Imperial 4: Daily Mail (500yds), 2+15

This match was a bit of a tragedy. Because of the previous issues with my jacket, I attached a "bulldog" clip to the collar of my coat to help me identify exactly where to place the butt in my shoulder (since the new rifle butt/jacket combo is a bit harder to put together properly).

Here's the offending clip:

See that little arm. Guess what happens when it lies flat under the butt of the rifle (and you don't notice). This:

The ruination of a perfectly good shoot. All on me. The tiny knot of three shots in the upper left are a result of the very very odd recoil of the rifle when it lay across that spring clip. After the 2nd time it happened (shot 6) I was still wondering whether I had "shouldered" the shot into the high left. But I saw the movement in my sights in recoil and it was very dramatic (rocket-propelled even).

So I took very careful aim, let off a perfect shot and put it in the center v-bull of the next door target - scoring a zero.

All in all, I was down 8 points for this error. I have dropped in the standings from my very creditable 200th place (with 7 points lost over two days) to 484th (about mid-way in the order). One of my goals had been to earn my "A" card - top 150 in the Grand which would seem about right for me in an decent year with no big mistakes.

Well, I've had my big mistake and there is still some very tough shooting to come. Nothing to be done about it but pick myself up and (1) learn from the experience, and (2) try to do as well as I can in the remaining 9 (minimum) matches.

This will be a test of my "new" attitude - that Bisley is about the people and the experience and not just the score. I guess the Universe just gives you what it thinks you need to grow..