jsync Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Hi, Over the weekend I visited the local clay ground with my new 525 and came away with a bruised cheek. Gun fit was checked at 2 gunshops prior to purchase so I am happy it fits well enough, so it is down to me. I have shot occasionally over the past years and have now got my own gun and decided to give it a go. I have been invited to a shoot next week so I want to spend a bit of time dry mounting to practice in the mean time. I shot compact sporting which I hadn't done before and think I may have been lifting my head and shooting too quickly as I wasn't certain of the position of the traps let alone path of the clay. I also think I was dropping my elbow on my shooting arm too. I know it is difficult to determine what I was doing wrong from behind a keyboard but I could do with some clarification on the basics. Am I correct in the following: - The best way to create the pocket in the shoulder is to bring the elbow up to 90 degrees. - The toe of the butt should sit in the pocket. My biggest concern is the placement of the cheek on the stock. Should my cheekbone sit on the comb or should there be a a bit of skin in between? Also I have a tendency to roll my cheek over the comb as I would do to aim a rifle, this is wrong too I guess! Any advice would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks, Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike.ginty Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) Do you have the gun mounted and raised waiting for the target or lowered and mount once you see target. its sounds as if you have rushed the shot and not fully mount the gun in your shoulder when you fired this has caused the barrels to flip and hit your cheek bone. i would practice by firing off one clay just to see the clays trajectory and ***** were your going to break the clay then position your self in correct position so your ready and you know were clay will go when pulled. you might of not had correct position as you didn't know were clay would fly so when you shouted pull you rushed the shot.If i don't know the tradjectory of a clay i always ask to see one first before i try to shoot it i usually do alot of sporting Edited November 16, 2009 by mike.ginty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) If you can persevere with a bit of a battering for a few weeks, I would recommend that you do, if you're happy that the gun fit is right If you've not shot much this year and it's a new gun, I think you'll find that it will slowly improve the more you shoot it. I think what happens is that we subconsciously make very slight adjustments to where we put our face on the stock (or where we put the butt in our shoulders) each time we get whacked. It might only be a millimetre each time, but we eventually end up with a painless mount. When I first started shooting a shotgun, I got bruising on the shoulder and you could actually see bruises on my face as well. I didn't consciously change anything at all, but it stopped after a few weeks and now I never notice recoil at all. The interesting thing is that it doesn't seem to make any difference which gun I shoot now. I think when you get familiar and "automatic" at shooting, you seem to instinctively know when the mount is right, even if you switch guns. :blink: Edited November 16, 2009 by Chard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsync Posted November 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Thanks for the reply Mike. Yes I was shooting gun down. I was shown the clays first but had difficulty picking them up in the trees (heavily wooded ground), which made me rush them. Add the fact that they change the firing sequence in compact too! I guess it is a case of more haste and less speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsync Posted November 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Hi Chard. I must admit that shooting a shotgun does feel slightly unnatural at the moment and I am concerned with whether I am doing it right. I am happy to persevere but would like to add a bit of science to it! I think gun control is also an issue as some of the guys shooting there were so smooth and natural and I was a bit pointy if you know what I mean. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkfooty Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Apart from poor gun fit (which you say should not be the case) the most common cause of cheek bruising is not pulling the gun tightly enough into the shoulder when mounting it and not keeping your cheek tight to the comb when you pull the trigger. If you can cure both those faults, then there is very little room for movement as a result of the recoil, so you won't get bruised; the bruising is usually caused by the gun actually moving and "striking" the cheek. If you look at an experienced shooter firing a shotgun you will see that his whole upper body, shoulders and head move as one with the recoil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike.ginty Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) thats interesting i got taught to shoot with gun mounted with it raised slightly waiting for clay you tend not to rush your shot in this position. but if after saying pull you have to mount your gun and raise it to aquire the clay you get rushed especaily with quick clays and you said they are hard to see in tree's so this could make you rush your shot even more.try having gun mounted and up then call for the pull and take your time and choose your point of breaking the clay this way you wont feel rushed into taking a shot. Edited November 16, 2009 by mike.ginty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecooper1 Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Fully agree with Chard, take your time, dont rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike.ginty Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Forgot to ask have you had any lessons from a coach at a clay ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsync Posted November 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Thinking back I can't recall pulling the butt into the shoulder particularly tight as I was focussing more on following the clay. I am still unsure of where the comb should be against the cheek, should it sit under the bone or on the fat of the cheek? Yes I had 1 lesson a while ago but wanted to have a few more go's then go back for more as I got more used to shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Thinking back I can't recall pulling the butt into the shoulder particularly tight as I was focussing more on following the clay. I am still unsure of where the comb should be against the cheek, should it sit under the bone or on the fat of the cheek? Yes I had 1 lesson a while ago but wanted to have a few more go's then go back for more as I got more used to shooting. Mine's on the very, very fat of the cheek , but beware, we're all structured differently (high cheekbones etc) I think the science of the swing or poke or whatever is something else entirely. If you get this mount right, then you can concentrate on what you do with the gun when you've got it mounted. You shouldn't be pulling the trigger till the gun's mounted right, so it might be an idea to practice on slower, rangier clays where you're not going to feel rushed. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike.ginty Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 your cheek should rest firmly on the stock not too hard to hurt though. i would try a few lessons at a local clay ground. i had one every week for about 4 months before i got my SGC it helps alot gives you alot of experience and confidence as well would recommend don't know what your local clay ground is like i had mine at Cotton dale shooting ground on staxton hill near seamer (scarborough) Alan's a good instructor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clueless1 Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) Scrunch your cheek up on to the comb, if you know what I mean - kind of place it at your teeth level and squish everything up 'til it's in the right spot. Hopefully someone can describe this better than me. :blink: Edited November 16, 2009 by clueless1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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