toka_shigazu Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Hi...getting back into shotgun use, have put a deposit down on a sporting o/u 12g shotgun that fitted well at my local gunshop..... was at Shugborough this weekend and at the end of an enjoyable day I scraped together enough change to have a 4 shots at the clay pigeon tent as we left the venue. Using an auto shotgun at a rising bird flying directly away from me. I noticed as I shouldered the gun that I could see more of the rib along the length than I could with the gun at the shop. [the one at the shop when shouldered let me see just the bead at the end and perhaps a few mils of rib before it] anyway my four shots were consistent but all 4 were under the bird...even though i felt as if i was on target. to cover the bird to hit it i would have had to effectively cover it with the end of the barrel and lose sight of it by doing this. my question is would this excess rib on view cause this shooting below?? it was consistent and the tutor said that each shot was on target just directly below, which i am glad about as i though i had more of an eye dominance problem that may have me miss the bird either to the left or right... hope what i have said and thought makes sense but can anyone advise me on this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Using an auto shotgun at a rising bird flying directly away from me. I noticed as I shouldered the gun that I could see more of the rib along the length than I could with the gun at the shop. [the one at the shop when shouldered let me see just the bead at the end and perhaps a few mils of rib before it]anyway my four shots were consistent but all 4 were under the bird...even though i felt as if i was on target. to cover the bird to hit it i would have had to effectively cover it with the end of the barrel and lose sight of it by doing this. A shotgun designed for 'down the line' will shoot above the target, and for this style of target will allow you to sit it on the bead, pull the trigger and break the clay, however a 'sporter' style shotgun will require you to 'blank out' the target as you squeeze the trigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toka_shigazu Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 thanks for the reply....i was wondering as when i had a shotgun years ago i was told to keep the bird above the bead as 60% of pattern goes above/40% below....it did feel really strange having to cover the bird with the whole barrel end and thereby losing sight of it for a fraction of a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhiannonBW Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) When I get birds that need to be covered by the barrel to be on target I usually imagine that I am pointing with the bottom barrel. I use the same thing for fast overhead incomers too. Otherwise the brain tries to trick me into wanting to see the target. I'd be more worried that you missed in the same place four times. It might show consistency of shot but when you miss in the same place twice, it means you need to shoot somewhere else next time to break the clay. This might seem obvious, but the brain does have a nasty trick of convincing you that you're aiming in the right place to break the clay but your shot is slightly off target, rather than the truth which is that you need to aim somewhere else to break the clay. It happend to me on skeet and took a lesson to break the thought pattern. Rhiannon Edited March 3, 2009 by RhiannonBW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 If you could see lots of ribs then you would naturally be shooting high. So to be missing the bird underneath would mean you were shooting way below the bird (depanding on range). The comb on the borrowed gun was far too high. I had a similar experience on my Auto, although I was shooting over the top of everything. I had to drop the comb quite considerably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 I'm quite surprised that you were shooting underneath. With a view like you had, I would have also expected you to be way over the top. Should the tutor have gone to Specsavers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 The more rib you see the higher your shot will go in relation to the bead. Strange you missed below unless you were stopping the swing on the shot If so I would have thought the tutor would have noticed that. I wouldn't worry about it just wait till you get the new gun, as if that fits you better it will be a different ball game anyway GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toka_shigazu Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 thanks for all your posts....i know it will be different with my gun when i pick it up but it was just out of curiosity that i was wondering....the tutor told me after the second shot that i was low on the bird and much as i tried for the next two to fully cover it i really couldnt seem to force the barrel to cover the bird and lose sight of the bird....frustrating cos each of the other two shots i tried to lift higher but as it came to the bird i just pulled the trigger not wanting to lose sight of it.....bit like RhiannonBW said. its the first 4 shots i have fired from a shotgun in 22 years so i wasnt too bothered about missing...i would have been more bothered if i had been all over the place...cant wait to get o/u, if the problem does arise then then i will try to aim with the bottom barrel as suggested.....again thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilishdave Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 My SBS shoots low so I make a deliberate effort to see more of the rib when I mount it and it shoots well. Not sure how experianced with clays you are or if it was full on springing teel or just a slow riser. I find with teel start with the gun just above the trap move rapidly on to the target and as the bedd touches the clay squeeze the trigger and keep the gun moving. The same for a slow riser I just dont move the gun as fast. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toka_shigazu Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 yeah it was a slow riser, i dont think there was a lot of rising at the point i pulled the trigger...it had flattened out but obviously was moving further away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter-peter Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 keep the gun moving up after pulling the trigger easy peasy just blot em out fire and keep that gun going up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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