Lead (phonetically leed) not Lead (ph. led).

[JDog]

The recent thread on chokes for game shooting has morphed into one on lead.

 

Throughout my shooting life I have never been able to see lead when shooting at a bird when I have been shooting myself. I did once try to give some very high pheasants some lead but missed every one until I returned to my tried and tested method of 'up, mount, bang' with absolutely no thought whatsoever going into the shot. The more the thought process gets involved in my shooting the worse the results.

 

Last week whilst hosting a shoot I noticed that one gun was struggling badly at reasonable birds. On the first two drives he must have had thirty shots for two birds. In normal circumstances I would not have interfered but the shoot Captain asked me if I had noticed one of his guns under performing. Of course I had and I volunteered to stand with the poor shooter on the next drive. Thankfully he was to be back gun so my ministrations would not have been an interference for the rest of the line.

 

My short distance eye sight is poor and I need glasses to read but I can still tell the difference between a Stock dove and a Wood pigeon from a great distance. I can also see the pellets from a gun when I am standing next to a shooter which would prove helpful in this instance.

 

The first thing I asked was if he minded me standing with him giving him advice. The second thing was to ask him when he was last bullied.

 

I placed him in a good position as back gun and when the partridges and pheasants came over the line I let him fire ten shots without comment. He was on the right line for all of them but hopelessly behind. He admitted that the birds were too fast for him and that he was just managing to get slightly ahead of the birds before pulling the trigger. One bird from the front line of guns landed dead thirty metres from him and during a lull in proceedings I went over to it and marked out in strides four metres and stood there telling him that he should be firing that far in front to achieve success on these high and fast birds.

 

His brain just wouldn't let him do it and he missed loads of perfectly killable birds until in frustration he gave the next high and wide cock pheasant 5m lead and shot it stone dead. It was the shot of the drive. Matters clicked thereafter. On the last drive he shot some great birds whilst I watched from a distance.

 

At the end of the day it was difficult to prise my hand from his as he showed his gratitude.

 

Lead will not work for everyone but it will for some.

[jeffjjack]

That's an excellent interpretation JDog thanks,

 

I am a relative beginner and find (and people have commented) that my best shots are the ones that take me by surprise, i.e snap shots where I don't think about shot placement as I don't have time and I rely on subconscious decisions.

 

On the other hand... seeing a bird approaching... trying to estimate speed distance and then calculate lead does, undoubtedly (for me), lead to the bird flying happily away and me feeling frustrated.

 

Trying NOT to think about it is the hardest thing for me, stopping my self making calculations.

 

An old boy on a clay ground once approached me as I was trying to hit a fast high driven bird... After missing several times he approached and said "What ya doin lad, just swing through the bird and pull the trigger, stop thinking about it you aint got time"

 

Looking at him a bit bemused I called pull once more and took his advise and low and behold I centered the clay!

[Mentalmac]

Hi Jdog,

 

This is a very interesting post - and in fact I can take some solace from your post.

 

A while back I really struggled to get my head around lead in the way you describe, taking time to 'think' about a shot. This caused me to often miss and even now when clay shooting, the easy sitters I will end up missing as I start over thinking - however the more testing clays I seemingly do a better job on.

The point that interests me the most in your comment is the part about where in frustration, the gent put what he would have likely assumed 'too much' lead on and then nailed the bird.

This same thing happened to me a long time back when getting angry at a high tower shot when practising on the clays, I almost jokingly tried to miss in front but to my surprise vaporised the clay - therein learning what is required and being rather embarrassed in ones self for being so behind in the past.

I think that for some people, that 'Eureka!' moment comes and then stays with them, for others, it still needs to.

[rjimmer]

 

 

"What ya doin lad, just swing through the bird and pull the trigger, stop thinking about it you aint got time"

 

 

I think, sometimes, that using a hammer gun and cocking each hammer for each shot as you mount the gun leaves you that much less time to 'think' about the shot and might be advantageous. The swinging is done before the gun touches the shoulder.

[swingit]

Absolutely spot on for me to Jdog.

 

I treat every target the same,if that may be a 20yard bird or a 60yard bird,in my mind I feel as though I do nothing different (obviously I am) once I've picked up the target and got the line ect the lead usually sorts itself out.

[Underdog]

Well wrote J.

 

U.