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Gun Up/Down


FairImogen
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Had a great shoot today, not least because of the Gentleman who became our de facto tutor:

 

Him: You seem confused as to when to shoot gun up/down ( Im not aware of this)

 

Me: Do you use any specific criterion?

 

Him: Of course; if I can only maintain hard focus for 1 second or less, gun up - otherwise, gun down.

 

Fabulous fellow, even if he kept calling me Lass.

 

Never saw him miss.

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Depends on the target. I delayed going gun down because it took ages to get a gun that fitted correctly. Once I had a correctly fitted gun, gun down was easy. I don't often use it on clays even sporting clays though, unless I'm practicing for game. I'm not that good anyway.

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Gun down shoot more clays than vermin game or wildfowl.

 

Only time I use gun up is on close fast screamers that don’t give you time to see it and mount. The type that flit between two bushes type clay.

 

You become used to shooting gun down quite quickly, you don’t premount in the field.

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I think what gun down gives me is perceived time.

 

When I'm gun up, I'm focused, and I'm ready to act fast, and it's all very tense. Perfect for a fast/going away bird/clay that I need to get onto fast. But for a big crosser or something else I should take my time on, having the gun down kind of convinces me that I must have time on my side if I've got the luxury of having it gun down. Next step is to learn to not rush the mount and blend it all into one big smooth motion.

 

That, as well as the fact gun up just ain't feasible on a 'day out' all day, means I'm gun down (most of the time).

Edited by DanBettin
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Whatever works for you!

 

I always shoot clays gun up, you remove the biggest (physical) way to mess up the shot. If I shot more live birds (I rarely if ever get in the field these days) I would shoot gun down to practice mounting the gun. The only reason people don't shoot gun up for live quarry is because the birds don't magically appear whenever you shout 'pull' and it gets a bit tiring after a while!

 

EDIT: With reference to Norfolk Dumplings post below; I thought we we talking about whether people have the gun mounted/unmounted in the shoulder when people were saying 'gun up/down', rather than where the barrels are pointing.

Edited by Breastman
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Gun down ALWAYS. The gun mounting for me is part of the process of bringing the muzzles to target and (for me and the way I was taught to shoot) essential to the shooting process

Yep, agree wholeheartedly. Rough shooting you don't walk around with the gun to shoulder pointing ahead ..do you???

Personally I believe that mounting the gun prior and 'aiming' tends to make you stop the swing/poke. The only situation would be DTL/Ball Trap/Olympic Trap.

The gun down position can be anything from resting the butt on the thigh, to having it floating just below armpit level according to situation.

BUT whatever floats your boat if you keep hitting'em :yes::good:

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The gun down position can be anything from resting the butt on the thigh, to having it floating just below armpit level according to situation.

BUT whatever floats your boat if you keep hitting'em :yes::good:

Sounds like we are completely agreed;

I was taught to shoot by keeping my eyes focussed on the target (game, vermin or clay) bringing the gun to the shoulder in a way that the gun swings up the 'smoke trail' from the target and overtakes. It does need a gun that fits OK and if you do this - you really don't 'see' the gun, rib, or fore sight'. When the fore sight fell of one of my guns, the first I knew was when cleaning the gun after shooting. All I know is that it was there last time I cleaned the gun.

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