How much of the barrel or rib should one see....

[Mack The Knife]

....when shooting with a shotgun?

Grateful for any pointers on the subject.

Thanks.

Mack The Knife

[mundaire]

"When pointing your gun, focus on the target and not the gun barrel or bead. Point, don't aim. Aiming slows your swing and causes you to shoot behind. Since a shot string is 10-14' long, use it to your advantage by pointing slightly more in front of a target. If you miss crossing targets, you are probably shooting behind. Try to 'miss' in front by doubling your lead, and if still missing, try doubling the lead again." —Bob Knopf
(of the National Wing & Clay Shooting School and author of Wing & Clay Shooting Made Easy)

HTH

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Mack The Knife]

Thanks Abhijeet but surely if too much of the barrel or rib is visible, then could it be that the gun fit is wrong and you end up shooting higher and vice versa? Or do I just ignore this doubt and do what Bob Knopf advices?

Mack The Knife

[mehulkamdar]

Mack The Knife,

I am no expert here and there are vastly better shots like Johan, Amit and Mark, but in wingshooting, it is, as Abhijeet points out, more a case of pointing the gun properly than of aiming. Ask Inder - he tried aiming the shotgun at a fixed target and hit it only 4 times out of 25. Then when he tried shooting clays he hit 11 x 25. And finally, by the time he went for live game, he was doing quite well and actually shot the first pheasant on the day of our shoot.

You may or may not see a part of the rib or the barrel but if the gun points properly then it will hit.

Cheers!

[mundaire]

Mack The Knife, at this stage don't get overly worried about fit... unless this post is about evaluating a gun you wish to purchase...

I would suggest get as much range time as possible. Since skeet & trap are the only two types of clay ranges you will find in India, go for skeet - IMHO it approximates wing shooting much closer than trap does.

Coming from a rifle shooting background, you will have to unlearn certain things, and this would help immensely.

About shooting higher/ lower - it's always best to pattern one's shotgun with the shells one intends to shoot. This would also help you determine if your gun is a high or low shooter...

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Mack The Knife]

unless this post is about evaluating a gun you wish to purchase...

Got it in one. Have a cigar!

Range time is definitely on the cards but more than that I just want to stand on the terrace and keep practising at the crows, pigeons and mynahs. Before you get a heart attack, may I add, with snap caps in the chambers.

Coming from a rifle shooting background, you will have to unlearn certain things, and this would help immensely.

You mean swing and follow through or is there more?

About shooting higher/ lower - it's always best to pattern one's shotgun with the shells one intends to shoot. This would also help you determine if your gun is a high or low shooter...

Will certainly do that. Actually I didn't know about this high-low business until someone recently mentioned it about his shotgun.

Thanks.

Mack The Knife

[Mack The Knife]

You may or may not see a part of the rib or the barrel but if the gun points properly then it will hit.

Thanks Mehul but how does one determine if the gun is pointing correctly?

Is it just a case of....look at your target, close your eyes, raise the gun to our cheek and shoulder and then open your eyes to see if you are pointing at the target or is there something more?

I am no expert here and there are vastly better shots like Johan, Amit and Mark,

You left out Grumpy! Do you know the penalty for such an omission?

Mack The Knife

[mehulkamdar]

Mack The Knife,

Yes, your pointing exercise is a very nice way of doing things. Patterning a gun to see where the shot lands would also be a good way - then it woudl be pointing with an awareness of where the densest shot would land.

As far as Guru Grumpy is concerned, the reverence I have for my very good friend keeps me from uttering his name. No omission at all - I just thought you would have asked him about this privately. In any case, I expect Grumpy to jump in with his usual enthusiasm to offer his superb suggestions whether or not I mention his name here. One sometimes forgets to mention the names of those who are most certain to respond on a forum, hence the subconscious omission.

Cheers!

[Grumpy]

"You left out Grumpy! Do you know the penalty for such an omission?"
DEATH BY IGNOMINY !

[Grumpy]

You`re such a smoothy Mehul !

[Mack The Knife]

DEATH BY IGNOMINY !

You`re such a smoothy Mehul !

Quite the Fagin, isn't he? But pi55 him off and he turns into Bill Sykes.

Mack The Knife

[kanwar76]

Hi Mack The Knife,

In no way I can call my self an expert or even anything above than a beginner but I will share something which I experienced here. Abhijeet is absolutely right when he say that you have to unlearn many things like closing one eye, looking at the sight/bead, trying to aim at the target etc. When i first shot a shotgun I was constantly closing my eye even after tens of rounds my eye was getting close automatically. I was looking at the bead and target like a rifle but after some practice things have changed now. Now I don't even know how much barrel or bead I see . I just acquire the target, point my Gun towards it and shoot. It’s coming very naturally.

Gun fit. I think you can feel it. The way gun swings. Position of your cheek on the stock. I find Amit's gun a bit hard to swing but Mehul's A5 swings effortlessly for me. Sharief's gun was fitting right at my cheek but I found it a bit tough to swing may be because of the barrel length. As far as leading is concern I think its need a lot of practice to accomplish that. You need to know what path your target going to follow etc.

I really felt shotgun as a part of my body on the shoot. I was shooting Mehul’s 20 and it was so effortless. Perfect swing, perfect fit.

I don't know how my post going to help you in any way but it is what I felt. Shotgun shooting is fun really fun and I am going to miss it.

-Inder

[Mack The Knife]

Keep it coming Inder. Afterall, in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed jack is king.

Mack The Knife

[eljefe]

Turning out to be interesting, I would love to pick up pointers too...been a while, best way I can put it is; in a couple of hundred mounts and click with snap caps, your entire body helps out...from what lirlle I can offer, Mack The Knife, I hardly see the rib/barrel-just use the END of the shot gun barrels to follow/align/ go ahead or above the bird and pull.
Just my 2 paise

[kanwar76]

Turning out to be interesting, I would love to pick up pointers too...been a while, best way I can put it is; in a couple of hundred mounts and click with snap caps, your entire body helps out...from what lirlle I can offer, Mack The Knife, I hardly see the rib/barrel-just use the END of the shot gun barrels to follow/align/ go ahead or above the bird and pull.
Just my 2 paise

Yep Pull.. that is very important thing. You are bound to miss if you try to squeeze the trigger like rifle just give it a small slap.

-Inder