Senior shooter

[irod]

The moral leader of my club is 80 years old, and he still shooting. But due his age he is loosing the hold to shoot accurately. He is using a 54MS in a featherweigth highly skeletonized stock, and a Leupold 6.5 to 21X scope.

Any idea to help my friend, if not to increase his scores, at least maintain it.?

Thanks!

[OnaginOffagin]

I'm seventy-two, and slipping! But, like your friend, I still love the game although it's not my primary passion..... I would suggest consistent, light exercise..... hill-walking if he's able, and resistance training with light weights, dumbbells........ I'd have him do curls, incline presses, squats holding the dumbbells.... even walking around holding the dumbbells at arms length down his side ...... Eastern European countries train their international shooters with heavy weights..... a trained muscle just holds steadier, I think.

I don't know what magnification he's using, but he might try dialing it down a little to quiet the jumps...... I use to shoot at 20X, 24X, and now I'm down to 12 or 10.......

The real issue is that he may have trouble accepting the fact that he's aging (as if it was a disgrace!) and not reaching his top scores..... I had great trouble with that, until my wife said one day, "If you're gonna continue to shoot, you have to find some value in it other than score......" For some reason, that cleared everything up..... I get my enjoyment now just participating, just being among the silhouette shooters, who are some of the best people I've ever known. Good luck to him!

[irod]

He accept the facts of his age, he is a Doctor, and knows the effects of aging, but he have a very strong spirit. And actually he was a great pistol shooter, his original passion.

Can you share with us the set up uf your rifle?, the balance? weigth?, of curse, if is not an indiscretion...

Thanks Sire :.

[OnaginOffagin]

Easy, nothing special...... smallbore: Anschutz 1712 featherweight, Steve Wooster stock, Leupold 6-18, 7 pounds. 2 ozs.
highpower: Remington 700, Rem 260, factory barrel, Steve Wooster stock, Leupold 12, 7 pounds, 8 ozs.

I shoot Hunter guns in both classes....... they feel almost identical...... I'm shooting fairly high double A scores in smallbore, and scratching away at AAA again, the highest level I achieved twenty years ago..... but shooting is not my main passion. I also have a Goldwing motorcycle and a wife that rides with me, and I ski patrol during the winter. Silhouette is a great hobby, one that I can practice at home with dry-firing and air gun; I plan to shoot it until I can no longer hold the rifle up for 2.5 minutes!

[bjkramer]

It may help to buy a PCP air rifle to practice with at home. I'm 68 years old and find the Kimber HS is a good gun for the older shooter or for any shooter for that matter. They are hard to find but well worth the effort. Be sure it's the Hunter-Silhouette model.

[cedestech]

Is his problem weight or steadiness? If weight he could rebarrel to a Lija fluted. If he doesn't mind his scores not counting lighten the trigger to a weight he likes and shoot it in Hunter anyway or use a proper rifle sling?

Honestly I have probably peeked at AAA and I'm only 45. There are things I can't (or have no urge to do now) that I could at 25 and I am sure there are things I can do now that I won't be able to at 75. FWIW, my father is 80 this year and he looses a step now and then but will still out work my arse any day of the week, he just takes a nap or two more.... ;) Sounds like your friend knows his limitations and if that is so then adapt to them. It's about having fun.

Do ya'll have a CLA match? CLA is easier to hit more animals but the classification breaks are higher to make it even. I shoot it a bit better then small bore and I think it's because I don't get as wound up with iron sights on larger animals then I do looking through a scope. You have more peripheral vision and it's easier to keep your balance. For me that is a big deal.

Good luck and good luck to your friend.

[irod]

Excuse my ignorance... but what is CLA?. By the way, we live in México and rigth now we only shoot silohuette. Txs!

[AMB]

CLA = Cowboy Lever Action