What disciplines are shot low-gun?

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ArmedBear

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I shot Sporting Clays last night at a new club. Everyone else was pre-mounting, and some of the guns were models I'd find more appropriate for American Trap...

Where I first shot shotguns, most shooters of all ages were "old school", and a competent shooter who shot 5-stand "high-gun" would be relentlessly mocked for it by his friends. "Pre-mounter" was a pejorative.

Are there any American disciplines still shot "low-gun"?

Is SC in England shot "high-gun" now?
 
The only shotgun sports where it is absolutely mandatory are International Skeet and FITASC.

The last time I shot in England everyone shot gun down but that was over ten years ago.

FWIW, I use both methods. There are presentations where a low gun is better and vice versa.
 
FWIW, I use both methods. There are presentations where a low gun is better and vice versa.
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True. I just don't get to decide when I get to pre-mount when quail hunting, so for practice, I favor low gun.
 
And then you have the "soft" pre-mount - sort of in between both low and high. You shoulder the gun like you would for a pre-mount, then pull it off the shoulder and down a little - a nice hybrid for folks trying to shoot low gun that haven't mastered it yet.

I prefer low gun for about 99% of the targets I see - more challenging, more like you would find in the field, and IMO, the way they need to go back and start shooting sporting clays
 
Pre mounted sporting? Make it all about the competition, that's the American way.

Last time I shot at the local club it was low gun but that was 15 years ago, I couldn't afford the $15.00 fee then and never had any desire to shoot there ever since.

My backyard shoots have always been low gun but I guess I'm just weird
;)
 
I agree with that, oneounceload.

Or have two divisions, so that those who want to shoot low gun can compete that way, against each other. That will allow beginners to enjoy the sport more, without taking anything away from those who want real field simulation shooting (and may well have moved over to SC from Trap for that reason).

We already have American Trap and American Skeet, though, for those who want to compete high-gun. Trap has become something that can actually be detrimental to one's hunting skills, at very high levels of competition.
 
I guess the only thing I can do is practice a lot, get really good, and shame others into shooting low gun.:D

There's as good a goal as any for the next couple of years.:)
 
I don't utterly oppose competition on principle.

I just think it should directly reflect the skill you're talking about, not be dumbed down for competition's sake.
 
"Pre-mounter" was a pejorative.
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And in some states, punishable by law!

I don't do formal shotgun competitions (yet), but there's seems to always be a trend toward gamesmanship in all shooting competitions, at the direct expense of honing the actual skills for which the competition was created in the first place - here, that being actual wingshoot hunting situations. Makes no sense to me to shoot any other way than low gun, if the goal is to get better at your skills (which would be MY goal, at least). I don't walk around in the field with the gun on the shoulder; why would I train that way?

This trend towards gamesmanship seems to have accelerated at an increasing rate the last 10 years or so. I mean, cowboy shooters are modifying their leverguns, to have a few tenths of an inch shorter length of throw, fercripessake! It's silly, isn't it?

I guess the only thing I can do is practice a lot, get really good, and shame others into shooting low gun.

There's as good a goal as any for the next couple of years
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I'm behind you all the way; keep us updated! :)
 
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I don't walk around in the field with the gun on the shoulder; why would I train that way?
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I agree.

Corollary: why should anyone shooting for money, prizes or bragging rights get any points for it, either?

Do 3-gun competitors get to use benchrests?

This trend towards gamesmanship seems to have accelerated at an increasing rate the last 10 years or so. I mean, cowboy shooters are modifying their leverguns, to have a few tenths of an inch shorter length of throw, fercripessake! It's silly, isn't it?
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LOL

CFDA (Cowboy Fastdraw) has a lot of rules in place, the sole purpose of which is to prevent the sport from becoming a competition between rich guys with custom gunsmiths and creative holster makers. So far, it's worked.
 
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I stopped shooting IPSC long ago when a match was won with a gun I wouldn't carry on the street. LE style 3 gun filled in for awhile, but I understand the old league has been discontinued due to legal issues.

LE style meant you shot with what your agency issued or similar. Sole variation I recall was adjustable sights on 4" barrelled revolvers, and if one wished to use a Colt when his agency had S&Ws, no problem as long as it fit in an issue holster.

I sometimes drew a Mini 14 from the armory to compete, checked the zero before the match and always finished in the top five with it. Things were different then.

As for low gun now. I do. I'm not competing,though.
 
Is SC in England shot "high-gun" now?
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As someone who shoots sporting clays at least once a week, and lives in England, I feel I'm qualified to answer this one :)


Sporting clays can be shot gun up or gun down, no-one bats an eyelid one way or the other.Probably 50/50 in use. Personally, I shoot gun up, but with my head up to aquire the target. But then I'm the wierdo who uses a 870 for sporting clays too, I'd say that made me a 1 in maybe 1000 who did :)

The big boys (Digweed and all), from what I've seen they shoot gun down mostly.

//edit

Tell you what, there seems to be some opinion that Sporting should be shot gun down as it's a practice for hunting. That's not really the case though. Clay shooting is a sport in it's own right. I was decoying yesterday in a hide, obviously I didnt sit there with my gun mounted for several hours. But niether did the fact that I shoot gun up for clays 95% of the time impede my ability to shoot woodpigeons. Quite the contrary. Horses for courses, as we would say over here :)
 
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That will allow beginners to enjoy the sport more, without taking anything away from those who want real field simulation shooting (and may well have moved over to SC from Trap for that reason).
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Actually, the ones I see using premounted or soft-mount more than others are the M class folks who are into serious competition. I would love to see trap rules changed to low gun - it would be fun to watch those folks trying to shoot from that position :D

And there IS an aspect that requires low gun and is more in tune towards hunting while being very competitive - FITASC. In fact. the gun has to very below the shoulder by, IIRC, 25 cm - (basically the entire butt has to be visible to the ref from behind - you can't start your move intil the target is visible (unlike skeeters who start as they call Pull), and there can be no practice mount like you see in other disciplines

It's a GREAT game and really makes you focus hard on the target
 
Trap should be low-gun, or wobble. Wobble would be fine, too, but can't be shot low-gun very well IME. Very low birds just hit the dirt before you can mount the gun. Maybe reduce the range of angles, and shoot low gun.

Wobble generally knocks out the guys who get a specialized gun that does all the work for them.

Now following pairs wobble trap would be good sport.

(unlike skeeters who start as they call Pull)
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Not International Skeet. Big-time penalty if you raise the gun at all, before the target is visible.:)

Where are the FITASC ranges?
 
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Le Parcours de Chasse est une discipline de tir sportif, reproduisant des situations de tir de chasse, pratiquée avec une arme de chasse sur des cibles artificielles.
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That sounds good.

Can't go to Carson City. There's a warrant out for me there.

Oh wait, that was someone in an episode of Bonanza, not me. I'll have to check it out.:D
 
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