How to get better?

I’m sure many new shooters have wondered about this, I can’t be on my own.

I’m now shooting for fun, having had lessons and bought a gun. I’ve got a reasonable grasp of what I’m supposed to be doing. But I’m not sure how to work out what I’m doing wrong when it’s going wrong.

I certainly can’t see any shot pattern, so I can’t tell if I’m in front, behind, above etc. All I know is I’ve missed/kept missing.

I appreciate it’s a long game, I’ve only just started and I can still have lessons at different times. But I can’t for the life of me work out how to know what I’m doing wrong when I’m doing it wrong.

Any advice would be helpful.

Sadly it’s a long road, and there’s a lot to be said for practice, lead down the barrel and some solid guidance from a good, respected coach.

You’ll find that most of the best shots shoot a lot and have been shooting along time.

PeeJay. Do you shoot with both eyes open?

PeeJay said:

I’m sure many new shooters have wondered about this, I can’t be on my own.

I’m now shooting for fun, having had lessons and bought a gun. I’ve got a reasonable grasp of what I’m supposed to be doing. But I’m not sure how to work out what I’m doing wrong when it’s going wrong.

I certainly can’t see any shot pattern, so I can’t tell if I’m in front, behind, above etc. All I know is I’ve missed/kept missing.

I appreciate it’s a long game, I’ve only just started and I can still have lessons at different times. But I can’t for the life of me work out how to know what I’m doing wrong when I’m doing it wrong.

Any advice would be helpful.

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Ultimately a decent coach is the answer to this, but if thats not an option for you there is stuff you can work on at home.

One of the most difficult things to do can be to alter your mind set to do something different. All shooters can be guilty of shooting in the same place 4 or 5 times and expecting a different result. If you miss with the first shot, try to make sure you do something different each shot until you hit one.

The basic things to alter can be lead, line, kill point, hold point, method, stance, gun mount. All of the above can have a dramatic effect on hitting a variety of clays. Try to avoid thinking that it's an equipment based problem.

It's sound daft but there are some very good instructional videos on YouTube from a variety of coaches that are free to watch. Ed Solomons, Ben Husthwaite (also has a paid coaching channel) Mark Winser and quite a few others have all done free videos that are a good starting point, even the cpsa's videos with Simon Arbuckle can point you in the right direction. Just bear in mind though that not everything you watch will necessarily suit you. But they can give you some vital tips to get you on the right track.

Good luck

I would agree with Jonny, lots of advice on YouTube but if you can afford the £5 per month subscribe to Bens tutorial videos. It will take you through every step of every method of shooting in a very easy and understanding way for total beginners and seasoned shooters too. Lots of info on how to shoot particular targets and how to correct yourself. At least it will give you an idea maybe if what/where you’re going wrong.

Forgot to say gunfit is essential too and also get an instructor that works for you. Plenty of “instructors” out there and most are good but you need one that understands your thinking and needs.

Good luck.

Before you even look at lead , hold points , kill points etc , you have to have a good stance and a good gun mount to deliver . Once you have satisfied a good instructor ( note good instructor ) that you have this right , the good thing is that you can practice that at home at zero cost until it’s second nature . Until you have a consistent gun mount the rest is a lottery .

You also have to set yourself a realistic goal of the outcome for the level of time effort and cash you want to put into shooting .

Some great comments on here, thank you all for taking the time to respond.

Couple of quick points.

I shoot with both eyes open. The coach was happy that my gun mount was getting there. I’m pretty realistic that that the level I shoot (time/quantity) it will be a long journey and I’ll never be on the olympics .

I’m really happy doing the research, reading the books, watching the videos. I suppose really I’m trying to work out what to do when I miss and there isn’t a coach looking over your shoulder going “ah, what you did wrong there was…”.

For the cost of a thousand shells you can buy at least 4 lessons with an instructor.

Just saying...

Just one simple thing - if you are a beginner the chances are that you are missing behind. When you miss just try giving a bit more lead. Oh and another freebie - watch good shots on how they approach targets, you can learn a lot by just looking!

Westward said:

For the cost of a thousand shells you can buy at least 4 lessons with an instructor.

Just saying...

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I get that, and I can do that. But my concern is, when I’ve had those next 4 lessons, and I go on my own, and miss, what then.

As I say, I can’t read the shot pattern, so I can’t tell where I’m missing.

But all the comments on here are helping, and I’m already planning to have more lessons

No one could read or see the shot pattern. With experience you can see where someone is pointing the gun, watch his movement and can conclude
where the shot was placed. Common mistakes are to rush forward in without control because of being afraid to be to slow, to stop when reaching the target, and so on.
And there are a lot of "experts" who will tell you things like "this was 3 inches low and 10 inches behind". All BS.
Take your lessons, work on the basics (mount, stance, hold point, movement), shoot basic targets to get certainty.
Then you will be able to read a target and get a feeling where you miss.
Don´t focus too much on scores. The scores will get better as you get a routine what you are doing.
And yes, it is a lot of training necessary.

Are you shooting on your own ? Are you shooting a set course club shoot ( ie 5 stands with 5 pairs , no practice ) or are you using a commercial shoot with a clay mate card and delayed throw and picking your stands . I ask this as I’ve seen quite a few beginners get themselves in a knot with solo shooting on Claymate , as even with the solo shooter delay set , they’ve not set themselves up properly in the time available after pushing the button . If it’s solo shooting on Claymate , take someone with you , who won’t fill your ears with nonsense and unwarranted advise . Get them to button on your call . Work on easy bread and butter targets . The better grounds have the target difficulty marked on the stands .

What Bavarian says about seeing shot pattern, I don't know anyone that does. The more you shoot the better you become at reading distance and speed, so that judging lead almost becomes automatic. Always bear in mind that the perceived lead varies massively with gun speed. So if you are trying different leads try to do it with the same gun speed, otherwise you won't get a consistent sight picture between shots.

Also don't forget, it isn't always about lead. Line can eff you up just as much. Then there are all the other variables that you introduce with hold points, stance (which can massively affect your line) and just general variability that creeps in for each shot.

PeeJay said:

I get that, and I can do that. But my concern is, when I’ve had those next 4 lessons, and I go on my own, and miss, what then.

As I say, I can’t read the shot pattern, so I can’t tell where I’m missing.

But all the comments on here are helping, and I’m already planning to have more lessons

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The learning curve applies to everyone starting out. We've all been where you are and most now realise that the best way to speed up the process is time with a good instructor. Trouble is most of us realised it too late - I know I did.

p.s. IMO Bebo and Bavarian are right about no one seeing the pattern when shooting so I'd certainly suggest forgetting about it as it's not the way forward.

MartynB said:

Are you shooting on your own ? Are you shooting a set course club shoot ( ie 5 stands with 5 pairs , no practice ) or are you using a commercial shoot with a clay mate card and delayed throw and picking your stands . I ask this as I’ve seen quite a few beginners get themselves in a knot with solo shooting on Claymate , as even with the solo shooter delay set , they’ve not set themselves up properly in the time available after pushing the button . If it’s solo shooting on Claymate , take someone with you , who won’t fill your ears with nonsense and unwarranted advise . Get them to button on your call . Work on easy bread and butter targets . The better grounds have the target difficulty marked on the stands .

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I normally shoot with another newbie. We’ve both taken it up as a pastime. I occasionally shoot on my own, using the solo timer, but not usually.

It’s a commercial ground with a clubhouse and membership, plus anyone can turn up and shoot. There are lots of different traps throwing the clays, from a straight up ‘teal’ which is very near, and I get 9/10, all the way to a high tower or really fast crossing shots, away, rabbits etc. I don’t know or understand all the disciplines yet (obviously) so we don’t go near the Skeet range (if that’s what they call it, the one with 5 places and a tower at each side. We just stick to the traps.

We do single shots at the minute as we’re beginning, we’re not into pairs yet.

I just want to emphasise that I’m reading all the replies and taking all the comments on board.

I’ll forget about the shot pattern at the target; I think I read somewhere that people can see it but it sounds as if most don’t.

I’m definitely going to focus on the basics and getting the process right. We normally do 75-100 each per visit. Is it best to focus on easy ones, and be getting 90%, before moving on. Or should we throw in some harder ones? The course doesn’t have a map of the stands or the difficulty, so we just walk around and pick a few.

PeeJay Please read what I say on pages 8 and 9 of Reading Targets.

bordergun said:

PeeJay Please read what I say on pages 8 and 9 of Reading Targets.

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I’m literally reading that as we speak

PeeJay said:

I just want to emphasise that I’m reading all the replies and taking all the comments on board.

I’ll forget about the shot pattern at the target; I think I read somewhere that people can see it but it sounds as if most don’t.

I’m definitely going to focus on the basics and getting the process right. We normally do 75-100 each per visit. Is it best to focus on easy ones, and be getting 90%, before moving on. Or should we throw in some harder ones? The course doesn’t have a map of the stands or the difficulty, so we just walk around and pick a few.

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. On certain days, usually flat and dull light, you may see a short grey blur like a smudged pencil streak , that’s the shot charge stringing out as 450 pellets start to go on their individual paths . Seeing or not seeing it has no practical use whatsoever.

Couldn’t agree more on what everyone is saying. One thing to note I would like to mention is just getting your mount consistent is hugely important the less brain power you have to put into getting the gun in the right place the more that’s left over to work out the lead etc. I also found and I feel marginally silly saying this that just concentrating when you arnt in the stand makes a difference. It is very easy to just stand back and chat then nip in but if you take a little time to read the bird prior to going in make some decisions regarding potential lead hold and kill points. Lastly hydration is huge drink water stay cool. More importantly though enjoy it