Reggio Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 So we went out today and messed around a bit looking for some hares and/or grouse.. nadda toward the end of the outing, we decided to launch some clays and I sucked really bad.. only hit one out of 18 or 20.. they were hand launched... I'm am a little discouraged after that.. how can I improve my shooting? What might I be doing wrong? I was shooting 2 3/4" 7.5... keep in mind I am very new to the sport of hunting... any help would be greatly appreciated.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobtanium Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 So we went out today and messed around a bit looking for some hares and/or grouse.. nadda toward the end of the outing, we decided to launch some clays and I sucked really bad.. only hit one out of 18 or 20.. they were hand launched... I'm am a little discouraged after that.. how can I improve my shooting? What might I be doing wrong? I was shooting 2 3/4" 7.5... keep in mind I am very new to the sport of hunting... any help would be greatly appreciated.. Pattern your weapon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggio Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 Pattern your weapon. Can you elaborate.. u mean set up a target to see how my shot pattern is? I suspect that it was too narrow.. but the others were tying my gun and had better sucess I had a modified choke.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agm65ccip Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 So we went out today and messed around a bit looking for some hares and/or grouse.. nadda toward the end of the outing, we decided to launch some clays and I sucked really bad.. only hit one out of 18 or 20.. they were hand launched... I'm am a little discouraged after that.. how can I improve my shooting? What might I be doing wrong? I was shooting 2 3/4" 7.5... keep in mind I am very new to the sport of hunting... any help would be greatly appreciated.. 1. Pattern your gun. This means setting up some large paper/cardboard and putting a dot on it. Back up the distance you feel like you are shooting from (ie if you shoot at rabbits that are about 20 yards away back up 20 yards from your paper). Aim the gun like you are trying to hit the dot you drew and fire. See where your shot went. Repeat until satisfied. Poke around this site it is a bit more eloquent than I am: http://www.fieldandclays.com/expert_chokes.htm 2. Shooting at hand thrown targets means you are probably shooting when they are still pretty close (20ish yards), so to me you should loosen your choke. Go with something like Improved Cylinder or Cylinder if you have them. To me it is better to start with a big pattern and work tighter as you become more familiar with the gun, and it is less discouraging if you hit more often. 3. Learn to lead. If you shoot right at a moving target you will miss. Even at 1200fps shot takes an awful long time to get anywhere. You need to aim a bit in front of your target so that the shot and target will occupy the same point in space sometime in the future. In the game of skeet you have to aim as much as 1-2 feet in front of the targets in order to hit them, or else your shot will not be fast enough to catch the target. Here is another more eloquent explanation with pictures: http://www.hunter-ed.com/mi/course/ch3_leading_the_target.htm Don't worry you'll get it, just figure out where/how your gun shoots how to lead your target and put some more rounds through your gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucker301 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Much to learn you have, young Jedi. http://hunting.about.com/od/shotgun/l/aastshotgunfaqa.htm http://americangundog.com/straightshooting.html You would also do well to spend some time at the range with an experienced shooter. Words on the internet aren't going to cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggio Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 1. Pattern your gun. This means setting up some large paper/cardboard and putting a dot on it. Back up the distance you feel like you are shooting from (ie if you shoot at rabbits that are about 20 yards away back up 20 yards from your paper). Aim the gun like you are trying to hit the dot you drew and fire. See where your shot went. Repeat until satisfied. Poke around this site it is a bit more eloquent than I am: http://www.fieldandclays.com/expert_chokes.htm 2. Shooting at hand thrown targets means you are probably shooting when they are still pretty close (20ish yards), so to me you should loosen your choke. Go with something like Improved Cylinder or Cylinder if you have them. To me it is better to start with a big pattern and work tighter as you become more familiar with the gun, and it is less discouraging if you hit more often. 3. Learn to lead. If you shoot right at a moving target you will miss. Even at 1200fps shot takes an awful long time to get anywhere. You need to aim a bit in front of your target so that the shot and target will occupy the same point in space sometime in the future. In the game of skeet you have to aim as much as 1-2 feet in front of the targets in order to hit them, or else your shot will not be fast enough to catch the target. Here is another more eloquent explanation with pictures: http://www.hunter-ed.com/mi/course/ch3_leading_the_target.htm Don't worry you'll get it, just figure out where/how your gun shoots how to lead your target and put some more rounds through your gun Excellent suggestions! Thanks.. I do have an IC choke... Doesn't help that one of the guys poked fun at me! It can get discouraging!! lol! Will try the lead too.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggio Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Much to learn you have, young Jedi. http://hunting.about.com/od/shotgun/l/aastshotgunfaqa.htm http://americangundog.com/straightshooting.html You would also do well to spend some time at the range with an experienced shooter. Words on the internet aren't going to cut it. Yes, I am indeed a young Jedi! Thanks for the sites... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas skeeter Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 as TUCKER said, go to the range and practice. no one is good at their job instantly either!! so spend some time and practice blasting some clays at a trap & skeet range. trust me, once you get comfortable and figure out where your gun hits, you'll start hitting everything!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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