Sticky Guns   My gun will occasionally get hung up on my shirt. Every so often, it causes me to miss a target in competition. What can I do?   If you tend to stand upright or lean back a bit when you mount your shotgun, try a stance that’s a little more “nose-over-toes.” You want 60% of your weight on the front foot with your nose out over your toes. If you are in the proper stance, the issue is likely your attire or your buttpad. A vest with a leather or imitation leather shoulder pad will often eliminate this issue. There are plenty of options for these types of … [Read more...]

  Torquing   I notice that I tend to twist my gun when I mount so that the bottom barrel is slightly to the right of my top barrel. Is that a bad thing? If so, what causes it and how can I fix it?   Twisting of your shotgun, or “torquing,” is usually caused by either your mount mechanics or a gun fit issue. How significantly it affects your point of impact depends on how severe the torquing is. Let’s assume that you are mounting the gun properly and the issue is gun-fit related. Over the years, with a bit of trial and error, I’ve narrowed this problem down to one or more … [Read more...]

  Measuring Crossers   I keep fighting the temptation to look in front of a slow-moving crosser rather than looking at the target. Most times, I check the lead and miss. What can I do to reprogram my mind?   There are a couple of possible answers. You might simply need more practice to develop the confidence required to maintain focus and visual follow-through on crossing targets. It could also be that the technique you are using (sustained lead) is not the best fit for you on this particular presentation. While there is nothing wrong with sustained lead as a technique (I … [Read more...]

  New Barrels   I am swapping my K-80 barrels for a set of Parcours barrels and should have them in the next couple of weeks. I tried shooting my friend's Parcours and was quite impressed. I would appreciate your insight/opinion on how my current K-80 will handle with a 34-inch Parcours barrels.    Many Krieghoff shooters like the lighter weight of the Parcours barrels as compared to the K-80 barrels. That said, there are two potential issues you might run up against when you swap your K-80 barrels for the Parcours barrels (I consulted with Kemble duPont of … [Read more...]

  Different Strokes   I am a fairly new sporting clays shooter. I hear people talk about different techniques for breaking targets. Why do I need to use different techniques?   Sporting clays and other clay target sports evolved from bird hunting. Most live birds are engaged in mid-flight. In the early years of sporting clays, the trajectories and behavior of airborne clay targets were designed to mimic that of birds in flight. Arguably, a bird hunter needs only one or two “moves” or techniques to down most birds in flight. As our sport has evolved, so has throwing machine … [Read more...]