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Expert Advice - Batha's Bit's
Shooting by Chris J. Batha, World
famous (more about Chris J. Batha click here) Click on any subject below to go there...
GUN FIT A lot is written about gun fit, it is hard to pick up a magazine or book without an article on the subject, some I may say elevating the task to half Zen mysticism half witchcraft or spell to make you shoot better. I would like to attempt to cut to the heart of the subject to simplify the whys and wherefores along with some practical advice on how to achieve good gun fit and through that to shoot better. First why does a gun need to fit; consider the first thing you do on entering a new or strange car. I am sure it is to adjust the seat for height and length, mirrors and controls to your personal requirements with regard to both comfort and to be able to drive the vehicle safely to your best ability. Likewise when you are ordering or taking possession of a new gun the same criteria are to be considered. The shotgun is dynamic a weapon of movement. One in which you must have trust and belief that it points where you are looking during the shooting act. To do so it must be fitted to your personal shooting style and physique. The gun fitter must be able to watch you in action to analyze by observation and question your individual requirements from a gun. First consideration will always be stance. Are you a Traditional English shot adopting the narrow Stansbury stance or an enthusiastic Churchill advocate with a much squarer approach. Your physical build with depth of chest, length of arm, the measurement between neck, cheek and eye socket. (Zycomatic Arch). Together with the type of shooting, Trap/Skeet or Sporting. Armed with this knowledge the fitter can introduce the try gun to the equation, this is a gun that is both adjustable in length, height and drop. Working with you to establish a fit to compliment all of the above criteria. Length will always be first in that it effects the other two measurements. It is the only variable in the equation in that it must be long enough that the gun does not necessitate pulling back into the shoulder pocket on completing the mount and so moving away from the target or so long it snags your clothing during it. Next is the comb height which when the stock is properly cheeked the eye should be positioned level with the rib of the gun. Last but by no means least comes cast where the stock is bent right (off) or left (on) to align the eye accurately down the rib. It is important that during this stage the client and fitter work together to obtain the optimum fit. A comment on pitch, which is simply the shape of the stock butt/end. The best gun fit is when as much of the sole as possible is in contact with the shoulder pocket; in this way recoil is most efficiently absorbed. There is a trait in American fitting where pitch is used to affect the standout or the height that the gun shoots at. This is folly in that any alteration to pattern placement should be by comb height with the use of pitch for comfort otherwise to achieve this will only result in a gun that is uncomfortable to shoot. I am sure you are all aware of the pattern plate and its purpose, being a steel plate some four feet square painted with a white lime wash. Shots are taken 16 yards from the plate the trigonometry being that the eye is approximately three feet from the end of the barrel and when three feet is divided into 16 yards the result is that two inches on the pattern plate equates to an eighth inch on the try gun. Hence that while proving the fit at the plate if the pattern should be four inches high the try gun would be altered by a quarter inch drop in comb height to rectify the placement. By trial and error each alteration is made and proved with subsequent shots before progressing to the next alteration. In this manner the fit is double checked until proven accurate. Being satisfied with the fit and comfort at the plate it must be tested on moving targets which replicate the type of shooting that the gun will be put to use on. If all is well and you are satisfied then the measurements can be accurately recorded by the fitter’s tools of drop and length gauge. An essential to accurate gun fit will be a test for eye dominance/master eye, along with a consistent and reliable gun mount together with a willingness to work with your fitter. The shape and grip of a gun can have a big impact on both comfort and placement of the finger on the trigger. This aspect of fit is readily altered and should be discussed with your fitter. Three questions: If you answer yes to any of the above or all of them your gun fits poorly and you should seek help.
Rhyme
Rhythm and Reason Crossing
birds are considered by many to be difficult however they could not be more
wrong the shot being relatively straight forward if a simple solution is applied
and easy to read. Unlike a fast quartering bird angled up a slope which creates
an optical illusion and frequently a miss.
The obtuse angle of 90 degrees it presents therefore naturally means that
these targets require the largest forward allowance of all shots. We have
discussed and covered the fundamentals of consistent shooting and anyone who as
missed these should refer to previous
articles. First
the amount of time available on long crossers offers choices on the optimum time
to pull the trigger you time it right a cross on the card wrong and a nought. It
is difficult for beginners and experienced shots alike to get this timing right.
In ball games there is often only one time and place to make correct contact
with the ball. Whereas in shotgun shooting there are many inputs that effect the
timing of the shot, vision, reaction time, background and distance. Also to be
taken into account is the bird crossing left to right or vice versa. For a right
handed shot the right to left bird will always be an easier shot with less seen
lead than its opposite left to right. The reasoning behind this is that in the
first situation you are pulling the gun with the leading hand and consequently
the gun into your face ensuring good head and eye position on the stock. Where
in the latter you are pushing the gun and consequently the gun away from your
face. This pushing of the gun is by far less efficient, the horse behind the
cart pushing rather than more efficiently pulling from the front. Resulting in
an increased lead picture to over
come it and with bad form the poor positioning of your head on the stock causing
a wrong alignment of eye and rib. A use full tip here is to teach yourself to
avoid this pushing of the gun away from the face by a counter action of the
right hand against the lefts thrust to keep positive head stock contact and
hence eye alignment. see fig 1. Reverse this advice for left handers. There is
much talk of the merits of instinct over measured shooting and no where it is
more apparent than in the long
shots. What works at twenty five yards will not at thirty five, everything as to
be that little bit tighter, sharper and more focused to consistently break the
long shots. You can be off the line or miss time your swing at closer targets
and the shot string/pattern will more often than not save your bacon. You will
just not get away with it at distance. The requirement for daylight or a seen
gap between target and gun often causes the over precise measuring
of these lead pictures that inevitably will result in us slowing and
stopping the gun. However do not be fooled into thinking that the answer lies in
simply swinging through at speed, you will either swing to quick and then stop
to allow the target to catch up or to slowly and poke or stab behind with every
so often a hit an equally inconsistent as the measured approach. What is
required on the long shots is a combination of the two. We must
first make sure that all is right regarding fundamentals, equipment, gunfit,
choke and cartridge choice. Leaving
only the technique to be worked upon. First to consider is timing this is never
the same for two people they will never shoot a difficult target in exactly the
same place or at the same time. However both will be shooting within their own
personal time frame to suit the timing which is correct for themselves. So to
ask a fellow competitor how much lead they applied is a waste of breath. Even
more so if a right handed shot asks a left. Instinct
is an essential. To try and measure or track is a recipe for a miss. The optimum
time to pull the trigger should be taken without hesitation. Once this point is
passed you are odds on to miss the target. Any thinking should be before the
shot is taken not during the act of shooting. You must
maintain strong and true line of flight throughout the shot. This must start
when the eyes lock on the target. Combined with a good extension of the leading
hand keeping muzzles glued to the target throughout the mount. Take the shot as
soon as forward allowance is established and preferably at the same time as the
gun reaches face and shoulder. These long shots require a different attitude do
not be shy to attack this shot but endeavor to keep the process smooth and
controlled. do not fight instinct and pull the trigger the moment it seems
right. Harness it and like Obi Wan Kanobi's advice to Luke Sky Walker let the
force be with you pull that trigger with out check. Three quarters of all the
long shots are missed below and behind. I personally believe that more birds are
missed high and below the target flight line, than through misjudgment in lead
applied. The more experienced of you will have all seen how the technique and
speed of swing applied affects the seen lead picture without affecting the
success of the shot, where poor line will almost always result in a miss. Hesitation
and its Effects. Imagine
a shooting ground some where in Great Britain, There you observe a man who is
standing in the middle of a Skeet Field clapping his hands together repeatedly
every minute or two. Curiosity gets the better of you and you approach the man
and ask why he insists on this continuous practice of clapping. His reply is
that he is chasing away the Elephants. When you inform him that there are no
Elephants in Shropshire, Cornwall or wherever, his reply is to say "See it
Works". Trying to deliberately measure lead on the longer shots will result
in a similar state of mind. You measure and miss, so you attempt to be even more
precise the next shot resulting in another miss, this next shot you are really
going to make sure, result another miss. Much like the man chasing off imaginary
Elephants, you will at some point stop and consider the results on your chosen
path, then try something different
success will often be the result. In the case of the long passing shot pulling
the trigger when the brain says yes without check or a heart beat before doing
so. To sum
up gun hold should be with the eye muzzle and target on the same line before
target is called for, extend the left hand so as to maintain contact with target
throughout the shot so developing the line and swing. As the mount is completed
and the gun is shouldered and cheeked no pause should be apparent between
establishing lead and the pulling of the trigger. Avoid the re-distribution of
weight from one foot to another which will cause the drooping of the shoulder
and the consequential wind screen wiping of the muzzles over target line. BE
BOLD BUT CONTROLLED USING THE TARGETS MOMENTUM TO TURN ITS FLIGHT AND DIRECTION
IN TO SWING AND LINE apply the Zen philosophy of letting
go and letting our natural reactions unfold in to a perfectly controlled
shot you have to learn the physical and mental rhythm of taking the long
crossing shots. Do not fall into the trap of
thinking accuracy or aiming is more important than speed of swing. The
forward allowance should be generated from swing and hand eye co-ordination
rather than any attempt at aligning bird and bead.
The good
practice of reading the target and giving consideration of pick up and break
points should always be applied. With doubles take the following target first
whenever possible so as to maintain good follow through which will help in
keeping the gun moving maintaining speed
of swing to move smoothly on to the second target. Always beware of
background, one target slowing or dropping faster than another or
disappearing behind an obstruction. In
practice start at twenty five yards and with
success increase the distance a few
yards at a time until you reach the desired distance. In the case of a
miss go back and re-establish success before once again progressing to your
desired distance remember to finish on success with the correct feel both
physical and mental. The old proverb “success by the inch is cinch but by the
yard it is hard” is the rule to apply on learning the technique for those long
crossing shots. Remember line and speed of swing break the long birds, be
dynamic in your practice and never try and measure.
EYE AND HAND Or "Rhyme Rhythm and Reason"
EAGLE EYED Any
lover of nature will at some time have pondered and admired the gift of vision
birds of prey are blessed with. The ability to find, lock on too and maintain
visual contact through to completion of strike and kill. During a fall of
hundreds of feet and thousands of feet per second. Many
sports call for similar visual skills, baseball, tennis, golf and even basket
ball. Do you think Michael Jordan throughout his remarkable career was admiring
his grasp on the ball or visually concentrating on the hoop? Shooting
a moving object is no different, it is visual contact with the target that
co-ordinates our reactions to its flight and path, exactly the same as An Osprey
fishing or Kevin Schwire Striking
an home run. To
some extent we are all blessed with a certain amount of eye/hand co-ordination.
I firmly believe that like great athletes great shots have a sharper visual
acuity than the rest of the herd. However we mere mortals should not despair.
The ability to focus sharply can be learnt and mastered. It will require some
practice on your part but the rewards with improved performance and kill
ratio well worth any efforts involved. Lets
get down to the nitty gritty, we are all guilty of looking without seeing. In
our normal day to day life we take in an overall picture, with no real object in
mind. This phenomena is simply because intensive focusing
is extremely
hard work and like any muscular activity our body is pre-conditioned not to do
it. If I asked you to thread cotton through needles all day you would soon give
up this job through migraines and headaches. Concentrated vision is hard and
uncomfortable to maintain. Trust me look up now from this text and single out a
point on the opposite side of the room, the centre of a clock the corner of a
picture frame. Really zero in on it, keep pinpoint hold on it, see you have
already relaxed your vision, it was extremely
uncomfortable to do, so you quit. This is what happens when trying to maintain
visual contact with a moving target be it a skeet bird or mallard. The
eye is like any other muscle of the body and can be exercised in the same way,
with a few simple exercises each day you can build up its ability to concentrate
sharply and with fine focus on a moving target, in the same way as say your
biceps. Take
a blaze (Orange) clay target with a
felt tip pen place a dot on one edge. Keep it handy on your desk or work top.
Whenever possible take a minute out to look at the clay, then really concentrate
on the dot. At first you will be unable to sustain this visual concentration for
long but with diligent practice your ability will increase to the extent that if
asked to concentrate on a specific number on a clock, say 4 you would be unable
to tell the time if asked to, because of your focused
vision. When
this point of visual concentration is reached you then need to introduce it to
your shooting. Tips to help are on sunny days black clays will reflect light
this will appear as white dots on the clay, if you use your new visual
concentration on these spots, watch those balls of smoke. If the sun is not out
try to read the makers brand mark If not the rings or dimples on the shoulders
of the target. With wing shooting concentrate on the eye of the bird if to
distant the head or neck ring you should never be looking at the whole body!.
With geese and bigger birds treat the head as a separate bird say a snipe. There is a phenomenon called physiological diplopia which causes us to see a double image opposite the point of focus, if we do not learn to concentrate on the target to the point of shutting out everything else we will always be vulnerable to seeing double and the inevitable result will be a miss. Medals and MeditationReading the interviews given by Richard Faulds after his magnificent win and gold medal in last summers Olympic games gave me food for thought. He accredited some of his success to increased concentration or focus something he had been working along with the more regular practice in his preparation for the big event. With the amount of top class competition shooting Richard has taken part in you would think that the mental side of his game would be the equal of his mechanical or muscular skills of hand and eye. However when we fear missing targets or are under pressure to perform well in competition, our conscious mind takes over and we become deliberate in some cases very deliberate. This induced caution results in the checking of leads, aiming the gun like a rifle rather than swinging and pointing the end result we stilt our natural ability. In major sports they refer to this has choking. The answer and what I believe Richard and other top shots will have worked on is that we must learn to let our selves go. The best way I have ever heard this put was by Bud Dycot when he said YOU MUST LEARN TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY if you are to become a winner. This can be compared to several other actions in our everyday lives that we take for granted, never thinking about them yet life would be impossible to cope with if we did not have the ability to carry them out. The first walking, when you where making the transition from baby to toddler and began to walk it would be fraught with danger staggering from one piece of furniture to another with anxious parents looking on. This trouble in learning to walk is because it is a very difficult act, in effect we lift a foot off the ground lean forward and before we fall over place the second foot in front to catch our balance and with repetition move forward. Do you remember mastering walking as a toddler and still had problems with stairs where because of stepping up or down you had to concentrate on placing your feet and so struggled. If I placed a piece of four by four on the floor and asked you to walk along it you would do so with ease and confidence, the same piece of wood ten feet off the ground would become a daunting task. The physical requirements of walking across are the same the difference is when your conscious mind gets in the way of your natural ability. There are other tasks with exactly the same consequences of allowing the consciousness to interfere with our natural ability. These are referred to as OVER LEARNT SKILLS. Examples are driving, we will all have at some time arrived at work or home and been concentrating on something that has been worrying us and if asked if we remember the route or what happened on the journey would not be able to answer. We operated the car by our subconscious while using the brain to concentrate on the thing that was worrying us. Other of these skills is riding a bike remember learning now you take it for granted, typing, etc etc. First we learn the fundamentals of straight shooting stance, gun mount, keeping your head on the stock and well cheeked and that all important smooth swing. Once you have practiced and mastered these component parts until they are one of your over learnt skills, then you must let go so that miracle machine the human body is allowed to perform to its best. There is one sport where this letting go
is taught from the first lesson and is recognised as the core skill in good
performance. The MARTIAL ARTS here
the learning of a skill and the intuition are combined and must be taken as one,
yes you must be well trained to perform well when you shoot, yet in competition
you must allow intuition to take over and you cannot think about what you are
going to do, to do so is to lose to the equally trained competitor who can relax
and let his body perform without letting his consciousness get in the way of
winning, more often referred to by the west as being in the ZONE. They train to achieve this level of performance by reaching a state of relaxation and a thought free empty mind, this is achieved by concentration on one small aspect of the act they are about to perform. This takes shape in imagery or preparatory visualization, where they picture the out come before releasing the action unconsciously. If you are at the top of your game and able to perform with great efficiency however without the ability to get out of your own way you will never reach your true potential. There is an excellent book by Michael J. Keyes M.D. called Mental Training for the Shotgun Sports. I would urge anyone who is looking to compete to the very best of their ability to get copy.
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