Lessons learned: Illuminating the problem

Guns Magazine, Dec, 2008 by Holt Bodinson

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Do you remember the first time you shot a round of skeet, trap or sporting clays? You didn't have the foggiest idea where the bird(s) would be coming from, at what height, at what angle, at what speed or maybe it wouldn't be in the air at all but be out there bouncing along the bunny trail.

Do you remember how well you shot that first round as a novice? My hunch is you probably shot very well because you were pretty relaxed and were just out there having some fun.

Having been hooked on one of the shotgun sports, do you remember the next 365 days when your more experienced shooting friends started filling your mind with all manner of advice on how to take that shot or this, what your leads should be and what you really need in terms of a competitive shotgun, chokes and ammunition.

My hunch is the fun was dialed down and the frustration dialed up. The minute you began consciously thinking about and probably subconsciously worrying about the next shot, the level of your performance suffered.

Shotgunning is a mind game, and it just happens to be the toughest shooting sport there is. Pistol bull's-eye shooters and rifle competitors might argue that point but remove the rear sights from their handguns and rifles and see where they would be.

That's the first important lesson I once learned. The eye cocked down the comb of your shotgun stock is the rear sight and that's why mounting your gun in a consistent and subconscious manner is so important to gun fit and shooting success. How many times have you missed a shot because your face was not "down on the stock?"

To some extent we can adapt to the physical limitations of a gun that might not fit us like a glove. If the length-of-pull is a tad long, we can correct it easily by just pulling our leading hand further back on the forearm. Drop and/ or a narrower comb can often substitute for cast-off since a stock with a narrow comb or more drop permits us to position our eye properly over the stock.

Even changes in body weight can be a factor. Where do you put on flesh when you gain 5 or 10 pounds? Conversely, where do you loose it when dieting? If you're like most of us, the change will be in your face, your cheeks. In short, your rear shotgun sight just moved.

Which brings us back to the issue of a smooth and consistent gun mount.

There are all sorts of theories on how to do it but very little in the way of a meaningful regime you can practice away from the range. Gil Ash of the OSP Shooting School showed me a method of practice anyone can use at home. It's simple, doesn't take any specialized equipment, is fun, feedback is immediate and I will guarantee you it will smooth out your gun mounting like nothing else can. It's called the "flashlight drill."

Take a common Mini Maglite, wrap a piece of masking tape around the knurled barrel and fit it into the barrel of your 12-gauge shotgun. If you shoot an O/U, fit it in the upper barrel.

Stand in the middle of a slightly darkened, moderate-size room. Turn on the Mini Maglite and adjust the beam to its most focused setting.

Select a point on one of the walls. It could be the corner of a picture. I like to use a square piece of 2" blue masking tape because I can paste it at any height I want. Pretend it's the bird. With your gun in the ready position, place the beam on the target, concentrate on the target and keep the beam on the target as you smoothly mount your gun. Did the center of the beam bobble off target? Keep practicing your mount until the beam is steady throughout the mount.

The Drill, Part II

The second part of the drill is more interesting. Standing in the center of the room, notice the seams formed by the wall and ceiling connecting the comers of the room. The seams will be the flight paths of the birds and the comers, the break points. Starting at alternate corners will give you a left-to-right and right-to-left shot.

With the gun in the ready position and starting at one corner, track the seam with the beam and mount the gun to take the shot at the corner break point. Did the beam track the seam throughout your mount or did it bobble above or below it? With some practice, your right-to-left and left-to-right mounts will smooth out and that beam will seem like it's glued to the seam.

A consistent, smooth mount is one of the essential skills to becoming a better shotgunner. The simple flashlight drill will help you develop it.