Looking for tips on how to get better at shooting clays.

AdrianM

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Me and my wife and a few friends started shooting clays a little while ago. We've put a few hundred rounds through my old (but mint) Ithica 12 gauge pump. We just use a hand thrower and shoot at my house in the mountains.

Sometimes we shoot well (70-80%) other times we have poor results (20-30%)

The question I have is how do you know where you're missing. Am I low, high or leading too much or not enough. Any tips on how to know where you're shooting? Any tips of tricks to get better other than keep shooting (which we plan to do)?

I know we don't shoot enough to be really sharp, but everyone would like to get better.
 
Hand thrown targets can often be tougher because they don't fly in a consistent trajectory but here are some general tips:

Keep your face on the stock. Your rear eye is the rear sight and it needs to be in a constant position.

Keep your eye on the target look hard at it. Going back and forth between the bead and the target means you will not swing smoothly. Take an extra milli-second to really see the target clearly.

Keep your gun moving until after you have shot otherwise you will miss behind.

Shoot where the target is going to be not where it is.
 
have others keep an eye where your wad is flying at. this will help (possibly) diagnose any aiming problems.

Like claybuster stated, constant cheek position on the stock. try keeping both eyes open, you might find this works well.

Try and throw clays at a 45-60 degree angle, shoot them at the top of the arc, they will "hover" there.

get a box of ammo and clays and someone energetic, start with your feet positioning, then knees, then twist on your body, arms and hand position, where your finger is touching the trigger, how you are "slapping" the trigger, keep each aspect, after you've moved to the next one the same. replicate what works for you EVERY time you shoot.
once you are consistent, so are your hits.
 
thanks guys.

we have used a crappy tire style thrower in the past but enjoy the challenge and speed of a hand thrower

I have noticed in the past that when I'm shooting well, my cheek is a little tender. I sometimes think my shotgun is a bit small for me as I am 6'2" and have long arms and I really have to lay my head over to get my eye lined up with the sight and the top of the receiver.

I have noticed the wad when other people shoot, now I'll ask them to watch it for me.
 
AdrianM,

Don't worry after a few thousand shell you will see exactly where you miss. At the beginning it helps if somebody stands behind you. Also important keep swinging your gun, don't stop when you pull the trigger.

Jozsef
 
AdrianM,
Lots of good suggestions here. It is good to know if you are shooting high or low etc, but it is more important to know why you tend to shoot high or low etc. Gun fit and shooting mechanics and form are more important than watching wads. The shortest way to getting better is competant instruction.
 
Getting a tender cheek usually is a sign your lifting your head off of the stock. Fit of the shot gun is the most important first step, hold the shot gun unmounted and then bring it up as if to quick shoot a bird, notice what you see for the rear rib are you on the same plain or do you see the length of the barrel.About laying your head over really far try this , your trigger finger arm's elbow should be pointing out 90 degrees to the ground. then as previous comments have said make sure you swing that gun stopping is one of the biggest mistakes there is. One more, never aim if you find yourself aiming try closer quicker shots not the longer ones for a change, shotgunning is all about point and shoot. hope this helped and have fun dusting them.
 
1 I would invest in a mechanical thrower. The type that puts tension on the spring when you push it down with your foot to trip it. These are really popular. That way there is no tension on the arm when you #### it.
2 Practice. But remember if you bust them all you'll get bored with it. So keep it challenging.
 
Stopping the gun is one of the biggest mistakes there is. The solution often is more subtle than just not stopping. Stopping may be caused by loosing track of the bird, or looking at the gun while one attempts to measure lead and improper mechanics of the guin mount and stance and a whole bunch of other things. Same with lifting the head. The answer is not to just quit lifting, but to diagnose why this is happening. Stopping the gun and lifting the head are symtems and not causes. Good coaching is the quicker faster way to better shooting.
 
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X2 for what CR said. It's important to diagnose what is behind your miss and to try changing something that might help. The impression I have formed over the last five or six years (still a relative newcomer to the games) is that the most important things are having a gun that fits and practicing. Consistency in what you do as well as being willing to learn or change are important too. As others have said, some form of instruction can help big time. If you can't find an instructor for some individual instruction, then a good book or a video can really help. Personally, I like learning from videos or books and then trying what I find. There are a number around and most I've seen are pretty good.
 
Keep your eye on the target start your bead behind the bird pull ahead of it and fire and keep the gun moving by piviting your body at its hips.Do not aim the shotgun its a pointing weapon not a aiming weapon like a rifle.Its like bush strokes you are painting the birds ouy of the sky.Your gun has to fit you like one of the other posts said your eye is the rear sight.
 
or look where the target is going and insert gun in front of it and keep it moving while taking the shot.

or insert the gun on the target and as you shoot pull in front.

or wait for target to hang and spot shoot it.
or..........
 
Looking at the responses, one could write a book.......one probably has. Another cause could be eye dominance. It would be easier for you to look it up as to me telling you how to figure it out. Before calling for the clay, (to me) stance plays a big roll, with feet shoulder width apart. Know where you want to hit the bird, and stand in a position that makes it easy to do so. Point the gun about half way back from HIT position to thrown position. To me, this will help you with lagging the bird. There is so much more one could say, and one can only say so much. Try to get some instruction, it will pay dividends.
 
Eye dominance:
Point your finger at something across the room. Both eyes open at the time.
Close your R eye. If your finger is still pointing at it you are left eye dominant. If yur finger is not pointing at it, you are R eye dominant. Best if you shoot "the side of your dominance", then you can keep both eyes open.

I should add here that I am L eye dominant and shoot R handed, therefore I close my L eye to shoot. Not the best practice. Would have been better to learn to shoot L handed but too late now for that.

Shotgunning:
Look at the target, not at your sights. Line your head up on the stock with the sights, then when you call for the bird only move your eyes to look at the bird. If you move your head (usually up & off the stock, even millimeters) to look at the bird it will be "lost". Keep your head stuck to the stock. If your cheek is not sore when you are done it means you are moving your head. (and missing birds)
Keep swinging, shoot where they are going not where they've been.

To get your head up a bit if needed (you should always be "head up" not leaning over, or head down to get it on the stock) stick the pad right up in close to your neck and only put the bottom half of the pad on your shoulder, leave the top half of the pad above your shoulder.

And remember you are shooting a hunting gun that has more drop in the stock than a trap gun will have. Your gun is designed for shooting up above your head for example - at birds directly above you or going up, whereas in trap the bird is going away from you, only climbing slightly.

And a box car full of ammo and there you have it.
 
No use in me repeating all of whats been just said. You have been given some very good advice from fellas that are obviously experienced clay shooters and have been paying attention.

It will take you a while to digest it all and put it into practice, lots of practice!!
 
Take look are what they offer at http://www.ospschool.com/. This is Gil and Vicky Ash's web site. They are one of the better coaches and have some very good material for all level of shooters. The book "If it ain’t broke don’t fix it" is a very good starting point.
 
This is Gil and Vicky Ash's web site. They are one of the better coaches and have some very good material for all level of shooters. The book "If it ain’t broke don’t fix it" is a very good starting point.

Way back in the mid 80s, I worked with a fellow named George Ford, who got me started into skeet shooting. Our city hosted the provincial skeet tournament soon after, and and a few of the more experienced crowd on the sidelines were commenting on flaws in my shooting form. George just looked over, and with his usual dry humor , and reminded them, that I was currently in second place overall. He did give me some coaching on the fine points over the years, but he was also a believer in the if it's working, don't mess with it. His best advice, was not to over think things.
 
One more thing to think about........you might be too close to the bird.
At trap you stand 16 yd from the house and most birds are broke 16-18 yd out so 32-34 yards from the shooter which is close to perfect.
If you are too close (because they are hand thrown) your pattern is much smaller
 
Join a Trap and Skeet club, where you can focus on hitting birds not throwing hardware or bird throwing technique, quit being a cheapskate.
 
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