First shot hits the bull, then-

[Roundball 54]

Many years ago someone handed me a Diana Grade Browning O/U Trap gun (unmentionable mentioned to make point, no offense intended.) I shot 50 straight with it. Well above my average.

I have picked up a new flintlock and shot the lights out with it first time out. This has happened more than once.

I shot a small bore match with another shooter's rifle as he was struggling. All tens and Xs.

Never has Round Two been as successful as the examples above. It is referred to in match shooting circles as "new gun syndrome." For your entertainment, here is a link to a discussion about the syndrome. "New Gun" syndrome...

ADK Bigfoot

I know there must be something to this because almost every time l pick up someone else's rifle to see how it holds on target , it seems to hold steadier than my own. Talk about the mental aspects of shooting !

 

[Gsyme]

Roundball; I've only been shooting for about a year and half and brand new to BP. So I read all the advice you folks give and have learned much already. To keep you posted, I just made a 3 shot group of .75" at 25 yards. My best with my .45 Kentucky so far. Also got my 55 yard group from 10" down to 3+.

A long way to go but I'm figuring it out.

ADK Bigfoot: that link was an excellent discussion and I think it applies to so many sports and disciplines.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

I learned target shooting way back when the earth was a lot younger. Literally hours with a spent shell in the breech. Became a pretty fair shot, jacket full of various patches, etc.
Then life got in the way and I didn't squeeze a trigger for several decades.
And I got introduced - again - to muzzle loaders, first percussion, then flint. Now, you can practice with a percussion easily, with a spent cap on the nipple.
But - hard to do with a flint lock!
Then I heard a comment from a guy who would put a piece of wood in the cock jaws if he was where other people were, as they invariably would play with the lock.
So, I got a scrap of ebony, though any decent hardwood will do, and made myself several batches of hardwood "flints", and took to keeping one of the "flints" in, and I could practice at home without doing harm to the lock. Enabled me to learn to "tune" the lock also - what makes it smoother,. what makes it a bit scratchy-feeling.
And that small bit of ebony even LOOKS like a flint!
Good luck with your shooting. Get totally relaxed, and enjoy it.

 

[Roundball 54]

Many years ago someone handed me a Diana Grade Browning O/U Trap gun (unmentionable mentioned to make point, no offense intended.) I shot 50 straight with it. Well above my average.

I have picked up a new flintlock and shot the lights out with it first time out. This has happened more than once.

I shot a small bore match with another shooter's rifle as he was struggling. All tens and Xs.

Never has Round Two been as successful as the examples above. It is referred to in match shooting circles as "new gun syndrome." For your entertainment, here is a link to a discussion about the syndrome. "New Gun" syndrome...

ADK Bigfoot

Roundball; I've only been shooting for about a year and half and brand new to BP. So I read all the advice you folks give and have learned much already. To keep you posted, I just made a 3 shot group of .75" at 25 yards. My best with my .45 Kentucky so far. Also got my 55 yard group from 10" down to 3+.

A long way to go but I'm figuring it out.

ADK Bigfoot: that link was an excellent discussion and I think it applies to so many sports and disciplines.

Thats great ! Glad to hear you are making progress. Shooting is much like most other things in life, you get out what you put in . Stick with it , keep working at it and you will get to where you want to be .

 

[ppb]

I think it's important to know what you/your rifle can do with a clean, cold bore.

Some ML shooters consider the first shot from a clean, cold bore a "fouling" shot and look for the following shots to give a better representation of the rifles performance.