Books and Videos

What do you think of books and videos for learning how to shoot?

Books and DVDs definitely have their place in the learning process of a shooter. With that said, however, there is no substitute for time behind the gun, pulling the trigger and breaking targets. The great majority of people, and therefore shooters, learn best by “feeling” the movement of a shotgun and the shot, not by seeing, hearing or reading about it. As an instructor, if I can get you to understand what a particular gun movement feels like as you execute a shot on a target, it is much more powerful than trying to describe it to you or having you read what it feels like to execute the shot. Learning by “feeling” is called kinesthetic learning and is, for most people, the most effective means of learning a physical skill. That is why lessons by a competent coach remain the most powerful way to learn how to shoot well.

The second most effective way to learn is visualization or visual learning. This, I believe, is why DVDs and videos are so popular in our sport. If I have difficulty getting a student to “feel” a certain shot or gun movement, then getting the student to visualize the shot is a good alternative. I happen to think that for many shooters, especially visual learners, having an instructor demonstrate stance, a good gun mount or even an engagement method can be a very powerful means of communicating a shooting technique. Video analysis is a form of visual learning and another great way to learn. I frequently use video analysis during my lessons, primarily with my iPhone, to illustrate to a shooter a flaw in their stance or movement. Devices like the ShotKam can be a great self-assessment tool between lessons to evaluate your commitment to breakpoints and hold points and to observe the movement of your gun barrel as the shot is executed. For my recommended reading list, go to www.DonCurrie.com/readinglist.

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.

Blue Skies

I’ve committed to my kill points, finally, and it has taken my shooting to another level! Thank you! One question: How do I address target kill points with no background reference?

The short answer is, you need to “vector,” or triangulate, off of known reference points. You should always “plot” your kill points and hold points using available terrain features behind each target’s flight line. Trees, branches, bushes, rocks, trap machines or other identifiable terrain features will provide potential landmarks you can use to plot your kill points and hold points. Once these key points are identified and committed to memory, your gun movement on any given pair should be straight lines between these points. For most pairs, this results in three straight-line movements between four points; in other words, a Z. You call pull with your muzzle at the hold point of the first target. As the target launches, you move to the kill point of the first target, then to the hold point of the second target and finally to the kill point of the second target. Occasionally, you may encounter a pair that calls for two straight lines between three points if the break point of the first target is in the same spot as the hold point of the second target. Using landmarks on the background helps you consistently return to specific hold points and break points at a station.

If you encounter a scenario in which one or both targets of a pair are against a featureless background, like blue or gray skies, you must vector or triangulate off of a known point. If, for example, your planned hold point is about 45 degrees above the horizon, identify a terrain feature along the horizon to establish the windage (horizontal axis) and an angle (in this case 45°) to establish your elevation (vertical axis). Vectoring off known points is a good technique to use when landmarking hold points and break points against a featureless background.!

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.

Rib Height

I’m going to buy a new gun and can’t make up my mind between a high rib or flat rib. What do you recommend?

High-rib guns originated and are more prevalent in the trap-shooting world because, in this discipline, all targets emanate from under the sight plane of the shotgun. Increasing the height of the rib over the top barrel allows the shooter to acquire trap-like targets and low quartering-away targets earlier in the flight path as compared to shooting with a flat-rib shotgun. High-rib shotguns may also be more comfortable for a shooter with an upright stance or physical features such as sloping shoulders and a longer neck because the butt tends to sit a bit lower in the shoulder.

In sporting clays, higher-rib guns started to appear in increasing numbers in 2009 in response to the rise of pre-mounted shooting. A sporting clays shooter with a more “gun up” or premounted technique is the shooter most likely to benefit from a high-rib shotgun. High-rib guns are not for everyone, however. While a premounted shooter doesn’t have to worry about mount issues, he or she has, by definition, diminished visibility of targets emanating from below the sight plane. The downside of high-rib guns is that they normally don’t move to the target as nimbly as a low-rib shotgun. Shooters with a low-gun or dismounted style or those with a sorter neck and square shoulders are less likely to see an advantage in a high-rib gun in sporting clays. The high-rib fad seems to have run its course once again. A number of manufacturers are now offering “mid-rib” guns, with rib heights somewhere between flat-rib and high-rib gun. The best advice I can offer is this: Before making the investment in a high-rib or even a mid-rib shotgun, make an effort to demo one. Be sure to try one out on crossing targets to get an idea of how well the gun will move in your hands.

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.

Rabbit Targets

I’m inconsistent when shooting rabbit targets. Sometimes I break them OK; especially medium speed and closer targets. Other times I can’t seem to hit them at all. I do find that I am consistent when I get a good bounce and can shoot them in the air. I need help.

Rabbits are deceptive. Due to this target’s proximity to the ground, the rabbit appears to be moving faster than it really is. Our natural reaction is to generate excess gun speed, resulting in the most common miss on a rabbit: in front. However, most of our squad mates will tell us that we are missing behind, because the cloud of dust left by the shot column appears to be behind the rabbit.

Just like other targets, there is more than one technique to break a rabbit, however, there are some techniques that prove more effective than others. For a crossing rabbit at most distances, the most effective technique is to let the rabbit beat your gun muzzle by just a bit, then “stab it with a fork” while maintaining acute focus on the front foot of the target (4:30 for a left-to-right rabbit, and 7:30 for a right-to-left rabbit). This “stab it with a fork” move is unique to rabbits. Let the target beat your muzzle by just a bit, then go to the nose of the rabbit and immediately pull the trigger. It’s sort of like playing “whack-a-mole” at Chuck E. Cheese. To ensure that the rabbit beats your gun, the best place for your hold point is a foot or two behind (toward the trap) a spot along the ground where you see the rabbit the clearest. Exactly where you establish your hold point is not as important as allowing the target to beat your muzzle before moving to it and executing the shot.

For very close, very slow rabbits, sustained lead can be very effective as well. For a shallow quartering rabbit, where you are shooting at the back or front edge as it moves away from you or toward you, a diminishing lead technique can work well. I hope that helps!

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.