Left Barrel syndrome

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Dan Hatton

It was 38 of my paces which is about 40 yards. The patterning board is set up at the place where I shoot trap, and it's roughly the distance where I break the targets.

I counted up the holes in the picture on both targets, and they are pretty even. 51 holes from the right barrel, and 53 holes from the left. No matter how you slice it, those are two very broken targets.

That's why I'm thinking I'm doing something wrong with the gun. I shoot consistent 23's and 24's with my 1100. I have been getting 22's and 23's with the Parker left barrell, but in the teens with the right barrel. I prefer the location of the right trigger, I feel somewhat cramped with my finger on the rear trigger.

It may just be that I'm focusing more on what I'm doing when things don't feel natural.

Well I will go out on a limb, trap shooting is not a thinking man's game. Lose focus, have a stray thought just before you call pull or worse yet a negative or doubtful thought and odds are you'll hear the referee call "loss". The brain is a marvelous computer, it can do amazing things for us, BUT, when we feed it thoughts like "something is wrong with my right barrel, I don't shoot as good with it", things go bad on the trap field quickly and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If you believe the left barrel will bring a better score, it will. The right barrel is shooting a nice pattern, just a tad high which is what you want on the trap field. But if you continue to believe the left barrel brings a better score on the trap field then use it and get used to the feel of the back trigger, because those thoughts will bring a better score.

PS. I have always said the perfect trap shooter needs only two qualities, no neck and a frontal lobotomy. can't lift his head off the stock and nothing on his mind.