Long Crossers   I seem to have trouble with long crossing targets. I’ve mastered most other target presentations, but the long crossers give me fits. Why are they so difficult, and what can I do about it?   There are typically two factors that cause long targets to be problematic for some shooters: 1) Insufficient database. In the absence of experience engaging targets outside of 40 yards, the typical shooter lacks the library of subconscious site pictures required to break targets at this range. 2) Measuring. Also known as shooting to a lead or shooting to a gap; a shooter … [Read more...]

Lifting Your Head from the Stock   What is the secret to keeping one's head on the stock? When I raise my head, I miss. I can't seem to stop it, and it's very frustrating.   Shooters who have trouble with head lifting usually premount or mount to the shoulder first instead of mounting to the cheek first. The first and best thing you can do to prevent head lifting is to mount to the cheek first, instead of the shoulder. If a shooter properly mounts to the cheek first and maintains the weight of the gun in the hands throughout execution of the target pair, it is virtually … [Read more...]

Barrel Draggers   I tend to ride the target a lot. I seem to always pull the trigger later than I want to and later than I plan to. How can I fix that?   You have identified one of the key principles in successful clay target shooting: commitment to break point. A clay target changes speed and direction from the time it exits the trap to the moment it hits the ground. A quartering target, for example, undergoes significant "personality changes" throughout its flight path. A quartering target thrown from a trap located 25 yards to the right of a shooting stand and thrown at a … [Read more...]

Hearing Loss   Why do the older shooters that have been shooting for a lifetime all seem to have hearing problems? Am I at risk for hearing loss?   The short answer is, yes. It is important to understand a few basic facts about hearing loss: 1) Hearing loss is cumulative. Damage to your hearing occurs over a person's lifetime. 2) Hearing loss can be somewhat hereditary. 3) Hearing protection (plugs or muffs) reduces exposure to damaging sounds from the shotgun, but no hearing protection can eliminate the risk of damage. 4) The only way to completely eliminate the risk of … [Read more...]

Gun Fit   I notice that some top shots don't have their head on the gun when they shoot. They "soft mount" the gun and don't bring their head to the gun. I'm guessing the shooter's eye is well over the rib, yet I saw in your gun-fitting video that you recommend that the shooter's eyeball be perched on the rib like a marble on a table. Can you explain?   Let's start with the premise that a shooter must be able to see targets over the shotgun and that the shotgun should shoot where the shooter is looking. When I am performing a gun fitting and checking the fit of a particular … [Read more...]