I hate 23s and 24s!!!

.300 Weatherby Mag · June 20, 2011, 05:04 PM

I would sure be nice if I could break through and shoot a 25 on the skeet range!!! Getting this close is driving me nuts!!! Any tips Zippy???

oneounceload · June 20, 2011, 07:37 PM

Skeet and trap are about not trying to miss; therefore making sure your foot placement, muscle memory/movement, hold off the house, etc., are consistent.

This differs from sporting clays where the object is try and hit as many as possible and hold points, etc. are all different.

Do you have any particular station that is the nemesis, or is it a random situation?

.300 Weatherby Mag · June 20, 2011, 07:44 PM

Low 6 is my nemesis at the current time...

zippy13 · June 20, 2011, 08:16 PM

.300 Weatherby Mag, I feel your pain.

What are you missing -- consistently the same target(s), or random ones? There are a lot of common mistakes that are hard to pin down without watching you shoot. And, there are tricks that some folks don't share.

Skeet is a game of inches:
Where do you put your feet for each target presentation?
Is your mount consistent? Does your gun REALLY FIT you? Flinching?
Where is your hold point for each presentation -- how do you adjust for wind?
Do you have a consistent look-point, pick-up point, lead, and smooth follow through with each target?
Have you experimented with all of the variables, at each presentation, to lean what works best for you?

Many shooters get their gun above the flight of the target, so they lose sight of it. They respond by raising their head off of the stock, not lowering the gun. It's a great way to miss a target and get whacked in the face as a bonus. I don't know how many shooters go straight until they get to Station 8, and then their wheels come off.

Do you shoot with folks who are better shooters than you are? You're not going to learn much in a blind-leaning-the-blind scenario. Have you been to any clinics, or watched videos? My scores improved after I buddied-up with a first team All-American.

krimmie · June 20, 2011, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Low 6 is my nemesis at the current time...

The single or double? It kept me from a few 25's also...I was missing the low 6 double and found I was hurrying it to get back to the high. In my case, I took my time with it and the 25's started coming. Unfortunately, that was right before duck season, and after a 3 month break from clays, I have developed more problem targets

zippy13 · June 21, 2011, 01:17 AM

Ah, Low 6. Sorry it missed it earlier, I was writing my reply when you described your problem puppy. I've seen a lot of 100-straights lost on the fourth round at Station 6.

Low 6, like its opposite number High 2, is one of the fastest birds on the field. Because you have to be quick, you have less time to make corrections. My first suggestion for station 6 is to give yourself a slight advantage by standing as far from the low house window as possible. If you're not already there, try crowding the left side of the shooting station. I prefer the left front corner. Trap shooters are expected to stand in the middle of the box, but Skeet shooters can stand with "any part of both feet within the boundaries of the designated shooting station." As long as you feet are barely in the box, you're legal. Give yourself as much distance (and time) as possible. Once you get in the advantageous location, you'll have to fine tune your exact foot position. Some suggest starting with you belly pointed at the window (RH shooters).

Most shooter soon learn the proper lead at Low 6, the problem areas seem to be.

Anticipating (jumping) the target: Nervousness can and does happen at Station 6. Wait until you see the target before you make your move. Otherwise, a slow pull will kill you. It's easy to develop bad habits if you use a voice activated system and start your swing just as you call for the target.
Holding too high: It's easy to get over Low 6 if you hold too high. If your gun is below the target, you can always come up to it, but it your over it, you're out of luck. Low 6 gives you little time to make corrections. As you're waiting for your turn to shoot, observe the bird's path and hold below it (do this for all targets).
Look and hold points: Like High 2, it takes some experience to learn what hold and look points work best for your vision and reflexes. As I've gotten older, I hold a lot farther out than I did 40 years ago.
Consistency: Attempt to break the bird at the same spot every time. The gun and ammo are designed to break the target best right over the center stake.
Follow through: Keep you head down and follow through, especially on the doubles. Short swinging the low target is a good way to Dutch a pair at 6.

If your club allows, why not spend some time just at Station 6? I recall when Olympic Champ Kim Rhode was about 11, or 12, her dad had her spend all afternoon on Station 5 -- probably a 100 targets at that one station.

.300 Weatherby Mag · June 21, 2011, 02:46 AM

Zippy,

Thanks for all the advice... My father was a A shooter with a 20 gauge, B shooter with a 12 and I do not recall his classifications with a .410 and 28 but he's a good shot... We don't get to shoot as much as I'd like but he is why I shoot as well as a I do.. The one issue is that he's a lefty and its difficult to learn some of the stuff from him because of that...

BigJimP · June 21, 2011, 10:31 AM

+1 on zippy's idea to go out to a problem station ....and groove your hold point, vision focus point, foot position, etc ....until you can solidly break 10 of 10 on that station ( before they get to the center stake).

Get a buddy to help you ...he or she might see things that you can't see...vs going out and using a voice pull to pull your own - and grade your breaks / and your shots.

My hunch is its more of a confidence thing than anything else ...and once it gets in your head as a miss ...its hard to get back on track (at least for me). You have to get to that Zen place ....quiet and calm confidence ...its already dead attitude ( no doubt at all ) ...

.300 Weatherby Mag · June 21, 2011, 02:28 PM

Wind was blowing hard today... Wasn't happy with my scores of 22 and 23 but I hit every low on station 6!!

The high six was the issue today... The way the wind blows through this range, it makes the high house do some weird things...

LSnSC · June 21, 2011, 06:19 PM

High 2 was my nemesis for a while. If I dont have time to shoot a hundred, I'll shoot 50 on High 2, 3, 4, 5 and low 6.

PJR · June 21, 2011, 08:54 PM

I like 23s and 24s better than 21s and 22s.

Any problems I've had with low 6 are directly caused by a hold point too close to the house.

30-30remchester · June 21, 2011, 11:25 PM

I have the destiction of being the only man in our club to get a tripple at skeet. I was shooting my double from the low house and broke both of the clays with one shot, not unusal at all, but the unlucky morning dove that was occupying the same patch of sky at the same time made it a triple. My shooting partner at the time was a game warden and it was 2 days before dove season. He informed me that was my ONE freebie, and dont count on any compasion on any other violations I might commit.

.300 Weatherby Mag · June 21, 2011, 11:29 PM

Quote:

I have the destiction of being the only man in our club to get a tripple at skeet. I was shooting my double from the low house and broke both of the clays with one shot, not unusal at all, but the unlucky morning dove that was occupying the same patch of sky at the same time made it a triple. My shooting partner at the time was a game warden and it was 2 days before dove season. He informed me that was my ONE freebie, and dont count on any compasion on any other violations I might commit.

When I called pull on the Station 6 double.... I get the low house then a suicidal bird flew right through my line of sight and I hesitated and didn't pull the trigger on the high till it was way too late...

Rugerismisticness · June 22, 2011, 07:12 AM

They're all nemisises, I really need to either
1. Focus deliberatly on each bird
or
2, run through the stations as fast as I can

There is no happy medium for me, I'll usually run 23/24s with that.
Shooting in squads is a different animal all together, it takes darn near 45minutes to shoot one round. I usually shoot 24/25 with this kind of time limit. I also note that getting distracted between stations helps my score, maybe because it smoothly passes the time and relieves any anxiety.

zippy13 · June 22, 2011, 08:20 AM

"Shooting in squads is a different animal all together, it takes darn near 45minutes to shoot one round."

Yikes, I can see how you'd lose concentration under that scenario. A round of Skeet, with a 5 member squad, should take about 20 to 25 minutes. In competition, a squad is expected to shoot 100-targets in 90-minutes. It sounds like you're shooting with undisciplined and/or inexperienced folks.

June 20, 2011, 05:04 PM	#1
.300 Weatherby Mag Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Posts: 1,777	I hate 23s and 24s!!! I would sure be nice if I could break through and shoot a 25 on the skeet range!!! Getting this close is driving me nuts!!! Any tips Zippy???

June 21, 2011, 01:17 AM	#6
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Ah, Low 6. Sorry it missed it earlier, I was writing my reply when you described your problem puppy. I've seen a lot of 100-straights lost on the fourth round at Station 6. Low 6, like its opposite number High 2, is one of the fastest birds on the field. Because you have to be quick, you have less time to make corrections. My first suggestion for station 6 is to give yourself a slight advantage by standing as far from the low house window as possible. If you're not already there, try crowding the left side of the shooting station. I prefer the left front corner. Trap shooters are expected to stand in the middle of the box, but Skeet shooters can stand with "any part of both feet within the boundaries of the designated shooting station." As long as you feet are barely in the box, you're legal. Give yourself as much distance (and time) as possible. Once you get in the advantageous location, you'll have to fine tune your exact foot position. Some suggest starting with you belly pointed at the window (RH shooters). Most shooter soon learn the proper lead at Low 6, the problem areas seem to be. Anticipating (jumping) the target: Nervousness can and does happen at Station 6. Wait until you see the target before you make your move. Otherwise, a slow pull will kill you. It's easy to develop bad habits if you use a voice activated system and start your swing just as you call for the target. Holding too high: It's easy to get over Low 6 if you hold too high. If your gun is below the target, you can always come up to it, but it your over it, you're out of luck. Low 6 gives you little time to make corrections. As you're waiting for your turn to shoot, observe the bird's path and hold below it (do this for all targets). Look and hold points: Like High 2, it takes some experience to learn what hold and look points work best for your vision and reflexes. As I've gotten older, I hold a lot farther out than I did 40 years ago. Consistency: Attempt to break the bird at the same spot every time. The gun and ammo are designed to break the target best right over the center stake. Follow through: Keep you head down and follow through, especially on the doubles. Short swinging the low target is a good way to Dutch a pair at 6. If your club allows, why not spend some time just at Station 6? I recall when Olympic Champ Kim Rhode was about 11, or 12, her dad had her spend all afternoon on Station 5 -- probably a 100 targets at that one station.

June 20, 2011, 07:37 PM	#2
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	Skeet and trap are about not trying to miss; therefore making sure your foot placement, muscle memory/movement, hold off the house, etc., are consistent. This differs from sporting clays where the object is try and hit as many as possible and hold points, etc. are all different. Do you have any particular station that is the nemesis, or is it a random situation?

June 20, 2011, 07:44 PM	#3
.300 Weatherby Mag Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Posts: 1,777	Low 6 is my nemesis at the current time...

June 20, 2011, 08:16 PM	#4
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	.300 Weatherby Mag, I feel your pain. What are you missing -- consistently the same target(s), or random ones? There are a lot of common mistakes that are hard to pin down without watching you shoot. And, there are tricks that some folks don't share. Skeet is a game of inches: Where do you put your feet for each target presentation? Is your mount consistent? Does your gun REALLY FIT you? Flinching? Where is your hold point for each presentation -- how do you adjust for wind? Do you have a consistent look-point, pick-up point, lead, and smooth follow through with each target? Have you experimented with all of the variables, at each presentation, to lean what works best for you? Many shooters get their gun above the flight of the target, so they lose sight of it. They respond by raising their head off of the stock, not lowering the gun. It's a great way to miss a target and get whacked in the face as a bonus. I don't know how many shooters go straight until they get to Station 8, and then their wheels come off. Do you shoot with folks who are better shooters than you are? You're not going to learn much in a blind-leaning-the-blind scenario. Have you been to any clinics, or watched videos? My scores improved after I buddied-up with a first team All-American.

June 21, 2011, 02:46 AM	#7
.300 Weatherby Mag Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Posts: 1,777	Zippy, Thanks for all the advice... My father was a A shooter with a 20 gauge, B shooter with a 12 and I do not recall his classifications with a .410 and 28 but he's a good shot... We don't get to shoot as much as I'd like but he is why I shoot as well as a I do.. The one issue is that he's a lefty and its difficult to learn some of the stuff from him because of that...

June 21, 2011, 10:31 AM	#8
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	+1 on zippy's idea to go out to a problem station ....and groove your hold point, vision focus point, foot position, etc ....until you can solidly break 10 of 10 on that station ( before they get to the center stake). Get a buddy to help you ...he or she might see things that you can't see...vs going out and using a voice pull to pull your own - and grade your breaks / and your shots. My hunch is its more of a confidence thing than anything else ...and once it gets in your head as a miss ...its hard to get back on track (at least for me). You have to get to that Zen place ....quiet and calm confidence ...its already dead attitude ( no doubt at all ) ...

June 21, 2011, 02:28 PM	#9
.300 Weatherby Mag Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Posts: 1,777	Wind was blowing hard today... Wasn't happy with my scores of 22 and 23 but I hit every low on station 6!! The high six was the issue today... The way the wind blows through this range, it makes the high house do some weird things...

June 21, 2011, 06:19 PM	#10
LSnSC Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2010 Posts: 514	High 2 was my nemesis for a while. If I dont have time to shoot a hundred, I'll shoot 50 on High 2, 3, 4, 5 and low 6.

June 21, 2011, 08:54 PM	#11
PJR Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2000 Posts: 1,127	I like 23s and 24s better than 21s and 22s. Any problems I've had with low 6 are directly caused by a hold point too close to the house.

June 21, 2011, 11:25 PM	#12
30-30remchester Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2009 Location: mountains of colorado Posts: 977	I have the destiction of being the only man in our club to get a tripple at skeet. I was shooting my double from the low house and broke both of the clays with one shot, not unusal at all, but the unlucky morning dove that was occupying the same patch of sky at the same time made it a triple. My shooting partner at the time was a game warden and it was 2 days before dove season. He informed me that was my ONE freebie, and dont count on any compasion on any other violations I might commit.

June 22, 2011, 07:12 AM	#14
Rugerismisticness Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Posts: 909	They're all nemisises, I really need to either 1. Focus deliberatly on each bird or 2, run through the stations as fast as I can There is no happy medium for me, I'll usually run 23/24s with that. Shooting in squads is a different animal all together, it takes darn near 45minutes to shoot one round. I usually shoot 24/25 with this kind of time limit. I also note that getting distracted between stations helps my score, maybe because it smoothly passes the time and relieves any anxiety.

June 22, 2011, 08:20 AM	#15
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	"Shooting in squads is a different animal all together, it takes darn near 45minutes to shoot one round." Yikes, I can see how you'd lose concentration under that scenario. A round of Skeet, with a 5 member squad, should take about 20 to 25 minutes. In competition, a squad is expected to shoot 100-targets in 90-minutes. It sounds like you're shooting with undisciplined and/or inexperienced folks.