Mainly Dismounted
Mainly Dismounted, ....as I said before, the only time that I feel that it is best to pre mount the gun is on trap type shots, where the trap is out infront of the shooter,a nd the target is more or less going away. The rest of the time, a dismounted gun is an advantage because you have a much better veiw of the target, so as to pick it up and judge the speed, distance and angle.
THE most important thing you can do to get better is get some help
First, have a knowledgeable person check your gunfit. Gunfit is VERY important for several reasons. First, shooting aerial targets with a shotgun is a game of pointing, not aiming,...so we have to trust that the gun is pointing where our eyes are looking. For that to happen, the gun has to "fit", and naturally point where the shooter looks without having to verify anything by looking at the gun....you have no time for looking at the gun when the bird is in the air! Secondly, the most BASIC instruction in the early part of your shotgunning career will pay BIG dividens in the long run. Basic instruction will get you off on a good start, and keep you from starting bad, hard to break habits. TRust me on this! I was up to AA class before I took my first lesson, and it took almost a year to correct some very basic bad habits. Basic instruction isn't that expensive, and if you are looking for an instructor in your area and can't find one, let me know and I can help.
One laast thing about initial basic instruction, it will do 1 more VERY important thing for you.....the game will be ALOT MORE FUN. Becasue the instructor gets you mounting the gun correctly and makes sure it fits...it will hurt you ALOT less
Also, breaking more targets is always good for the ego
Ok, now you're thinking, Will is suggesting things that cost $$$$ in a game that already cost $$$$$...well you asked me what would help the most
Now here are some cheap tips.....
Dry gunmounts at home. Take your shotgun.....make sure it is unloaded and there is no ammo in the room. Then make sure it is unloaded again! OK, now, infront of a mirror[preferably full lenght], address your reflection in the mirror, and mount the gun to[at] your master eye, as if you are going to shoot your eye in the mirror. Your gun should slide into your shoulder without the muzzle dipping......most of the force of the mount needs to come from your lead hand[the one on the forend]. Nice and smooth, it be like you are bayoneting your eye in the mirror...with the gun coming fully into yoru shoulder.
Now repeat 100 times per night, every night. This will give you a smooth consistant gunmount, that will happen without you even thinking about it.
Next, and maybe this should have been first, you need to understand that part about pointing the gun, not aiming? Well, this is all done with hand to eye coordination......your hands take the gun to where they are looking. So, unlike pistol shooting, where all of our sharp focus is on the front sight of the pistol and the target is "fuzzy", with aerial targets and shotguns, our sharp focus is on the TARGET, and the barrel[sight] is fuzzy. Think about it, when you hit a baseball, you don't look at the bat? You look for the stitches on the ball. When I shoot a claytarget, I'm focusing on the rings of the target...the more detail you can descern, the better. If you stop trusting your eyes and hands and look at the bead on the barrel to "check" your sight picture, your barrel stops[or at least slows down] and you miss behind. Period.
Remember your dad/grandad, uncle, whatever telling you to keep your eye on the bird and not to stop your swing? Well most of the time they never got around to telling you that the two were related. If you take your eye off the bird[clay], and look at the gun, you will stop your swing. I see it everyday that I'm on the range. Don't feel bad, generally when Richard Faulds[the finest sporting shooter in the world right now] misses a target, its because he let his focus drift from the bird to the barrel. It is a VERY hard thing not to do....that is why shooting a shotgun is sooooo much fun.
Damn, I've already typed more than I thought I would. Some of this is not exactly in the order I should have presented it in, but it anything isn't clear, lemme know, and I'll try better.
One last thing...one the numbers of targets shot last year. First, 6 rounds is a GREAT start, you are way above the national average[2 rounds]. You are off to a good start, keep the ball rolling. You are right, trap and skeet are generally much cheaper, and there is nothing wrong with using those cheaper targets to practice for sportingclays
Second, those 7200 targets I shoot last year.....those were just the registered tournament targets
I probally shot 6 times that many in practice
Its a great game full of great people.....maybe I'll meet you on a range someday
