Friday, December 4, 2009

Learning to Shoot Skeet




The first thing that you must do in order to shoot skeet is to find a shotgun that feels comfortable to you when you put it up to your shoulder. Most professionals shoot a 12-gauge shotgun rather than a 20-gauge. This is simply because the 12-gauge has a bigger shot pattern and is able to reach farther out than a 20-gauge. Some people think they need to have lots of money in order to shoot competitively, this is simply not the case. I learned how to shoot with a remington 1100 semi-automatic 12-gauge which is about $800, now that I am really serious about shooting I have stepped up to a more expensive gun. The only other thing that you need to consider wether you want a over and under of a semi-automatic shotgun. The only difference here is the weight of the gun, this choice is purely the shooters preference. I prefer a Benelli semi-automatic, thats just my personal choice.

After you find your gun of choice, you need to find your nearest shooting range that has a skeet field. Now, there are many different videos on-line that can help people learn to shoot, but the best way is to go out there and learn from your mistakes. One of the most
important things to learn first is your shooting stance, if you are right handed, your left foot should be in front of you and your right foot back with your shoulders squared to the center of the field, when getting ready to shoot you place 60% of your weight on your front foot and the other 40% on your back foot. After you prefect your stance you need to work on your sight picture when you put the gun up against your shoulder. You should always shoot with both eyes open looking down the barrel and be able to see clearly down both sides of the barrel. If you cannot see down both sides then you probably have your head to far up on the stock of the gun and should move your head back accordingly. Now that you have your stance and your sight picture you can begin the hardest part and that is shooting the clays.

Really the only way to learn the technique is to have someone else there with you. The other person needs to stand right behind you so that when you shoot they can see wether you are shooting in front of the clay or behind it, or wether you are over it or under
the clay. Now when it comes to shooting, there really isn't a way to verbally teach someone to shoot all you can do is tell them where they are shooting and have them adjust accordingly. At almost every gun range that has skeet fields there is usually someone there that will be able to help you become a better shot. To some people shooting comes naturally, to others it is a process of osmosis and just getting out there and practicing. I hope that this may help with any questions that you may have on learning how to shoot skeet. Feel free to ask any questions, and remember, keep your eye on the target.