Blackpowder Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 I have just finished filleting the breasts from five of the seven pigeons I shot at roosting tonight. Now I fired thirty shots for these seven birds and one rook so this post is not a boast on markmanship. Of these five birds only one had a pellet in the breast meat, two had been brought down with broken right wings, of the other three no visible sign of pellet penetration. During the pheasant season I marked two brace of birds from our club shoot, and made sure I took these when the birds were handed out. Again from these four pheasants only one had a pellet in the breast , in fact the one shot behind the stand and picked as a runner. So I am hitting an occasional bird, breaking the right wing of on coming pigeons and now wondering would a session at the plate with a try gun inprove markmanship. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Perhaps have a lesson on some clays with a decent coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jega Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) Perhaps have a lesson on some clays with a decent coach. Definitely good advice, and money well spent. Edited February 29, 2012 by Jega Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatcatsplat Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 You're talking 4 inches of deviation on roost shooting - forget about it - You're hitting them and they're coming down. If you're on tight chokes, maybe go down one size to open up your shot spread a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks guys its been with two different guns, so a bit proffesional advice on gun mounting might not go amiss. Fatcatsplat; ordinary game borings on a sxs and some of the birds were well out. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpshooter.123 Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Get some quality Lessons 4 hours of lessons may save you a hell of alot more on cartridges in the future atb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utectok Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Personaly I'd say lessons, lots of practise on clays, then consider getting custom gun fitted... In that order. Btw it amazes me how few pellets I find in birds shot at proper height with correct choke. I put it down to the fact that only 4 numbers six pellets will kill a pheasant and the shot is in a column so there aren't that many in the kill zone if that makes sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdSolomons Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Wouldn't bother getting the gun altered unless it's far too low. Get some practice and a lesson or two. If your shooting them At reasonable range you may find your side by side is too open and you need to have a bit more choke to get enough pellets on target for a hard kill. Look at learning to point it in the right place first though. Wouldn't bother getting the gun altered unless it's far too low. Get some practice and a lesson or two. If your shooting them At reasonable range you may find your side by side is too open and you need to have a bit more choke to get enough pellets on target for a hard kill. Look at learning to point it in the right place first though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Have a lesson with a good coach and they will advice you it may a tweak to the gun or your style. I go to a top bloke once twice a year to keep me honest and stop an bad habits early Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Austin Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi, good fit is important but most shooters contort themselves around it. Only 30 percent of guns 'off the peg' fit, the other 70 per cent don't! There is nothing like having a gun that shoots where you are looking! If you own an auto or a pump action most likely you can vary cast and drop with wedge shaped shims inserted between the stock and receiver. An over and under is not so easy, an adjustable comb costs about 200 Quid to get fitted. it may be you just need a comb raiser, just a stick on piece of rubber. Definitely a 2 hour session with a coach will identify any problems you have with the gun you use and maybe your technique, mounting etc. Good luck and better shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Roost shooting pigeons is not the easiest shooting .Many of the pigeons you shoot at are wood bound (as we say in Norfolk ) that is behind branches and twigs when you pull on to them . I would agree a lesson or two with a good coach would help you ,as it would all of us . Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted March 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Roost shooting pigeons is not the easiest shooting .Many of the pigeons you shoot at are wood bound (as we say in Norfolk ) that is behind branches and twigs when you pull on to them . I would agree a lesson or two with a good coach would help you ,as it would all of us . Harnser Thanks to all other replies. Hi Hanser the wood in question is tricky to shoot, mature but never thinned and much to dense to stand within. Therefore hide is on the fence line, I have shot it the last two times with a good west wind, the birds come beating across the field towards the wood, sometimes just skimming the ground, then when they get into the shelter of the wood they whip up , and now they have been shot at a few times give a jink and you find you have pulled the trigger on an empty space. I find that in a wood where you just have time to see and mount that roost shooting results are at their best, at least where kills to cartridge ratio is concerned. I should also have said that I am shooting with a recently aquired gun. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks to all other replies. Hi Hanser the wood in question is tricky to shoot, mature but never thinned and much to dense to stand within. Therefore hide is on the fence line, I have shot it the last two times with a good west wind, the birds come beating across the field towards the wood, sometimes just skimming the ground, then when they get into the shelter of the wood they whip up , and now they have been shot at a few times give a jink and you find you have pulled the trigger on an empty space. I find that in a wood where you just have time to see and mount that roost shooting results are at their best, at least where kills to cartridge ratio is concerned. I should also have said that I am shooting with a recently aquired gun. Blackpowder Roost shooting pigeons is allways very testing . I can remember one roost shoot a few years back when 12 guns stood in 450 acres of woodland and shot over 600 cartridges for 150 odd birds and one gun accounted for 35 of them . Kill to cartridge ratio wasent very good ,but the thrill factor was 100% . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Phew! glad it's not just me! I been struggling and my few birds don't have many holes too. I was getting hung up on it too but started analysing each shot. Chinking abd branches were screwing the shot up good. Next I realised I was giving to much lead alot of the time (a hang over from years of muzzleloading!). Next I patterened the two shells I was using and one was a little blotchy over the other so switched to the better. Did all this help? Bloody hell no! So I came to the conclusions that a; I am a lousy shot gotten and b; they are slippy little *******! I did however do better once I got in the right spot, under the birds line they were favouring. If the wind was wrong and this could not be achieved I do poor! Good luck. U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitzer Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi Blackpowder, Just a thought, but have you checked your master eye recently? Good luck, Spitzer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted March 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi Blackpowder, Just a thought, but have you checked your master eye recently? Good luck, Spitzer Yes that is another thing to look into, thanks. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) Perhaps have a lesson on some clays with a decent coach. Agreed. A Edited March 3, 2012 by Alycidon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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