Thread: Expected spread for a full choked 12 gauge @ 30 meters?

Originally Posted by woods223

Carry out a test as I suggested earlier. Until you do that you’re just guessing where pattern is going in relation to your sight picture. It’s not rocket science. If necessary go to a clay target club, someone will help you out.

Thats exactly what I did, go pack to post #27 and you will see the results I was getting, im yet to try again after i add some form of rear sight to it, but the guy at the shop will help me out with this anyway, so should be able to give you an update.

Originally Posted by kotuku

I second woods223-get yourself down to the local clay target club and introduce yourself to some experienced shooters .let them see you shoot and hopefully theyllguide you on how to do things correctly .it seems youre jumping all over the place on here.possibly youre a person who actually learns better with hands on guidance .
lastly when I shoot i always lean into the gun ;ie the barrel is tilted slighlty downward -on thriggering the shot thje recoilmakes it rise .in effect bringing the gun to parallel.if you pullthe gun firmly into your shoulder on mounting the shot should feel no more than a firm push ininto your shoulder .if recoil is heavy switch to a lighter load tll you get used to your guns idiosyncrasies

just as an aside with steel ammo most guns willpattern pellets 60/40 ,by this i mean 60%willimpact above line of sight 40%below .my S/A does with certain ammo again its a case of being aware and factoring that in when firing at the target .
atthis stage iwouldnt worry if i was you as youve got ample on ya plate getting your shotgunning methods sorted .good luck.

Yeah I want to see someone experienced I think, I personally feel its just the way this gun fits me, as I havent had any issues with my SxS.
The other thing is although im far from experienced, I have shot a whole slab of clays some time back with a mate first time I had ever tried it and I was a natural, it seemed too easy at the time, he instructed me to lean forward the same way as you describe.

Ive been interested in going to a clay target club anyway, but im put off by the competitiveness of the sport, I only care about shooting them for the fun of it, it seems its all about competition from others I know who are into it.

"Ive been interested in going to a clay target club anyway, but im put off by the competitiveness of the sport, I only care about shooting them for the fun of it, it seems its all about competition from others I know who are into it."

Yes, it is competitive, but only if you compete. Just shoot clays for yourself. If you enter a comp, ask to shoot birds only (ie no sweepstakes). It doesn't matter if you miss. No one else cares. When you start out it's not about winning, but learning, and everyone I interacted with when I started about 3 years ago was helpful and without prejudice. But if you shoot DTL, you'll not hit much with a gun that shoots low.

Last sporting shoot I entered, there was a lady on my squad who taped a piece of foam rubber over the top of her stock to keep her head higher when she put her head on the gun. If your gun shoots low and right, then your head needs to be higher and left. Maybe taping a piece of foam will help reposition your head so you're looking straight down on the rib when you mount it.

Also, try mounting the gun with your eyes closed in front of a mirror. When you've got the gun mounted comfortably, open your eyes, and see in the mirror if it looks straight and true. Having to adjust your head when you mount the gun is going to make hitting targets hard work.

Do as @schwen suggests, he’s pretty much on the money. Club shooting is only as competitive as you make it, there will be old hands around to help you out. Just remember that some guns just won’t suit you no matter what you try, that’s part of the reason there’s a second hand market. After tens of thousands of shotgun rounds fired in competition and field shooting I can tell you that until you have consistent mounting procedure and gun fitment you are fighting an up hill battle. Sure you can adapt to a gun that doesn’t fit correctly but it’s easier when all your ducks are in a row.

Consistant gun mount is important. Its difficult to have a "gun fitting" if you dont have a consistent gun mount.
So practise helps.

Originally Posted by schwen

"Ive been interested in going to a clay target club anyway, but im put off by the competitiveness of the sport, I only care about shooting them for the fun of it, it seems its all about competition from others I know who are into it."

Yes, it is competitive, but only if you compete. Just shoot clays for yourself. If you enter a comp, ask to shoot birds only (ie no sweepstakes). It doesn't matter if you miss. No one else cares. When you start out it's not about winning, but learning, and everyone I interacted with when I started about 3 years ago was helpful and without prejudice. But if you shoot DTL, you'll not hit much with a gun that shoots low.

Last sporting shoot I entered, there was a lady on my squad who taped a piece of foam rubber over the top of her stock to keep her head higher when she put her head on the gun. If your gun shoots low and right, then your head needs to be higher and left. Maybe taping a piece of foam will help reposition your head so you're looking straight down on the rib when you mount it.

Also, try mounting the gun with your eyes closed in front of a mirror. When you've got the gun mounted comfortably, open your eyes, and see in the mirror if it looks straight and true. Having to adjust your head when you mount the gun is going to make hitting targets hard work.

Originally Posted by woods223

Do as @schwen suggests, he’s pretty much on the money. Club shooting is only as competitive as you make it, there will be old hands around to help you out. Just remember that some guns just won’t suit you no matter what you try, that’s part of the reason there’s a second hand market. After tens of thousands of shotgun rounds fired in competition and field shooting I can tell you that until you have consistent mounting procedure and gun fitment you are fighting an up hill battle. Sure you can adapt to a gun that doesn’t fit correctly but it’s easier when all your ducks are in a row.

Good advice.
This person at the store is in the club so should be able to ask him whats involved.
Funny thing is the first thing he asked me was what make of gun it was, and he immediately responded to me that its common for these to shoot low, but he will help me out at the range.