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Shooting tips- how to stop shooting over the top?

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#21 ·
You would be borderline-right, Howard, if I had suggested to Dan that he only analyze his misses. What I suggested instead was that he analyze what happens when he does not put the gun exactly here he wished to. With his scores, he's well centered most of the time, but you never know what effect his idea that the gun is shooting higher is having. What I recommended will allow him to fine-fine tune his POI by having the the gun _tell him_ what's going on, not the other way around.

But there's nothing wrong with analyzing misses either, of course. If it happened because you did not lock on the target with your eyes, you can be more certain to do it next time. Likewise, you can miss by calling for the bird like an automaton, saying "Pull!" with your body while your mind is far afield. A miss can tell you to get back to work. And so on.

Neil
 
#22 ·
Make or buy a baaseball cap. Attach strong fishing line to it's bill. On the other end attach a 3 prong shark hook. Adjust to size... that is from you head in a down position to the hooks firmly placed in your crotch. This only works once! But you will not lift your again. Fred
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
Well, there's certainly some good ideas and prognosis thanks everyone contributing!

@ Neil Winston- there's no doubt you are the undisputed pattern shooting, where does my gun shoot champion of the world!!! I just finished reading your report and all i can say is wow.

You are right, the info I gave you is irrelevant to where my gun shoots. Let me try to explain it a little better for you, please excuse my conversions as I'm trying to convert from metric for you guys.

My previous setup, was a low rib, 30 inch 1/4 inch high, and the barrels weigh 57 ounces.
The comb was set at 1.5 inches drop at comb and heel, and at 30 yards the centre of the pattern was around 8 inches high. I was definately shooting over the top, covering the targets and losing the vision sometimes. My average was around 94-97%.

I have since added rib height, by adding a piece of timber to replicate the Bridgeshoot rib I have ordered, and even matched the weight by using dense hardwood and drilling out the underside of it to get the weight spot on. This has changed the setup to the previously mentioned sizes of 1 3/8 inches high
 
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Discussion starter · #24 ·
Wow, some great advice and ideas on here.

@ Neil, your right the info is pretty useless. The previous setup was as below- excuse the poor conversions but I'm trying to explain it in your sizes.

Low rib- 1/3 of an inch high, barrels 30 inches and weight was 55 oz. drop on comb and heel was 1 1/2 inches and the centre of the 30 inch pattern at 30 yards was 6 inches high.

New high rib setup- rib is 1 3/8 high, 30 inch barrels, drop at comb and heel is 1 3/8 and weight is 63 ounces. This rib and comb is therefore 1/8 inch higher, and the centre of a 30 inch pattern at 30 yards is around 12 inches high. I would post a pic but don't know how to off my iPhone!

The new setup is beautiful to shoot, so I'll try a couple things mentioned here at the next shoot on new years day, see how they go. If it gets any worse ill try the damn cap and hook!!!
 
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#26 ·
Dan,

I also used to tend to shoot over a straight away every now and then, apparently I am different to most of what has been stated in the above posts.

I convinced myself that by holding down on the traphouse was not working for me (which I used to do) I now hold a high gun (above the trap approx half way up the height of flight) I look around the gun and seem to have all the time in the world to move and shoot.

At least I am not jumping at the target and chasing it like some maniac, I have only started to shoot like this in the last 2 shoots that I have attended and had wins both times.

Time will tell but it really feels comfortable and do not know why I have never tried it in the past (old habits die hard I guess).

Release.
 
#27 ·
Aussie Dan, Go buy a Daisy B.B. Gun, modify the stock (either add to it or throw it away and build another one) Tape a lead pipe under the barrel to give it some weight, rip off the rear sight and paint the front sight white. Hang a Bud Lite beer can from a tree in your back yard, step off 20 feet and practice shooting it. Pretend you are on station 3, point at the trap house as you would on the range. Lift the barrel, shoot the can. Do it a few hundred times. You will never shoot over the top of a straight-away target again.
 
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Discussion starter · #28 ·
@ Hap- I'll go blow a few holes on a pattern board off a rest from around 12-15 yards as per Neil Wonstons recommendation and let you know the results.

@ Gary Release Trigger- my idea is that I can hold at least 3-5 feet high once I get the bridge mounted on there, at the moment it's a solid stick mounted on the rib so I can't see through it at all.
There's a lot of reasons to be high, the only thing that worries me is our inconsistent targets.

@ Ismah- I wish. Where I live (in a city) you would get arrested for shooting a BBgun in your back yard! Sad isn't it?
 
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#29 ·
Dan, I suppose I should let you get a bit of rest, but your measurement data supporting a higher POI still doesn't indicate much to me.

Yes, the distance between the line of the top of the rib and the top of the comb has been reduced by 1/8 inch and that would generally calculate out to three or four inch rise in the POI at the bird, but that's not all you have done. You have also raised the rib an inch and the comb even more. That’s too much of a change to trust the rest of the conversion, since your head is probably fitting on the comb in a considerably different way and the comb is a little different anyway and so on.

Rather than measuring things, it's better just to look. When you had the old gun, what did you see? No rib? A lot of rib? Is the new rib the same height at both ends? Only if the rib is a rectangle (or a parallelogram or trapezoid with the long side a base) ) and you see the "picture" (rib & bead-relationship) of a little more rib will the math work out and even then it's an estimate only.

You say 12-15 yards - why not 13? Just 13? Then you can tell choke too if you use light premium factory 7 1/2's.

Good luck with your testing and please tell us how it comes out.

Neil
 
#30 ·
Here's my two cents worth! Never "NEVER!" ever analyze your misses.

Have someone whom you trust call out your hits or better yet write them down for you.

Watching your own targets break in my opinion and that of many others is that it tends to lead to head lifting a very bad habit.

Joe
 
#31 ·
gunfitter, how is that most of the top guns in trap can tell you exactly where their errant shot went? Leo H. comes to mind as well as many others considered top shots in trap. If you aren't aware of how or why you made a mistake, how would one rectify or prevent more? A blind allegiance to shooting lots of targets in pursuit of perfection can get quite expensive unless one learns from miscues as well.

Haven't you ever heard a good shooter make the statement, "I knew I'd break that target before the shot was outa the barrel", how would he know that so soon?

Hap
 
#32 ·
Hap calling your shots may be fine but looking for how it broke is entirely a different creature.

As anyone who has taken a Kay Ohey clinic will attest your not supposed to keep score for your self because it does several bad things and the worst is head lifting to see the broken target.

The other thing is most if not all top shooters know where their gun shoots.
Joe
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
Well, as per Neil Winstons request, Blew a few holes in a piece of thin MDF from 13 yards today.

Looks like its shooting pretty flat at the 13 yard mark! See below picture
Image

 
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Discussion starter · #35 ·
if i wanted it to shoot higher can i tilt the rib upward at the muzzle and get the correct result?

Or do i have to raise the comb?
 
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#36 ·
<blockquote><I>"Just don't do it. Control the gun more. It doesn't slide over the target by itself. You do it. Quit it."</I></blockquote>Finally! Someone with cred who will say,

"Quit blaming the gun for the fact that you don't know how to control it!"

Heavy gun...light gun...barrel-heavy...butt heavy...it lays in your hands and goes where you point it. Learn to point it where/when you want it to shoot and it will do exactly that!

MK
 
#37 ·
I've had a few kids over the years develope problems with straight-away birds. I usually notice that they either stop their gun at the point of firing, therefore not following thru. A good way i have found to get them to follow thru is to put them on the skeet field at post 7. These are low house straights. They will shoot these until they are consistant in follow thru.
 
#38 ·
Raising the rib at the muzzle will make the gun shoot lower. Raise the comb up to make it shoot higher. Your eye is the rear sight on a shotgun.

To change POI==Move Front sight opposite---Rear sight the same. Remember the acronym FORS.

Wayne
 
#39 ·
Dan,

If you want the gun to shoot higher you can raise the comb, or you can lower the front bead, or you can do both. The most common solution is to just raise the comb. If you have an adjustable comb you can use thin washers as spacers on the posts. That way you can keep track of the amount of adjustment made. HMB
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
I have made a few adjustments and now have it shooting a little higher than before.

The shot shell fitted the hole left in the centre of the pattern!

It seems to suit me well, I have tried this setup for 3 rounds and have run the 75 straight. Does the pattern and height look normal for you guys? It's a Perazzi no 6 choke.
Image

 
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Barry C. Roach
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