Join NSSA or Renew Join NSCA or Renew WHY Should You Join the National Skeet Shooting Association and the National Sporting Clays Association? The NSSA-NSCA is dedicated to the development of the sports at all levels of participation and vows to create an atmosphere of healthy competition and meaningful fellowship within its membership. The NSSA-NSCA also offers the hunter a recreational target shooting sport that will strengthen hunting and gun safety skills and extend hunting seasons. As a member of the NSSA-NSCA, the fun, friendship, and … [Read more...]
Search Results for: target talk
Ask the Instructor: Different Strokes
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...]
Gun Weight
Gun Weight "I’m a Senior Super Veteran sporting clays shooter, and my shotgunweighs about 10 pounds. At times, halfway through a hundred targets my gun starts to feels slightly sluggish in my move to particular targets. Would I benefit from a lighter gun, and if so, whatwould be a suggested weight?" What you are feeling is a lack of maneuverability. Weight and balance are the two elements of a shot- gun’s maneuverability.What’s the ideal weight? This is highly individualized; however, I talk to many older shooters with 9+ pound guns looking for something lighter. If you … [Read more...]
The Z
The Z "I’ve heard you talk about a ‘Z.’ What is the Z, and how should we plan for a target pair?" One fundamental principle of shotgunning is that gun movement between hold points and break points should always be straight lines. We plan these straight-line movements during pre-shot planning. When shooting pairs, the movement of our shotgun should be three straight lines between four points — like a Z. As you call for the target pair, you initiate your move from your initial hold point. You move to the break point of target #1,then to the hold point of target #2 and … [Read more...]
Hartmann’s Hints: Choosing an Instructor
Choosing an Instructor A few days ago, I was practicing with a friend who is an NSSA Certified Instructor, and during a short break, he told me of a gentleman he's been coaching. His student took lessons about a year ago from a so-called instructor that set him up on a path toward failure. It has taken this new instructor several lessons for the student to un-learn much of what this previous person had tried to teach him. It always surprises me when a new or even an experienced shotgun shooter doesn't at least ask others about the capability of the person he's … [Read more...]
