skeet

[dunganick]

ok, got into skeet a bit lately, now i have shot a load of 22's 23's and a 24, but does anyone have any tips or pointers that have helped them nail the last few birds that matter. I realise this is a general question and there is no real answer, but thought it would make an interesting topic as i would imagine a few of us are stuck at this point in skeet.

[MC]

In a word,

 

Concentration, you obviously have the ability to shoot high 20's so you need to "Get in the zone" "Be the clay" "Use the force" or whatever you need to do you forget everything thing else.

 

I just cannot get into any of the clay disciplines as I enjoy sporting too much, but you need to focus on the job in hand and forget/ clear your mind of everything else.

[Catamong]

Nick,

 

I'll wager that it's not "the last few" birds that you're missing, more likely one or both of the birds on stations 3,4,5, because this is where most people come unstuck.

 

Play it like the serious Yank skeet shooters do, stick the gun hard into the shoulder and superglue your cheek to the stock on every station before even thinking about calling "Pull", that will eliminate a good few missed birds due to faulty mounts.

 

Also work out your hold point properly on every station, don't make the mistake of pointing the gun at the chute as you call for the bird, as you will end up chasing the bird and probably overleading it.

 

Make sure your feet are correctly positioned to be comfortable at the point at which the shot is made, not when the swing is started.

 

On station 4 doubles, consider carefully which is the harder, i.e. faster, target and always opt to shoot that one first.

 

I'm no expert at Skeet, but I have shot a 100 straight in Registered competition, I lost interest a bit after that..!!

 

Cat.

[Markio]

I've been having a go at Skeet recently too. Had a go at braintree before with terrible results, since then i've shot it 3 times at Parkford and really enjoyed it as practice to speed me up. Scored 21 on my 3rd visit to Parkford, well happy considering my first attempts last year.

 

Do you keep scores? Obviously you can hit all the targets are but are there some you need to concentrate on more than others? I have an score sheet i made up in MS Excel format if you want it.

[miffy]

Recently straighted Skeet myself after shooting consistantly in the 20's and always missing the easy ones. The only thing diferent that day was i premounted the gun (after reading the gun up or down thread) and i was relaxed. Shot A 50 bird sporting 10 mins later and shot a 42ex50 which i was happy with. I went back again last thursday and shot 19, 21 and 21 on skeet then 30ex50 on the sporting

 

Keep at it nick it'll come soon enough

[dunganick]

Nick,

 

I'll wager that it's not "the last few" birds that you're missing, more likely one or both of the birds on stations 3,4,5, because this is where most people come unstuck.

 

Play it like the serious Yank skeet shooters do, stick the gun hard into the shoulder and superglue your cheek to the stock on every station before even thinking about calling "Pull", that will eliminate a good few missed birds due to faulty mounts.

 

Also work out your hold point properly on every station, don't make the mistake of pointing the gun at the chute as you call for the bird, as you will end up chasing the bird and probably overleading it.

 

Make sure your feet are correctly positioned to be comfortable at the point at which the shot is made, not when the swing is started.

 

On station 4 doubles, consider carefully which is the harder, i.e. faster, target and always opt to shoot that one first.

 

I'm no expert at Skeet, but I have shot a 100 straight in Registered competition, I lost interest a bit after that..!!

 

Cat.

 

the birds i seem to be missing is the pair on 4 (2nd bird) and the very last stand and last bird.

 

those who have seen me shoot will know im not a very quick shooter and tend to hang on things a while, ive got my own technique for this on skeet, but its the pairs i struggle with as i spend so much time making sure i break the first one, the 2nd bird is over half way by hte time im thinking about it.

 

thanks for your advice

 

mark, all the grounds i shoot score for me, and unfortunatly you are correct, i know which ones i miss.

 

I'm not sure how many on here (think martin cavie was one) remember the first monday madness, well our instructor then gave us a load of advice about foot positioning, where to look for the bird (pre mounted etc) and ways of working things out to make life easier, these sort of tips have undoubtadly paid off.

[magman]

nick don't no what you shoot at skeet but 9s only might help

[the last engineer]

Nick,

 

I'll wager that it's not "the last few" birds that you're missing, more likely one or both of the birds on stations 3,4,5, because this is where most people come unstuck.

 

Play it like the serious Yank skeet shooters do, stick the gun hard into the shoulder and superglue your cheek to the stock on every station before even thinking about calling "Pull", that will eliminate a good few missed birds due to faulty mounts.

 

Also work out your hold point properly on every station, don't make the mistake of pointing the gun at the chute as you call for the bird, as you will end up chasing the bird and probably overleading it.

 

Make sure your feet are correctly positioned to be comfortable at the point at which the shot is made, not when the swing is started.

 

On station 4 doubles, consider carefully which is the harder, i.e. faster, target and always opt to shoot that one first.

 

I'm no expert at Skeet, but I have shot a 100 straight in Registered competition, I lost interest a bit after that..!!

 

Cat.

 

the birds i seem to be missing is the pair on 4 (2nd bird) and the very last stand and last bird.

 

those who have seen me shoot will know im not a very quick shooter and tend to hang on things a while, ive got my own technique for this on skeet, but its the pairs i struggle with as i spend so much time making sure i break the first one, the 2nd bird is over half way by hte time im thinking about it.

 

thanks for your advice

 

mark, all the grounds i shoot score for me, and unfortunatly you are correct, i know which ones i miss.

 

I'm not sure how many on here (think martin cavie was one) remember the first monday madness, well our instructor then gave us a load of advice about foot positioning, where to look for the bird (pre mounted etc) and ways of working things out to make life easier, these sort of tips have undoubtadly paid off.

 

 

sounds like your allowing yourself to miss the second bird to confirm it Nick, eg you worry yourself out of a hit, walk up, set up, shoot the birds, try taking the first bird earlier allowing yourself more time on the 2nd bird, you have plenty of time on station 4 and 7, my own observations in skeet are right handers normaly fall of at 5 or 6 , methinks they get tired, as a lefty i had a problem with 2 high for a time, gave it a little more respect picked a point a little further out with the gun and removed it from the sky.

 

if you get the chance shoot a few single second targets first, when your comfortable add the 1st bird in, you will suprise yourself when it breaks nick.

 

i was shooting with a few guys here one sunday, and running 125 straight, in the zone andall that, the western Canadian champ walks up and says " do you breathe in or out when you call" the 126th bird landed untouched followed by multiple profanities, it happens, deal with it, next month it could be high 8 that gets you.

 

 

good luck Nick

 

Martin

[Mungler]

It's all mental.

 

The first time I straighted skeet was when I shot with a father and son combo who could have cheated for England. I got so ****** off with their score keeping and "chat" I just went for it.

 

I had shot skeet no more than 4 or 5 times before that.

 

It's all mental.

[dunganick]

nick don't no what you shoot at skeet but 9s only might help

 

 

not buying new carts for it, only play at it

 

if im not putting it in the right place it wont break, 9's wont make much odds to me, when i miss i miss by a big margin

[Catamong]

nick don't no what you shoot at skeet but 9s only might help

 

 

not buying new carts for it, only play at it

 

if im not putting it in the right place it wont break, 9's wont make much odds to me, when i miss i miss by a big margin

 

Well Nick, you just explained why you're struggling to straight a round, you're "only playing at it", so what can you expect..??

 

Magman's comments on using 9's for skeet is a valid one, as 9's willl break any skeet target comfortably, so why not use them..??

 

Whenever I shoot a decent round of skeet, I always get the odd bird that is "halved" by a single pellet, as my aim was offline, and I've just caught it on the edge of the pattern. I breathe a sigh of relief and thank God I'm shooting 9's, 'cos that probably would have been a miss using fewer, larger pellets.

 

If you shoot 7.5's at skeet, you're throwing approximately 350 "chances" of breaking that bird, however if you shoot 9's, you're throwing approximately 550 "chances" into the air, that's 200 extra pellets. No wonder serious skeet shooters shoot only 9's, many of the top guys shoot 9.5's for an even denser pattern.

 

Also, we've all heard of the local club champion that shoots round upon round of straight skeet using a trap gun choked 3/4 & Full, again I would argue if you're serious about shooting high scores, you shoot skeet chokes, and nothing more, I would much rather have 25 "halved" targets than 24 "balls of dust" and one lost bird.

 

Keep going, you will straight a round soon enough if you work at it.

 

Cat.

[Markio]

Regarding stand 4 doubles, The Chris Batha book i have suggests the high tower first as the low tower holds it's path longer.

[dunganick]

dont get me wrong cat i put alot of effort in, butim not willing to spend any money on it, i dont consider it anything more than fun. And tbh what is the effective pattern difference going to be between my 8's and 9's (theoretically nothing size wise, just a denser pattern, so less chance of a clay slipping through the pattern) or that is my understanding of it.

 

I shoot cylinder and 3/8ths on skeet, again i got these chokes cheap, otherwise i would be shooting it with 1/4 and 1/2 (as i shot my 24 with)

 

personally i think its shooting style, particually that i dont shoot pre mounted, that is costing me those 2 or 3 birds, not a technical fault. I think 99% of shooters using 9's do so because it gives them an advantage in their heads. at the ranges involved in skeet are you likely to develop a clay sized hole in your pattern using 8's assuming your gun patterns well.

[the last engineer]

dont get me wrong cat i put alot of effort in, butim not willing to spend any money on it, i dont consider it anything more than fun. And tbh what is the effective pattern difference going to be between my 8's and 9's (theoretically nothing size wise, just a denser pattern, so less chance of a clay slipping through the pattern) or that is my understanding of it.

 

I shoot cylinder and 3/8ths on skeet, again i got these chokes cheap, otherwise i would be shooting it with 1/4 and 1/2 (as i shot my 24 with)

 

personally i think its shooting style, particually that i dont shoot pre mounted, that is costing me those 2 or 3 birds, not a technical fault. I think 99% of shooters using 9's do so because it gives them an advantage in their heads. at the ranges involved in skeet are you likely to develop a clay sized hole in your pattern using 8's assuming your gun patterns well.

 

 

Nick, to reiterate Cat on shot size, it will make a difference, to 90% of skeet shooters, what he talks of with a halved or chipped bird is usualy the extreme edge of the pattern catching the target, i will be honest and qualify his statment i will take a hundred halved/chipped birds in competition also, when your in the "choke zone " as i like to call it, when practicing its nice to inkball birds, thus knowing your on line, breaking targets with a imp/mod as i shoot it tells me where the pattern is on the target, its not that im shooting badly, just qualifying my stance and aproach to the game, break point, target pickup and clarity, i like to know everything im doing is working well, and to add, i also shoot international skeet, this is gun off the shoulder at hip with delay, i can relate the play thing though nick as i do the same, i use skeet to practice all kinds of shots, handicap as well by stepping back ten paces per pad, apparent speed slows and lead increases giving a new target to shoot, its all good safe fun.

 

Martin

[Catamong]

Nick,

 

A lot of shooters "assume" that the clay has "slipped through" their pattern, they see this as a technical fault on behalf of their ammo, I don't honestly believe this is the case.

 

The classic illustration on this one is a quartering away rabbit on a Sporting layout, people shoot at it, they see a big cloud of **** blow up as the pellets hit the ground "all around" the bird, lo & behold the rabbit emerges unbroken from the cloud and they think it's rolled through the pattern.

 

In fact what is happening is that they are missing it in front, it never appears that way to the shooter, and rest assured, if you're on it, it will break, even with 9's.

 

I did exactly that on the Sporting layout at Ham Cross SG last Sunday, overlead the damn thing by only a few inches, was so annoyed that I also missed the tricky report long right to left looper, Jonesy showed me how to do it by absolutely balling the first pair.. , it pays to have a game plan as you approach every stand.

 

Of course 8's are OK for skeet, but why not increase your chances of a "lucky" break by using 9's, with that many more pellets in the air..??

 

We'd all do well to listen to what Martin has to say about skeet shooting, he's probably forgotten more about skeet shooting than I will ever learn, on the other side of the pond they take it very seriously, so don't be an also ran, work at it, think about every miss, analyse it, and you will succeed.

 

Apologies if I sound a bit like Suffolk Shooter, , but, as Mungler would say, no pain, no gain..!!

 

Cat.

[Evil Elvis]

Very interesting thread!!! i have been shooting 24g hv lyalvale 7.5, i have been fairly happy with my skeet scores, 21-23 on average, I have never considered holes in the pattern just **** missed again, If you guys seriously believe 9's might help then, 9's it is!!!!

 

I shoot 24g due to a nasty shouilder injury that is playing up, when its not i also have some 28g 7.5s, I may have to save them for the fluffy type pigeon!!!

 

What do you recommend in g's for 9's?

[pin]

Skeet / Skeet chokes + 9's and good 9's at that.

 

Every single bird on English skeet is an easy bird taken as a single, no reason at all that you can't hit them all.

 

It is all mental. You know you hold on too long during some pairs, SO DON'T! If you know you do it, try not doing it. Sure it will be hard, but until you take a risk you won't gain.

 

Skeet isn't hard. In fact it's easy. Shooting 25 straight is quite hard, 50 harder and I think you see where I am going.

 

Instead of going for 25 straight every time, buy a round and take the lot as station 4 pairs, or whatever. Try different things to see what might work.

 

If you were struggling with say teal in sporting, you wouldn't wait until you shot the next 100 reg to try that target again, would you?

[Evil Elvis]

Skeet isn't hard. In fact it's easy

 

Thats easy for you to say lol, my main problem is i dont get enough practice so each time is only slightly better(usuallylol)

[dunganick]

i feel a late evening skeet session coming on

 

thinking west kent maybe tomorrow or friday, anyone interested?

[peter-peter]

ok, got into skeet a bit lately, now i have shot a load of 22's 23's and a 24, but does anyone have any tips or pointers that have helped them nail the last few birds that matter. I realise this is a general question and there is no real answer, but thought it would make an interesting topic as i would imagine a few of us are stuck at this point in skeet.

try slowing your swing

if your rt handed. point your left foot to where you expect to kill the high bird.

most birds are missed by rushing. youve loads of time.

I shoot skeet with 1/2 choke 7 1/2s

I dont miss many

[dunganick]

ok, got into skeet a bit lately, now i have shot a load of 22's 23's and a 24, but does anyone have any tips or pointers that have helped them nail the last few birds that matter. I realise this is a general question and there is no real answer, but thought it would make an interesting topic as i would imagine a few of us are stuck at this point in skeet.

try slowing your swing

if your rt handed. point your left foot to where you expect to kill the high bird.

most birds are missed by rushing. youve loads of time.

I shoot skeet with 1/2 choke 7 1/2s

I dont miss many

 

 

 

those who have shot with me will know that a slow swing is not something i lack.

[the last engineer]

just to touch on a few points Pin, and not to make light of your comments, i dont wish to offend.

 

the only easy bird on any station, any cource, anywhere in the world, is already broken and you can talk about it, aproaching a station thinking its an easy 10 on a card is a recipe for disaster, you will end up walking off with a 9 or 8 or worse, annoying the **** out of you so much so you take it to the next stand and do the same, suddenly you find your 10 or so down in the first 100, pack it up and go home your done.

 

" thats not me" i hear said a thousand times, ask Cat or Martin im sure they will confirm.

 

"skeet isnt hard", i thought the same when i first shot it too, the amount of people who say that and run 22's 23's 24's and are happy with it, power to you, me im an oddball, as i think ive mentioned and LB and Pavman can confirm. i hate it drop a target its all over, the straight is gone, start again.

 

the same applys for any discipline you shoot, if your serious about it and want to do well you have to give yourself to it 100% all the time your on the field, the commitment you make is one of pure concentration, put on the blinkers and shoot, the only competition is "you" nothing else counts.

 

ive watched guys here shoot ATA trap by the thousand, its like watching paint dry, bang one shot bang one shot,,,,ect,,,,ect, i cant stand it, talk to the guy who one and he will tell you different, all he saw was the targets,,,

 

running a round at certain stations, as you put Pin, is a good way of controlling yourself in a situation that may hinder you, iron out the problem while its a small problem dont let it be a major concern when your in a comp, too many 2nd and 3rd placers have said :if only i'd practiced that station more" , to late done and dusted said 1st place.

 

I belevie it was George Digweed, who after being complimented on his first round of 99x100 and "good luck" in the afternoon, impolitly told an American shooter, "LUCK GOT **** ALL TO DO WITH IT" walked off and broke a 100 straight.

 

i would love to shoot with the man, Faulds, Bidwell, to name as well to name a few. one day arry one day .

 

 

Martin

[Catamong]

Hmmm,.......... Martin's dead right there, there's no such thing as an "easy" bird, even in skeet, I'm as guilty as everybody else for dropping birds that I classed as "easy", it cost me the ultimate crown in Sporting, the British Open at High Lodge in '92, I well remember missing an "easy" L/R quartering standard, followed later on by a "simple" midi floater about 20 yards away over a small bush.

 

I finished on an 88, along with 5 other guys, (Digweed could only manage an 86), I held it together in the shoot off to finish in runner up position, but I still think about those 2 "easy" birds that I let slip, and lost out on becoming the British Open Sporting Champion.

 

Nowadays, I try not to class any bird as "easy", because you take it for granted, lift your head off the stock, pull the trigger, and think, "sod it, I've missed it..!!", and then you're out of the running to win the competition, because you know damn well that other competitors won't make the same silly mistake that you have..!!

 

Concentrate on every single target, (even the "easy" ones), take nothing for granted..!!

 

Cat.

[pin]

Ok ok ok

 

Point taken.

 

You know what I meant, both of you! B)

 

Take any single bird at English skeet and any competent shooter can break it. What I mean is, the distance is known, the speed is known and you know were its coming from.

 

I should have stressed the point, which I did make - though obviously not enough.

 

Shooting 22/23/24 at skeet is easy, shooting 25 isn't. Neither is 50 or any more multiples of 25 without missing.

 

I don't stand there and say to myself "this is easy", however the ones I do miss are always silly birds and are usually, like all my other mistakes, down to lack of concentration rather than complacency.

[the last engineer]

Ok ok ok

 

Point taken.

 

You know what I meant, both of you! B)

 

Take any single bird at English skeet and any competent shooter can break it. What I mean is, the distance is known, the speed is known and you know were its coming from.

 

I should have stressed the point, which I did make - though obviously not enough.

 

Shooting 22/23/24 at skeet is easy, shooting 25 isn't. Neither is 50 or any more multiples of 25 without missing.

 

I don't stand there and say to myself "this is easy", however the ones I do miss are always silly birds and are usually, like all my other mistakes, down to lack of concentration rather than complacency.

 

just ragging you Pin B)

 

Martin