Since everyone else is, let’s talk about ammunition.Manufacturer? Folks, the truth is, they all work. Favorites build confidence and that counts. Pick any popular brand and know for certain: what’s in the box will do its job if you do yours.Shot size? Please don’t share this, OK? 9’s are downright lethal inside 30 yards. 8’s—depending on how much target bottom is visible—are stone reliable out to 40+ yards, give or take a little. For consistency, 7½’s get the nod at 50 all the way out to 60 and 70 yards, again depending on what the target is showing us. Rabbits and battues? 8’s work all day.Payload? Despite some questioning their ...
Counting on your shotgun choke to break this target?After watching countless X’s and O’s with an enquiring mind on which chokes work where, here are my findings.Does choke selection matter? For some yes, others no, depending on how much the shot outcome means to our shooter.Do chokes work? Equally to how well our swing is working.Should we be depending on our choke to break this target? Sorry, no. The choke is simply a helpful tool. Our swing guides the shotstring and will decide X or O. Hold onto that as we continue.Since they can help, which choke where? That depends on 1) target distance; 2) target surface area exposed; and 3) shooter skill. With the right swing, can a Skeet ...
Three goals: 1) Consistency; 2) measurable shooting improvement; 3) higher scores. Here’s Part 1 of 4 in a series on what we can and can’t depend on to reach those goals. Each Part in the series offers a short preview of what I cover extensively in my three books: Take Your Best Shot, To The Target, and Beyond The Target—the next best thing to taking a lesson.Shotguns. Way more than just a tool, it proudly holds our trust, our confidence and, if we’re honest about it, our expectations of success. About those expectations.Expecting our shotgun to accomplish those three goals will only work if one first applies a generous coat of MFD ...
Frustrated over your missing? Odds are, it’s not your gun, chokes, loads or shooting methods. A fan of football, baseball and shooting, I liked Mr. Bittlekirk at the handshake. In the clubhouse, I inquired about his goals, targets shot per month and problem areas. His comments were insightful, his stated goals achievable. When he took his Kolar out of the sleeve, he said “Hey Dan, I really don’t like to miss.”I asked, “Why's that?”“Because I get frustrated easily after a miss and everything seems to go downhill from there.” Note to self. It didn’t take long. After warming up on two Stations, this ...
Here’s exactly why you, I, and everyone else miss. No mystery, no confusion, just one correct answer.My message here can be easily misunderstood. To prevent that, remember, in all the clay target sports, there can be NO aiming of the shotgun. Please read that again and hold onto that as we move forward. Rifle and handgun shooters fully understand and respect this immutable fact: any gun movement that compromises precision will result in a miss to some degree. Maybe a little, maybe a lot, but the miss will be certain. What guarantees this is the science and the math involved in precision. That math is non-negotiable, regardless of shooter age, weapon, skill level, etc. Mistakes at ...