Sporting Clay Tips

The motion

• Sporting clay shooting, like all trap shooting, involves a much more fluid and active shot than rifle and handgun shooting at stationary targets. The motion of clay shooting consists of swinging the shotgun up into shooting position and then across in a strafing motion from behind the pigeon through the target area. When you bring the gun up to your shoulder, don't bend your head to the gun; instead, bring the shotgun entirely up high enough that you can sight along the barrel(s). Orient your stance with your off foot (left foot for right-handed shooters) straight in front of your on foot between your body and the target area. This stance will allow you to pivot on your hips and swivel as you turn the gun through the firing zone. Raise the gun, locate the target and track along with it, sighting from your shooting eye along the barrel.

The shot

• The actual shot, like the entire shooting motion, is more flexible in sporting clay shooting than in rifle shooting because the target is moving. In addition, the shot string, which is the total collection of pellets of shot from one shell, can be more than a foot long, which allows a much greater margin of error. Good sporting clay shooting essentially consists of shooting ahead of the pigeon and allowing the pigeon to fly into part of the shot string. Because the motion is so fluid, the best way to shoot clays is to point, not aim. If you sight carefully on the target, take a breath and squeeze off a round (good practice in rifle shooting), you are almost guaranteed to shoot behind a moving target like a pigeon. Instead, swing the gun along the line that the pigeon is traveling on, and pull off the round when you reach the target area. A general pointing approach is more likely to net you consistent hits.

Practice

• There are several slightly different philosophies for sporting clay shooting: one holding that you should point at the area just in front of the pigeon; the other that you should swing your shotgun past the target from behind, firing when you cross the target and counting on the motion of your gun to lead the pigeon properly. These approaches are not really different in practice, but are essentially "swing thoughts," attitudes that can help shooters to make surer shots. The fact is, the sporting clay shot is a dynamic and delicate motion, and the only way to become comfortable with your shot is to practice it. Practice with an unloaded gun in front of a mirror at your house; practice a few swings when you get to the range with an empty gun; and get out shooting as much as you can at real targets. Learning the technique is one thing, but putting it into practice is all that really matters.