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...]

Dirty Choke Tubes   I get a significant amount of plastic residue on the inside of my screw-in choke tubes after a couple of hundred targets. Is there a technique you might recommend to clean the chokes?   Everyone seems to have his or her favorite chokes and cleaner. For traditional metal/aluminum chokes, I find that soaking them in Slip 2000 for at least 20 minutes and later running a wire brush through them is the most efficient way to clean them. While I have not personally tried them (but have many students and friends that use them), Muller Chokes seem to be a … [Read more...]

Visual Pick-up Point   Can you go over the process of picking where your eye should be during the pre-shoot routine and where the barrel should be? Should I look beyond the flight path? An instructor told me it's better to focus way out than in because it takes one's eyes longer to focus out than in.   The visual pick-up point is the spot along the target's flight path at which the eyes should settle when the shooter is in the ready position and calls for the target. While there is no hard-and-fast rule, it is important to be intentional about your visual pick-up point. What … [Read more...]

Progressing   What are your thoughts about an amateur shooter who shoots every other weekend as far as his ability to develop and improve through the various ability levels? How long does it normally take for an athletic 55-year-old man to develop to AA or Master levels?   I coach shooters with a wide variety of personalities and personal situations. My observation is that there are five factors that affect the rate at which a shooter progresses, assuming gun fit and eye dominance have been properly addressed. These five factors are: 1) commitment level, 2) resources (time, … [Read more...]

Where To Look   Where should my eye be during the pre-shot planning, and where should the barrel be in relation to my peripheral vision? How far out from the trap should I set the visual pick-up point? Should I look at the trap or not?   The "visual pick-up point" is the location of your eyes at the moment you call for the target. The ideal visual pick-up point will largely depend on the given target presentation; however, there are some general principles one should follow. Your visual pick-up point: 1) ...should be farther away from the trap than the spot at which the … [Read more...]