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Maintained Lead or Swing through


Moors Man
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Hi Everyone

 

I am after some advise.

 

As a new pigeon shooter can people give me some advise, when I shoot clays I prefer to shoot maintained lead, however this does not seem to be working well for pigeons (partly I suspect that I rush the shot and don't keep the gun moving.)

 

Also how do people build their hides, do you just use the netting (and which netting) or do you add other things.

 

Thanks for the advise. :good::good:

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Hi,

 

Swing through works for me and gives me time to think about forward allowance on the shot. I use stealth ghost netting with adjustable hide poles (four) with some Jack Pike clearview netting placed across the top section so you can see the approach of the birds easier. I still use a facemask though. Sit still until the last moment otherwise the birds will probably spook and flair off.

 

Use the search function on the forum. You'll see what most people use for their hide netting.

 

Cheers,

 

Dr_T

Edited by Dr_T
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I dont shoot clays these days, when I did I tending to use maintained lead but could only average about 25% on live birds.

 

I stopped shooting clays and have since found that its barrell SPEED through the target that is critical, keep those barrells moving quickly, hesitate to 'check' the lead, the barrels will stop and a miss behind results.

 

As I only shoot driven game with a shotgun I wil leave it to those better qualified to comment on hides etc.

 

A

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Hi Everyone

 

I am after some advise.

 

As a new pigeon shooter can people give me some advise, when I shoot clays I prefer to shoot maintained lead, however this does not seem to be working well for pigeons (partly I suspect that I rush the shot and don't keep the gun moving.)

 

Also how do people build their hides, do you just use the netting (and which netting) or do you add other things.

 

Thanks for the advise. :good::good:

 

It is all in the swing like many other sports. I use poles cut from a my local wood, as they cost Zero! No plastic clips to snap etc and you can beat any brambles with out costing you an expensive pole.

I use 3 bits of army camo depending on where I am setting up as I have yet to see those boys draping any of this stealth netting over any of there kit!

I am sure it has a place on a shelf somewhere, but not in my kit bag. With good piece of long deep camo net you can weave stuff in and out quite easily and it is tough as old boots.

Keeping still is the key to it and I have my net set so it is higher than me sitting down, with a good background so your silhouette is not showing if the sun is behind you.

 

Good luck

 

TEH

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  • 2 weeks later...

I dont ever stop to check lead or anything else like that. I just look at the bird mount the gun and shoot - let the brain work out the rest..Someone teaches this method but I cant think what he calls it.. Anyway, I hit more birds now that I'm not faffing about trying to work out lead and all that guff. Get on the clays and try the method.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I use maintained lead for the following reason:

 

Its economical in time i.e. you don't waste time getting to where your want to be - in front

 

It accepts and builds in the concept of a shot string i.e. shot does not arrive on target in one lot. It arrives in a string rather like water from a garden hose. Perhaps playing with your children one hot day you have noticed. Give them a head start, move the hose and notice how the water arives on target. It arrives is a line. If in front then the target runs into the string. Thus why not start in front and allow the shot string to compensate for errors.

 

It matches the swing of the gun to that of the target whereas pull through intrinsically has error build in ie you will either be too fast or too slow plus it wastes time placing the gun either behind or on the target neither of which is weher you want to be.

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You need a mixture of all styles.

 

Maintained lead is fine - but what about rising targets, where the clay is beneath the barrels - using the maintained lead method.

 

Maintained lead is not brilliant with battues.

 

Gordon, the chap is talking about pigeon shooting not clays.

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Phil - I appreciate he shoots pigeons, but he also shoots clays. He uses maintained lead for all clays, which I believe is flawed.

 

I was making the point that he needed to adapt to whatever he was shooting. Perhaps I could have made the point clearer - cheers. :)

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I mostly mount on the bird get through to the head a pull the trigger while maintaining swing seems to work for me most birds that decoy will need very little lead . as for hide netting I have had mine years I think it was a deben one in realtree die cut leaves with a scrim like backing was not cheap at around £70 for a 12x4ft but is excellent, trouble with the true net types is its so easy to get the gun tangled in it when raising it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I use swing through on everything. Your brain will tell you what YOUR lead needs to be, I don't recall being any further ahead on a 40 yd bird than a 30, but I swing fast and see a little light. With sustained leads there are too many leads to remember for field shooting. I need only one. (unless he's way out there)

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Hi Everyone

 

I am after some advise.

 

As a new pigeon shooter can people give me some advise, when I shoot clays I prefer to shoot maintained lead, however this does not seem to be working well for pigeons (partly I suspect that I rush the shot and don't keep the gun moving.)

 

Also how do people build their hides, do you just use the netting (and which netting) or do you add other things.

 

Thanks for the advise. :good::good:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi - I really don't understand how you can shoot decoyed woodies from a concealed hide using only the maintained lead style of shooting. Of all the types of shooting available hide pigeon shooting is generally fast and instinctive and there would be little time for maintained lead. To hit a screaming pigeon coming downwind from over the back of the hide hedge which is on you in a split second all you can do is use your instictive reaction to bring gun up to shoulder and barrel to bird and loads of momentum and bang - its all over in a fraction of a second and you didn't think that you could move that fast but the bird is dead and you probably never even stood up - don't question it just do it and trust your hand to eye co-ordination. Maintained lead is one of many methods of shotgun shooting but is best left on the clay ground where the target flight line as a rule will be constant. I do choose to shoot some clay targets via maintained lead over a course of English Sporting but in the field it is best to lock on to the target, pull my barrels ahead, shoot and swing on - it is hard to define the different styles of shotgun shooting but what you will find if you have a good think about it after a day in the hide is, that you may have used several different styles without even knowing it - I know I do. They are all variations on swing through and work very well - don't get yourself too hung up about it as you will start trying to measure lead and look from barrel to bird and then bird to barrel and start of a see-saw action with your barrel which will result in a miss. I quite often shoot some pigeons from the sitting down position but a novice should really stand up and shoot as it will help with their swing - get their whole upper body moving. 1/4 choke should do you for starters.

 

As for building a hide - I take a billhook to the hedge where I am putting my hide and use natural wood poles if I can and then a couple of layers of cheap army camo netting and natural foliage for the side and edges - make sure you can slip out of the side of the hide easish to get birds or attend to the pattern etc - or can buy some top of the range poles and mesh - I have a padded seat with a space in it for my cartridges etc but the key to good pigeon shooting is keep hidden, stay still till the very last minute and then bang. Happy days pal!

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Hi - I really don't understand how you can shoot decoyed woodies from a concealed hide using only the maintained lead style of shooting. Of all the types of shooting available hide pigeon shooting is generally fast and instinctive and there would be little time for maintained lead. To hit a screaming pigeon coming downwind from over the back of the hide hedge which is on you in a split second all you can do is use your instictive reaction to bring gun up to shoulder and barrel to bird and loads of momentum and bang - its all over in a fraction of a second and you didn't think that you could move that fast but the bird is dead and you probably never even stood up - don't question it just do it and trust your hand to eye co-ordination. Maintained lead is one of many methods of shotgun shooting but is best left on the clay ground where the target flight line as a rule will be constant. I do choose to shoot some clay targets via maintained lead over a course of English Sporting but in the field it is best to lock on to the target, pull my barrels ahead, shoot and swing on - it is hard to define the different styles of shotgun shooting but what you will find if you have a good think about it after a day in the hide is, that you may have used several different styles without even knowing it - I know I do. They are all variations on swing through and work very well - don't get yourself too hung up about it as you will start trying to measure lead and look from barrel to bird and then bird to barrel and start of a see-saw action with your barrel which will result in a miss. I quite often shoot some pigeons from the sitting down position but a novice should really stand up and shoot as it will help with their swing - get their whole upper body moving. 1/4 choke should do you for starters.

 

As for building a hide - I take a billhook to the hedge where I am putting my hide and use natural wood poles if I can and then a couple of layers of cheap army camo netting and natural foliage for the side and edges - make sure you can slip out of the side of the hide easish to get birds or attend to the pattern etc - or can buy some top of the range poles and mesh - I have a padded seat with a space in it for my cartridges etc but the key to good pigeon shooting is keep hidden, stay still till the very last minute and then bang. Happy days pal!

 

absolutely agree with everything, beat me to it and put it down better! so many different types of approaching birds when decoying, so your shooting style has to be just as flexible.

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I dont ever stop to check lead or anything else like that. I just look at the bird mount the gun and shoot - let the brain work out the rest. Anyway, I hit more birds now that I'm not faffing about trying to work out lead and all that guff. Get on the clays and try the method.

Are you thinking of John Bidwell's Move, Mount, Shoot?

 

Either way 90% of the shots I take at pigeons are too fast for maintained lead, it's usually an instinctive pull through.

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  • 1 year later...

Question: Wouldn’t it be nice if you could slow your target down and take your time over the shot?

 

You can with maintained lead!

 

If two cars travel at the same speed, one in front of the other the perception of speed is lost.

(Maintained Lead)

 

If one car comes from behind, overtakes the other the perception of speed is greatest.

(Pull through)

 

Why mess about mounting a gun behind the bird when you need to get to the front?

 

Maintained lead is so logical and economical.

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