Whitester Posted October 8, 2017 Report Share Posted October 8, 2017 Had my shotgun now for about a year and things just aren't getting any better. I've had some good scores and bad scores and until today I've been hovering around half marks on 100 clay English sporting courses. Today was my first trip out on the clays for two months after a busy summer controlling varmints with the rifles and I hit 30%. I enjoy going because I catch up with mates and believe or not enjoy seeing them beating me with my shotgun. For me though the shotgun is like leaning a foreign language. With a rifle I don't miss much and when I go wrong I know where to correct myself but with a shotgun I haven't got a clue. Anyway, not making excuses but I have consigned myself to clay shooting as pure fun with a resignation that I might not improve a huge amount but I'm ok with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisdom Posted October 8, 2017 Report Share Posted October 8, 2017 (edited) Had my shotgun now for about a year and things just aren't getting any better. I've had some good scores and bad scores and until today I've been hovering around half marks on 100 clay English sporting courses. Today was my first trip out on the clays for two months after a busy summer controlling varmints with the rifles and I hit 30%. I enjoy going because I catch up with mates and believe or not enjoy seeing them beating me with my shotgun. For me though the shotgun is like leaning a foreign language. With a rifle I don't miss much and when I go wrong I know where to correct myself but with a shotgun I haven't got a clue. Anyway, not making excuses but I have consigned myself to clay shooting as pure fun with a resignation that I might not improve a huge amount but I'm ok with that. I'm a bit like that.Dont get out often enough really.Its practice I need.Somedays I shoot fairly well but others not so.Main thing is I really enjoy it. Edited October 8, 2017 by wisdom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitester Posted October 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2017 Glad to hear i', not alone:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted October 8, 2017 Report Share Posted October 8, 2017 Normal,thats why its called pigeon watch,cause most of us just watch them flying about on an occasional saturday,watch a lot,scare a few and hit one or two. Where as out with a rifle,rabbit will always stop just before it jumps into the ditch so we have a chance. Give it more of a lead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted October 8, 2017 Report Share Posted October 8, 2017 A year isn't a long time to be clay shooting, especially if you don't get out all that often. It takes time and practice to build muscle memory and sight pictures and to become more consistent. Honestly though as long as you enjoy yourself shooting then it matters not a jot how many you hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitester Posted October 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 I'll definitely keep at it 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage10FP Posted October 9, 2017 Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 A year isn't a long time to be clay shooting, especially if you don't get out all that often. It takes time and practice to build muscle memory and sight pictures and to become more consistent. Honestly though as long as you enjoy yourself shooting then it matters not a jot how many you hit. +1 👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted October 9, 2017 Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 hello, have you thought that going from rifle to shotgun, shotgun to rifle etc etc needs a good change of discipline, ? i dont shoot clays any more but do find a similar theme, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitester Posted October 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 Swapping between the two probably doesn't help , the rifle work will slow down now until the spring so I'll be getting more shotgun time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted October 9, 2017 Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 Sounds like a couple of lessons would help. People regularly try to convince me you can be both a good rifleman and shotgunner I don't believe this at all it's hard and takes more work like be good at rugby and cricket. You have to work and practice at all sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitester Posted October 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 Been working on my mount and swing today but I've got a few mates that can shoot so I'll try dragging them along next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted October 9, 2017 Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 I'm the same, do a lot better on pigeon, but I'm a far better rifle shot than shotgun. I just don't let it bother me anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitester Posted October 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 I'm the same, do a lot better on pigeon, but I'm a far better rifle shot than shotgun. I just don't let it bother me anymore. How long have you been shooting shotgun out of interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted October 9, 2017 Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 Glad to hear i', not alone:) I'm in the same boat. I admire your honesty, coming on here and coming clean. Think Welsh Warrior is right about some lessons. (For me as well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrix's rifle Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Bit of a late comer, I'm **** with a shotgun, not so much with a rifle. I find changing between them a real pain. Not so much the rifle but if I've been out with the rifle I always miss the first few birds with the shotgun til I get back in to the swing... No pun intended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughty pigeon Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 I relate to, stick with it and eventually things come together.I've got 3 years under my belt with the shotgun and it's finally becoming more instinctive to me. Both very different disciplines. I would over think things and found it very hard to know where I was going wrong. A few good tips from more experienced guns helped such as very rarely would you miss in front so I started doubleing by lead, practiced my gun mount every week in a mirror,find a cartridge and choke Im confidant with and stick to it. These tips helped me alot and I'm happy with my progress and I'm really enjoying my sport. My rifles have hardly been fired over the last year. Shotguns are very addictive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitester Posted November 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2017 Back in thr fifties this weekend and beat my mates by a country mile who had previously beat me with my own gun. A good mate of mine gave me some good advice, keep the gun moving. He'd watched me a bit and told me that's where I'm going wrong. It seemed to help, so that's part of the problem fixed , now for the other 45? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBettin Posted November 15, 2017 Report Share Posted November 15, 2017 I know the feeling mate. I'm entirely addicted to shooting so, for me, whether to give up or not is a no-brainer - but it's a horrible feeling when you hit a wall. I've been terrible (consistently) up until recently, and I've been shooting for 2 years. Sorting the following helped me break through that plateau, and trust me - it's well, well worth it when you do: - Know where your pattern is going (point of aim). If you're not sure where the clay should sit in your sight picture when you pull the trigger - how do you know when to? Until I fixed the fit of my gun, I was very low on it, meaning I had to blot out the clays before I shot them. Terrible approach - but at least I knew consistently where I needed to be. After a while, you want be thinking about where to aim. Get your gun fit sorted, and get to a ground that has a pattern plate. If you can't, look into getting a laser for the barrels for you to have a play about with (note: a lot of the cheap ones won't let you close the barrels, avoid them). - Consistent gun mount - no point at all in working out where your pattern is going if your gun mount changes every time. Consistency is key, it kind of forms a foundation on which you can then start practicing the following. - Lead. Don't get too obsessed with it, but get used to shooting into 'nothingness'. It's uncomfortable, and it's not intuitive to be shooting well away from something you're trying to hit but it most clays you'll be presented with require it - so try and condition yourself to 'feel' where to hit it (using distance and speed). - Be systematic. If you don't have an instructor with you, it's upto you to work out where you're going wrong. Don't give any amount of lead the first time you miss a clay, and then some random amount of lead the next time, and then try again with some other stab in the dark. Instead, give it no lead if you must, then a touch more, then a touch more - until you hit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cawdor118 Posted December 3, 2017 Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 On 09/10/2017 at 14:24, welshwarrior said: I don't agree at all. You can be good at both. Sounds like a couple of lessons would help. People regularly try to convince me you can be both a good rifleman and shotgunner I don't believe this at all it's hard and takes more work like be good at rugby and cricket. You have to work and practice at all sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted December 3, 2017 Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 34 minutes ago, Cawdor118 said: On 09/10/2017 at 14:24, welshwarrior said: I don't agree at all. You can be good at both. Sounds like a couple of lessons would help. People regularly try to convince me you can be both a good rifleman and shotgunner I don't believe this at all it's hard and takes more work like be good at rugby and cricket. You have to work and practice at all sports. Dam auto correct I agree you can be good at both on hand with both types pays to be in my line of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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