From the Lions' Den - A freestylers' journey.

LionOfNarnia

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Hindsight Revelation-
In future, I'll treat the Stafford not as a long-range indoor event, but rather as easy preparation for the start of the outdoor season - using skinny arrows & heavier poundage limbs etc. The X-Busters, even at 41#, just don't do it at 30 m like they do at 20 yds. Like driving a black taxi on the motorway ;)
GREEN LANE STAFFORD 15th March 2020
"The one that got away"

So, I had to guess at the vertical for the first sighter end, based on last years' outdoor marks. BOY was I off! Had to go an extra 15 turns for the 2nd end, was still low left.

First scoring end was a very disappointing 12.

But that was as bad as it got, as the ends passed I got the vertical nailed down pretty quickly. However the horizontal soon ran into end-stop issues & I spent a few ends aiming off before taking the plunge, whipping out my Allen key & screwing the pin out an extra 5mm or so.

I made it to the half-time break on 241, not feeling I was consistent enough on release - by the time my brain said 'shoot', the sights had already floated off to blue or even the odd black. Not great, really.

The second half felt much better, groups were getting tighter & scores improving. Then came the first shot of the 20th end...

I have absolutely ZERO idea of the why, it felt like a perfectly good shot to me but by the time the arrow reached the boss it was 2" right & at floor level. It slammed into the 'master' junction box for the target lights & plunged the whole range into darkness :eek:

I thought it best not to show how much I saw the funny side of it, as time ticked on & the amateur sparkies struggled to perform a fix. Took a full 15 minutes, and a re-route of the power feed down the left edge of the range, before the lights came on again & the end continued.

It didn't get to me though, and I finished the round pretty strongly 28-26-24 for a 257 and a total of 498. No errors this time, all properly checked.

- DAMN that unexplained miss!

Seems the archery godz have decreed that I won't get that coveted 1st compo 500 this indoor season. BarStewards!

But I did win what I hope will be an excellent bottle of wine in the raffle (for some weird reason I just don't fancy any alky-hol tonight)

Gold 2 Green Lane RAFFLE 15mar20.jpg


Oh yeah - and they gave me this too...

Gold 2 Green Lane 15mar20.jpg

Which is my second gold of the season, and a really nice way to end it :D
 
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Emmadragon

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Yay! for the gold (and the wine)...but who in their right minds puts any kind of junction box anywhere near a shooting line?! Or vice versa.
I had that happen at the field last week - the arrow jumped off the arrow rest just as I released. Cue a lot of looking around in the grass...
 

LionOfNarnia

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So yeah, the wine was absolutely delicious last night but the bottle just wasn't anywhere near big enough - as usual ;)

I've been over and over 'that arrow' in my mind since Sunday & the only thing that seems to be a possibility is that - just maybe - I nocked it above the top nocking point instead of below. I've never done that before but it's the only thing that would send a 'good release' on that low a trajectory. I'm confident that there was no 'mechanical failure' or that the arrow came off the shelf. History now anyway, not gonna lose sleep over it.

Anyhoo, with todays' announcement from AGB I've taken the big step of ordering a 90cm foam target package from Egertec tonight. £142.50 inc stand, pins, targets, P&P and a bonus 'novelty target' pack. Best value out there atm & the special prices are available until 15th April. It's wiped me out for the rest of the month, but as I won't have to spend £65+ on petrol, and I already have a 6-month supply of bog paper (= 4 rolls!) I reckon I can survive it.

I've also written to the owner of the land in front of my wee cottage for permission to shoot there. It was the (small) car park for the long-closed Conservative club, I reckon there are 2 places/directions where I can safely shoot 20 yds. I'll do some pix in daylight (if it's stopped raining!) so you lovely people can make (hopefully) constructive comments about which range to choose & what else might be needed in order to make it sufficiently safe to satisfy all concerned. Between the target arriving & getting permission to shoot, I'll have to be content with shooting from my living room (high ceiling) through to the wall between the bedroom doors - maybe just shy of 9 yds max. I've already de-tuned (wound out) Magaera by 5# as I can't see me shooting WA720 distances until Spring 2021 now.

Even if the rest of the year is a total write-off as far as 'organised' archery goes, I'll still be able to keep up my form & arrow count - which could prove to be quite an advantage when things return to normality (Says he, trying to look on the bright side ;) ).

So that's me now, under 'social distancing' for the duration to protect me from the lurgy as I'm (at least) on the cusp of being a 'vulnerable person'. Here's a copy of the poster on my door, feel free to print it for y'sels if you feel the need...

Self Isolation Poster.jpg

Stay safe, archers. 'This too will pass' :D
 

Emmadragon

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Well, I did say 'or vice versa'... :) :unsure: Still seems like a very stupid thing to do to me, but then, I don't know the venue concerned.
 

LionOfNarnia

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For clarity, the bosses were illuminated by floor mounted LED spots, one to each boss, gaffer-taped down, which were daisy-chained from the RH edge of the hall using small plug-in JBs, so the one on my boss was the first in the chain. The JBs were behind the bosses & didn't get in the way of retrieval. I DO NOT consider that this was 'bad design' by the host club. Just pure chance, with a very low probability, that this happened.
 

Big George

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For clarity, the bosses were illuminated by floor mounted LED spots, one to each boss, gaffer-taped down, which were daisy-chained from the RH edge of the hall using small plug-in JBs, so the one on my boss was the first in the chain. The JBs were behind the bosses & didn't get in the way of retrieval. I DO NOT consider that this was 'bad design' by the host club. Just pure chance, with a very low probability, that this happened.
Murphy laughs at very low probability and always takes it as a challeng.
 

LionOfNarnia

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Home (on the) Range 2020

First thing, before anyone jumps in with AGB 'approved range' stuff, is to remember that this is NOT ever gonna be a club or public range, it's purely somewhere for me to continue shooting during the AGB shutdown.

Second thing, I will be working with the landowner to add whatever 'extra precautions' are deemed necessary - backstop boards, netting etc - before any shooting takes place.

Third, I will be taking out public liability insurance with gunplan.co.uk - it's less than £19/yr for £10 million of cover.

Fourth, I will have an unrestricted view of all possible 'public access' routes onto & off the property enabling me to hold fast before anyone is put at risk. I will be contacting all properties that could possibly be affected in advance & will be sensitive & responsive to any concerns they may have.

OK then. I have 3 options for target placement. This is 'option 2' & is probably the safest. It's 20 yds from shooting line to target, this is from the shooting line....

Option 2 from line.jpg

...and this is a closer view of the former smoking area where the target will be placed. The brown door is access to the residential part of the club, which has been empty since the club closed 2 years ago.

Option 2 side.jpg

This pic covers options 1 & 3. The longest range I can possibly shoot is on option 1 which would be 25.6 yds, the target would be placed just to the right of the big white sign-board (Which can easily be turned into an 'archery in progress' sign.) The obvious 'biggest issue' with option 1 is the archway. Option 2, with a maximum range of 20.2 yds, would see the target placed roughly where the green bin/shopping trolley are now.

Option 1 & 2  from line.jpg

Here's a closer look at option 1, the white door is the emergency exit from the pool room.

Option 1 close.jpg

That's about as much as I can do or say until I've heard back from the owner - I made my case on a 3-page 'open office' document which should be delivered in the morning but I still expect face-to-face negotiations to be needed before I get any go-head.

The target package is expected on Wednesday, I'm confident enough in the stopping power of the foam to plan to shoot indoors (8 yds) as soon as it's assembled so I'm not totally screwed even if negotiations prove 'difficult'.

- think I'll be moving my sight-bar up a notch too, as I won't be shooting any Super Albions in the foreseeable ;)
 

Emmadragon

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Personally, I'd go with the target in the smoking area option, with something else behind the smoking hut back wall - at least a couple of hay bales would be favourite, I would think. Just too many opportunities for numpties to wander accidentally through the archway for my liking with the other options, unless there's a solid gate you can draw across, and even then, I'd be reluctant to shoot in that direction. Too many doors to potentially be opened, too, even if it's an unoccupied building. I've always found property owners pop up at the most unexpected moments.
I think your recent experience with the lighting system just proves that if it can go wrong, it will.
Also, be wary of the stopping power of concrete - I was shooting a 30# bow at 20 yds and had an aluminium arrow go straight through the pre-cast concrete wall of the garage behind my target boss. The owner of the garage was not a happy man, although fortunately he wasn't in there at the time.
 

KidCurry

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My first thought is that's a lot of windows. My second thought is how will you get there without making an unnecessary journey?
 
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LionOfNarnia

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how will you get there
LOL that's my car (Micra) in the third pic, the wee bungalow is mine, so it's only about an eight yard walk from my front door to the firing line for option 2 - and less than 2 yards if I just step outside from the sliding door in the living room, which is normal once the weather gets warm.


target in the smoking area option
Yes, that's the safest, and also the 'nicest'. Easiest to hang a net on too, and being covered the boss could stay there semi-permanently. No worries about theft or chav-f*ckery, it's a very safe part of a generally very safe little market town - the kind of place where peeps look out for each other.

I don't think penetration will be an issue, as you see all the dwellings are built from foot-thick local stone here in the old town, I doubt whether even a rifle could get through them! The club extensions are brick under all that pebble-dash and were built by the owner - his 'day job' is a builder, the most-respected in the area, so it should be right. I won't be using alloys, it'll either be X-Busters or maybe ACEs so any 'sin' will be instantly expensive.

As to the doors, that brown door was/is the only 'staff entrance' so no-one can come out of it without going in first, which I will see. There is a single 'punter' entrance on the main street but that has always been secured from the inside. As the owner will be fully aware of what's going on, and has to drive through the arch to get here, he can 'pop up' without danger.
 

olis

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The archway makes anything in that direction a complete no I would say.
If I was lucky enough to have that private outdoor space I would choose to shoot diagonally from the traffic cone to the shopping trolley, you don't need to shoot a full distance for practice. I would suggest shooting a 40cm at 12 yards for a pretend Portsmouth if you really want to score.
We blew our Spanish holiday refund on a full size boss so that we can blank bale in our terrace house garden at a distance of 12 feet without alarming our close neighbours too much. Form practice is much much better than nothing and might end up being beneficial.
Stay Well!
 

LionOfNarnia

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Have you had a look at szetech.co.uk/targetmaker ?

I've already printed out a 70m simulation for 8 yds (about 13.5cm across) & a 100m simulation for 20 yds (14 cm across for 6 zones) so I'm ready for outdoor season if things don't go as badly as feared.

My intention is to get in at least 400 arrows/week, weather permitting.

I reckon I could shoot a dozen arrows deliberately through the archway without hitting anything other than asphalt - but I agree that the 'smoking shelter' option is probably the preferable one, for several reasons.

- Just waiting for the target, and the owner now. Although my club hasn't officially cancelled tomorrow nights' session as yet. Remember, they're Geordies!
 

LionOfNarnia

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Just had word from the club-

No more indoor shooting, but - subject to DNAA approval - the intention is to start outdoor sessions from Friday 10th April.
 

ThomVis

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I reckon I could shoot a dozen arrows deliberately through the archway without hitting anything other than asphalt
It's the one accidental arrow that lands in a breathing body that gets you. And our sport if an overzealous official gets a knee-jerk reaction.
 

LionOfNarnia

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...one accidental arrow...
Yes, that's all it takes - but I hope I've shown that my intention is to take 'risk assessment & mitigation' pretty damned seriously - and I'll bet a Core Pulse against a W&W TFT-G that a large proportion of 'new home shooters', globally, won't. I'm already wincing at some of the pix that have been posted on the new FB group 'Beat the Outbreak Online Archery League'

Like this one - 18m in France

Unsafe range.jpg

I think my plans are massively safer than this, yes?
 

LionOfNarnia

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Excellent article on Bow International about competitions & how to make the most of them...


Hoping my Egertech foam boss arrives safely tomorrow & I can start shooting again while we have the weather for it - I have about half-dozen 'simulated' long distance targets printed out already - even though the package contains a pack of 80cm FITA ones & a pack of 'fun' targets.
 

LionOfNarnia

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Well, my living room is a bit more crowded this morning...

Boss.jpg

...but hopefully this afternoon, it'll be out on the car park getting holes punched in it.

Soon, I'll be taking my fortnightly 'major shop' trip to Hexham - Iceland, Aldi & Pets@Home - but I'm not expecting it to be as smooth a trip as the last time, nor to be able to get all my 'first choice' on everything. Hey, we're all having to make sacrifices these days so no complaints.

- Unless I can't get a kilo of smoked bacon from Iceland, that's the one thing that I'd be really pressed to do without.

I still have 3 days of main meals (one frozen fish & a smokey), but no bread, baked beans, frozen veg, rice or pasta. One portion of frozen chips left, and one packet of instant mash powder. Merlin can go about a week on what's in the cupboard but it makes no sense to have to make a separate trip next week just for him.

Only worry - will the car start after 2 weeks of not moving?

I'm taking a really good facemask, goggles & gloves with me. Makes me feel a bit bad that I have better PPEs than essential front-line people, but I've had it for years. A relic of the days of 'indoor gardening', actually bought to protect me from virucidal sprays.

Mask.jpg
 
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