So it's winter...

OK...So its Winter....

Some folks look forward to winter...not me.  I don't really consider clay target shooting a winter sport. (Unless I'm in Florida or Arizona at one of the winter shoots there!) So what does a clay shooter do when the weather is cold and snowy outside? Well, I know some of you go shoot winter leagues etc.., we don't have any of those around here and the few nice days we get I'm out there shooting.

All during the shooting season I do routine maintenance on my competition guns. They get cleaned and oiled between each shoot and wiped down before being cased. However, winter provides us with the time to really break down our guns and thoroughly clean and inspect them for any signs of wear and replace things like recoil pads and beads.

I find that recoil pads get worn and hard after a season or two and are not all that dificult to install if you have a bench sander and a bit of patience.  You can save yourself $50 or so if you do the installation yourself. Since you have plenty of time in the winter months time is not an issue so do a good job! There are a couple of YouTube videos that give easy directions on pad installation.

Of course a lot of you reload. I take this time to really do a careful cleaning of my reloader and my reloading bench. I seem to accumulate a lot of "stuff" during the year that I don't really need, a lot of it gets tossed and the rest put away neatly for future use. My reloader is a PW that's at least 20 years old. By doing the annual maintenance on it I have never had any down time or serious breakdowns. Heres  a tip for you PW loader users...Jim Skeel (skeeljc@frontier.com) makes absoulutely the best replacement hoppers for PW (and other) loaders. He advertizes them on Trapshooters.com.  I purchased them from him recently and what a beautiful job he does! Well worth the expense and the powder no longer leaks from the bushing wheel! Check out the picture...

Winter is a great time to use a "Terry Jordan Wall Chart".  I have mine set up in the basement rec-room and try to dry fire with it at least 5 times a week for 15 minutes each session. (We sell the charts, just give us a call and we'll arrange delivery to your home address. $150.00 + postage) Follow the directions with the chart and you will be truly amazed at how easy your shooting skills will bounce back during the early spring if you keep up your dry fire routine.  Terry lives in Canada and comes to Florida during the spring and shoots amazing scores...guess how he does it...he uses his wall chart during the Canadian winter to stay in "shooting shape". So does Harlan Campell, Drew Waller, Brad Dysiner, Paul Shaw, Phil Kiner and Chris Vendel...pretty good company to practice with!

Get some exersize during the winter!  Walk, shovel some snow, rake leaves, clean the garage. Don't sit around watching football on TV and expect to come back to shooting 300 targets a day. Dry fire with a barrel weight in your gun. Easy to make with a piece of steel rod glued into a empty shell. Wrap the rod with masking tape to prevent scratching your barrel. If you make one that weighs about a pound and use it a couple times a week to dry fire you'll keep the muscle tone you built up during the shooting year. Cheap and simple and believe me it works!
The Staff and I here at Target Shotguns, Inc. hope all of you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. We appreciate your business and hope you enjoy my comments on the blog.

Shoot well and often!

Bob