doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shotgun technique: sustained lead or pass through

No question about that, buzz! My best yearly average competing was in '08. I can really tell a difference in the last 4 years.

I refuse to bow down it, though!!

SRH

It's never been analysis or deep thinking for me. Terms here weren't used when I started shooting. We knew that the shot had to intercept the bird's flight, that's all. And so we missed and had some wonderful surprises. It's always been the day and the dog and the company and the laughs---and it's the misses that I remember with inner smiles. The birds that came home are forgotten.

Classic

Beautifully said, King. You are absolutely right that it's the ones that got away that our memories treasure. And the fellowship that we share in the field is also far more precious than any bird in the pocket.

Gnomon,

Some years ago, I had cataract surgery on both eyes. Now have 20/20 distance vision, but no ability to "focus" on the target, and my skeet scores have gone into the tank. But my ability to hit a game bird is still very good.

Clay, I've never shot skeet in my life but mightn't color be a new-found problem? Have you tried different tinted glasses? Color affects distance perception because different wavelengths are focussed at different distances and normally your eye accommodates and sends this info to your brain but once we get new lenses we no longer can do that so lose that info.

Depending on ho long ago you had the cataracts removed you may eventually compensate. I did.

It's a damned nuisance, isn't it?

That is classic. And I agree fully as far as game shooting goes. I have been known, on numerous occasions, to bow and tip my hat at a dove that "beats" me. They will pull some evasive maneuvers that can only be admired by one who loves and respects them.

Target shooting is no kin, however. If a competitive target shooter is not out there intending to break every bird, every bird, he probably shouldn't be competing. It may seem like a conundrum, but both mindsets can, and do, exist within the same person. I know, I are one.

SRH

Very interesting topic!

I am by no means a perfect shot and am primarily a bird hunter. I guess I shoot "well enough" because I get asked to gun for training seminars, field trials, and hunt tests.

Like most guys I suppose, I put my fair share of practice in on the skeet field, which I have been shooting off and on for 20 years. I have never shot in competition or on a league. That being said, I am a mid 80s- to low 90s skeet shooter depending on the day and the gun. I have shot sporting clays and 5-stand a few times and find trap too predictable (even wobble trap).

I shoot mostly low gun, using the move, mount, and shoot technique and shoot different target presentations using swing through, spot shot, and pull-away methods. I am not really interested in sustained lead (which I will use once in while) or the collapsing lead since my goal is kill birds with unpredictable flight paths, not repetitive clays. I have also played quite a bit with hold points in relationship to picking the target, body position, hand position, and gun speed (all very interesting topics).

For those who shoot sporting clays and skeet, I am interested in hearing more about the pull-away method. How often do you use it? Do you find it more effective than other methods? How does gun speed apply to the pull-away method? Are there ticks or helpful ways to pick up the flight line of the target and till stay out front?

Finally, if anyone knows of a good instructor in the Sacramento area, I'd like to hear about them. I would like to improve my skeet scores into the low to mid 90s and feel like I have hit a plateau. Changing guns (from O/Us to SxSs) probably doesn't help.

To me, the above is gospel.

(A distinction should be made between live bird shooting and clays. One constant/variable speed, the other decreasing.)

JC

Gnomon,

Getting old is not for sissies!