When I first started shooting sporting clays in the early 90s everyone seemed to shoot low gun, high gun was considered amateur. I always shoot with the same group of people and never paid much attention to others but after a recent discussion it sounds like high gun is a norm? What do you prefer?
High or low gun for sporting clays
Blacklab1
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When I first started shooting sporting clays in the early 90s everyone seemed to shoot low gun, high gun was considered amateur. I always shoot with the same group of people and never paid much attention to others but after a recent discussion it sounds like high gun is a norm? What do you prefer?
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I've been doing low gun, as I just go by myself as hunting practice, no competition. But I guess if I was competing, I would do as everyone else who competes, and use every tool to get my best score. Thus, high gun.
But if I miss one or two at skeet, I often just shoot it low gun also. Still usually only drop 1 or 2 targets I would have hit if high gun. But guys who don't practice low gun, don't usually hit doves or ducks too well...
But if I miss one or two at skeet, I often just shoot it low gun also. Still usually only drop 1 or 2 targets I would have hit if high gun. But guys who don't practice low gun, don't usually hit doves or ducks too well...
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Depends on the target presentation. Almost always using a soft/cheat mount for SC. FITASC is all low gun, and by far my favorite shotgun sport.
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NSCA is normally shot high gun. Of course you can shoot it however you like, in a NSCA match. Now on the other hand, FITASC Shooting is always shot low gun. You also have ammo payload restrictions. In NSCA you can shoot 1 1/8 oz. loads, @ whatever speed you like. Of course most clubs will restrict the shot size to #7 1/2's!!!
I shoot Sporting Clays with a High Gun. Just like I do with skeet and trap. break em all jeff
I shoot Sporting Clays with a High Gun. Just like I do with skeet and trap. break em all jeff
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Everyone has their own opinion. You do what works best for you.
High gun for sporting. High gun for zz and flyers. Low gun for fitasc only.
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Depends on the presentation in sporting clays. If I have 1 second, gun in pocket. 2-3 seconds, cheat Mount. 3 or more seconds, gun almost to Fitasc position. I shoot 90% of the course usually with gun in pocket.
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Depends on presentation, but normally high gun for sporting, super sporting, skeet, 5 stand, trap. Low gun for FITASC
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FITASC low gun, everything else high gun.
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Low gun for everything but ZZ and Bunker for me and I'm 85.
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When I was first introduced to shooting clay pigeons in 1960/1 everyone shot gun-down at sporting clays. You weren't allowed to shoot gun-up. Gun-down in those days was from a position similar to how ISSF skeet is shot today, lower than in FITASC sporting. I never shot gun-up at sporting, English skeet, NSSA skeet or (of course) Olympic skeet........only at DTL, ABT, UT and OT.
Also, you never called for your targets when shooting sporting clays. You adopted the address (ready) position and the referee released the targets at a time of his choosing.
All the best sporting layouts had their traps out of sight hidden by bushes and trees (except the 120 ft towers) in order to make shooting the targets as representative as possible to shooting live quarry in natural surroundings.
The premier ground in my early days was the West London Shooting Ground at Northolt which held the annual British Open Sporting Championship for the Daily Telegraph Cup. There targets were thrown to represent rabbits, driven grouse, woodpigeons, partridges, springing teal, high pheasants and driven pheasants plus, of course, the "walk-up".
The latter was a gently sloping down hill path with thick brambles and gorse on either side about five feet high. The traps were hidden in the undergrowth on both sides of the path. You walked down the path followed by a referee and a trapper. The trapper released singles and doubles using pull cords in a completely unpredictable manner and usually did so when you were wrong-footed! The last time I competed in it was in 1965 when I won the "Juniors".
Donald "Doddy" Dodd from Norfolk won the Open Championship that year with 85x100. My mates and I had finished and were sitting in the beer tent when in walked "Doddy". Someone asked him how many he'd hit and he replied 75. Hoots of laughter went around the table thinking "Doddy" had made a poor score and his leg was pulled unmercifully. He kept a straight face throughout and took the ribbing in good spirit. Eventually he got up and said, "Well, I'd better go and shoot the rabbits now"! He shot the lot and won the Championship! He had a good laugh at our expense afterwards.
FORMER BRITISH OPEN SPORTING CLAYS CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONS
Jim
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I shot several rounds of NSSA & English Skeet with Doddy and his son. He never stood still in the box always moving his feet.
Thanks for bringing back memories of RAF Lakenheath and the Cambridge Gun Club.
Low gun for me. I’ll flinch if I start with a high gun.
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Lol! You are 100% correct. Doddy used to move about so much when preparing to shoot his targets you'd think he had ants in his pants. I used to shoot NSSA skeet at Lakenheath R&G club many years ago. Nowadays it's quite a place and a fortune has been spent on it. It's called Eriswell Lodge Shooting Ground now. The clubhouse is magnificent.I shot several rounds of NSSA & English Skeet with Doddy and his son. He never stood still in the box always moving his feet.
Our Venue - Eriswell Lodge
I gave up shooting at the Cambridge GC several years ago after getting hit in the face by a shotgun pellet.
IMO, if you shoot clays as practice for the field, then low gun, or some variation thereof, is best. Needless to say, one does not walk around woods, meadows, or sits in dove fields or duck blinds with the gun premounted. If shooting clays for the game`s sake, especially skeet, then premounted is good. I think some skeet variations, however, require starting from a low gun position.
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