Had fun shooting clays this weekend, first time.

fiznat · November 29, 2010, 04:31 PM

Made a video. Excuse the music, it's an inside joke. Anyone got any pointers on technique, or stuff we can do to vary it up/make things more challenging?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w5Hl796MJU

Tombstonejim · November 29, 2010, 04:44 PM

Yea buy some of the non standard clays. The mini's thrown double are a real challange. And Don't just throw straight away from you. Set up and throw crossways like skeet.

http://www.championtarget.com/targets/clays.aspx

RaySendero · November 29, 2010, 06:53 PM

Quote:

fiznat asked:
..... Anyone got any pointers on technique, .....?

fiznit,

I shoot some competition - One of the very first things I was taught was foot placement. To maximize your swing - your back foot should never be any futher back from the front than ONE FOOT (i.e. the toe of the rear foot should be on line with the back of the heel of the front foot.)

See for yourself. For a righty, grab your right wrist with your left hand. Extent your right arm out straight and point with right index finger (Vise-versa for lefty). Rotate your point left and right, marking both the extreme points you can swing.

Do this with your back foot toe close to the front heel - Then, with the back foot toe 12 to 18" away from the front heel. You'll notice a big difference in the amount of left and right swing you can rotate.

oneounceload · November 29, 2010, 07:47 PM

Welcome and great you have taken up up an addictive hobby. Now go to your local gun club and try targets on the trap, skeet, 5-stand, and sporting clays..................

Dave McC · November 30, 2010, 09:53 AM

Had fun, right? And were safe. Good start.

Vary the angles, try some doubles, start from low gun,etc.

A standard clay with the center punched out flies erratically. Mix a few of those in with non punched targets for a lot of fun.

An old thread on Proper Mounting Techniques may help your form and shooting.

Enjoy....

fiznat · November 30, 2010, 12:00 PM

Thanks for the comments guys! I think we are definitely going to try some of the different kinds of clays. Throwing crossways is sometimes problematic at this range because on the weekends it is so packed, throwing that way often means putting clays in front of other people. We do need to increase the difficulty a little bit though. We're no fantastic shooters but even on our first day out we were hitting most of the clays...

zippy13 · November 30, 2010, 12:57 PM

One thing that I notice with toss-your-own videos, the shooters are often too close to the target launcher. How often does the hunted bird flush to your side? That's a reason Trap targets are launched some distance (16 to 27-yards) in front of you. Skeet's Low-7 is about as close as you get to the targets.

Unfortunately, with toss-your-own target shooting, moving the machine well in front of the shooter brings up some logistical problems. Unless the machine is automated, the loader/puller is constantly going back and forth in front of the guns.

If, where you are shooting is so congested that you can't have crossing shots without bothering your neighboring shooters, then I'd look for a new spot or head to a Trap and Skeet club. Also, if your neighboring shooters are that close, I'd have safety concerns. You may be confident about you and your buddies' safety habits, but what do you know about the guys next to you? I've never heard anyone complain that the fences between gun club Skeet fields are either too high or too long.

November 29, 2010, 04:31 PM	#1
fiznat Junior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Posts: 9	Had fun shooting clays this weekend, first time. Made a video. Excuse the music, it's an inside joke. Anyone got any pointers on technique, or stuff we can do to vary it up/make things more challenging? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w5Hl796MJU

November 29, 2010, 04:44 PM	#2
Tombstonejim Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2007 Location: Tombstone Az Posts: 202	Yea buy some of the non standard clays. The mini's thrown double are a real challange. And Don't just throw straight away from you. Set up and throw crossways like skeet. http://www.championtarget.com/targets/clays.aspx

November 29, 2010, 07:47 PM	#4
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	Welcome and great you have taken up up an addictive hobby. Now go to your local gun club and try targets on the trap, skeet, 5-stand, and sporting clays..................

November 30, 2010, 09:53 AM	#5
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Had fun, right? And were safe. Good start. Vary the angles, try some doubles, start from low gun,etc. A standard clay with the center punched out flies erratically. Mix a few of those in with non punched targets for a lot of fun. An old thread on Proper Mounting Techniques may help your form and shooting. Enjoy....

November 30, 2010, 12:00 PM	#6
fiznat Junior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Posts: 9	Thanks for the comments guys! I think we are definitely going to try some of the different kinds of clays. Throwing crossways is sometimes problematic at this range because on the weekends it is so packed, throwing that way often means putting clays in front of other people. We do need to increase the difficulty a little bit though. We're no fantastic shooters but even on our first day out we were hitting most of the clays...

November 30, 2010, 12:57 PM	#7
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	One thing that I notice with toss-your-own videos, the shooters are often too close to the target launcher. How often does the hunted bird flush to your side? That's a reason Trap targets are launched some distance (16 to 27-yards) in front of you. Skeet's Low-7 is about as close as you get to the targets. Unfortunately, with toss-your-own target shooting, moving the machine well in front of the shooter brings up some logistical problems. Unless the machine is automated, the loader/puller is constantly going back and forth in front of the guns. If, where you are shooting is so congested that you can't have crossing shots without bothering your neighboring shooters, then I'd look for a new spot or head to a Trap and Skeet club. Also, if your neighboring shooters are that close, I'd have safety concerns. You may be confident about you and your buddies' safety habits, but what do you know about the guys next to you? I've never heard anyone complain that the fences between gun club Skeet fields are either too high or too long.