Things are progressing for me shooting clays and I have been averaging close to twenty (maybe even a bit better) out of 25 for trap and skeet both over the last 5 or 6 outings. At any rate, I'm at a plateau right now and the best I have done is 22 in skeet and 23 in trap. Still, this is a long way from where I started four or five months ago and believe me I'm not complaining. Some of the guys are telling me now that I should cant my shotgun when shooting skeet. The two guys saying this are not only good guys, they are pretty good shots too, with much more experience than I have in the sport. Problem is that I don't take naturally to the idea, and I haven't found a discussion of this in the books I have read. Not only that, I am still working a bit on the hold points for my gun in skeet. Misses in trap for me are usually having my gun too high or shooting a bit behind on the most radical birds. Both seem to come from lack of concentration. Does anyone here have an opinion about canting the gun in skeet? Much appreciate any comment here. Sincerely, Fred
Tilting Shotgun in Skeet
- Thread starter BCFred
- Start date
Thank you for the comments. They were very helpful. I am going to continue shooting with the gun upright. Part of my confusion on the issue came from some off-hand shooting situations with rifle where the rifle is canted. So, the advice didn't sound that far out to me. The other factor is that our club is small, but enthusiastic, and there aren't many checks and balances on our ideas. Things will probably be a bit different when I start getting around more...they usually are
. fred
. fred
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
AND keep your shoulders level. Use your ankles/legs/waist to swing, not your arms. You'll be surprised how well it "smooths" your shooting out.
Trap
Never heard of canting your gun? Think I would stay away from that.
Of all the clay target games I find trap the most Furustrating. For me it is contest of not sliding off my game. I shoot well first 50 targets, and then start making mistakes.
Sometimes very hard to figure out what the mistakes are, so I do the same mistake on the next bird.
I shot a 100 bird event couple of weeks ago shot 25, 24, 22, 21.
Not sure if I need a coach or a shrink
Never heard of canting your gun? Think I would stay away from that.
Of all the clay target games I find trap the most Furustrating. For me it is contest of not sliding off my game. I shoot well first 50 targets, and then start making mistakes.
Sometimes very hard to figure out what the mistakes are, so I do the same mistake on the next bird.
I shot a 100 bird event couple of weeks ago shot 25, 24, 22, 21.
Not sure if I need a coach or a shrink
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
"Cast" ( on or off ) and "Cant" are two different things.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
If you are cant the gun, you will miss, plain and simple!
Try this little excercise:
take you hands and as if you are holding your gun , point at a light switch or other object across a room, with the sight picture about level with the tops of your left hand fingers.
Now, turn your lefdt hand - what happens to your right as you try to keep things in the sight picture? it has to turn as well if you are going to hold a real shotgun.
In oerder to keep a level sighting along the rib( your eye is basicly acting like the rear sight of a rifle) you head has to can as well.
Ain't gonna happen naturally!
If your swinging on a target, and you were not set up properly, the gun cants as you come past your swing limit.
HOWEVER, your head does not - where is your eye?
YUP, off center!
Short answer is the same as everyone else's, don't cant the gun!
Just figured I'd explain why, because I'll bet the people who told you to cant the gun DIDN'T explain why, right?
Cat
Try this little excercise:
take you hands and as if you are holding your gun , point at a light switch or other object across a room, with the sight picture about level with the tops of your left hand fingers.
Now, turn your lefdt hand - what happens to your right as you try to keep things in the sight picture? it has to turn as well if you are going to hold a real shotgun.
In oerder to keep a level sighting along the rib( your eye is basicly acting like the rear sight of a rifle) you head has to can as well.
Ain't gonna happen naturally!
If your swinging on a target, and you were not set up properly, the gun cants as you come past your swing limit.
HOWEVER, your head does not - where is your eye?
YUP, off center!
Short answer is the same as everyone else's, don't cant the gun!
Just figured I'd explain why, because I'll bet the people who told you to cant the gun DIDN'T explain why, right?
Cat
If you are cant the gun, you will miss, plain and simple!
Try this little excercise:
take you hands and as if you are holding your gun , point at a light switch or other object across a room, with the sight picture about level with the tops of your left hand fingers.
Now, turn your lefdt hand - what happens to your right as you try to keep things in the sight picture? it has to turn as well if you are going to hold a real shotgun.
In oerder to keep a level sighting along the rib( your eye is basicly acting like the rear sight of a rifle) you head has to can as well.
Ain't gonna happen naturally!
If your swinging on a target, and you were not set up properly, the gun cants as you come past your swing limit.
HOWEVER, your head does not - where is your eye?
YUP, off center!
Short answer is the same as everyone else's, don't cant the gun!
Just figured I'd explain why, because I'll bet the people who told you to cant the gun DIDN'T explain why, right?
Cat
Makes sense looking at it this way. The reason given by the two guys who cant their gun, i.e. turn it sideways, not cast it off or on, is that they see the bird better. I'm not going to follow the practice myself and I am going to discuss it more with them to learn more about the thinking behind it. There have been enough good shooters respond here to suggest to me that it is a bad idea. Sure is a great thing to be able to access so much talent so easily on places like nutz. Posts here probably saved me many hours of confusion. The games hard enough while trying to do things right...
Fred
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Not sure how they see the bird better while the gun is on their shoulder?
What a lot of better skeet shooters do is put the gun up, then drop it just a tad before they call for the bird - not as far as the "gun down position" , just off their shoulder a smidge.
This gives them a much better view of the bird .
For trap, many simply hold a touch lower on the trap house .....
Cat
What a lot of better skeet shooters do is put the gun up, then drop it just a tad before they call for the bird - not as far as the "gun down position" , just off their shoulder a smidge.
This gives them a much better view of the bird .
For trap, many simply hold a touch lower on the trap house .....
Cat
Better to put your fingers in a form of the cross and back away slowly when you see them comming
LOL
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Forget aboud'it ! Don't do it.
Instead, ask your two buddies in a serious tone whether they "inhale", "exhale" or "hold their breath" just as they pull the
trigger. That should screw their shooting up long enough for
you to catch up to them in score
Instead, ask your two buddies in a serious tone whether they "inhale", "exhale" or "hold their breath" just as they pull the
trigger. That should screw their shooting up long enough for
you to catch up to them in score
I think I'm beginning to catch on. Jeez! you only have to hit me with a brick 6 or 7 times!!! The other day when I was doing my phoning for this weeks practice a guy mentioned that the meat shoots were going to be more difficult this year if I kept on improving...heh! heh! Let's see...ask them about how they breathe just before taking shot, make sign of cross, wear garlic, carry sharp stake, back up until they relax...then charge... Oh! get out my frying pan for the steak I'm going to win Thanks for the help guys! The meats on me...just as soon as I clean up my act with this here gun...
fred
Thanks for the help guys! The meats on me...just as soon as I clean up my act with this here gun... fred
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
I think I'm beginning to catch on. Jeez! you only have to hit me with a brick 6 or 7 times!!! The other day when I was doing my phoning for this weeks practice a guy mentioned that the meat shoots were going to be more difficult this year if I kept on improving...heh! heh! Let's see...ask them about how they breathe just before taking shot, make sign of cross, wear garlic, carry sharp stake, back up until they relax...then charge... Oh! get out my frying pan for the steak I'm going to win
It's always fun to let a fella know that " Yeah, I'm shooting an improved cylinder now, my scores are much better and I'm busting them closer"
or "yup, I changed to a full choke on skeet for my going away bird bird, Ii can let them get farther out that way"
Watch da boyz run for the choke wrenches and sit back and watch the fun!!
cat
