Silly question on where to look

[midlife]

I get it that i should look at bird. Not barrel. But if I want proper lead. Should I be looking at where I want to shoot. That is. Ahead of the bird?

Shot a 19 today in trap. My best. And didn't even feel I was at my best.

Thx.

[ysr_racer]

You LOOK at the bird, but you SEE your gun in your peripheral vision.

[ERdept]

Think of it like throwing a baseball at a running person.


If they run slow, you throw slightly in front of them.


If they run fast, you throw further in front of them.



This may be wrong, but I meet, follow then lead and fire.

[bigbearbear]

Are there any good video tutorials online for this? I just ordered a shotgun and is looking at trying trap and skeet. Don't want to show up and be a total moron who shoots at nothing but air.

[midlife]

Don't worry. I'm just starting. And most people at range miss a lot. There's plenty of stuff on YouTube. Just be careful who you listen to. Everyone has their own opinion on how to shoot. And I think even the best shooters may not even know for sure how they are doing it. Enjoy. It's addicting.

[midlife]

And people at range get more excited about new and young shooters than top shots. A 12 year old girl today shot 1 out of 25. And everyone cheered for her. No one cared about the guys shooting 23 or 24!

[Vertigofirearms]

Would these help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYF5OfWsipc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIIzXaaQgIA

From the legend himself

[ysr_racer]

Think of it like throwing a baseball at a running person. If they run slow, you throw slightly in front of them. If they run fast, you throw further in front of them.This may be wrong, but I meet, follow then lead and fire.

[mjsweims]

You want to shoot where the bird will be.
The first thing you need to know is where your gun shoots. Make sure you pattern your gun then always maintain the same mount. That way you will always know where your POI is.
Pretty soon you will know what you do wrong when you miss the bird.
If your stock has adjustment make small changes over a few months so your POI is directly in front of you and slightly above the top rib.

[Iskra]

This might help: http://www.hamiltontrapclub.com/htc/ArcAndLead/go (WFS)

More like this image at the link

[alfred1222]

I dont shoot much trap, but i shoot a whole lot of skeet, and when i teach people how to shoot, i use the pass through method. when the bird comes out and is crossing, get your eyes on it, then swing through it and pull the trigger as you swing. This will work for trap as long as the target is crossing, not going in a straight line away from you

[midlife]

Thank you for all the helpful comments!

[Capybara]

I find this immensely helpful for explaining lead and where to look for my shotgun students.

http://www2.huntercourse.com/alabama/study?chapter=8&page=18

[bjl333]

Remember shooting at Trap targets are way different then shooting at Skeet targets. All the Trap targets are going away from you. Most Skeet targets are coming across the front of you.

You should keep your eyes on the target as it flies thru the air. The moment you take your eyes off the target the birdie will fly away from ya. Your peripheral vision is on the barrel and not on bird. What that means to you while shooting is, eyes locked on the bird only and you will see your barrel in your peripheral vision. Not the other way around!! You gage your lead by how much lead the barrel have on the bird thru your peripheral vision!

It is the hardest thing to do if you have shot rifles all your life, but must be done to get good results!

[bigbearbear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYF5OfWsipc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIIzXaaQgIA

From the legend himself

These Benelli guys make it look soooooooo easy, like its nothing.