I had the same experience when I first started shooting 3 years ago. I found was doing exactly that...moving the gun before the bird came out. He disabled the voice calls and was using the manual pull button. When I called 'pull', he would either release the bird or hesitate to see if I would move the gun. After several stations, I learned to keep the gun still and wait for the bird. To this day, when I call for a target and it doesn't come out, I notice that my gun is kept steady.
There were other items this same person taught me, and I wrote them down on the back of an envelope when I got back in the truck. Still have it to this day and refer every once in a while to make sure I didn't forget anything.
BryceNZSC3 if it is of any value to you I agree with your thoughts on the subject. I don't however think that everyone is getting the same message from the way you are stating it.
A very good way to find out if the shooter is moving the gun is to hand deliver the targets and watch the end of the shooters barrel. You should be able to tell if shooter is moving his gun before he is seeing the target. I did this for a while and my scores suffered for it.
When I stopped moving the gun before the target was out of the house. My scores climbed steadily. If you move the gun before you see the target the only way you can break it is slow your swing until the target catches up to the gun. At which point you will break targets sporadicly. I found that if I waited to see the target go by the barrel before I move the gun it made breaking the targets much easier to accomplish.
We have some top dog shooters at our club that shoot a moving gun but for me the gun must stay still till I see the target. Once I started making sure that I did not move my gun before the target came out, hcp got a lot easier and I started heading for the back fence.
I agree ffwildcat. There is a difference between an 'in motion' shot and taking off wildly in a supposed direction with the barrel. Some instructors teach the 'still gun' to combat the myriad of problems that come with out of control premature gun motion. That said, I am a proponent of 'in motion', not dead still takeoff on target call. For myself, it is a slight forward knee bend with a barely perceptible barrel rise on call with a smooth acceleration on target. A completely still gun reacting to a target will be at risk of a 'tug' or forend takeaway, and much later shot relatively speaking to the target. This is a marked trait of a 'tracker'. This type of shooter can be effective on calm days, but will frequently get hammered on windy days. For demonstration try a high post 2 target in skeet with a dead still gun and an in motion gun. It will be almost frightening how much farther the target will be away with the still gun. (I am aware you know the target flight on skeet, but will none the less work for timing demo). In summary I am a proponent of in motion, and believe the majority of top shooters are in motion subtely on call. Ironically, I have noticed one of THE top shooters consistently in vertical motion on call. Take a look next time out....you might be surprised.....Shoot well....Jerry
Paul Welden is dead on with his response. You know if you are doing it correctly when you call for a target, nothing comes out, and you are still holding your gun steady without movement.
Call for a target while moving the gun from the 27 yard line is death. Sure some shooters who move their gun while calling pull will break some targets but not consistantly.
Review Harlan Campbell's vidio to see what I mean.
Moving gun before it clears the barrel is nothing more than anticipation. It quiet often requires changing the direction of the swing (bad) to get on the bird. I cant think of any one that holds clinics for trap shooting Kiner, Ross,et al that doesnt want the shooter to hold the barrel absolutely still un til the bird passes the barrel.
If you are moving the gun prior to target reconigation you are probably moving in the wrong direction. The exception to this is the first shot of doubles. At least that is what I was taught by Nora and Kay and have found to be true. Jake
The best advise I have gotten about this game of trapshooting is 'see the target'. Our natural tendency is to over think things and in the case of moving the gun before the target appears, you have basically overthought the whole process to the point where you are expecting the target to be in some specific spot. Of course when that doesn't happen the brain kicks in with a panic response and a lost target is the likely result.
A simple thing you can do to occupy the thought processes is to repeat to yourself 'see the target' before you call pull. Focus on just that, don't wander to the next mental step of firing the shot until you see that target. Make a game of getting good visual resolution on that bird as soon as you possibly can and don't take your eyes off it until you break it.
If it's ok to have a moving gun on the call, what direction would you be moving? Only one direction would be correct, and the other four would require an awkward correction. I was always taught to move to the hold point, pause, focus on space above the house, call for the bird, see the bird, sweep and shoot.
uh....up. From my personal hold points everything is.....up LOL. Do not confuse a barely perceptible mechanics in motion with a wild lateral takeoff pre target. Jerry More I think about it...everyone just keep their gun dead still. LOL..Shoot well!
Wolfram has clarified it, for me at least, and I have this problem of not keeping the gun still prior to seeing the bird. Try as I might, there are times (way too many) when I move the gun in anticipation of actually seeing the bird. I just cannot seem to break this horrible habit. If someone stands behind me with a button and does not release a target when I call for it, the gun moves anyway, and videotape has also confirmed it many times over. I just can’t seem to break the habit, nad it's not that I don't work on it. Help?
LMAO@JP!! That might help to fattening yer bank account huh Jerry?
Quite eyes,still eyes, even if the gun is moving slightly, looking to read the angle regardless of where you watch for the whole target to appear is important too. Just keep the barrel out of the master eyes way while attacking the target from underneath it.
Jon, what you describe comes from wanting to take advantage of an angle you fear?? To prove to yourself you have all the time in the world to hit targets is fairly easy. Close your eyes and call for the target and open your eyes,pick the target up with your eyes and shoot it! Fear of an angle is your enemy, not the angle itself! Keeping your eyes still in order to read the angle and lock on it is the important stuff. That is more important than attempting to hold a shotgun completely still. In a stiff wind it's almost impossible to keep the gun from moving but not the line your eyes take. Keep the eyes still. That's partly what Jerry Parr said also.
I realize and agree with everything you said, including the use of the "close your eyes drill", which I do in practice. But the problem persists. It's far more difficult (for me at least) than to just say, "Don't do that".
JR
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