Shotgun pellet trajectory

Rudi

Rudi

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I tried trap shooting at the weekend. It's fun. :)

It would be even much bigger fun if I was able to hit the clay birds. I tried to find some information on the trajectory/external ballistics of the shotshells, but I found exactly nothing. Could some of you help the newbie so I would have at least some idea where I have to aim?

(I've never shot a shotgun before)

Thanks,
Rudi
 
Rudi...its best to remember that all birds are rising so you have to lead a couple of feet for height, unless you are waiting too long to shoot. If you are on station 5 and you get a right angle bird, you will need a 3' lead....but more importantly are the shooting basics......keep head on stock, shoot with both eyes open, do not aim, concentrate(focus) on the bird.....your hand/ eye coordination should do the rest...stick with it and PRACTICE!!!
 
ben hunchak said:
Rudi...its best to remember that all birds are rising so you have to lead a couple of feet for height, unless you are waiting too long to shoot. If you are on station 5 and you get a right angle bird, you will need a 3' lead....but more importantly are the shooting basics......keep head on stock, shoot with both eyes open, do not aim, concentrate(focus) on the bird.....your hand/ eye coordination should do the rest...stick with it and PRACTICE!!!
Click to expand...


Thats my problem. As a rifle/pistol guy, I try to aim the perfect shot. For shotgun, that doesn't work so well. I have to learn to shoot instictively, just follow the bird, and snap off a shot, not slowly squeeze the trigger as I would with rifle.
I read that if you try to analyze the shot, and compute the lead, you are doomed. You have to trust your instincts.
And much more practice!
 
Rudi, you might this sheet helpful as far as the understanding shot trajectory. With more shooting, you will probably find that the shot trajectory doesn't count for as much as gun movement and proper lead.

If you look at the numbers, by the time that 1200 fps shot pattern drops any appreciable amount, it has spread out over several feet and has dropped several hundred fps. Much further than this and it won't have the energy or pattern density to break the clay anyways.

Just swing the gun where the target is going to be and let 'er rip as soon as you see the shot picture!

ShotgunStats.jpg
 
Interesting about the 'range of american shot' section of that pic.... I've always known that pellets can't go that far (less than 500 yards, even if you're tryin!), but what does the 'government' say about it?

How far of an 'exclusion zone' would you need to get a skeet/trap range approved?
 
With a tolerant club & other shooters ... go stand right behind the trap house with the trap locked on "straightaways" ... move back a few yards at a time when you consistantly hit them ... won't take to long to get back to 16 yards on the straightways. Now get them to put the trap back on normal cycle and practice, practice, practice.

You're on the right track ... it ain't "aim" but rather "point" and "swing" (for the angles. You'll pick the timing up the more targets you shoot and break.

A good, experianced and patient coach will be a big help, as will a flat or two of shells.
 
Thanks for the information! Based on these I did a rough calculation:

If the bird starts with 40 mile/hour (mph)that's equal with 58.666 666 667 foot/second. When the clay is at 30 yards, the pellets fly there for 0.1 second. During this time the clay flies another 6 feet. If it is thrown in 45 degrees, it is exacly 3 feet, as ben_hunchak said! :)) (OK, it is just a very wild calculation, the clay slows down, but now at least I can imagine the path of the pellets)

Thank gentlemen, next weekend hopefully I can try to put this in practice!

Rudi
 
canucklehead said:
Interesting about the 'range of american shot' section of that pic.... I've always known that pellets can't go that far (less than 500 yards, even if you're tryin!), but what does the 'government' say about it?

How far of an 'exclusion zone' would you need to get a skeet/trap range approved?
Click to expand...

Many skeet ranges have a maximum "calibre" of 12 ga 2 3/4" with 7.5 shot or smaller on the range certificate. This limits the potential range of shot and allows a very reasonable exclusion zone. There are homes a few hundred yards behind our skeet fields.
 
Rudi, with all respect to the calculations, drop charts and the advice on lead distances none of this matters and can get in the way of successful shotgunning.

If you are trying to calculate the lead with the bird in the air you are "measuring" the target. What happens most often is that in the attempt to be ultra-precise the gun slows down and you miss behind. Watch enough shooters and you can see them doing it. What can also happen is that you start bead checking and your eyes will go from the target to the bead and back to the target. That's most often a sure loss.

The other mistake is taking advice on lead distances from other shooters. No one swings at the same speed. A fast swing requires little or no lead. Slower, more deliberate shooters need to see more lead.

What confounds a lot of new shotgunners particularly if they have rifle or handgun experience is getting into the habit of keeping your eyes on the target, seeing the barrel in your peripheral vision and keeping your gun moving. It's the opposite of shooting a rifle.

If your gun shoots where you are looking (find that out at the patterning board), your eyes are focused on the target, your face is on the stock and you are maintaining a smooth swing the targets will begin to start breaking.

Then you work on foot position, stance, gun and eye hold points and before you now it you are crushing targets on a regular basis.

Beretta Boy gave some very good advice. Find a clay target instructor who can show you the fundamentals and get you started right.
 
^^^ x1

You're making it much more complicated than it really is. Forget the math/charts and just practice! You'll soon learn to "read" the birds and be able to place your shots where they need to be. You need to get used to how the clays fly, and how your gun shoots...putting those two things together = broken..or even better...dusted birds!

If you can't find an instructor, at least try to have someone watch you shoot. If you're missing, your partner can usually tell you where your shot is going and you can adjust accordingly.
 
With a name like Claybuster, I'm inclined to believe what he said!
He said what I was trying to get at, unlike rifle/pistol, you do NOT focus on the front site, instead you focus hard on the bird. I understand the principal, but I still miss more than I should
 
Thanks guys!

If the weather permits, I will try to put the theory in practice at the weekend.

Rudi

p.s.: what perhaps make things more interesting, I have a bushnell holosight on my shotgun. (It will be my turkey gun.) Last weekend it worked for me surprisingly well, considering that this was the first time I tried to shoot a moving target and the first time I used a shotgun.

DSC_0097_1.jpg
 
Rudi:

Not to steal anyone's thunder. IMHO, I think you will find it easier to make the transition from rifle to shotgun if you first try shooting skeet. All the games are fun, trap, skeet, sporting, 5 stand etc. But I think skeet will be the best initial "teacher" in respect to establishing lead ... or forward allowance, because there is such a variety of targets, incoming, outgoing, quartering angles and crossers - and they are shot at relatively close ranges where they are somewhat easier to hit.

.It's a relatively easy learning curve on a field that's not being used for
regular shooting ... but to have just you and your coach out there on a
learning mission.

Maybe start at Station 7 and shoot a few ( outgoing, gentle rise ) low house
targets with a cylinder or skeet choke, trying to break them at the centre stake. Once you can hit them reliably, then try a few high house incomers.
You will somehow have to "get in front of them" a little, whether you see a perceived ("sustained") lead or quicken your swing or "pull ahead" or "come from behind and swing through" . In any event, you should be able to sense that you will need to be in front to hit them. Stop your swing, you should also be able to sense that you are "behind". Next move over to station 1 and try the high house outgoer, then the incomer. Next ... station 2 ... more lead
or forward allowance is required to break these targets. Stay with it and listen to your coach's instruction until you start hitting consistently. At stations 3, 4 & 5 you will really start to see that a substantial forward allowance or lead is required to break these targets.

Don't despair, keep with it.
 
beretta boy knows of what he speaks. Starting with Low 7 on skeet to build confidence and then tryinig other stations is the best way to introduce new shooters to the clay target games.

As for the Holosite I've tried one on a clay gun as an experiment. I found it visually distracting and kept me from locking on the target. It did offer some insights into leads on crossing targets but tended to slow my swing down because I was measuring targets and wasn't good on trap-style targets.
 
Claybuster said:
If your gun shoots where you are looking (find that out at the patterning board), your eyes are focused on the target, your face is on the stock and you are maintaining a smooth swing the targets will begin to start breaking.
Click to expand...
I blasted more than a few shells at our 'greased steel plate'. I saw first hand how my different chokes were patterning and with which one I was consistently breaking birds.

I also started shooting with both eyes open. Really helps to pick up birds IMO. As has been suggested, talking with a seasoned, proficient shooter is a great way to pick up little pointers to improving your score.

Remember this, some days you'll shoot very well and feel quite confident and other days you will struggle and see what a mind game it is.
 
Next time you're at the club, mention to the fellows there you'd like a little help in learning to shoot. They'll set you up with a coach right away. A happy shooter will become a member!
 
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