Pistol Competitions

[cipher]

1 hour ago, JonMA1 said:

Is there anything you don't do at a freakishly high level?

Seriously Tyler, that's really impressive for a national competition. Congrats!

Yeah, seriously.  Great job Tyler!  It sounds like it was a lot of fun as well.

[Foot Wedge]

Very impressive!  Congrats on the results.  I did a lot of clay target and pistol shooting a couple years ago since there was range about 10 minutes from the university that was part of a state park so it was free to use.  Once I started working I started playing the guitar again and playing golf much more regularly, so those became my two main hobbies.  I would have loved to get into 3-gun but golf, guitar, and shooting are three hobbies that are very expensive to have all at once...

[Pretzel]

17 hours ago, Foot Wedge said:

I would have loved to get into 3-gun but golf, guitar, and shooting are three hobbies that are very expensive to have all at once...

I'm currently debating whether or not to keep the guitar I saved for (Les Paul Standard) or if I should sell it to get a less expensive one now that I'll soon have to start paying for both golf and ammo (not working at the golf course this summer for an internship and running low on free NRA grant ammo). I'm decent at golf and shooting, but I suck pretty badly at guitar and honestly don't come anywhere close to "needing" something like that, if anyone even really does. Of the three, that would be the one I have the least time invested into and makes the most sense to cut back on (though it is more of a one-time investment if you have lots of self control).

I would love to do 3-gun events, but I'd need to get myself a new shotgun and rifle for it. My shotgun has a 3 shell tube and the rifles my family has are all bolt-action. The shotgun could be passable with lots of reloading, but I feel bolt guns wouldn't really cut it since I'm someone with a pretty competitive nature. 

Now that the national shoot is over though I can focus on practicing up for the Newport Cup! My golfing pretty much dropped to near zero this spring since I started going to the range the 3 evenings a week I had free. I'm glad that the NRA helped out with ammo, because even with the price of .22LR being low I was using probably between 500-1000 rounds a week for practice leading up to the event.

[Foot Wedge]

6 hours ago, Pretzel said:

I'm decent at golf and shooting

+1 handicap and shoots at the national level = "decent", HAHAHA ok 

I've noticed that guitar gear differs from golf gear in that "pro" level gear can be easier to use than "beginner" gear due to quality differences.  However, a cheap guitar with some time and a little cash invested in a skilled tech (be it yourself of a reputable luthier) can reach a similar level of quality with a good setup, fretwork, and good electronics.  You certainly don't need to spend a fortune to have a good guitar, the problem lies in the continuous desire to find a different sound.  Temptations MAY be minimized if you have a good amp that can produce a variety of tones.  

Yeah sounds like you'd need some new hardware for 3-gun, and while I don't keep up with the ebbs and flows and ammo prices as much these days, you'd most likely need to be firing .223 and the expenditure of that ammo is going to cost a nice chunk of change.

I have to say though, for someone your age, you're taking great advantage of the opportunities offered out there.  Free golf and grant ammunition is a very big deal and while it may not last forever, you've used both to developed skills in both far beyond what I or many others would hope to obtain.  What you've learned will hold up a lot better once you have to start spacing out your fun activities due to budget and time restraints.  Keep up the good work!

[Marty2019]

Here's a great story.

Karoly Takacs