- The gun is not mounted correctly with the cheek on the stock and eyes focused on the front of the target.
- Swinging the gun too far back toward the throwing site of the target and never catching up with the front of the target.
- Spot shooting when not necessary. The gun is stopped with no swing. A lot of flinching occurs when this technique is used. Poke and hope! Crossing targets are usually missed because the shot is behind the target.
- Not pointing the lead foot to the area where the shooter wants to break the target. If the shotgun is swung too far, the barrel of the gun will start to fall naturally.
- Stopping the gun to pull the trigger. A miss behind the target will occur.
- Using a gun or ammunition that can misfire periodically. The shooters focuses too much on the bang and not the target.
- Losing concentration on where the target is supposed to go or not paying attention to the show birds or how other shooters have shot before it is their turn. Does a flying bird or a falling leaf catch your eye about the time the bird is called for? It is amazing how perceptive our eyes can be.
- Aiming at a difficult or seemingly easy target. The shooter closes one eye and tries to line up the bead of the barrel with the target or put the bead in a guessed distance from the motion of the target. Good luck with falling target! The gun will invariably stop and the shot will go over the target.
- Riding the moving target too long. The shooter aims and usually misses the target badly.
- Enjoying the fact that the first target broke beautifully and forgetting about the second target.
You notice that I did not mention choke tube choice, proper gun fit, type or brand of shotgun, brand of ammunition or shot size, gauge of shotgun, or barrel length. I will be the first to admit that confidence in these items does affect shooting success, however, I would hope that the shooter would move on to his own techniques and not rely so much on the gun to break the target by itself.What has worked for me? I use choke tubes that will break most of the target presentations at a sporting clays site (usually improved cylinder in both O/U barrels or a mod choke in one for longer targets) and try to use consistent loads in the shells. I really concentrate on pointing my lead foot (and therefore body) to where I can break the target and swing the gun about one third of the distance to where I can first see the target. I don't completely mount the gun until I can clearly see the target for the first time. I turn my head to see the target then mount and move the gun. Honestly, I do not think about swinging the gun, I just let it follow my eyes.
Some shooters tell you to point the index finger of your hand under the barrel at the target to use the natural pointing ability we are born with, but it seems to me that they are pointing with the wrong finger and will shoot too far in front of or below the target. Do we have a dominant finger as well as a dominant eye? Ha! Anyway, it is too clumsy for me. I concentrate on focusing on the front rim of the bird and ignore calculating lead because I will always stop the gun and shoot behind the target if I do so. I have also found it beneficial to lean toward the target to help with perceived ammo recoil and to stop a bad habit of poking the gun at the target at the last second. So, what works for you? I know that I am definitely not an expert and would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for reading and have fun!
"There are no dangerous weapons. There are only dangerous men."
- Robert A. Heinlein
