Pointing vs. Aiming I was a rifle shooter before I started shooting a shotgun, and I struggle with ‘pointing’ vs. ‘aiming.’ How can I get out of the habit of aiming? Having grown up shooting and competing in small-bore rifle, I can sympathize. Most shooters, with a little practice, will progress to a point where applying sharp visual focus to the target is natural. There are two techniques I would recommend you employ to avoiding aiming. First, increase the intensity of your focus. Just as a batter tries to “see the threads” on a 90 mph fastball, the sporting clays … [Read more...]
Ask the Instructor: Cutoffs
Cutoffs I’ve been having trouble figuring out a low, incoming, quartering target, the type that is on edge and starts dropping and going right or left before it hits the ground about 30 yards out. Because it is coming mostly straight at me until it loses speed, it feels like I am aiming when acquiring the target. What technique do you suggest? Cutoff and collapse is the technique I find the most effective on the presentation you describe. The most common reasons for a miss on this type of target are: a lack of commitment to the break point; too much lateral movement at the … [Read more...]
Ask the Instructor: FITASC Mount
FITASC Mount In FITASC, is the first move to the target a bayonet move, or is the first move a lift with both hands to the cheek and break point as you match gun speed to target speed? I don’t like the term “bayonet move” because it implies that we should thrust our shotgun at the target and shift our balance to the front foot — which is ill-advised. Allow me to rephrase your question to the following: As we mount the shotgun in FITASC, should we mount and move simultaneously using both hands to move to the cheek and break point, or should we use a more aggressive, … [Read more...]
Ask the Instructor: Barrel Length
Barrel Length When I first started shooting skeet 40 years ago, everyone shot a 26-inch barrel. Now 28-, 30-, 32- and even 34-inch are the popular lengths. My sporting clays guns have 28- and 30-inch barrels. What is the difference in breaking targets? My 28-inch will reach out as far as needed for standard targets. Is the sighting plane or lead different with a longer barrel? Ballistically speaking, there is no difference in shooting a shotgun with a 28-inch barrel length versus a 34-inch barrel except that the wad and shot exit the barrel 6 inches earlier. The decision on … [Read more...]
Ask the Instructor: Eye Shift
Eye Shift While shooting sporting clays with a low gun, should the eyes alone shift when moving from the hold point to the pickup point? Or should the head move so the nose is pointing at the pickup point and the eyes remain centered? Proper shot execution requires acute visual focus and a head and muzzle that are synchronized with the target through the break point. Movement to a target must include an acute visual fix on the target, together with a brief period prior to shot execution when the head is quiet and synchronized relative to the target. There is plenty of … [Read more...]
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