There have been endless discussions and debates over what you should see when looking down your barrel. Some say you should see the target…and only the target. I call this the “total focus on the target” method. For reasons that follow, I’ve found this method creates missing in our day-to-day clay target shooting.  True…looking at the target with your primary vision is required. However, also seeing your muzzle in your peripheral vision (muzzle awareness) will allow you to confirm the actual spatial relationship between your target and the muzzle of your gun. Your muzzle is pointed where you think it is because you have visually confirmed it is. The ...

It’s been said…”When the stock touches your cheek…pull the trigger.” From first-hand experience, I’ve learned where that works, and where it doesn’t. If I may, here is a second opinion on this topic. Each of us has a natural, inborn talent, our ability to point at an object. The Churchill shooting method capitalizes on this natural instinct and quite effectively. Here’s an example. A covey of quail burst from the thicket. Time to shoot is short. When the eyes lock on 1 quail…point and shoot. When the stock reaches your cheek…fire. Let your instincts work. Because they will work. It’s reliable. You can trust it, the ...

As you know, changing chokes from field to field is very common. And it can be to our advantage, depending on the reasons for changing and how the choke is being used.         For example, a few years back in a match, I observed an elderly gentleman prepare for a crossing target under his feet, inbound across a ravine. The common breakpoint on this A target was under 25 yards. Visibly anxious, he was vacillating, unsure of what choke to put in. He stepped into the box less than confident. I was on deck behind him. He very clearly shot behind the first two A birds, stopping his gun each time because he incorrectly thought he was too far in front. He ...

Target setters are a devious bunch and, have no doubt, we’re all the better for it. This particular true pair presentation can be shot either way and has us wondering which bird first, the A or B trap? Watching some of the shooters ahead of us hasn’t helped since there are just as many shooting the A trap first as there are shooting the B trap first and few are running this station. Choosing which bird first isn’t obvious but there is a way to untangle this and put the odds in our favor.         At the call, as a true pair, watch both birds carefully as they come into their last half or last third of their flight. Which bird do you ...