for fun. Then get back behind the glass and work the fundamentals in my head, then slowing down my routine put them into play and see what happens. Generally I am better off then, if not then it is still a day at the range.

 

[TripleBull]

As a kid I got lucky by getting into a group of excellent shooters/mentors that helped me improve quickly. I basically had to because they were so much better, they provided motivation to not suck. I was very driven and invested the time and effort to compete. As an old, blind fuck, I have more bad days but I'm not as intense about failure. The good days seem sweeter now and I really enjoy watching my kids get better. The key for me is, after a bad shot or string of fire, to walk around and get mentally re-centered, then go through the drill step by step. Focus on fundamentals.

 

[sandwarrior]

So, yesterday I went to the range. With a little workup, I got on at 400 with my 6-284. To tune of ringing the 2" gong a couple times.

The snow is heavy here this time of year, so spotting shots is hard. The bullet just goes right in and you can't see it. So, as you might imagine, dialing in on a 2" gong at 400 made me happy.

I had 26 rounds of 6.5 Creed left and was on at 400 last time I was out. Thinking this would be cake...well not so much. Couldn't see where I was missing so no way to hold for wind. Temp from the last time was way up too. I got hits but couldn't see them on the steel as it's painted blue. I finally could see where I was at and got a few more hits. But, it was a big WTF!?!? exercise.

Now I'm going to shoot the .223. Same thing with wind. And, again, I only brought a box plus a couple in another. The box I thought was full, was only empties. Again, WTF!?!?

I had to walk away from the range thinking how well I did with the 6-284 and leave it at that.

 

[lash]

I quite often shoot with a friend. A couple years ago, he sprang for that complete high end custom that he always wanted. When he finally got it in hand (long drawn out story about that for another day) he was having a LOT of trouble getting a good load, shooting good well known loads poorly and all sorts of stuff. After weeks of him going home frustrated and ticked off, I told him to just come prepared to shoot a few friendly one-on-one competitive runs with me for practice. I set up some 1/2" dots on paper at 100 yards, a 4" popper at 200 and a KYL steel rack I made at 300, which goes from 5" dia. down to 2" steel at smallest. We did prone, bench and barricade/props drills under tight times, with pride on the line.

Despite his lack of confidence in his new rifle at first, by the time we finished, with me razzing him and him returning the favor, he was having fun and hitting small targets under time pressure while competing directly with me. He had a great day and has been shooting that tack driving rifle really well ever since. Sure, he has bad days still, like we all do, but now he knows that it's not the rifle, it's the nut behind the trigger that's off.

 

[sandwarrior]

I quite often shoot with a friend. A couple years ago, he sprang for that complete high end custom that he always wanted. When he finally got it in hand (long drawn out story about that for another day) he was having a LOT of trouble getting a good load, shooting good well known loads poorly and all sorts of stuff. After weeks of him going home frustrated and ticked off, I told him to just come prepared to shoot a few friendly one-on-one competitive runs with me for practice. I set up some 1/2" dots on paper at 100 yards, a 4" popper at 200 and a KYL steel rack I made at 300, which goes from 5" dia. down to 2" steel at smallest. We did prone, bench and barricade/props drills under tight times, with pride on the line.

Despite his lack of confidence in his new rifle at first, by the time we finished, with me razzing him and him returning the favor, he was having fun and hitting small targets under time pressure while competing directly with me. He had a great day and has been shooting that tack driving rifle really well ever since. Sure, he has bad days still, like we all do, but now he knows that it's not the rifle, it's the nut behind the trigger that's off.

So, was it a case of him just having to get over himself, or was the rifle breaking in?

 

[lash]

It could have been both, but I think that also there was a difference that he had to adjust to. His old rifle was a standard HP Precision stock and the new was a chassis. XLR Carbon. Plus completely different trigger. So there truly was some getting over it that needed to happen. But he was at a mental point where he was seriously doubting his choice of money spent.

Turns out that he just needed to get over the hump of doubt.

So, I guess not exactly the same as just having a bad day, but similar.

 

[sandwarrior]

It could have been both, but I think that also there was a difference that he had to adjust to. His old rifle was a standard HP Precision stock and the new was a chassis. XLR Carbon. Plus completely different trigger. So there truly was some getting over it that needed to happen. But he was at a mental point where he was seriously doubting his choice of money spent.

Turns out that he just needed to get over the hump of doubt.

So, I guess not exactly the same as just having a bad day, but similar.

That's good though that he got going like he was before.

 

[Snuby642]

Frustrated is 2.5-3.5 inch groups on a dead air range.
Glad I only bought 200 rnds.
Worst of all I put a new book and range card together for it.
Felt better when the young range guy couldn't group it either.
Vertical string mostly, but a couple of horizontal and symmetrical flyiers that split the horizontal line worry me.
Thankful I didn't move zero for that stuff!
Plan foiled once again!

 

[Mike 556]

As a younger shooter it wouldn't take much to frustrate me. Looking back, I'm not sure I truly enjoyed shooting, it was more like work. As I matured, yea matured, Fuck getting older! I've come to realize that a bad group, match or any outing that I don't preform as I expect isn't the end of the world, I've learned to embrace the Suck! I practice, dry fire and strive to always improve, but there's always gonna be bumps in the road. Nothing goes straight up. Knowing that, I now really enjoy and have fun anytime I get the chance to squeeze the trigger.
Mike

 

[D. Hargrove]

Like Mike said, as I have matured any time spent on the range is special and a break from the chaos of daily life. Bad days are very real, but so are those days that you just cannot seem to miss. I love it man, the whole darn thing.