How much lead?

[Skippy]

I've decided I am shite at clays, too much lead, too little, behind, above, below .... all very familiar so, I take a lesson and I hit almost everything the instructor puts up, from left to right, driven, going away, high birds and low. All very good (and surprising tbh!) apart from the right to left. Terrible, no matter how hard I try, everything lands complete, intact.

And then it dawns on me, if I can see the clay, I'll miss it, of course I will, what a muppet ! Obviously, I'm right handed so I give it more lead than seems viable but it works, I chip a couple, wing a few more and dust one but there are some escapees. Let's see what happens on Sunday at the club meet.

Any advice welcomed ..

P.S. The rabbits thought it was spring ..... boing ....... boing .... a couple got away.

 

[oblertone]

I'd start by looking at gun fit; once that was confirmed or adjusted, then start worrying about lead.

 

[AustinW]

Years back we set up our own little clay shoot. Just us and a couple of traps and few hundred clays and cartridges between us. The bird we all had difficulty with was very long left - right crossers, especially if they were dropping. But, practice, practice practice and we’d find them and once on them you couldn’t miss. What had previously seemed impossible - like missing 20+ straight - suddenly seemed so easy and casual it was almost comical. Everything else also got easy too.

The point being you don’t learn or improve on the easy stuff but practice practice and more practice on the things you find hard and it improves you all round.

I don’t shoot much now but the place i go beating on has a live bird drive that consistently beats the most experienced guns. Very steep bank with birds lifting from woods at the top about 300+ feet higher than the guns. The birds are making for a second wood behind the gun line about 350 yards from the flush. The pheasants either climb or fly level from their flushing point before dropping rapidly towards the 2nd wood. They are both extremely fast and dropping so normal lead based on distance and height is irrelevant. Loads of guns miss everything, others hit a few low straightforward ones, but most play the game and blat away at near impossible birds just for the glory of getting that one bird they can boast about at dinner. Typically 300-400 shots total for the drive for 20-30 birds, occasionally more, often lots fewer.

Whatever, enjoy your shooting, it’s always under threat

 

[KMD]

I’ve always enjoyed shooting, even qualified as a sniper in a previous life and still shoot on the ranges with a club, but I struggle with lead on clays. Sometimes so badly I couldn’t hit the floor falling out of bed. It frustrates the hell out of me!

 

[Skippy]

I’ve always enjoyed shooting, even qualified as a sniper in a previous life and still shoot on the ranges with a club, but I struggle with lead on clays. Sometimes so badly I couldn’t hit the floor falling out of bed. It frustrates the hell out of me!

Don't take up golf !

 

[Santa-2512]

Skeet

or compact

Do a couple of rounds a week or before you go for a comp

Once you work out lead for skeet, the other stuff becomes easier to miss (hit)

I went a few months ago has been at least 18 months since i last shot

I didnt bother with a score card, just shot, bloody brilliant , havent had so much fun in ages

 

[Santa-2512]

I’ve always enjoyed shooting, even qualified as a sniper in a previous life and still shoot on the ranges with a club, but I struggle with lead on clays. Sometimes so badly I couldn’t hit the floor falling out of bed. It frustrates the hell out of me!

Because your trying to shoot it like a rifle target , just point the gun at the clay move infront and pull the trigger

 

[Santa-2512]

I've decided I am shite at clays, too much lead, too little, behind, above, below .... all very familiar so, I take a lesson and I hit almost everything the instructor puts up, from left to right, driven, going away, high birds and low. All very good (and surprising tbh!) apart from the right to left. Terrible, no matter how hard I try, everything lands complete, intact.

And then it dawns on me, if I can see the clay, I'll miss it, of course I will, what a muppet ! Obviously, I'm right handed so I give it more lead than seems viable but it works, I chip a couple, wing a few more and dust one but there are some escapees. Let's see what happens on Sunday at the club meet.

Any advice welcomed ..

P.S. The rabbits thought it was spring ..... boing ....... boing .... a couple got away.

Rabbits aim for the front legs , never fails to work

 

[KMD]

Because your trying to shoot it like a rifle target , just point the gun at the clay move infront and pull the trigger

Easy for you to say

I know you’re absolutely right, and when you say it like that it seems very simple. My Brother is the same, he was a very decent rifle shot. Still is, but sometimes can’t hit a cows arse with a spade when we get on the clays. I know the fault lies with us, but muscle memory is hard to overcome sometimes.

 

[oblertone]

You could try removing the front bead/site to reduce direct reference to the barrels and stop you aiming instead of pointing.

 

[thedoghouse]

Because your trying to shoot it like a rifle target , just point the gun at the clay move infront and pull the trigger

Pretty much what I was thinking. If you're looking at the bird and thinking "lead", you've already missed. Swing the gun, pull the trigger, keep swinging the gun...

 

[Santa-2512]

You could try removing the front bead/site to reduce direct reference to the barrels and stop you aiming instead of pointing.

Now that's funny. As I use the bead as my point of reference, once I see the bead pass the clay pull the trigger lol

 

[oblertone]

According to various 'experts' on YouTube and other sources, using the bead like that involves your conscious mind , which operates at X speed. Removal of the bead and focus purely on the target clay allows your sub-conscious to take over, which operates at 400X.

This is all theory, but seems to have some basis in practise, particularly for the older shooter where reaction speed (conscious mind) may have diminished.

FWIW I shoot a SBS, albeit a multichoke which has even more to ignore

 

[g.s.john]

I’ve always enjoyed shooting, even qualified as a sniper in a previous life and still shoot on the ranges with a club, but I struggle with lead on clays. Sometimes so badly I couldn’t hit the floor falling out of bed. It frustrates the hell out of me!

Forget your marksmanship principals both eyes open when it looks about right shoot, close range small amount of lead longer range more lead and slightly below as it's crossing and losing height practice the same shot until you bust it, you will get some perspective and adjust accordingly for different shots.

 

[Loiq]

get on it earlier, if your too late there's also drop to allow for. Which can make them harder to hit, when you call to see one, make a note in your head how far the straight line of flight is intact... that what you need to get onto the clay

are you right or left eye dominant..? and do you keep both eyes open..?


clays slow down and drop

game speeds up and changes direction

 

[John RTW]

As Santa says, try a bit of Skeet shooting or maybe the slower pace of Trap shooting (DTL) first. Once you get your eye in you'll have more confidence for other disciplines. We used to have a great club nearby that specialised in sporting. There'd be a change around of stands every few weeks and always kept you on your toes, great fun.

 

[John RTW]

To add to Oblertone bead removal. If you cannot remove it and if it is a bright day-glo orange bead, just get a black felt to colour it or a little bit of black tape to take away the focus point.

 

[PIGGLET]

Might also be worth having a go at a pattern board. Put a dot on a board around 30 meters away to aim at, throw the gun to your shoulder as if you were going to snap shoot something and see where the shot goes. If you are consistently hitting the same spot but it's not the target ie high, low or to the side then either your gunnfit or mount may need correcting.

I reckon shooting clays is actually not that dissimilar to golf or cricket. You are not aiming, you are swinging the smoke pole through the target and releasing a cloud of pellets at the right time to catch the target. Gunfit, Mount, swing and timing. You need gunfit and mount reasonably dialed as a starting point then start building up your mental library of shot scenarios.
Once you have gunfit and mount sorted so it's absolutely repeatable without thinking you will be well on the way.
Rightly or wrongly, when I started I was taught to spend more time on practising my gun mount than anything else.
If you have time to think about it, you've missed it.

 

[Santa-2512]

Might also be worth having a go at a pattern board. Put a dot on a board around 30 meters away to aim at, throw the gun to your shoulder as if you were going to snap shoot something and see where the shot goes. If you are consistently hitting the same spot but it's not the target ie high, low or to the side then either your gunnfit or mount may need correcting.

I reckon shooting clays is actually not that dissimilar to golf or cricket. You are not aiming, you are swinging the smoke pole through the target and releasing a cloud of pellets at the right time to catch the target. Gunfit, Mount, swing and timing. You need gunfit and mount reasonably dialed as a starting point then start building up your mental library of shot scenarios.
Once you have gunfit and mount sorted so it's absolutely repeatable without thinking you will be well on the way.
Rightly or wrongly, when I started I was taught to spend more time on practising my gun mount than anything else.
If you have time to think about it, you've missed it.

Yup dont think, shoot thats what i was told

 

[Big Si]

Tail, belly, beak, BANG!
Worked for me.

With clays, I used to have to force myself to push through the swing much more than I thought logical and eventually you find the sweet spot. The trick is to remember it for the next time!