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Skeet shooting - pre mount or low mount?


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When I shoot sporting I pre-mount - drop the gun down, call for the target, raise the gun up to touch my cheek and fire which I call low mount. As soon as I started shooting like this (rather than a full pre mount) my shooting improved dramatically.
I was surprised as it must take longer to mount this way but I actually felt that I had more time!

 

When I recently tried English skeet for the first time I was advised to fully pre mount and only shot 8! Based on the above method I use for sporting could I expect an improvement or does the speed of skeet make this unlikely?

 

Or am I over analysing and is it just a case of try and see which works best for me?

 

 

Thanks

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When I shoot sporting I pre-mount - drop the gun down, call for the target, raise the gun up to touch my cheek and fire which I call low mount. As soon as I started shooting like this (rather than a full pre mount) my shooting improved dramatically.
I was surprised as it must take longer to mount this way but I actually felt that I had more time!

the

When I recently tried English skeet for the first time I was advised to fully pre mount and only shot 8! Based on the above method I use for sporting could I expect an improvement or does the speed of skeet make this unlikely?

 

Or am I over analysing and is it just a case of try and see which works best for me?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

I have shot a lot of skeet and I am unable to shoot it with the gun pre mounted. However, having said that most, if not all, top skeet shooters shoot gun up. That is for English skeet of course, Olympic skeet MUST be shot gun down. I would shoot it whichever method suits YOU best of all.

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When I shoot sporting I pre-mount - drop the gun down, call for the target, raise the gun up to touch my cheek and fire which I call low mount. As soon as I started shooting like this (rather than a full pre mount) my shooting improved dramatically.

I was surprised as it must take longer to mount this way but I actually felt that I had more time!

 

When I recently tried English skeet for the first time I was advised to fully pre mount and only shot 8! Based on the above method I use for sporting could I expect an improvement or does the speed of skeet make this unlikely?

 

Or am I over analysing and is it just a case of try and see which works best for me?

 

 

Thanks

Full mount but take your eyes away from the gun to watch for the clay. this way it won't catch you out,

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A long long time since I shot skeet competition, but personally I found that shooting with gun fully down was better for me, the gun came up into the shoulder and followed the clay in one smooth flow. I occasionally shot ball trap and DTL that way to. Really sharpened you up. Let's face it, you don't walk down a hedge row with your dog after rabbits with the stock pulled into your shoulder, or do you :-)

You adapt however within the rules to give you the best result, bearing in mind we all have good days and bad days, so don't make the judgement on just one short experience.

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A long long time since I shot skeet competition, but personally I found that shooting with gun fully down was better for me, the gun came up into the shoulder and followed the clay in one smooth flow. I occasionally shot ball trap and DTL that way to. Really sharpened you up. Let's face it, you don't walk down a hedge row with your dog after rabbits with the stock pulled into your shoulder, or do you :-)

You adapt however within the rules to give you the best result, bearing in mind we all have good days and bad days, so don't make the judgement on just one short experience.

Well said,

You've got more chance to see a clay early with the gun down.

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Don't want to hijack the thread but just a little amusing incident about mounting a gun. Back in the 80s I hosted a number of Americans who had won a similar trip that was held by the BASC. No disrespect here at all I made life long friends as a result BUT one who I took out for a chance to shoot a fallow buck stalked like he was in the jungles of the far east, with rifle butt mounted in the shoulder, rifle up and ready, crouched forward and eyes intently scanning a full 180degs. I was amazed because he kept this up for the best part of half an hour. Looking across the herbage I could see some antlers moving down an intervening ride. I tapped him on the shoulder and indicated to take a careful look to the left as he got to the gap. He swung around with rifle still mounted and let one fly in a split second and to be fair he hit right centre of the boiler room of a nice fallow buck, but I wondered how he would have faired had he been stalking as often I did for a whole morning, 3 or 4 hours and see nothing.

 

Back on subject. This time of the year is great for mounting practise. Lot of swallows, martins about. Gun empty, maybe snap caps, just practise mounting and swinging, mounting and swinging on these diving, twisting targets.

Edited by Walker570
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Back on subject. This time of the year is great for mounting practise. Lot of swallows, martins about. Gun empty, maybe snap caps, just practise mounting and swinging, mounting and swinging on these diving, twisting targets.

 

Just be careful not to point at neighbours or passing cars!

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Probably best shooting gun down if you're a sporting shot having a dabble at Skeet.

 

I personally shoot gun up, 'mounted' as I maintain lead and like to drop them quick.

 

My face will probably be half an inch off the stock and then I'll push it into my face as I'm calling pull and moving the gun.

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In a competition where one lost target can cost you dearly most accomplished domestic skeet shooters have the gun in the shoulder when they call for the target. When you eliminate the mount you increase the probability of hitting the target since you have established your hold and kill positions, knowing the trajectory of the target.

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@miroku_fan you are right, if you go for full competition you can't compete by losing .2s mounting the gun, clearly...

 

However if you shoot skeet occasionally, and/or to practice 'snap shooting', having the gun to the 'FITASC point' is excellent practice, it does indeed sharpen you up no end. Likewise DTL gun down, once you 'master' it, it's heaps of fun, and YES you drop way more than the eyepatch-napkin wearers, but at least you have fun doing it :-)

 

You can also do pretty good score at skeet with the 'half mount' method as I found... head up, gun to the mid-shoulder, and call the bird. It's still the same sensation as 'gun down' but you save a little bit of time -- bit of cheating, IMO :-)

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Skeet is an excellent way to practice your gun mount for sporting because you get so many different trajectories. It also helps you develop your shooting technique: swing through, pull away and maintained lead. You can learn all about the required lead to break a target because skeet allows repitition. The targets fly on a consistent trajectory so you are able to work out your hold position and where you want to break the target for pairs as well as singles. Skeet shooting provides an excellent foundation for building a strong and consistent technique. It can also highlight flaws that you were not aware off. You can shoot good scores with the gun out of the shoulder on a skeet range. This is fine if you are happy shooting 23/25 or 24/25 with the occasional 25/25. The serious skeet shoooter will call for the target with the gun in his/her shoulder because the game is about shooting straights consistently. Their technique will highly developed and they will break targets in a very convincing and consistent manner. In saying that if you are a recreational skeet or sporting shooter you can shoot the targets anyway you choose.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Last fortnight been shooting Gun Down..

To my way of thinking it is better,Your vision is not blocked by the gun visualy.

Third of way down the course,head turned to trap house,buy the time you have mounted and touched cheek back to stock,they clay has slowed down,seems to suggest the clay was Not fast in the first place,,it seems to Slow the whole thing down,you can match speed a lot quicker..

My way from now on,Gun up seems clumsy by comparison..

Always shot Geese ,Duck,Pigeon that way,seems more natural.

It will be my preffered method on skeet as it is for sporting,Will give it a go on DTL.

Should be interesting,as I feel the sharp angled ones will give better tracking..IMO..

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Last fortnight been shooting Gun Down..

To my way of thinking it is better,Your vision is not blocked by the gun visualy.

Third of way down the course,head turned to trap house,buy the time you have mounted and touched cheek back to stock,they clay has slowed down,seems to suggest the clay was Not fast in the first place,,it seems to Slow the whole thing down,you can match speed a lot quicker..

My way from now on,Gun up seems clumsy by comparison..

Always shot Geese ,Duck,Pigeon that way,seems more natural.

It will be my preffered method on skeet as it is for sporting,Will give it a go on DTL.

Should be interesting,as I feel the sharp angled ones will give better tracking..IMO..

You should not be looking at the barrels of your gun regardless of whether you shoot with the gun premounted or not.

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You should not be looking at the barrels of your gun regardless of whether you shoot with the gun premounted or not.

You don't have time to see barrel at all,it happens too quick.

In fact it stops you doing exactly that,See bird clearly,Shoot it..

Edited by subsonicnat
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Gun up. Always. However I use a high rib gun that allows me a head up shooting position so I don't loose sight of clays. Besides with skeet it's hardly a surprise where they're coming from or the trajectory.

Don't mean I can hit them all though.

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