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Old June 21, 2000, 09:27 AM   #1
Dave McC
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 13, 1999
Location: Columbia, Md, USA
Posts: 8,811
Maybe it's time to get away from the hardware just a little and talk about techniques.

If one watches a good quail shot,grouse shot, etc, one sees the shooter firing as soon as the gun is in position. Few pay attention to the bead or the bbls except peripherally, one watches the bird and the gun is incidental to the sight picture.

The other end of the spectrum is in HD, or deer hunting with slugs,one uses sights,and aims as with a rifle. This can still be fast, like the flash sight picture taught in those high priced shooting schools, but it's still aimed fire.

Of course, one can go the Hollywood route here, shoot from the hip, but we're talking real world. If John Wayne was ever in a fire fight, he'd have been toast PDQ.

So when does one aim, or point? Small moving targets at ranges where one has a pattern calls for pointing. Long range pass shooting on birds is kinda in between, a sustained lead means aiming way in front of the critter firing and keeping the weapon moving as you do. FYI, I find that kind of shooting very difficult, just like hitting those bouncing rabbit clays on a course.

For HD(which is a major concern for many of us) one aims, oft very fast. This is not as difficult,in theory,as the above. The target is closer, slower,and much larger. However, adrenaline and danger will make everything harder,and one does in combat what one does in training.

Try this inside dry fire exercise...

Make sure your shotgun is unloaded, leave the room with the ammo,and take no ammo with you. When this is done, CHECK YOUR WEAPON AGAIN.

Now, pick s spot on the wall, a picture, any good small reference point. Mount the weapon while focussing on the target point. Is the front sight where it needs to be? Or does the weapon need adjusting to bring everything together?

This is where good fit becomes apparent. If your form is good and the weapon fits, you should be on the money.Otherwise, work on technique and adjust the fit until this happens. A stock that's a little short is easier to use than one that's a bit long.

Now, pack up your shotgun and head for the range. Set up your target of choice at distances from contact range to 25 yards. Starting from a ready position, fire one round at each target. Start each time from zero, with the weapon in the condition it's usually kept. If that's cruiser ready(my choice), start it from that EACH time.Now, burn up some ammo.

You'll note that as the distance increases, more care must be taken to ensure hits. After a few sessions, start timing the relays,not to be competitive, but to know if it's falling into place for you.

NOTE: Since my HD 870 has a hooded front sight, I can use that for extreme close range sight picture by kinda figure 8-ing that and the aperture sight, and aiming a little low. This works for me and is not guaranteed to work for others, but there may be some thing else that does. Experiment a bit.
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