How far do you lead the shot?

triton

triton

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Just started shooting trap. Been out 3 times. It is keeping me frustrated. I was wondering if you guys had a starting point I could keep in mind. How far do you generally lead at different angles. I generally use a modified choke. I have been anyway. I know this may be pretty vague for you guys that really shoot a lot. Any help or recomendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Dave.
 
Triton, welcome to the sport. You are not going to like this answer, but it is true. There is no way to tell you how much to lead by, as everyones perception is different. If I say "lead it by two feet" what you think is 2 feet at 30 yards is not what I think 2 feet is. Human perception is problematic.

The good part is that your brain will automatically, subconsciously calculate the lead for you, if you will let it. Think about it, when you throw a football or baseball to a moving receiver, you do not have to calculate the lead, you just do it. The human brain is pretty good at this. The key is to look at the target, not the gun. The moment you are concentrating on the barrel and how much lead to allow, you will miss, as you are depriving your brain of the required info to calculate the lead. Focus on the target, forget about the gun and you will hit the bird. It helps a lot to have a shotgun which fits you so you don't have to make "adjustments".

Sharptail
 
Lots of books, videos, DVD's and even some with "eye cam" shots at various targets out there on the market to give you a point of reference to start.

If you don't want to bother with that, shoot lots ... lots & lots. After a few hundered rounds you will start to understand why you are missing.

Of course, a good coach can be a lot of help too... especially one who is an accomplished shot and patient instructor who knows what he's doing.

Shooting trap with a Trap Gun that fits you properly is a fairly easy task ... it's no more difficult with a field or skeet gun ... but you just generally will have a tougher time hitting targets consistantly. Using the right tool for the job at hand is a big plus !
 
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AHHH...i know that frustration all too well. When i started I went through quite a few rounds before i got it down pat...and this was with my buddy standing to the right of me tossing the clays straight out in front. good news is it takes very little time to master that...then you move to the clays being thrown out across in front of you...thats tough at first but u get the lead right and again, in no time your mastering that. then go to a range where they have them set up firing through trees and stuff...thats when it gets fun!!! you'll find out quickly that you can get really "use" to trap very quickly...a good range keeps things different and makes almost every throw a suprise.

keep at it. practice with different leads...also with a modified, hold the urge to shoot a 1/2 second longer and your pattern should open up a little nicer...try an I.C. and you may find you'll take down more.

also, GO CROW HUNTING...it's funner!!! good luck!
 
If you are shooting on a proper Trap range you will be shooting birds that are about 35 yds away and require Imp. mod. choke or full choke. A hard right target from station 5 requires about a 3' lead when shooting from the 16 yard line,and like someone else said everybody will have a diff sense of what 3' is. don't forget that trap targets are also always rising so you also have to lead for height. That is what distinguishes a Trap gun from a field gun, the lead for height is built into the rib/stock on a trap gun and when you pattern a Trap gun the pattern should be somewhat higher then your aiming point. Three things will make you a better Trapshooter...practise,practise,practise!!!
 
I use modified for 16 yard and have for years. IM and Full are set aside for handicap shooting.

As noted, perceived lead varies among shooters. If shooting trap I rarely see lead.

In trap shooting foot position, eye position and gun hold all matter and change slightly at each station. There is no one consenus view on gun and eye hold. I have a method that I was taught that works for me but there are others.

If you are just starting out you might want to order this book. It's a good overview on the games and some techniques.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1558214151/702-3864538-7877617

If this book isn't available from amazon.ca then try amazon.com. They have a much wider selection of shooting books.
 
Thanks for all the info fellas! I read that it is better to shoot with both eyes open. What do you guys think? I currently shoot with my left eye closed. Which is what I've always done for rifle hunting. I thought I would give it a try. I noticed I have been having a bit of trouble picking up the clay. I figured this would be worth a try. It seems to make sense if you guys say watch the clay and not the gun. I am going with a couple guys on wed to shoot a round of sporting clays. This is all new to me. So I appreciate all of your advice and recomendations. Thank you.

Dave.
 
Check to make sure that you are right eye dominant if you are a right hand shooter.....if so work hard to make shooting with both eyes open succesfull.....you can pick up the bird much faster!!
 
ben hunchak said:
Check to make sure that you are right eye dominant if you are a right hand shooter.....if so work hard to make shooting with both eyes open succesfull.....you can pick up the bird much faster!!
Click to expand...

I will certainly give it a try Ben. Thanks.

Dave.
 
Lead is realative. Like mentioned above it depends on the shooter. Some shooters used a sustained amount of lead on a shot while others like myself use a swing through method which appears to use less lead. Things like stance, gun weight, barrel length and how fast you pick up the target will all also effect the actual or percieved lead you see.
This may or may not make sense to you but try useing the tightest choke you have. Some people will think I'm nuts for saying this but it will help you in the long run. Useing the tightest choke will give you some kind of feed back on where your shots are hitting the target. With a Mod or IC the target will just breakin a bunch of peices . With a Full you will see the back, front , top or bottom come off the target and it will let you know if your consitantly hitting a little behind or below a target. If the target turns into a little cloud of dust you know you centered it. Some of top trap shooters in the world will tell you you can use any choke you want as long as it says Full on it. It may cost you a few targets at first becuase of the tighter pattern but overall it will speed up the learning process.

Good shooting
Tim
 
If you're "right eye dominant" & shooting from the right shoulder, you bet shooting with both eyes open is better. Just try driving your car for a kilometre or two with your left eye shut and see how you make out !
( Try it with no traffic around .. pull up to a stop sign ... and just note how little depth of field perception you have !!!! )
 
I'm as green as it gets when it comes to shooting clays, but this much I know. Anytime you shoot and you don't know where the shot went, it's a complete waste. (well I mean you know where it didn't go, i.e on the target, but was it ahead, behind, over, under??)

You need to practice, and start out with the easiest presentation where you will almost always get a hit. For me it was directly behind the clay thrower. When the first station is mastered, step away a few yards and try from there. Shoot as if you were still in the first position and if no hits, make little adjustments where logic suggests.

Keep the clay trajectory the same each time. Once you get one position mastered, move again 5 or 8 yards and start in again. Eventually you'll get a rough semi circle on each side of the clay path, all for a particular trajectory.

Then you repeat again, except change trajectory, faster, or a higher angle, lower angle, whatever, and get those leads mastered.

Also, as I just read on this thread (told you I was green), use a full choke to further emphasize where the center of your pattern is.
 
I'm certainly no expert either, but I found this:

I am a right handed, VERY left eye dominant shooter, (my right eye has some damage) and I have tried all sorts of things to overcome that... full patch, tape on the left eyglass lens, etc. I just can't get my right eye to do the work with both eyes open, so for now I am still shooting left eye closed. Even so, I am able to shoot 23's and 24's pretty consistently at trap. Skeet is another story. I don't think I will improve much until I find a way to keep both eyes open.

One thing about lead... I found that it makes a difference where I am holding the gun BEFORE I call for the bird.
Station 1, I hold on a spot about 8" high, and a foot left of the left hand corner of the house. Station 2, about a foot high right over the left corner of the house. 3, a foot high dead center, etc over to station 5, where I hold 8" high, a foot to the right of the right corner of the house.
This helped me, as I found that sometimes I was beat before the bird even left the house. I could not catch up to the bird, if I always held over the center of the house, at the corner stations. But as everyone has pointed out, this may not work for you. Just something else to try.
 
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