[PSG-1]

I've done a little bit of skeet shooting in my days, and I'm pretty good at it. Of course, most of that was done from a stationary position, with basically no-lead targets.

I recently started shooting sporting clays....MAN, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Much more challenging! I'm at about 60% accuracy right now, but I hope to improve that.

Still, I do pretty good with targets that fly in a horizontal plane. I also do pretty good with RISING targets, but when it comes to a falling target (I think they call those "bateaus" and they are supposed to simulate a duck landing) I got my rear end handed to me on a dirty, greasy paper plate, and that's what is killing my hit ratio.

Honestly, at that one station, I had 8 straight misses, and just gave up, went on to another stage.

So, I'm trying to figure out how I can do just fine with rising, and horizontally flying targets.....but why is it so #^%$ hard to hit one falling vertically?? Sheesh...LOL

I thought about trying to teach myself about leading the targets, by shooting tracer rounds. I've heard of shotgun tracer loads, but I couldn't find any info on how to load your own...or any info on factory made ammo.

Any advice from the experts would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Bill Mannatt]

I shoot in class AA in skeet and sporting. The battue target accelerates after it turns over and falls,and demands a compound lead-in front and under. The target should be taken when you have about 3/4 of the face showing,before it begins to drop away. If you let it go full face--the lead will increase dramatically for every few feet it falls. Don't mess with tracers,you'll just raise your head to see them and miss over. they are outlawed in every clays club in the country. The learning curve for sporting clays is triple that of trap and skeet due to the endless variety of presentations. Pay the dues and have fun! Minis,midis,battues,rockets,and rabbits keep the game from getting stale.Wait 'till you get a chondelle!

 

[PSG-1]

OK, so basically what you're saying is that if you wait too long to engage the batuea targets, by that time, they are falling too fast to be able to engage them. And then because the speed of gravity on a falling object is 13 m/s square.....the longer you wait, the faster the fall, and the more lead required. Makes sense.

But, I'm still working on figuring out the leads. I've shot before, and had people say..."you were behind that one....or in front of that one"

How the $^% can they see where my shot pattern is? I sure can't see it. If I could see it better, I'd know how to adjust for it.

I know the wad cannot possibly be a fair indicator if where the shot pattern is, because the petals open up, it loses velocity, and veers off in a different direction. BUt I could be wrong about that.

 

[MikeG]

Depends on the light, sky conditions, etc. Sometimes a person standing behind the shooter can see the shot string.

 

[PSG-1]

I guess it's the same way that a spotter can see the "trace" from a rifle bullet, while the shooter can't see it.

 

[Bill Mannatt]

OK, so basically what you're saying is that if you wait too long to engage the batuea targets, by that time, they are falling too fast to be able to engage them. And then because the speed of gravity on a falling object is 13 m/s square.....the longer you wait, the faster the fall, and the more lead required. Makes sense.

But, I'm still working on figuring out the leads. I've shot before, and had people say..."you were behind that one....or in front of that one"

How the $^% can they see where my shot pattern is? I sure can't see it. If I could see it better, I'd know how to adjust for it.

I know the wad cannot possibly be a fair indicator if where the shot pattern is, because the petals open up, it loses velocity, and veers off in a different direction. BUt I could be wrong about that.

Lead issues are problematic in that distance and speed vary from target to target,even on the same stand and trap.It's a matter of really paying attention,wind gusts,light changes,gun speed from shot to shot. You don't have a canned presentation like trap or skeet.Be wary of calls by other shooters,unless they are reallly experienced,easy to see the shot cloud under good conditions,trust your judgement otherwise. As I said before,you will pay some dues in sporting,and just when you think you're good,you come up against a world-class target setter who eats your lunch for you! Remember,every target is falling from the line of launch,just like a rifle bullet.Most misses in sporting are OVER the target.The wad is hundreds of fps slower than the cloud-disregard calls made on that basis.

 

[PSG-1]

Lead issues are problematic in that distance and speed vary from target to target,even on the same stand and trap.It's a matter of really paying attention,wind gusts,light changes,gun speed from shot to shot. You don't have a canned presentation like trap or skeet.

I'm used to those "canned" presentations...because I have done a lot of shooting from a boat, and the clays are always rising, and moving away from you, in a straight line, with almost no lead most of the time.

I usually shoot with a Beretta Silver Snipe O/U 12 ga, but I also shoot a Remington 11-87 20 ga, and a Browning Sweet 16 with a full poly choke. (The Browning is probably my favorite, to be honest....it seems to hit everything I shoot at with normal skeet shooting...I need to try it out one time with sporting clays)

Remember,every target is falling from the line of launch,just like a rifle bullet.Most misses in sporting are OVER the target.The wad is hundreds of fps slower than the cloud-disregard calls made on that basis.

I figured that much about the wad. Good info about the fact that most misses are OVER the target....I will bear that in mind.

 

[smokinfz1]

I thought accelleration due to gravity was 9.8 m/sec squared.

 

[Bill Mannatt]

I thought accelleration due to gravity was 9.8 m/sec squared.

Mathematics is for rifle shooters. In the art of wingshooting-you wing it.

 

[m141a]

I was taught a very simple saying when I started winshooting, and it applies to clays also.

Find your bird, swing to it, and think:

"BACKSIDE-BELLY-BEAK-BANG!!!!

Ulitmately, swing thru your target, but do not stop when you reach "beak"....follow thru.

good luck, keek practicing!