Strategies for Sporting Clays

[BCFred]

Just shot sporting clays for the 2nd. It was a "fun match" of 100 rounds and it was just a great, fun filled event! The match directors said they set up a fairly easy course (I love this statement!!) and it couldn't have been a better shoot. Lots of challenging targets, a good group to shoot with (even some mild razzing), great scenery overlooking the Thomson River Valley, terrific weather and a good lunch afterwards. I even bettered my first score a bit. Things just don't get much better than that!
When the smoke cleared I started thinking and realized that there were about a thousand questions needed answering and that I needed a strategy to approach the game. I know I'll shoot it again. One problem, of course, is that the course can change. This is a large attraction of the sport and I think probably one of its major challenges too. The fact the course can change and the various stands represent very different challenges demands one be flexible, and it will require a lot of shooting to start doing well. But it also started me thinking about what chokes and loads one should use and so on. I used modified and improved modified chokes this time around and didn't change at all. I'm sure next time around that I'm going to have at least one improved cylinder or skeet choke mounted because there weren't any truly distant birds or long range crossers. Still, there were people changing at each stand and people not changing at all. Does anyone have an opinion about what approach a person should take to the choke end of the game? Another really big question for me was deciding how one should approach shooting a particular set up. Sometimes you can watch the more experienced shooters and get some idea and this is good, but our group was puzzled once in awhile. We had one set up, for example, where both birds were going away at an angle on the right side, and it took us about three times at bat to figure out which one to shoot first. They had two very close, and close running, rabbits that completely devastated me. I don't know how many shots I put in between the two and behind the last. It felt like I was closing my eyes (I'm sure they were crossed too!!!) and pulling the trigger by the end. (First lesson for me was not to rely on rabbit for food, that's for sure!) The teal were a challenge I did better on, but it would be nice to know how to shoot a double. I seem to get one or the other but not both quite often. Of course, there are as many questions as there are setups, and it is going to be fun putting in the time to get better. But it would be nice to have some idea of how to approach various stands too or what to think about when approaching a new one. A good day...hope the same for you...fred

 

[MD]

Read this:

Breaking Clays (Hardcover)
by Chris Batha (Author)
Key Phrases: sporting clays, maintained lead, dominant eye, Improved Cylinder, Master Eye, Five Stand (more...)

 

[hnachaj]

Chris Batha is one of the best technical instructors in NA! If you could book a lesson with him, your sure to get ahead! In September, Orvis Sandanona has a special deal where you can choose among the best instructors including Roddie of West Londodn Shooting School, Chris Batha and many more, for an all inclusive price that includes shells, instructors and food!

I don't know of ANY good or great sporting instructors out in BC! You might have to go South into the US to get a good instructor. I have heard of great stuff out of Alberta regarding very good sporting presentations! The more you can shoot away from your home club, the better you will be able to hit the tougher targets!

You might be interested with some good videos such as those by:George Digweed (available at www.hidefspex.com), Chris Batha, John Bidwell of Blaser fame and one of the most usefull techniques" Move, Mount, Shoot!"

ou may visit my website of interesting shoots and hunts:
http://www.sportingphotosshop.com

I will be off to the Pan Am FITASC Championship this week near Chicago. Pictures of the event will be up when the hotel internet permits!

Regards,
Henry

 

[beretta boy]

A copy of "Sporting Clays" Magazine, available at the better newstands, will give you lots of leads re: instructional aids, videos, books, DVD's, etc., as well as some articles on the various facets of the game. Chris Batha, by the way, is also a regular clays columnist in "Shooting Sportsman", also a good read with lots of information.

I've seen "short" courses shot very effectively with Cylinder & Cylinder, however, from observing literally hundreds of shooters, both at the Club and Competition level, Improved Cylinder & Light Modified seem to be the most popular chokes. Perhaps 90 percent of the stations I run across at half a dozen clubs, LM & LM is what I have in - with 1 oz of 8's at 1200.

Absolute gun fit and a solid, consistant mounting technique are pre-requesite to good scores. Your gun "has to shoot where you're looking". A "gun-down" start seems to be preferred by many for most presentations, allowing much better visibility than when the gun is pre-mounted with the barrel often partially obstructing the view or at least distracting one from an unfetered view of the target's flight path.

Because the targets are seldom "the same" ( as in Trap or Skeet) and shooting positions or cages are changed frequently, the key seems to be not so much repetitive shooting as practice, ( one M.D. studying the phenomenon says 3000 repetitions are necessary to build "muscle memory") but more focussing on how to read what the target is doing ... it's flight line, direction, rise, fall, apparent speed, curve, etc. A good target setter utililzing background can make you think the target is rising when it really isn't !
Catalogue those presentations and learn how to hit them ... you can then transfer and adapt as you encounter similar targets - or something like them elsewhere.

Try to remember to never have your muzzle behind a target, mount the gun into the target flight path, establish the forward allowance by whichever method seems to work best for you ... or whichever works best for that particular presentation, and concentrate on the targets, not the gun, the choke, the cartridge or the razzing that may be going on ! Those with a short, compact swing, making their mount and follow through-look effortless when obliterating targets have pretty much mastered things.

Work towards the simplicity of the basics ... most days it doesn't pay to "think too much" - just get down to the nitty-gritty & shoot !

 

[BCFred]

Boy, some really good advice here. I'm going to have to reread and digest things a bit. Must apologize for not having my homework done. Usually I have done my reading before I ask questions. I'll keep looking for the magazines, which aren't in our library. I haven't found any in stores yet, but I'm just getting started looking. Maybe it's time to subscribe to one. Any ideas about which the best mag would be? I'm interested in, and shoot, skeet, trap and sporting clays (now).
The videos are a good idea too, but maybe expensive for my pocket book. I did pick up one book on sporting clays at this years gunshow but it isn't much help. Recommendations and advice given here sound a lot better. Botha's book is available on Amazon for about $23. Can probably swing that all right.
Think I will try the more open chokes. Maybe improved cylinder and modified. I do have two IC chokes but haven't patterned them yet. I'm a bit reluctant to use too open a choke because it seems like holes open up in the pattern pretty quickly even with my modified choke. Maybe it just isn't much of a worry. One of the chaps I was shooting with said he was going to use a straight cylinder choke next time around the sporting clays course as mentioned here.
One ounce of #8 at 1200 ft/sec sounds like a good load. It's what I use for skeet practice, prefer #9 for matches, only my load is a bit slower.
At any rate, thanks for the comments and advice. I'm going to reread the posts and do some more thinking.
I know the gun fit and shooting to point of regard advice is right on, but a bit of a sore point right now. I need to make a new stock for my Citori and am going to suffer until I do. It needs about 3 changes in order to fit me properly. At least I have my BT-99, which has a custom built stock and does fit, for trap now (What a difference!). So, I can set up the Citori, which has a 28 inch barrel, for skeet and sporting clays. It all takes time, but will be worth it in the end... Fred

 

[Claybuster]

Here's my advice:

First, follow all of BB's advice.

My own thoughts are to focus less on choke and more about the target. I usually have Light Mod in my gun and spend more time watching for where the target appears, where it is going, when it comes into focus and what it is doing. Time spent changing chokes is less valuable than time figuring out the target. The only time I'll make changing a priority is if I think I don't have enough choke.

Create a plan. Decide approximately where you want to break the target. Set your foot placement, eye hold point, gun hold point and gun insertion point accordingly. Figure out where to look for the second target and how you are going to shoot it. Plan your shoot, shoot your plan. Be prepared to change your plan midstream. If it's not working change something.

Don't look just at the target but at its leading edge. Think only about seeing the edge. Let the subconscious take care of the rest.

On a true pair decide which one to shoot first. One of the targets is in air longer and most often it should be the second target.

Reading is good. Videos are better. Instruction is better still IF it is from a qualified instructor. Guys at the club can tell you that you missed behind but a good instructor can tell you why you missed behind and how to correct it. I've had lessons from Andrew Duffy and Gil Ash. Both are different in their approaches. I'd recommend Ash, Duffy not so much.

If I could only have one book on how to shoot sporting clays it would be "If It Ain Broke; Fix It," by Gil and Vicki Ash. You can order it here:

http://www.ospschool.com/

And finally, unless you intend to put in the time, targets and effort to become a competitive sporting clays shooter don't worry about your scores and shoot with people who you enjoy being around. Have fun, don't fuss over dropped targets and enjoy the ones that you smoked.

 

[BCFred]

Try to remember to never have your muzzle behind a target, mount the gun into the target flight path, establish the forward allowance by whichever method seems to work best for you ... or whichever works best for that particular presentation, and concentrate on the targets, not the gun, the choke, the cartridge or the razzing that may be going on ! Those with a short, compact swing, making their mount and follow through-look effortless when obliterating targets have pretty much mastered things.

Work towards the simplicity of the basics ... most days it doesn't pay to "think too much" - just get down to the nitty-gritty & shoot !

You know it turned out that I really needed to read this a couple of times and I really needed to hear what was being said. Finally it occurred to me that I was falling behind some targets and trying to catch up to them. Don't mind the razzing, at least when it is in good fun. The group I was with at the match was very good this way. We had fun with everyone still being able to shoot between laughs. Our scores weren't bad though, needless to say, I wasn't a winner , except I showed some learning and had a good time.
I'm going to start a catalogue of situations for Sporting Clays as you suggest. It's not necessary for trap or skeet, but I can sure see the use for it in SC's.

Thanks for taking the time BB. Fred

 

[BCFred]

Here's my advice:

Create a plan. Decide approximately where you want to break the target. Set your foot placement, eye hold point, gun hold point and gun insertion point accordingly. Figure out where to look for the second target and how you are going to shoot it. Plan your shoot, shoot your plan. Be prepared to change your plan midstream. If it's not working change something.

Don't look just at the target but at its leading edge. Think only about seeing the edge. Let the subconscious take care of the rest.

On a true pair decide which one to shoot first. One of the targets is in air longer and most often it should be the second target.

Reading is good. Videos are better. Instruction is better still IF it is from a qualified instructor. Guys at the club can tell you that you missed behind but a good instructor can tell you why you missed behind and how to correct it. I've had lessons from Andrew Duffy and Gil Ash. Both are different in their approaches. I'd recommend Ash, Duffy not so much.

If I could only have one book on how to shoot sporting clays it would be "If It Ain Broke; Fix It," by Gil and Vicki Ash. You can order it here:

http://www.ospschool.com/

And finally, unless you intend to put in the time, targets and effort to become a competitive sporting clays shooter don't worry about your scores and shoot with people who you enjoy being around. Have fun, don't fuss over dropped targets and enjoy the ones that you smoked.

Right now CB'r I'm kind of working on your description of creating a plan for the shot. I've pretty much worked out a routine for trap and skeet, but not at all for SC's. So, you're right on, it needs work. Very helpful. I have ordered the book. My Visa screamed, but that's just too bad!!! I've moved, with some help, on the choke issue and need to focus seems right too.

Great stuff! Morale is high! Thanks CB'r. Fred

 

[Kenny]

some very interesting reading in these posts. Going to put some of it into practice , Thanks
My weak spot seems to be arcing targets, they confuse me to no end, When I do break one, I try to repeat that and miss.
My score is in the high 70s low 80s but I have seemed to have stalled there.
Any way good thread don't want to high jack it

 

[beretta boy]

Arcing targets or "chondeles", springing teal (especially doubles) battues and rabbitts seem to cause the most consternation for the beginning Sporting Clay Shooter, and some continue to struggle with these targets even after several years.

ALL targets follow a line ... whether it be relatively straight, gently arced, radically arced, rising, falling and be careful, curving ! Try to visualize the "line" of the target, i.e. as if it were trailing a string attaced to it, or a smoketrail. You will need to insert your muzzle ( at some point) into the target line, follow and establish forward allowance.
I can't ( and no one can) tell you how much "lead" ... every station/target is different and it is perceived differently by individuals. Suffice to say, a "hard focus" on the leading edge of the target is prerequisite. If you are caught staring at your muzzle or heaven forbid, the bead, you can almost automatically assume you have shot behind ( cause just when you look at the bead is about the same instant you stop the gun ! )

For those "arcing" targets ... watch the flight line Notice they generally are presented moving either right to left or left to right ... so they require forward allowance one way or the other. They are as often as not taken falling ... which means you will have to establish a compound lead to get under them, as well as ahead. How much will depend on target speed and distance, but your swing wll need mimic the target flight line. Most find these targets easier to shoot at the "apex", that is, still under power before they fall. This way, most of the forward allowance is "ahead", with very little if any "under".

Keep at it, shoot lots of them, and learn to read the subtle differences in presentation.

As CB relates, don't fret over chokes and loads ... watch the targets. More misses I'm sure occur because of "over-thinking" the target(s) rather than having the wrong choke or size shot. Some days, it just doesn't pay to think ! Just shoot !