Problems with crossing birds

dont shoot clays much but the .669 does seem a little tight for clays probably just need more practice and experiment with how much you lead the target as its always going to be a variable.

how did you arrive at .669 and .692?

On a nominal .729 bore, you are talking 60POC which way beyond even an extra full turkey choke

If you are shooting on a skeet field, try using .005 - then pick a hold point, insertion point and break point. Hold your muzzle at the hold point, use your eyes only to look back at the trap; once launched, mount, move to your insertion point and pull the trigger while moving the gun to the break point

1. Calipers may not give you a true choke measurement.
http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8974&sid=80c16f69245ec1756a88cd206c068571

2. Even if you accurately determine what your choke ID is, you can affect your pattern with different loads.

3. You should pattern your gun with different loads.

I would suggest 1- Keeping your eye on the clay, not the gun barrel, and 2- practicing those shots more. I had, and still have trouble with crossers. What I have to remember is to keep watching the bird through the swing, and forget about the barrel. When shooting straight-always as is normal for me in trap, I get used to seeing the barrel, and it can be difficult to ignore that on crossers.

Fixed chokes - if your second measurements are correct, you still have a tight M/F combination - great for trap, handicap trap, bunker trap, FITASC, decoyed pigeons, driven pheasant
A tad tight for sporting clays, 5-stand, compak
REALLY tight for any form of skeet

HOWEVER, that being said - IF you can learn to smoke the skeet targets at close range with those tight chokes, you will be successful at the other games because you have learned how to center your pattern on the target

It is better to have more choke than not enough - especially when you get into sporting or bunker or handicap

Good advice from JAshley73 & 1OZ. You should also have both eyes open and focus on the leading edge of the clay. If you have access to a chronograph, you might check the muzzle velocity of the loads you are shooting, especially if they are reloads. Most of your standard leads are calculated at 1200 FPS muzzle velocity. A full deflection shot at a 40 mph bird (#4 station on standard skeet field) is about 4 foot of lead. If you are you less than 1200 fps you will not be giving it enough lead. It helps to have someone watching for the wad trajectory, (or if you have real eagle eyes the shot column) this will be a give away on if you are leading enough. Keep practicing.

If you are shooting on a skeet field, try using .005 - then pick a hold point, insertion point and break point. Hold your muzzle at the hold point, use your eyes only to look back at the trap; once launched, mount, move to your insertion point and pull the trigger while moving the gun to the break point

Click to expand...

That is the classic "swing through" method, and probably the hardest to master. Another technique known as sustained lead is to start your gun moving ahead of the target and maintain that lead while triggering the shot. This is the method I started using and it is easier for me at least.

I took a shotgun clinic from Mike McAlpine and learned that there are several techniques for establishing lead.

The technique I now use is collapsing lead. This is good for folks that are getting older and also for people that have injuries making it harder for them to move quickly. This is similar to the sustained technique, but you insert the gun well ahead of the target and slowly swing the gun while the lead collapses. When you see the correct lead you trigger the shot. The muzzle of the gun only has to move about 8 to 10 inches.

This is a really good book that gives a great explanation of how to establish lead:

Successful Shotgunning: How to Build Skill in the Field and Take More Birds in Competition by Peter F. Blakeley

Available on Amazon.

Fredericianer said:

If it's just me that needs more practice, have any of you any tips or ideas on the best way to do so?

Click to expand...

To add, remember with shotgunning "the swing is the thing." Stopping the swing too soon is a frequent beginner's problem.

It is all the more important with crossing birds.