Look at the Target There seems to be a tendency for newer shooters (as well as some very experienced shooters) to occasionally look at their shotgun's barrel just as they get ready to pull the trigger, thus losing sight of the target. This usually makes them shoot behind the target. I firmly believe that if you see the target, you can hit it, but you must really see it. Many years ago I was told by Roman Warren, an excellent skeet and trap shooter, to try and read the writing on the target. This hint made me really look at the target. Of course, hitting the target only happens … [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...]
Hartmann’s Hint #48: Good Pulls, Bad Pulls
Good Pulls, Bad Pulls Recently at a local shoot, there were a couple of fields that had "wireless pickles." I shot on one of the fields and perceived no difference in the quality of the pulls, but another shooter on a later squad felt that he was getting "slow pulls." His first round was straight, but he still didn't like the wireless model. The referee changed to the wired pickle for the second and subsequent rounds, and the squad finished without problems. After my hint regarding referees, I had a couple of readers send me emails commenting on the article. One of them was from … [Read more...]
Hartmann’s Hint #46: Wasting Targets
Wasting Targets At a recent registered shoot, I saw a squad look at targets for over 15 minutes before they started their round. The lead-off was a well-known and respected skeet shooter. As the referee approached the field, she let it go on for a few more minutes before saying something to the shooters about wasting targets. This young lady is an excellent referee and did the right thing by speaking up. The targets cost about 10 or 15 cents each. I'm certain someone out there will give me the actual per-unit cost, but you get the idea. Whatever the cost actually is, this … [Read more...]
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