[deadeyedukewannabe]

I've shot quite a bit, okay quite a lot, and still struggle terribly on stations one and five, handicapp or even 16-yarders. I don't know if my hold is off or what. If you have advice where to hold or what to do to make those hard rights and lefts easier, please clue me in.

deadeyedukewannabe

 

[Guest]

The problem I've been working on really hard at is not stopping the gun as I fire. I can get away with it on 2,3 and 4 because of the lesser angles but if I do it on 1 and 5 it kills me. I shoot 2 eyes and hold just above the corners of the trap house even though my focus is about 12 to 18 inches higher.

Mike

 

[deadeyedukewannabe]

See I hold to the outside just a little, and below the corners. The trap range I practice has bricks set out for younger shooters to get the hang of the hold. The wind was blowing like crazy, I'm a very very natural shooter, and still couldn't hit much of anything on five, for some reason I could on one. Certain opinions say I'm just fighting that station, It's a head game.

deadeyedukewannabe

 

[Old 870]

Amy,

I had trouble on the same stations, here is what helped me. On station 5 I was shooting under the bird, I think I was searching for it and actually shooting under it. After I realized what I was doing it was an easy fix. On station 1 I was stopping my swing when I shot. This one is proving to be a little tougher to fix. What has seemed to help the most is I have opened up my stance a little. My only other advice is don't be afraid to get out there in front and lead the bird.

Remember, Just Shoot

 

[larryjk]

Check with the manager of the club at which you are shooting. Ask him when there is a slack period when you could get him to set the trap to throw left hand birds and shoot 25 from station 1. Do the same thing with right hand birds from station 5. If you can get the manager to do this you will be practicing the birds you have trouble hitting, not the ones you hit. Do this a few times and you won't have troble with 1 and 5.

 

[canada]

Never hold outside the corner, and i suggest never holding under the trap as well. Holding outside the corner with the intention of cutting off the hard angles is what will cause a lot of missing, mostly behind. Holding on the corner causes you to swing along the same path as the bird, making actually hitting it far easier.

Along with cutting off the angle birds, it makes straight aways more difficult as well because they are coming out of the house a long way from where your gun is. I'm left handed, and hold on the front corner and a bit high on post one, and between the front and back corner, and a bit high on post 5.

 

[hmb]

Shoot a couple rounds of skeet on a regular basis. This will help you will help you with your angle shots. HMB

 

[BIGDON]

I concur on the skeet practice. It teaches you how to swing and keep it moving.

Don

 

[100straight]

It's impossible to say without seeing you shoot, but most people I've helped with 1 & 5 had improper foot position. You might try this. Let's use station 5 as an example. Stand with your gun mounted so that you are in a comfortable position to break a hard right bird. Then, rotate your body and gun back to your hold point before calling for the bird. Your body will then be set to swing to a hard right angle. You may be standing so that your body stops swinging on hard angles because it is positioned in such a manner that it "binds" before swinging all the way through the bird. Do the same on station 1, but position yourself for a hard left bird and then rotate your body and gun back to your hold point before calling for the bird. Same theory applies. Once you determine your needed foot position you will not need to go through the motions any longer. However, I know shootrs who have been shooting many years who still do this for every bird on 1 & 5.

I also agree that a round of skeet from time to time will help, and remember that it is much easier to shoot behind the bird than it is to shoot in front of it. A good rule of thumb is to lead it the amount you think is right and then add about 1 foot for hard angles. That works in skeet on stations 3, 4, & 5, too.

Shoot well and often,

Mark.

 

[deadeyedukewannabe]

Thank you guys for all of the help and advice. I have practice again tonight, so hopefully the manager will let me set the machine on hard rights/hard lefts. I appreciate all of the input and will definately try those methods.

deadeyedukewannabe - Amy

 

[BDodd]

Facts are, Amy, most hard lefts and hard rights (from 1 and 5 respectively) are missed from behind. Keep the swing smooth and get well out in front of them. When the right picture suddenly comes to light, you'll start doing better with them. But then, like me, you might keep at it for 30 years and still have times those hard angles will be a mystery.....Bob Dodd

 

[deadeyedukewannabe]

Thank you all for your input, does anyone else have any words of wisdom or experience they're willing to share?

deadeyedukewannabe - Amy

 

[100straight]

practice, practice, practice.....

 

[DocJim]

Try to imagine your barrel as a paint brush. Concentrate on "brushing out" the bird. Swing and as the "brush" paints out the bird pull the trigger and keep the barrel moving.
Jim G

 

[deadeyedukewannabe]

Doc Jim,

That is something I can understand, I'm a very visual person. That is some good advice, and tonight, or the next time I go to a club, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you.

deadeyedukewannabe - Amy

 

[ddrsuz]

deadeye:
I may be a rookie compared to all the shooters on this site,but my best success has come from doing what larryjk talked about, with one small change. I start out with the machine locked on straight aways and shoot a few with a POA that is just a little low and then a few that are just a little high until I verify where the fringe of my pattern is just picking up the bird. Then you can basically split the difference in sight picture between those two locations and should be getting smoke. Now you know you are dialed for your vertical sight picture, then when you lock the machine for the hard birds you have a pretty good idea of the sight vertical sight picture you are going to use, now you can concentrate on the swing and timing. Remember to do two things when you practice with machine locked: 1. Don't anticipate the bird, wait until you see the bird, 2.Test yourself after shooting your 20-25 per station ("I need these next 3 for a 50"), if you don't get'em, time for 10 or so more.
d