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How was your first try and first match?

7K views 44 replies 23 participants last post by  hockeyref 
#1 · (Edited)
I got a .22LR rifle and a 6-24x optic in hope of doing something like NRL22, but I can't find anything in my area, so I looked in to smallbore silhouette and my rifle meets hunter class and it seems like a lot of fun! I've tried reading as much as possible and practicing in my home dry firing.

How to put my hand on the forend is really messing with my head, I hate palm facing up, fist, I thought I liked thumb on trigger guard and rest it on my fingers...the range RO suggested resting it in the V of my thumb and index finger and that seemed to be very comfortable to me.

I have a very hard time keeping the sight still, is it best to inhale, completely exhale and when it lowers on to the target take the shot?

I feel like I get very anxious and I take shots I shouldn't have.

So, my first time trying to shoot in a silhouette position I only got five hits out of 15 on a paper target of the exact size of the chicken at 40m. I did awful, but the good news is I can only go up from here!

Did anyone else do as bad as me when they first tried? Have any tips? Should I practice forming muscle memory for being on target? I will be attending my first competition in March.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Don't compare yourself to others. You shot your best round of silhouettes and will get better with practice. Read up on establishing your Natural Point of Aim (NPA). Never take the shot while breathing.

We coach our shooters to fully exhale and the sight should fall where we want it to break. If it's not right, adjust the position, reestablish NPA and take the shot at the end of the exhalation (hold period).

Use whatever front hand postion\hold raises the rifle enough to keep your head erect. If you lean your head down to the comb, your center of gravity shifts and you'll wobble. The body goes where the head goes.

My first try was 13\40.
 
#4 ·
Don't compare yourself to others. You shot your best round of silhouettes and will get better with practice. Read up on establishing your Natural Point of Aim (NPA). Never take the shot while breathing.

We coach our shooters to fully exhale and the sight should fall where we want it to break. If it's not right, adjust the position, reestablish NPA and take the shot at the end of the exhalation (hold period).

Use whatever front hand postion\hold raises the rifle enough to keep your head erect. If you lean your head down to the comb, your center of gravity shifts and you'll wobble. The body goes where the head goes.

My first try was 13\40.
Thanks, I will look in to NPA. I might of had my head leaning, I need my wife to check me out because before I thought my stance was good, but it turned out I kept twisting the front of my body and straining when I put my hip out.
 
#3 ·
Actually, for a first go, you’re not doing bad, AT ALL.
I did worse than you, brother. My first try was with a semi auto with low scope rings, I think it was 5/40. Once I got a better rifle- a CZ 452 Varmint with much taller scope rings, and lots of practice, my scores improved to 18-22/40. Moved the action to a custom stock, started scratching 25s.
I breathe as normally as I can and exhale slowly through the trigger break.
Vertical head position, stance and hold make a huge difference. Talk to shooters, most silhouette shooters will gladly share tips and gear.
Keep in mind- it’s supposed to be FUN. If it feels like stressful work, practice more on your own to build confidence before adding the stress of a line of shooters- it helped me. I’ve been at it several years and last year I finally bought my “bucket list” rifle-
An Anschutz 1712. Mounted a Leupold 6.5-20x42EFR on 1.5” D3 precision rings.
I practiced about half as much as I would have liked last season and attended no matches- BUT, I’ve shot several 30s and one 35 in the last 2 years.
More than half of my 30s were with my old CZ that I bought for $325. I tell you this because it’s NOT all about a high end rifle like my 1712. All you need is a decent shooting rifle that’s set up to FIT you, and a RELIABLE tracking scope.
After that, It’s really about commitment and practice. In winter, I do dry fire practice. Not as much as I should, but I get a few sessions in. In summer, I practice in my back yard with an air rifle using scaled down targets at 25 yards. Virtually NO ONE I’ve met has shot better than 25% at the start. There’s a reason most people that try silhouette don’t stick with it. It’s one of the most difficult shooting disciplines in existence- AND, one of the most rewarding, IMO- if you stick with it and put in the work.

Regards,

DrGunner
 
#5 ·
Actually, for a first go, you're not doing bad, AT ALL.
I did worse than you, brother. My first try was with a semi auto with low scope rings, I think it was 5/40. Once I got a better rifle- a CZ 452 Varmint with much taller scope rings, and lots of practice, my scores improved to 18-22/40. Moved the action to a custom stock, started scratching 25s.
I breathe as normally as I can and exhale slowly through the trigger break.
Vertical head position, stance and hold make a huge difference. Talk to shooters, most silhouette shooters will gladly share tips and gear.
Keep in mind- it's supposed to be FUN. If it feels like stressful work, practice more on your own to build confidence before adding the stress of a line of shooters- it helped me. I've been at it several years and last year I finally bought my "bucket list" rifle-
An Anschutz 1712. Mounted a Leupold 6.5-20x42EFR on 1.5" D3 precision rings.
I practiced about half as much as I would have liked last season and attended no matches- BUT, I've shot several 30s and one 35 in the last 2 years.
More than half of my 30s were with my old CZ that I bought for $325. I tell you this because it's NOT all about a high end rifle like my 1712. All you need is a decent shooting rifle that's set up to FIT you, and a RELIABLE tracking scope.
After that, It's really about commitment and practice. In winter, I do dry fire practice. Not as much as I should, but I get a few sessions in. In summer, I practice in my back yard with an air rifle using scaled down targets at 25 yards. Virtually NO ONE I've met has shot better than 25% at the start. There's a reason most people that try silhouette don't stick with it. It's one of the most difficult shooting disciplines in existence- AND, one of the most rewarding, IMO- if you stick with it and put in the work.

Regards,

DrGunner
I'm using a Steyr Zephyr II with a Athlon Midas TAC APRS3. I went with the Steyr because I think it's the most beautiful rifle and I love the trigger, I already have one in WMR and this was kind of an excuse to get another.

I hear nothing but good things about the 1712, beautiful gun!

Also, when I shoot my first competition it will be my first time shooting outdoors, so I'm very nervous about wind and I need to look that up. Luckily there is another range by me that is 100yds indoor and I can know exactly where to hold above. I think since it's about a 7.22" drop that would be roughly 2.5 lines on a mil scope. *zeroed for 50yards*
 
#8 ·
I love seeing the HONEST answers here. 18/60 with irons is a darn good showing and you know it!!!

It's amazing how much better most shooters do when they get a properly set up rifle, and learn good form for stance and hold. I personally had to UNLEARN a lot of bad habit from my hunting days, using a forearm wrapped sling for stability, before I found success. Taking direction from other silhouette shooters was a big help there.

OP- this guy shows decent form- look at his foot position, vertical head, left elbow propped on his torso, and right elbow parallel to the ground. Note he shows different hand holds.
Im right handed. It helped me to face rotated about 10-15 degrees clockwise to the line of sight to the rail/bank of targets, and torque my upper body counter clockwise to line up. Something about that process locks things in for me and reduces sway.
Practice develops strength, stamina and muscle memory, giving you more solid shots before fatigue sets in and your attempts become "drive by shootings", lol.





Here's my typical stance, with an atypical rifle- a CZ 527 in 7.62x39:



Here's my daughter, age 6, already showing decent form. Her stance is a bit open and facing the target a bit too squarely, but she's tiny and girls have a lower center of mass.
Note how her left hip is pushed forward to balance the rifle on her front hand. She will outscore me someday soon!




DrGunner
 
#9 ·
Don't get discouraged, You are there for the enjoyment of shooting. My club has a very informal shoot one a month. Very few of us are shooting very expensive set ups. There are a couple of shooters who knock down nearly every target. One has a lightly customized 10/22 and another T/C Contender. I shoot a CZ 452 American with a ace 144 trigger spring. I started with a Weaver v16 4-16x40 duplex then upgraded a little when a found a used Nikon monarch 6.5-20-40 fine crosshair at a pawn shop. I shoot average scores with most of the others. Once and while I do better. I mainly just have good time with a great bunch of people.
 
#11 ·
Dry fire practice is a great way to improve your scores. Trigger control is critical to good shots. You can get away with using one sight setting for chickens and pigs ( a fifty yard zero usually allows you to aim a little low on the chicken and aim near the top of the back on the pig), but I highly recommend that you dial for the other animals. Turkeys and rams by design are harder to hit and not having a good sight picture and zero will make them even harder. That could be very frustrating for a new shooter. Also, you have 2.5 minutes to shoot a bank of 5 targets. For most shooters that is plenty of time. For a variety of reasons I tend to be much slower than most shooters, but I would tell you not to worry about time. It is better to make 4 good shots than rushing the last two shots. Good luck and have fun.
Just remember they are not hard to hit, just really easy to miss.
 
#12 ·
:yeahthat:

Forgot to mention time. Good call.

I use a free app on my phone called “Countdown Timer” during practice.
I used to sweat the timer, but 30 seconds per shot is plenty, once you have a good rig with dope worked out. My silo rifles have a tiny card printed on the inside of the ocular flip cap telling me how many clicks to each distance, and I have the AO settings demarcated on the bell of my scopes with little adhesive back fluorescent triangles.
 
#13 ·
steyr(x3),
There's been a lot of good information given here, so I won't jump in on that.
What I will tell you - from my 20 years around Smallbore Silhouettes - is:
My experience shows that about 80% of the 1st-time shooters who come out and shoot their first match will knock down somewhere between 4-8 animals!!!
I know you only shot at Chickens (5 out of 15) and it was not at a match.
I'm guessing you would be in that 80%.

Don't let those numbers concern you though. . . Many people (like me) were more worried about "doing something wrong" and not worried about knocking over the animals! After just a few matches, scores will improve as you learn the match routine and focus more on hitting the targets!

You are doing great! Get out there and find a match; jump right in. If those folks are like most I've seen at Silhouette matches, they'll be glad you showed up and participated!!! You'll remember your score, but everyone else will just remember YOU!

Good luck and welcome to the addiction!!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Thanks for the tips everyone, I may try going tonight or tomorrow to the 100 yard range to test out how many clicks I need for zero. Using an online calculator I estimated ~5 clicks for 60m, ~13 clicks 77m, and ~25 clicks at 100m, using MIL @ 50 yard zero.


How many magazines do you recommend? For this rifle I only have one, but I figure having three would be good since the competition is (3) 5 rounds per animal. The time between seems plenty enough to load a mag.
 
#15 ·
Did anyone else do as bad as me when they first tried? Have any tips? Should I practice forming muscle memory for being on target? I will be attending my first competition in March.
I've tried 50 yards on paper, and I'm still pretty bad even after practice. Always remember:

Don't compare yourself to others.
It makes sense to watch others and try their tips, but how other people score doesn't have anything to do with whether I am progressing or understanding how to build a position and use it.

FWIW, most of the improvement I can muster comes from focus and state of mind. That's a lot easier if one is transfixed by technical details and scores. My two cents.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I scored 12 in my first match. That included 4 turkeys and 5 rams at 75 and 100 yards, and no pigs at 50. Makes no sense. On the second match that day I got some pigs and scored 16.

My only advice at this stage is to shoot any way you're comfortable with. Stick with one kind of ammo and it doesn't matter much what it is. Do your best to know where your gun and chosen ammo shoot at all 4 distances. Practice with paper targets so when you miss you can see why you missed.

There are lots of ways you can improve on that, many described in this forum, but you'll get to those later.

I use one mag. A cheap timer can be good to have. There's lots of time but it doesn't always feel like it.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I'm excited, tomorrow evening I can finally try out past 50 yards to 100 yards since the range by me only allows that one on Friday+.

I think I will stick with CCI SV since it's good and cheap.

Hitting 5 rams is awesome!!! My biggest fear is wind.

I can't wait to get started, 2 months is so far away!

btw thanks on the mag amount, I thin I got the app that DrGunner said he has, it makes a siren sound when the timer is done, i will practice using it when I feel like I have my form down.
 
#18 ·
I’m still waiting for my first match. Perhaps in April, we’ll see.

One thing I have learned (but certainly have not mastered) is the importance of discipline. Shooting a rifle unsupported from the standing position seems to require tremendous focus and discipline.

It is very tempting to fall into the insidious trap of just squeezing one off every time the rifle is shouldered. Having the discipline to only take a good shot, and to take the rifle down and try again if that shot doesn’t present itself, is what separates the great shooters from the mediocre.
 
#19 ·
I’m still waiting for my first match. Perhaps in April, we’ll see.

One thing I have learned (but certainly have not mastered) is the importance of discipline. Shooting a rifle unsupported from the standing position seems to require tremendous focus and discipline.

It is very tempting to fall into the insidious trap of just squeezing one off every time the rifle is shouldered. Having the discipline to only take a good shot, and to take the rifle down and try again if that shot doesn’t present itself, is what separates the great shooters from the mediocre.
That IS the ticket. I use a single shot adapter, even though my CZ & Anschutz silhouette rifles feed just fine from mags. The motions give me time to breathe, focus & reset- every shot becoming a separate event, but with as much consistency and economy of motion as possible. I will sometimes pull up, prop, aim, and not like what I see/feel- so I'll lower the rifle to waist level & stretch my arms, take a deep breath and pull up again. Not sure if it helps, but it certainly feels better to me than taking a rushed shot when I'm not feeling it.

DrG
 
#20 ·
One of the biggest challenges with those tiny 1/5 scale targets is getting good scope settings for each distance. Even for beginners missing more than they hit, it can still drive you nuts. Practicing on paper and with a spotter or spotting scope is a good way to get confident in scope settings and learn to call shots.
 
#26 ·
I have to agree; that holdover method is like the withdrawal method of birth control; sounds like it might work, but it is hopelessly difficult in practice. Having sight settings, and being confident that you can get each setting dialed in before the next animal is HUGE.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
 
#22 ·
Well, I took up the sport at age 65 with my first ever firearm. Like DrGunner, I was 5/40, first time in 2009. I made it to 'A' Class over time. I have been away for health reasons the past 4-5 years and now 76.

I used to practice every Thursday evening with the others, at our Silhouette range, with 40 rounds, Hunter Class. I did not do much practicing, but enjoyed the challenge and other shooters.

I have been involved in small ways by doing some "Calling," and helping at some events. I got my equipment out the other day, and as soon as the WI weather gets a little warmer, I plan to practice in the indoor 50 foot range.

I have missed the sport and was registered last year for NRA Silhouette. We don't have books anymore, and did shoot once. 9/40. It was a bit of physical struggle on the last 10, but had FUN! Another nice thing, we have a woman shooter, who is VERY proficient and a regular.
 
#23 ·
Well, I took up the sport at age 65 with my first ever firearm. Like DrGunner, I was 5/40, first time in 2009. I made it to 'A' Class over time. I have been away for health reasons the past 4-5 years and now 76.
Hey John - good to hear from you, my friend. PWNolan and I were discussing the rules the other day, he had mentioned that if your rifle particular rifle was manufactured with a magazine, that the rules state that you must shoot shoot feeding from a magazine?
I've been shooting unsanctioned matches down at Sycamore and I have gotten in the habit of using single shot adapters first with my CZ and now with my
Anschutz 1712. Would you happen to know what the current rules regarding single shot adapters?
I would have no problem shooting from a magazine, my rifles perform just fine feeding from a mag, but it has been my habit to load single shots- it helps me to slow down, rest my arms between shots and I find I focus better, treating each individual shot as a separate event- if that makes sense.

I've recently set up a backyard practice range at 25 yards using a Daystate Regal XL .177 PCP air rifle. It's a beautiful rig, plenty accurate for the task and very similar to my 1712 in ergonomics, weight and balance.
It should allow me to keep in practice much better this season, and I'm hoping to attend a few matches at Beloit. I'll get in touch beforehand, maybe we can meet up & grab lunch-

Regards,

DrGunner
 
#24 · (Edited)
@DrGunner, Patrick sent me a msg asking if I wanted one of his single shot clips to try out. I kinda knew it was not aloud in HUNTER and he confirmed, since I have the clip design rifle. I am not sure about Standard, but he thought was approved. I do have a rule book in my bag, but think can use in Standard. One tournament I'd shoot Hunter and the next month tournament Standard. 80 rounds is my max.

I hear you on your preferred single shot. I always think about Patrick and what an asset he was, and would come up from your club for our tournaments.

Well, I have my equipment ready to go for this evening, for our weekly winter indoor paper practice. I'll get there early to sight in at 50 foot. They started the first week in January and I feel pretty good to return. My aim is 11/40 for this evening, for the first time in a while. lol 3, 3, 3, 2. something like that. lol

Nice to hear from you. I msg Pat once a year and nice he has his new product.
Did I hi - jack this response?
 
#25 ·
Where does the NRA Silhouette Rulebook state that single loading is prohibited for Smallbore Rifle? I find three mentions of loading in the current book:
3.1.1 (f) Magazines: Magazines may not be loaded with more than 5 rounds.
Exception: During a Shoot Off, single cartridge loading may be used
at direction of the Range Officer.

18.9 Loading - No competitor will load a gun except at the firing point and
after command “READY” has been given by the Range Officer.
 
#29 ·
The first time I ever saw or heard of silhouette was back in the late 80's while I was trout fishing the Genesee River near Wellsville, NY. I was parked about a hundred yards from the club house of the Wellsville Rod & Gun club and while I was fishing I kept hearing loud volleys of gunfire along with loud clanging sounds. I finally put my rod away and walked over to the gun club and watched what they were doing. They were shooting IHMSA big bore silhouette. I got hooked right then and there. That was in May, and by the time June rolled around I'd gone out and bought a TC Contender in 7tcu with a 14" bbl on it. That club held the state shoot in June, one month after I first saw them shooting. I entered and was told that what ever my score was it had to be entered into the next highest class since I wasn't classified because I'd never shot before. I ended up shooting a 54 IIRC, and had to compete in AAA class. I came in second place at the state shoot in AAA my first time out. I have to add that I shot thousands of rounds of handgun a year while shooting a couple of Bill Davis custom built .357mag revolvers and I did a lot of long range shooting at woodchucks, etc before trying silhouette. I'd just never shot steel targets before. My second shoot one month later was at Silver Creek, NY, and I had gotten a 10" bbl by then and shot Standing to get classified, again shooting a 7tcu. I shot a 25x40 and started in AAA class standing. I shot for about six or seven years and finally quit when I started shooting Three Gun Matches. It was a lot of fun while it lasted. It finally died out in New York State.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I shot a 20/40 at my first NRA lever action silhouette match a couple of years ago. I shot my 20th match last month and scored a 36/40. Anyone that sees me shoot knows I do it all wrong as I use a shotgun hold with my leading hand way out on the end of the forearm. No matter how much I tried, the traditional silhouette hold with the elbow buried in the ribs and the hand on/near the receiver just doesn't work for me. Just lots of practice time at my home range and lots of ammo testing is what improved my scores.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I got a .22LR rifle and a 6-24x optic in hope of doing something like NRL22, but I can't find anything in my area, so I looked in to smallbore silhouette and my rifle meets hunter class and it seems like a lot of fun! I've tried reading as much as possible and practicing in my home dry firing.

( If your rifle is good for hunter it is also good for standard or open class, 1 rifle covers both)

How to put my hand on the forend is really messing with my head, I hate palm facing up, fist, I thought I liked thumb on trigger guard and rest it on my fingers...the range RO suggested resting it in the V of my thumb and index finger and that seemed to be very comfortable to me.

( This is very subjective to each shooter and I've seen them all used. I use split finger between index and middle finger. I find the other finger tips out thumb on the trigger guard or flat handing under the stock hold to be lacking if you have any crosswind on the line. You want it to rest solidly in your hand and form as much of a stable triangle between stock, elbow and shoulder)

I have a very hard time keeping the sight still, is it best to inhale, completely exhale and when it lowers on to the target take the shot?

(Best to inhale slowly exhale and if possible shoot between heart beats. Some people like coming up from the bottom and some the top. Personally I come down from the top or in from the side depending on conditions. Something HUGE that needs to be considered is your natural point of aim and foot placement. If you are forcing your torso to twist to get on target that is not good. Set your feet and point the rifle at a target, then close your eyes and open them and see where you are looking IE off to the right or left. Then adjust a foot slightly by opening or closing a bit, this can be a minimal as a small rotation on one heel. Repeat closed eye and see if you are still on the same line as the target. Once you have the natural relaxed point of aim set then it is just a matter of the up and down motion as discussed about breathing into the shoot up and down. One other thing is scope magnification if your hold sucks which most peoples do at first until you get more muscle memory using a higher magnification can make it seem like the target will never settle and it won't because your hold isn't there yet) NPA is crutial.

I feel like I get very anxious and I take shots I shouldn't have.

(Welcome to the club. If you are watching and waiting for the sight picture to be perfect and you JUMP on the trigger it is usually to late. The shot needs to become an automatic response when the eye see the sights on the target.)

So, my first time trying to shoot in a silhouette position I only got five hits out of 15 on a paper target of the exact size of the chicken at 40m. I did awful, but the good news is I can only go up from here!

(I started with a Remington Semi Auto rifle I did a trigger job on, AKA a nice squirrel hunting gun and shot a 8/40 IIRC. but it was enough to hook me and watching a few Master shooters shoot 35/40 or more was like a challenge for me. I upgraded to a CZ452 with a trigger job I did on it until I got to AAA and then I got a custom 1712 and 54.18 MSR so there was no excuse for a missed shot anymore :) Now I am Master Class in one SB rifle and one M score from the other rilfe. Took several years and lots of shooting to get there so keep up the practice and it will pay off)

Did anyone else do as bad as me when they first tried? Have any tips? Should I practice forming muscle memory for being on target? I will be attending my first competition in March.
UGH my replies to your questions ended up above mixed with your original post I quoted sorry. ( Sounds like you need to just do hold drills to get your muscles up to speed along with your NPA, after awhile you get to the point you can shoulder the rifle and be on target and then just a quick NPA adjustment and your good. Also, once you set your feet try not to move them except to rotate on a heel as you move down the 5 targets as the NPA will not be the same for the entire bank.)
 
#34 ·
Yes! I've found silhouette shooters to be a very welcoming and helpful bunch.
The guy next to me at a match 2 years ago was using a Marlin semi auto and had repeated FTF problems. I loaned him my backup rifle, a CZ 452 Silhouette with Sightron SII Big Sky 6-24x42 silhouette scope. I supplied him with SK Rifle Match ammo. He had a much better time shooting a bolt action... and mailed me a Cabelas gift card in thanks.

Silhouette is technically tough enough, and we could all use all the help we can get.
In my area, there are fewer and fewer clubs running matches, so I do everything I can to foster interest in the sport.

DrGunner
 
#37 ·
We are a month behind in NRA competition, and our SB Silhouette range opened up this week. I will be trying to make it to this evenings scheduled Silhouette group shoot. Our first NRA Tournament is the 3rd week in June as would be through September. Thursday eves at 5p for practice and scoring.

There is still a group of 12 with classifications with one male Master and a woman moving up! We really have a nice group of mixed class shooters. I have been absent from competition for about 5+years. At age 76, will try and come back 2020. I can shoot 40 rounds and see if can make 80 rounds tournament time. I'm still good at "CALLING." lol

It is all about the friends, helping, and the challenge!
 
#38 ·
I finally have an update!!!

Today I shot my very first match and first time shooting past 40m in a silhouette position.

Drove about 30 minutes to a BEAUTIFUL range, it felt like a little piece of paradise.

I went early to help the MD setup since I thought it would help me learn the setup and how things are ran. It was fun setting it up and I hope I can do that every match.

Unfortunately the match wasn't on the calendar, so it was only three people including myself. Two of the nicest guys I've ever met and very helpful. It was probably best to learn with less people.

At home I have been practicing holding my gun a certain way, but when I practiced at the range I completely changed it.

I started on the pigs first and I would have been happy if I would just hit one target, i'm glad I hit a lot more than 1!

60 shot match, I shot 24 in hunter and 28 in standard. I could of done a lot better but my Steyr trigger can be very tricky and I don't feel where it meets the wall.

I was pretty tired when it came to the rams and rushed a lot of shots which made me miss a ton! I had a row of 0's!

Turkeys are no joke.

I noticed i would end very quickly and I didn't try it until the very end, take a shot, unload and lower the gun, take some deep breaths, and repeat. Once I did this I ended with 5 chickens down in a row!

I had a ton of fun and I can't wait until next month!
 
#39 ·
Congratulations on your first match! Sounds like you had a great time.

Two 60-shot matches back to back is stout so don't feel bad about getting tired after a while. Two 40's can be plenty to wear you out.

Hopefully your club has a monthly match and a few practices mixed in as well. Trigger time (lots of trigger time) is key to getting better.

Savor today's experience as it will live with you the rest of your shooting career.
 
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