My buddy invited me to shoot skeet today and I used to shoot a lot of trap and could break 23 out of 25 most of the time with a beat up old Mossberg. We arrived and he breaks out a $1500 browning O/U and I knew I was in trouble!! Out of 50 rounds I maybe broke 3 and he broke 40-42. I think I was a hair handi capped cause I had my 12ga pump with a full choke and a 20ga O/U with imp and mod chokes so ill be looking into some skeet chokes soon for the 20ga.
First skeet shoot today!!
- Thread starter Axis II
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Yes, chokes may help. The ranges to the target are shorter than with trap so more open chokes can help.
Remember, with skeet, the swing is the thing. Most beginners tend to stop swinging the gun on each shot and then the shot column goes behind the target.
If you can get on a skeet field by yourself and the club allows, you can stay at one or two stations that give you the most troubles and work out the leads. There are a number of good instructional videos out there that can help with the leads.
When I was shooting competitive skeet, my 20 ga average was better than my 12 ga average. I got where I'd shoot my 20 ga in the 12 ga events. So, don't feel handicapped by shooting a 20 gauge gun, at least until you are shooting AA averages.
Remember, with skeet, the swing is the thing. Most beginners tend to stop swinging the gun on each shot and then the shot column goes behind the target.
If you can get on a skeet field by yourself and the club allows, you can stay at one or two stations that give you the most troubles and work out the leads. There are a number of good instructional videos out there that can help with the leads.
When I was shooting competitive skeet, my 20 ga average was better than my 12 ga average. I got where I'd shoot my 20 ga in the 12 ga events. So, don't feel handicapped by shooting a 20 gauge gun, at least until you are shooting AA averages.
Keep trying, my first gun was a 20 gauge 1100 LT20 Remington with a fixed Mod choke. Took me three months of shooting, but I ran my first 25 with that gun, still have it, been 35 years. About 3 weeks ago ran a 50 with my old 1897 Winchester pump with a Poly-choke and 7/8oz reloads. Yes I have a $4000 Beretta O/U skeet gun, but I like getting out my pump guns for a work out once in a while.
Think swing and follow through on your targets, intercept that target like you are throwing a football in front of someone as they are running, you don't throw it at where they are, but where they will be.
Think swing and follow through on your targets, intercept that target like you are throwing a football in front of someone as they are running, you don't throw it at where they are, but where they will be.
RedLeg105
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After 40 years of shooting skeet 've learned the secrets to breaking birds on the skeet field.They are; Cylinder and Skeet chokes are your friend. Swing through the bird, don't point shoot. When you think that you have enough lead, add another foot. Don't stop your swing when you pull the trigger. Be creative with the language you use when you miss...Your squad partners will love it..
George P
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Skeet chokes are .005. Distance to target is no more then 21 yards. This is all about timing and gun movement. Like trap, it is a game of perfection. Sporting clays, OTOH, is a game of trying to hit as many as possible. Perfect scores are rare. All are fun, however..................
GE-Mini-Gun
Member
$4000 shotguns on a skeet field...you must be shooting in the slums...where I shoot there are 11 guys that have $15,000+ Krieghoffs...I'm not one of those guys. The thing I notice, those guns don't break the bird any better than the guy that has the $400 1100. As other have mentioned, keep moving and look at the lead, NOT the bird...gun makes no difference, you do your part the gun and bird will do theirs.
Yea, but like I said I just as soon be out there with my 1897 Win or one of my 870's or 1100's, but there are probably 20+ people that have the $15,000-$20,000 Kolar or Krieghoff shotguns and you are exactly right it not so much the gun as the shooter.
Find someone competent and ask for help breaking birds, 90% of the members at my club would drop whatever they were doing and try to help a new shooter out. I usually end up taking a new shooter under my wing every year and get them to break into the 20's at least. I did my time with Registered Skeet 30 years ago, got too much like work, I shoot for fun now and like seeing new shooters have fun when they start breaking targets consistently.
George P
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Most folks where I shoot that shoot skeet are more likely to have a Browning or Beretta instead of a Kolar/Kreighoff/Perazzi. Good guns that will run for hundreds of thousands of rounds. Don't worry about your score, focus on the fundamentals and ask questions.
http://toddbenderintl.com/Skeet-Cheat-Sheet
http://toddbenderintl.com/Skeet-Cheat-Sheet
Todd Bender's Skeet Cheat Sheet
For more specific set up points and fundamentals, go to the Station-by-Station Analysis Page.
The following is the property of Todd Bender and toddbenderintl.com, and it is presented for educational and informational purposes only. Any use or reproduction of this article or any content on this website without the written consent of Todd Bender is prohibited
Station Target Hold Eye Position Lead Right Hand Foot Position Left Hand Foot Position Break Points
1 High House Break Point Above Barrel No Lead Facing LH Facing Out 10-15' before center stake
Low House 10' Window 6"-1' Facing LH Facing Out 15-20' past center stake
2 High House One Third Left of Barrel 6"-1' Facing LH Facing HH 10-15' before center stake
Low House 10' Window 1.5'-2' Facing LH Facing HH 15-20' past center stake
3 High House One Third 10' from House 2.5'-3' Facing LH Facing HH 10-15' before center stake
Low House One Third 3' from House 3.5'-4' Facing LH Facing HH 15-20' past center stake
4 High House One Third 10' from House 3.5'-4' Facing LH Facing HH 10-15' before center stake
Low House One Third 3' from House 3.5'-4' Facing LH Facing HH 10-15' before center stake
5 High House One Third 10' from House 3.5'-4' Facing LH Facing HH 15-20' past center stake
Low House One Third 3' from House 2.5'-3' Facing LH Facing HH 10-15' before center stake
6 High House 10' Window 1.5'-2' Facing LH Facing HH 15-20' past center stake
Low House One Third 10' from House 6"-1' Facing LH Facing HH 10-15' before center stake
7 High House 10' Window 6"-1' Facing Out Facing HH 15-20' past center stake
Low House Break Point Above Barrel No Lead Facing Out Facing HH 15-20' before center stake
8 High House 4' Window No Lead Facing Out Facing HH 20-25' before center stake
Low House 4' Window No Lead Facing LH Facing Out 20-25' before center stake
George P
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http://www.damascusiwla.org/Remington_Skeet_Fundamentals_2004.pdf
This also a good brochure for the basics of skeet shooting.
This also a good brochure for the basics of skeet shooting.
expat_alaska
Member
I used a Remington 870 12 with a 26" VR IC barrel back when I was a teen working at Roberts Shooting Park in Elkhorn NE in 1969. I will confess I never shot a 25 straight at skeet.
We were allowed to experiment and I found that I could smash a Blue Rock from station 4 high house using only my right arm (because the other arm was not available to stop the gun), and we would shoot doubles from station 8.
The above posters are very correct: one needs to keep the gun moving and never stop the swing. I used to pull/set skeet and would stand directly behind the shooter and could see the shot cloud and when the gun was stopped during the shot it was always behind the bird.
The skeet training really pays off when upland bird hunting. I joined the USAF in 1971 and came home to Nebraska on a short leave in 1972. My 870 was still in military lockup at McConnell AFB in Kansas, and my Dad offered his Win Model 12 16 gauge 28" FC for pheasant. It was out near David City NE and I hit a rooster at a paced off 65 paces with one shot, similar to a station 4 low house shot. I swear I was at least 6' in front of that bird. The farmer hosts declared the bird so shot up that it was almost inedible. I spent that evening digging out #7-1/2 shot out of that bird. And that was the first time I ever shot that gun in the field.
Your post brings back a lot of good memories.
Thanks!
Jim
We were allowed to experiment and I found that I could smash a Blue Rock from station 4 high house using only my right arm (because the other arm was not available to stop the gun), and we would shoot doubles from station 8.
The above posters are very correct: one needs to keep the gun moving and never stop the swing. I used to pull/set skeet and would stand directly behind the shooter and could see the shot cloud and when the gun was stopped during the shot it was always behind the bird.
The skeet training really pays off when upland bird hunting. I joined the USAF in 1971 and came home to Nebraska on a short leave in 1972. My 870 was still in military lockup at McConnell AFB in Kansas, and my Dad offered his Win Model 12 16 gauge 28" FC for pheasant. It was out near David City NE and I hit a rooster at a paced off 65 paces with one shot, similar to a station 4 low house shot. I swear I was at least 6' in front of that bird. The farmer hosts declared the bird so shot up that it was almost inedible. I spent that evening digging out #7-1/2 shot out of that bird. And that was the first time I ever shot that gun in the field.
Your post brings back a lot of good memories.
Thanks!
Jim
Serious skeet shooters shoot ammunition by the pallet load. The high end shotguns give you the reliability to maintain that level of shooting.
The amount of ammunition a rifle shooter shoots is a pittance when compared to what a clay target shooter shoots.
If the gun fits well, the shooter can do well whether the shotgun is high or low priced. But, the high end guns will be much more reliable. Choice depends on how much you shoot.
My skeet gun is a. Browning Citori and it served me well for many seasons of competition but I never matched the volume of ammunition shot as a Todd Bender if Wayne Mayes.
Berettas are also good entry level guns providing good reliability.
It does not matter what the gun cost if it does not fit well.
GE-Mini-Gun
Member
Beretta as an entry level gun, that funny. I have close to 200k through my 687 and shoot with a guy that has over 750k through his 682...neither has been in for repair...nothing.
huntsman
Member
When I showed up at the skeet field it was pratice for bird season so I always shot low gun, scores weren’t great but fun none the less.
George P
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Without a doubt. 1 O/U is nearing the 300K mark, 1 semi nearing the 50K mark, the others total another 50K over about 25 years. 400,000 targets, including ammo alone would be in the $250-$350K range. The gun is the least cost.
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