Since there is not much shooting going on because of covid 19, I’ve have taken some time to reflect on my shooting, which for the last several years hasn’t been great. What follows is a story that has spanned 3 decades, I put in some of my accomplishments only to illustrate my better years.
I wanted to weigh in on the one eyed two eyed debate. I have personally studied the issue for 30 years, myself being the test dummy. It all started in 1988 when I visited my brother, Steve, in Texas. I was in Dallas to attend a seminar for my company and then to Georgia for training on a new computer system but had a week in between . I flew to Midland to stay with Steve during that week. He took me a range in Midland and introduced me to skeet and trap. I was hooked, we shot 2 rounds of skeet, I used his Super X-1 12ga and broke a 23 and a 24. Switching guns to a Winchester 20ga. over and under I was only able to break 2 of the 25 targets from the 24 yard line in trap. Having never held a shotgun before and only a 22 rifle 2 or 3 times growing up. Later that year at home in WV I purchased an 1100 and an 870. There was a small gun club in a county park that offered skeet. They were helpful to new shooters and certainly was to me. Soon I was breaking 25’s and 50’s. One weekend I heard a familiar voice it was John Gatski, we had been in the same car racing club a decade before. John said he would take me to the local trap range and to a club in Mineral Wells to shoot games. As helpful and friendly as the skeet shooters were the trap shooters were more and included the whole family. It wasn’t long before the “are you one eyed or two”? question came up. I was one eyed, of course then came all the sayings, God gave you two eyes, you drive with two eyes, you walk with two eyes, blah, blah, blah. Trouble is I couldn’t hit anything using two eyes and I’m breaking 25’s and 50’s pretty consistently one eyed, so I’m not changing. I started registering ATA targets in 1988 my first shoot was the 1988 WV State Shoot in Ravenswood at the Kera Trap range. The next year Oakland Trap range opened in Charleston and I was there every time it was open, I went all over Ohio, Marietta Gun Club, Airport Gun Club, Great Eastern Gun Club to get targets so I could shoot without penalty at the state shoot. The 1989 WV State shoot was held at Brooke County Gun Club in Wellsburg. Shooting only the weekend. I started with the Singles Championship I broke my first 100 straight in fact I broke 175 before missing 3 out of the last 25 for a 197 winning Class B Singles. I was shooting a Fajen Thumbhole stocked 1100. After the state shoot I went to a registered shoot at Kera and Frank Hall walked up to me with a K-80 in his hand and said you need this shotgun. I knew that he was holding about 6 grand in his hand and replied “Frank I don’t have that kind of money.” Walking back to get ready to shoot he said here try it to which I replied “No, I’ll want it” then I said” How much do you want for it?” Frank thought a minute and said “Three thousand?” and I said “I’ll take it” I proceeded to go out and break a 95 from the 20 in handicap. Taking the gun back to Frank I said I’d need a week or two to come up with the cash, he said keep it, I know you’re good for it. The K-80 paid for itself about a month later at Tri-State shoot in Jeffersonville. Again shooting just the weekend I shot a 195 in singles with the 1100 that’s the day we broke up, having shot a 197 at the state a month before a lower score wasn’t acceptable. I pulled out the K-80 for handicap and at this time I shot at least two practices before a shoot. This day I shot a 100 on the practice trap and broke them all, not being able to shoot with my normal squad because of the yardage difference, I shot the preliminary handicap breaking a 98. Richard and Mildred, after learning my score, said I would surely be in a shootoff and went to dinner, I gathered my stuff and went to wait for the shootoff. Sitting on the bench the last guy in the office came out locking the door asking if I was waiting for a ride, I said “ No I’m waiting for the handicap shootoff “ he said “ no shootoff a guy broke 98 and won out right”. I said “hey that’s me” and went to my motel. The next morning Richard said go look at the payout sheet, I did and the 98 paid 1098.00 and I only got a yard and a half. Unable to buy myself in the 70%-30% Calcutta, actually I was told not to bother that the syndicate was going to buy me. I learned later the “syndicate” was a group of shooters who pool their money to buy several shooters and split the winnings. So I didn’t bother. I did however go out on my new yardage 21.5 and broke the first 50 the dropped one on the 3rd trap and at near dark shot the last trap dropping two more for a 97. Disappointed and learning the lesson to get an earlier squad I was told that I would be in a shoot off for Champion with two others. Both longer yardage shooters I ended up with taking my yardage group and another yard and a half. Long drive home in the dark was enjoyed more with the 600.00 of my cut of the Calcutta and almost 1100.00 won the day before. Friday nights were at Jack’s where upon arrival I was asked if I had played all the money, I was puzzled I paid what was on the entry form, I didn’t know it was optional. Paul Fordyce had a payout sheet and said he thought I won about 5500.00 as the other two one only played the lewis and the other just the Calcutta. Wow, maybe I could do this full time! The next day my check came it was 6800.00 and a week later a check from Budweiser for 500.00. All one eyed. That year I was 3rd on the State Team. Almost ending the year with a 97% singles average Starting in 1992 I maintained a AA singles average, made the 27 in 1992, was first team, either 2nd or 3rd on the State Team and in 1998 Captain of the first team. In 1998 I had a long run in singles of 805 starting with running the second 100 at VA State Shoot all 400 targets at WV State Shoot, a feat that has not been equaled to this day. Two hundred at the Grand preliminary singles and the first hundred of the clay target championship only to miss my sixth target on the second hundred ending with a 199 along with dozens of others. Yeah, all one eyed. From 1992 my yearly singles average ran a low of 97.54 to 99.19 during those eight years I shot at 25200 singles targets breaking 24,727 for an average of 98.12. Again one eyed. 36 - 100 straights, 3 – 200 straights. Between 1995 and 2009 I was runnerup in the state singles championship 6 times .
Then I left trapshooting in 1999 to race dirt bikes with my two sons. We had a great time. I shot little from between 1999 to 2004.
An friend talked me back into shooting in 2004 and I quit racing bikes for good in 2007 when my youngest son became employed and my then 53 year old body thanks him. During my time racing hare scrambles and GNCC, it's going fast thru the woods, with trees, big trees. I wore a glasses insert in my goggles and they would fog up at the worst times. It was also during that time a couple friends I knew had had Lasik on their eyes with excellent results so I did too. After the surgery I found that on my Dry Fire shooting simulator with both eyes open I was breaking the target closer and more centered. So all those comments about how great shooting two eyed came back. I thought (yeah my wife tells that’s a big mistake when I do that) hey I could rule the range. Except that I still couldn’t break a 25 two eyed on the field. You see the Dryfire simulator as good as a tool that I think it is (and I’ve had two, a single head and now a dual head) you’re pretty close to the target, yep I know it’s a lot smaller than a real target but you’re still a lot closer. So I was too chicken to try it in competition. From 2004 to 2008 I shot one eyed. My singles average ranged from 98.15 to 98.83 breaking 32 – 100 straights and 3 more 200 straights and 1 – 100 in doubles. I've carried a AA average in doubles since 1996 (except the years I raced) with yearly averages as high as 95.39. But I still felt that shooting with both eyes open was the way forward. 2008 season saw a slight dip less than .6% in singles (4100), up in handicap 1.5% (3500) and down .91% in doubles (3800)Then after the 2008 season I committed to shoot two eyed over the winter, I went back to my coach for help. My coach cautioned me that my numbers would suffer during the transition and that I might reconsider the change because my numbers were still good. But said he would support my decision and gave me direction in the form of a plan. I practiced over 8000 targets that winter and with an ending average of 97.3 in singles and 92.00 in doubles on those targets. The real test would be competitions.
The 2009 season saw all three averages up for the year Singles up .56%, handicap up 2.84% and doubles up 1.92% ok world here I come. The world still doesn’t know me. Since I switched to two eyed I’ve had 26 – 100 straights , 2 – 200 straights and 2 -100 straights in doubles. My averages initially went up but slipped a little each year from a normal of 98+ to just under 96, screw that. From 2009 to 2019 I had slid in average ever so slightly each year, in fact so slightly I hadn’t even considered going back to one eye. Every year it seemed that if I just worked on one thing I’d be back on the right track then the next year it would be something else, still keeping me believing in the two eye thing. My summation is, I can’t tell where I miss two eyed but I can one eyed. I would smoke 195 targets but have no idea why the other 5 didn’t break, they looked the same. So I going back to one eye, I gave it a fair shot , In the eleven years I shot two eyed I shot at 32,800 singles targets breaking 31,908 for an average of 97.28 shooting 118,000 registered two eyed, 124,300 one eyed and it didn’t work for me. I was never as successful two eyed as I was one eyed, those are the facts.
I’ll follow up “as the target turns”.
So I started this thread two years ago and I said I'd follow up, well there has been some change in my shooting. I started shooting one eye again in the 2021 target year my averages were 97.63 in Singles, Handicap 85.33 and 91.86 in Doubles up slightly from 2020. I did win my State Singles Championship in 2021 having been runner up 6 times in the past.
Currently I'm 68 yrs. old (2022) and earlier this year I was practicing and not shooting very well, became frustrated and pulled out a friends gun to shoot, it has a release trigger which I've never shot, as well as a gun I’d never shot, a Silver Seitz. Went out on the 25 yd. line and broke 25, I mean I smoked them all you know how you can break 25 chipping and chunking a few well that’s not what happened the target disappeared it’s been a long time since I’ve managed that. I shot another round breaking 25 again like the first 25 so I got another box went to the 16 and broke all of them and again I broke another 25. I was stunned so I patterned it, 60/40 It had an adjustable rib that I had set to the lowest notch as I shoot a rather flat gun 3” high. There was a registered shoot the next day so I said I’ll shoot the Seitz which I did breaking 97 and forgetting to set the trigger a half a dozen times. To make a long story short I did the same thing a month later. Nearly bought the gun but came to my senses and put double releases in my gun instead, in fact I had purchased a receiver with double releases in it, I just had to find it. Since then I’ve shot 2 State Shoots, all of the Grand American and the Cardinal Classic. My average in singles ended the year at 98.30 with 8-100 straights, the last thousand at 98.90, Handicap gained a yard and a half at the Grand, Doubles ending average at 93.09 with an average on the last thousand of 96.2 with one 100 straight and a 99 at the Grand Doubles Championship the gun doubled which I will talk about later. The 100 straight was in the rain at the Grand. In fact with only four point shoots I amassed 736 points, the last spot on the All American Veterans team was 834.
So is it the release trigger? Well yes and no. After much reflection I think it’s that I wasn’t holding the gun good enough with the right hand and the release makes me hold it better. I came to that conclusion by the fact that in doubles if I loosen up my grip after the first shot the gun doubled if I don’t it doesn’t. By the way it’s not apparent to me that I’m not holding the gun tight, I just make myself hold it until after the second shot.
So was that the only change I made? No after I changed to the releases I found that I had to I lengthen my stock by a half inch, it helped me be more solid with my mount. I did that right before the Grand. The last thousand targets start at the grand championship week through the Cardinal for singles and doubles the second day of pre grand through Cardinal.
Am I sticking with the releases in light of maybe it was a mount issue? Yeah I’m going to, it was a lot easier transition than I thought it would be.
So this whole thread started on the one eye vs two eye. I shoot Singles and Handicap one eye, doubles two eyed…I know, I know I’m broken but there is a definite advantage to doubles being able to see “under” the gun. I’ll plan to work on the singles and handicap this winter two eyed but I feel there is less of an advantage with one target.
I hope my saga will help someone else who is struggling with their shooting as I have for past several years.
Please don't think this is an endorsement of releases. I'm not saying that. I do believe that they solved a flaw in my technique. Another reason is the quality of the breaks can't be ignored, I impressed myself! I have a lot of friends that have went to releases with varying results. I know all the reasons to go to a release it's the same logic they use for the one eye vs two eye thing. I never considered it as it was just another "thing" to deal with, I'm simple and I like simple. However for me the facts are the facts and I'm sticking with them.
I'll report on the one vs two eye progress.
sept 2023
Another target year is in the books and I thought I would update this thread. This year’s shooting was a success of sorts. I stayed one eye for Singles and Handicap, two eyed for Doubles. This winter I’m working on getting comfortable two eyed for singles and handicap. My handicap (27) improved greatly but not until the end of the year. Every once in a while throughout the year I’d pop a good score 96 or higher then break 84 at the same tournament same conditions. What I found out, too late, was that same old thing not being solid with the gun. I found that I can get away with it on 16’s but not the 27. I break the target better if I quiet my eye before I call.
My singles stayed about the same although I had one tournament that I dropped the first singles target out and ran 499 which doesn’t come close to my long run in ’98 of 805 all at state shoots and the grand that year. Left target from 1 or 2 was what was missed most.
This year I was able to shoot seven point shoots and met one goal, that of making the All American Team, top of the second team. Ending averages are 98.34, 87.81, 94.39
Sept 2024
Another year down, another update. This year wasn’t great in fact it was a struggle. I’m still one eye for Singles and Handicap, two eyed for Doubles. However I turned Senior Vet along with that comes age 70, wow. My health is good but somewhere between the Ohio State and the Virginia State shoots I hurt my left shoulder, it burns to mount and hold the gun up. I’m on no meds but I took a lot of advil in July and August, a lot, probably more that the first 69 years of my life, anyway the year was successful enough that I made the last spot on the Sr. Vet All American Team, some 600 point shy of last year’s total. I don’t know how I hurt my shoulder, I guess you know you are getting old when you injure yourself sleeping! Anyway averages are down. My handicap went from 27 at the start of this year to the 24 at the end of the season I just can’t see the target very well. I’ve switched back to two eye for everything for the first event of the 2025 target year and I broke the hundred in singles, 96 in doubles, 90 in handicap. The view is brighter with both eyes open. I’m going to lay off shooting for a bit to heal up the shoulder. Another thing is my glasses prescription is changing about every three months a bit so over the winter I need to see a doc about cataract surgery, it’s been awhile since I ‘ve seen a Doc.
May June July 2025
Mid-year update. Went to the eye doc sure enough, cataracts have to come out, bad news is due to his schedule and mine it can’t be done until after the shooting season, I may have procrastinated. I’ve shot two eyed all this year with not great results it depends on the light low contrast because of the eye condition. I’ve broke a few hundred straights mostly in league shooting where I have a green background and the sun’s out I can really see the target. Surgery scheduled for the week after the Cardinal Classic shoot.
August 2025
Despite my eye issues this year I shot off for Senior Vet Champion in the Grand American Clay Target Championship with six others and ended up third. I did make the second ATA All American Senior Veteran Team, as well as Captain of the State Team. Still shooting two eyes mostly because the view with both eyes open is a bit brighter. The cataracts are worst huge halos with lights at night, including the on a target at night. Ended the year a bit better than last year but nothing exceptional for sure.
September 2025
I’ve had cataract surgery on both eyes now. I don’t want to sound like all the others, but yeah, it’s great. Simply amazing, clarity and sharpness that is so much better, I frankly can’t remember seeing this well. The target now instead of being a fuzz ball, and just trying to shoot in the middle of the fuzziness, is now dead sharp. I can see the ridges that I haven’t seen for a few years now, colors, depth of field, etc. A bit of a shame too that I’ve decided not to chase ATA All American points anymore.
To sum up over 300,000 registered targets since 1988 about half one eyed, half two eyed similar results but if you read the whole story I tried two eyed and was unsuccessful until after Lasik surgery and then two eyed until what I now know was cataracts, one eye for a few years and back to two eyes (reason in story) and after cataract surgery I’ve continued with two eyes.
I wanted to weigh in on the one eyed two eyed debate. I have personally studied the issue for 30 years, myself being the test dummy. It all started in 1988 when I visited my brother, Steve, in Texas. I was in Dallas to attend a seminar for my company and then to Georgia for training on a new computer system but had a week in between . I flew to Midland to stay with Steve during that week. He took me a range in Midland and introduced me to skeet and trap. I was hooked, we shot 2 rounds of skeet, I used his Super X-1 12ga and broke a 23 and a 24. Switching guns to a Winchester 20ga. over and under I was only able to break 2 of the 25 targets from the 24 yard line in trap. Having never held a shotgun before and only a 22 rifle 2 or 3 times growing up. Later that year at home in WV I purchased an 1100 and an 870. There was a small gun club in a county park that offered skeet. They were helpful to new shooters and certainly was to me. Soon I was breaking 25’s and 50’s. One weekend I heard a familiar voice it was John Gatski, we had been in the same car racing club a decade before. John said he would take me to the local trap range and to a club in Mineral Wells to shoot games. As helpful and friendly as the skeet shooters were the trap shooters were more and included the whole family. It wasn’t long before the “are you one eyed or two”? question came up. I was one eyed, of course then came all the sayings, God gave you two eyes, you drive with two eyes, you walk with two eyes, blah, blah, blah. Trouble is I couldn’t hit anything using two eyes and I’m breaking 25’s and 50’s pretty consistently one eyed, so I’m not changing. I started registering ATA targets in 1988 my first shoot was the 1988 WV State Shoot in Ravenswood at the Kera Trap range. The next year Oakland Trap range opened in Charleston and I was there every time it was open, I went all over Ohio, Marietta Gun Club, Airport Gun Club, Great Eastern Gun Club to get targets so I could shoot without penalty at the state shoot. The 1989 WV State shoot was held at Brooke County Gun Club in Wellsburg. Shooting only the weekend. I started with the Singles Championship I broke my first 100 straight in fact I broke 175 before missing 3 out of the last 25 for a 197 winning Class B Singles. I was shooting a Fajen Thumbhole stocked 1100. After the state shoot I went to a registered shoot at Kera and Frank Hall walked up to me with a K-80 in his hand and said you need this shotgun. I knew that he was holding about 6 grand in his hand and replied “Frank I don’t have that kind of money.” Walking back to get ready to shoot he said here try it to which I replied “No, I’ll want it” then I said” How much do you want for it?” Frank thought a minute and said “Three thousand?” and I said “I’ll take it” I proceeded to go out and break a 95 from the 20 in handicap. Taking the gun back to Frank I said I’d need a week or two to come up with the cash, he said keep it, I know you’re good for it. The K-80 paid for itself about a month later at Tri-State shoot in Jeffersonville. Again shooting just the weekend I shot a 195 in singles with the 1100 that’s the day we broke up, having shot a 197 at the state a month before a lower score wasn’t acceptable. I pulled out the K-80 for handicap and at this time I shot at least two practices before a shoot. This day I shot a 100 on the practice trap and broke them all, not being able to shoot with my normal squad because of the yardage difference, I shot the preliminary handicap breaking a 98. Richard and Mildred, after learning my score, said I would surely be in a shootoff and went to dinner, I gathered my stuff and went to wait for the shootoff. Sitting on the bench the last guy in the office came out locking the door asking if I was waiting for a ride, I said “ No I’m waiting for the handicap shootoff “ he said “ no shootoff a guy broke 98 and won out right”. I said “hey that’s me” and went to my motel. The next morning Richard said go look at the payout sheet, I did and the 98 paid 1098.00 and I only got a yard and a half. Unable to buy myself in the 70%-30% Calcutta, actually I was told not to bother that the syndicate was going to buy me. I learned later the “syndicate” was a group of shooters who pool their money to buy several shooters and split the winnings. So I didn’t bother. I did however go out on my new yardage 21.5 and broke the first 50 the dropped one on the 3rd trap and at near dark shot the last trap dropping two more for a 97. Disappointed and learning the lesson to get an earlier squad I was told that I would be in a shoot off for Champion with two others. Both longer yardage shooters I ended up with taking my yardage group and another yard and a half. Long drive home in the dark was enjoyed more with the 600.00 of my cut of the Calcutta and almost 1100.00 won the day before. Friday nights were at Jack’s where upon arrival I was asked if I had played all the money, I was puzzled I paid what was on the entry form, I didn’t know it was optional. Paul Fordyce had a payout sheet and said he thought I won about 5500.00 as the other two one only played the lewis and the other just the Calcutta. Wow, maybe I could do this full time! The next day my check came it was 6800.00 and a week later a check from Budweiser for 500.00. All one eyed. That year I was 3rd on the State Team. Almost ending the year with a 97% singles average Starting in 1992 I maintained a AA singles average, made the 27 in 1992, was first team, either 2nd or 3rd on the State Team and in 1998 Captain of the first team. In 1998 I had a long run in singles of 805 starting with running the second 100 at VA State Shoot all 400 targets at WV State Shoot, a feat that has not been equaled to this day. Two hundred at the Grand preliminary singles and the first hundred of the clay target championship only to miss my sixth target on the second hundred ending with a 199 along with dozens of others. Yeah, all one eyed. From 1992 my yearly singles average ran a low of 97.54 to 99.19 during those eight years I shot at 25200 singles targets breaking 24,727 for an average of 98.12. Again one eyed. 36 - 100 straights, 3 – 200 straights. Between 1995 and 2009 I was runnerup in the state singles championship 6 times .
Then I left trapshooting in 1999 to race dirt bikes with my two sons. We had a great time. I shot little from between 1999 to 2004.
An friend talked me back into shooting in 2004 and I quit racing bikes for good in 2007 when my youngest son became employed and my then 53 year old body thanks him. During my time racing hare scrambles and GNCC, it's going fast thru the woods, with trees, big trees. I wore a glasses insert in my goggles and they would fog up at the worst times. It was also during that time a couple friends I knew had had Lasik on their eyes with excellent results so I did too. After the surgery I found that on my Dry Fire shooting simulator with both eyes open I was breaking the target closer and more centered. So all those comments about how great shooting two eyed came back. I thought (yeah my wife tells that’s a big mistake when I do that) hey I could rule the range. Except that I still couldn’t break a 25 two eyed on the field. You see the Dryfire simulator as good as a tool that I think it is (and I’ve had two, a single head and now a dual head) you’re pretty close to the target, yep I know it’s a lot smaller than a real target but you’re still a lot closer. So I was too chicken to try it in competition. From 2004 to 2008 I shot one eyed. My singles average ranged from 98.15 to 98.83 breaking 32 – 100 straights and 3 more 200 straights and 1 – 100 in doubles. I've carried a AA average in doubles since 1996 (except the years I raced) with yearly averages as high as 95.39. But I still felt that shooting with both eyes open was the way forward. 2008 season saw a slight dip less than .6% in singles (4100), up in handicap 1.5% (3500) and down .91% in doubles (3800)Then after the 2008 season I committed to shoot two eyed over the winter, I went back to my coach for help. My coach cautioned me that my numbers would suffer during the transition and that I might reconsider the change because my numbers were still good. But said he would support my decision and gave me direction in the form of a plan. I practiced over 8000 targets that winter and with an ending average of 97.3 in singles and 92.00 in doubles on those targets. The real test would be competitions.
The 2009 season saw all three averages up for the year Singles up .56%, handicap up 2.84% and doubles up 1.92% ok world here I come. The world still doesn’t know me. Since I switched to two eyed I’ve had 26 – 100 straights , 2 – 200 straights and 2 -100 straights in doubles. My averages initially went up but slipped a little each year from a normal of 98+ to just under 96, screw that. From 2009 to 2019 I had slid in average ever so slightly each year, in fact so slightly I hadn’t even considered going back to one eye. Every year it seemed that if I just worked on one thing I’d be back on the right track then the next year it would be something else, still keeping me believing in the two eye thing. My summation is, I can’t tell where I miss two eyed but I can one eyed. I would smoke 195 targets but have no idea why the other 5 didn’t break, they looked the same. So I going back to one eye, I gave it a fair shot , In the eleven years I shot two eyed I shot at 32,800 singles targets breaking 31,908 for an average of 97.28 shooting 118,000 registered two eyed, 124,300 one eyed and it didn’t work for me. I was never as successful two eyed as I was one eyed, those are the facts.
I’ll follow up “as the target turns”.
So I started this thread two years ago and I said I'd follow up, well there has been some change in my shooting. I started shooting one eye again in the 2021 target year my averages were 97.63 in Singles, Handicap 85.33 and 91.86 in Doubles up slightly from 2020. I did win my State Singles Championship in 2021 having been runner up 6 times in the past.
Currently I'm 68 yrs. old (2022) and earlier this year I was practicing and not shooting very well, became frustrated and pulled out a friends gun to shoot, it has a release trigger which I've never shot, as well as a gun I’d never shot, a Silver Seitz. Went out on the 25 yd. line and broke 25, I mean I smoked them all you know how you can break 25 chipping and chunking a few well that’s not what happened the target disappeared it’s been a long time since I’ve managed that. I shot another round breaking 25 again like the first 25 so I got another box went to the 16 and broke all of them and again I broke another 25. I was stunned so I patterned it, 60/40 It had an adjustable rib that I had set to the lowest notch as I shoot a rather flat gun 3” high. There was a registered shoot the next day so I said I’ll shoot the Seitz which I did breaking 97 and forgetting to set the trigger a half a dozen times. To make a long story short I did the same thing a month later. Nearly bought the gun but came to my senses and put double releases in my gun instead, in fact I had purchased a receiver with double releases in it, I just had to find it. Since then I’ve shot 2 State Shoots, all of the Grand American and the Cardinal Classic. My average in singles ended the year at 98.30 with 8-100 straights, the last thousand at 98.90, Handicap gained a yard and a half at the Grand, Doubles ending average at 93.09 with an average on the last thousand of 96.2 with one 100 straight and a 99 at the Grand Doubles Championship the gun doubled which I will talk about later. The 100 straight was in the rain at the Grand. In fact with only four point shoots I amassed 736 points, the last spot on the All American Veterans team was 834.
So is it the release trigger? Well yes and no. After much reflection I think it’s that I wasn’t holding the gun good enough with the right hand and the release makes me hold it better. I came to that conclusion by the fact that in doubles if I loosen up my grip after the first shot the gun doubled if I don’t it doesn’t. By the way it’s not apparent to me that I’m not holding the gun tight, I just make myself hold it until after the second shot.
So was that the only change I made? No after I changed to the releases I found that I had to I lengthen my stock by a half inch, it helped me be more solid with my mount. I did that right before the Grand. The last thousand targets start at the grand championship week through the Cardinal for singles and doubles the second day of pre grand through Cardinal.
Am I sticking with the releases in light of maybe it was a mount issue? Yeah I’m going to, it was a lot easier transition than I thought it would be.
So this whole thread started on the one eye vs two eye. I shoot Singles and Handicap one eye, doubles two eyed…I know, I know I’m broken but there is a definite advantage to doubles being able to see “under” the gun. I’ll plan to work on the singles and handicap this winter two eyed but I feel there is less of an advantage with one target.
I hope my saga will help someone else who is struggling with their shooting as I have for past several years.
Please don't think this is an endorsement of releases. I'm not saying that. I do believe that they solved a flaw in my technique. Another reason is the quality of the breaks can't be ignored, I impressed myself! I have a lot of friends that have went to releases with varying results. I know all the reasons to go to a release it's the same logic they use for the one eye vs two eye thing. I never considered it as it was just another "thing" to deal with, I'm simple and I like simple. However for me the facts are the facts and I'm sticking with them.
I'll report on the one vs two eye progress.
sept 2023
Another target year is in the books and I thought I would update this thread. This year’s shooting was a success of sorts. I stayed one eye for Singles and Handicap, two eyed for Doubles. This winter I’m working on getting comfortable two eyed for singles and handicap. My handicap (27) improved greatly but not until the end of the year. Every once in a while throughout the year I’d pop a good score 96 or higher then break 84 at the same tournament same conditions. What I found out, too late, was that same old thing not being solid with the gun. I found that I can get away with it on 16’s but not the 27. I break the target better if I quiet my eye before I call.
My singles stayed about the same although I had one tournament that I dropped the first singles target out and ran 499 which doesn’t come close to my long run in ’98 of 805 all at state shoots and the grand that year. Left target from 1 or 2 was what was missed most.
This year I was able to shoot seven point shoots and met one goal, that of making the All American Team, top of the second team. Ending averages are 98.34, 87.81, 94.39
Sept 2024
Another year down, another update. This year wasn’t great in fact it was a struggle. I’m still one eye for Singles and Handicap, two eyed for Doubles. However I turned Senior Vet along with that comes age 70, wow. My health is good but somewhere between the Ohio State and the Virginia State shoots I hurt my left shoulder, it burns to mount and hold the gun up. I’m on no meds but I took a lot of advil in July and August, a lot, probably more that the first 69 years of my life, anyway the year was successful enough that I made the last spot on the Sr. Vet All American Team, some 600 point shy of last year’s total. I don’t know how I hurt my shoulder, I guess you know you are getting old when you injure yourself sleeping! Anyway averages are down. My handicap went from 27 at the start of this year to the 24 at the end of the season I just can’t see the target very well. I’ve switched back to two eye for everything for the first event of the 2025 target year and I broke the hundred in singles, 96 in doubles, 90 in handicap. The view is brighter with both eyes open. I’m going to lay off shooting for a bit to heal up the shoulder. Another thing is my glasses prescription is changing about every three months a bit so over the winter I need to see a doc about cataract surgery, it’s been awhile since I ‘ve seen a Doc.
May June July 2025
Mid-year update. Went to the eye doc sure enough, cataracts have to come out, bad news is due to his schedule and mine it can’t be done until after the shooting season, I may have procrastinated. I’ve shot two eyed all this year with not great results it depends on the light low contrast because of the eye condition. I’ve broke a few hundred straights mostly in league shooting where I have a green background and the sun’s out I can really see the target. Surgery scheduled for the week after the Cardinal Classic shoot.
August 2025
Despite my eye issues this year I shot off for Senior Vet Champion in the Grand American Clay Target Championship with six others and ended up third. I did make the second ATA All American Senior Veteran Team, as well as Captain of the State Team. Still shooting two eyes mostly because the view with both eyes open is a bit brighter. The cataracts are worst huge halos with lights at night, including the on a target at night. Ended the year a bit better than last year but nothing exceptional for sure.
September 2025
I’ve had cataract surgery on both eyes now. I don’t want to sound like all the others, but yeah, it’s great. Simply amazing, clarity and sharpness that is so much better, I frankly can’t remember seeing this well. The target now instead of being a fuzz ball, and just trying to shoot in the middle of the fuzziness, is now dead sharp. I can see the ridges that I haven’t seen for a few years now, colors, depth of field, etc. A bit of a shame too that I’ve decided not to chase ATA All American points anymore.
To sum up over 300,000 registered targets since 1988 about half one eyed, half two eyed similar results but if you read the whole story I tried two eyed and was unsuccessful until after Lasik surgery and then two eyed until what I now know was cataracts, one eye for a few years and back to two eyes (reason in story) and after cataract surgery I’ve continued with two eyes.
