Statement, Do You Agree?

roy reali · November 26, 2009, 09:17 AM

I once heard someone utter these words. Too much rifle shooting can negatively effect your shotgunning, but too much shotgunning won't negatively effect your rifle shooting. What do you all think of this statement? Any truth to it?

Dragon55 · November 26, 2009, 09:37 AM

I shoot animals with feathers. I shoot rifle very little. I could see this as a possibility.

It's really 2 very different activities. Kinda like pitching baseball versus playing ping pong.

Scatterguns are more a reflex action as opposed to rifle that requires patience.

Rifle hunting you remain very still and very quiet and very bored for a very long time.
You take very close aim in a very careful and precise manner possibly even using a rest before you take the shot.

Shotgun hunting (at least at birds) you are on the move even shooting on the move and rarely in the most comfortable position and don't have to be so precise.

I don't know.... on 2nd thought I think the 2 activities differ so greatly that neither would greatly impact the other.

jaguarxk120 · November 26, 2009, 10:11 AM

I can see that shotgunning would help a rifle shooter on running game. But all that means is the hunter missed on the first shot and is doing a hail mary on the follow up shot---shots.

Wishoot · November 26, 2009, 10:27 AM

I usually hit 40 out of 50 clays when I shoot sporting clays. For whatever reason, if I spend a lot of time with my rifles and handguns, then shoot clays, my scores go down. A LOT! Earlier this summer, I was shooting my rifles/handguns exclusively for about 2 months then hit the clays course. I only managed to hit 30 out of 50.

hogdogs · November 26, 2009, 10:43 AM

I don't know if their is any truth either way... I know I am not a confident shooter at running deer nor am I good enuff on them little grey rockets we call doves to go wasting ammo as I rate my hunt success as shell cost versus meat yield... If I were a better wing shooter, I bet I would also feel more confident sending a bullet chasing after a running deer.
Brent

MTT TL · November 26, 2009, 11:03 AM

If you are talking sporting clays, I think it can impact both ways. Even so, nothing a box of ammo won't fix either way.

Technosavant · November 26, 2009, 11:49 AM

I'm not sure that one negatively impacts the other.

I think this may have come about because of our schedules. We usually only have X amount of time for shooting related activities, and rarely is that X large enough for you to both do shotgun and rifle/pistol. So shooting one type means you aren't practicing the other, and skills DO atrophy.

Let's say you have 3 hours per week that you can spend shooting. By the time you go to the range and shoot, you have to pick one or the other. If you're like most people, you get on streaks- a couple months will be shotgun, a couple will be rifle/pistol. So when you get back to the shotgun, you've lost a few birds because you weren't practicing.

I've been doing a lot of shotgun this year, and I've been getting decent. However, that also means I haven't shot rifle/pistol much at all, so the next time I manage to get to the range I expect I'm going to have quite the time getting myself dialed back in.

LHB1 · November 26, 2009, 12:07 PM

I think too much of either can negatively impact the other. Shooting a rifle or pistol accurately uses precisely aimed, stationary gun and fine, deliberate trigger control with a surprise break. Shooting a shotgun is pointing with gun moving and quick trigger control at precisely the right instant. For sure, shooting a shotgun destroys my trigger control for shooting a pistol accurately. When shooting both pistol and shotgun in the same range outing, I always shoot the pistol first.

zippy13 · November 26, 2009, 12:16 PM

The only association I can think of, off the top of my head, comes from my experience introducing new shooters to skeet. Folks who've never shot before seem to do better that trained riflemen. The non-rifleman has no experience trying to hold the sights rock steady on target and finds swinging the shotgun very natural. You put a shotgun in a rifleman's hands and he's gonna want to draw it in tight to a typical offhand stance.

On the up side, most riflemen take less than a dozen whacks up the side of the head before they start to relax their stance.

Pahoo · November 26, 2009, 12:53 PM

I would say that to a certain degree, it could for the dynamics are different. The key phrase here, is: Too Much !!
We are not fully aware of how the brain automatically adjusts or programs itself to the task at hand. For me, it's not a problem for I don't shoot either to any great extent. One examble I can thinkk of is my slug gun. It's a shotgun but I have to discipline myself to shoot it like a rifle. To help me make the transition, I have two trigger groups, one I call my rifle group and the other my shotgun group. Most of the time I just keep it in the rifle mode.

Be Safe !!!

churchill · November 26, 2009, 01:11 PM

dont know if this has anything to do with it but when i shoot my shotguns i always keep both eyes open when aiming but obviously when shooting a rifle you close one eye for the scope...
thats the only thing i think of when going from one to the other...

November 26, 2009, 09:17 AM	#1
roy reali Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2005 Posts: 3,248	Statement, Do You Agree? I once heard someone utter these words. Too much rifle shooting can negatively effect your shotgunning, but too much shotgunning won't negatively effect your rifle shooting. What do you all think of this statement? Any truth to it?

November 26, 2009, 09:37 AM	#2
Dragon55 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 811	mmmmmm... maybe I shoot animals with feathers. I shoot rifle very little. I could see this as a possibility. It's really 2 very different activities. Kinda like pitching baseball versus playing ping pong. Scatterguns are more a reflex action as opposed to rifle that requires patience. Rifle hunting you remain very still and very quiet and very bored for a very long time. You take very close aim in a very careful and precise manner possibly even using a rest before you take the shot. Shotgun hunting (at least at birds) you are on the move even shooting on the move and rarely in the most comfortable position and don't have to be so precise. I don't know.... on 2nd thought I think the 2 activities differ so greatly that neither would greatly impact the other. __________________ sailing ... A way to spend lots of money and go real S L O W

November 26, 2009, 11:03 AM	#6
MTT TL Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2009 Location: Quadling Country Posts: 2,780	If you are talking sporting clays, I think it can impact both ways. Even so, nothing a box of ammo won't fix either way. __________________ Thus a man should endeavor to reach this high place of courage with all his heart, and, so trying, never be backward in war.

November 26, 2009, 12:07 PM	#8
LHB1 Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,545	I think too much of either can negatively impact the other. Shooting a rifle or pistol accurately uses precisely aimed, stationary gun and fine, deliberate trigger control with a surprise break. Shooting a shotgun is pointing with gun moving and quick trigger control at precisely the right instant. For sure, shooting a shotgun destroys my trigger control for shooting a pistol accurately. When shooting both pistol and shotgun in the same range outing, I always shoot the pistol first. __________________ Good shooting and be safe. LB

November 26, 2009, 01:11 PM	#11
churchill Member Join Date: November 22, 2009 Location: yorkshire,england Posts: 25	dont know if this has anything to do with it but when i shoot my shotguns i always keep both eyes open when aiming but obviously when shooting a rifle you close one eye for the scope... thats the only thing i think of when going from one to the other... __________________ cz 17hmr bushnell legends dm80 baikal 12g/beretta 303 if you like theoben airguns check out my forums http://www.rapid7owners.com/forums/index.php?

November 26, 2009, 10:11 AM	#3
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	I can see that shotgunning would help a rifle shooter on running game. But all that means is the hunter missed on the first shot and is doing a hail mary on the follow up shot---shots.

November 26, 2009, 10:27 AM	#4
Wishoot Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2009 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,093	I usually hit 40 out of 50 clays when I shoot sporting clays. For whatever reason, if I spend a lot of time with my rifles and handguns, then shoot clays, my scores go down. A LOT! Earlier this summer, I was shooting my rifles/handguns exclusively for about 2 months then hit the clays course. I only managed to hit 30 out of 50.

November 26, 2009, 10:43 AM	#5
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I don't know if their is any truth either way... I know I am not a confident shooter at running deer nor am I good enuff on them little grey rockets we call doves to go wasting ammo as I rate my hunt success as shell cost versus meat yield... If I were a better wing shooter, I bet I would also feel more confident sending a bullet chasing after a running deer. Brent

November 26, 2009, 11:49 AM	#7
Technosavant Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO area Posts: 4,040	I'm not sure that one negatively impacts the other. I think this may have come about because of our schedules. We usually only have X amount of time for shooting related activities, and rarely is that X large enough for you to both do shotgun and rifle/pistol. So shooting one type means you aren't practicing the other, and skills DO atrophy. Let's say you have 3 hours per week that you can spend shooting. By the time you go to the range and shoot, you have to pick one or the other. If you're like most people, you get on streaks- a couple months will be shotgun, a couple will be rifle/pistol. So when you get back to the shotgun, you've lost a few birds because you weren't practicing. I've been doing a lot of shotgun this year, and I've been getting decent. However, that also means I haven't shot rifle/pistol much at all, so the next time I manage to get to the range I expect I'm going to have quite the time getting myself dialed back in.

November 26, 2009, 12:16 PM	#9
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	The only association I can think of, off the top of my head, comes from my experience introducing new shooters to skeet. Folks who've never shot before seem to do better that trained riflemen. The non-rifleman has no experience trying to hold the sights rock steady on target and finds swinging the shotgun very natural. You put a shotgun in a rifleman's hands and he's gonna want to draw it in tight to a typical offhand stance. On the up side, most riflemen take less than a dozen whacks up the side of the head before they start to relax their stance.

November 26, 2009, 12:53 PM	#10
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	I would say that to a certain degree, it could for the dynamics are different. The key phrase here, is: Too Much !! We are not fully aware of how the brain automatically adjusts or programs itself to the task at hand. For me, it's not a problem for I don't shoot either to any great extent. One examble I can thinkk of is my slug gun. It's a shotgun but I have to discipline myself to shoot it like a rifle. To help me make the transition, I have two trigger groups, one I call my rifle group and the other my shotgun group. Most of the time I just keep it in the rifle mode. Be Safe !!!