Technical issues that could trip you up
Tony Bracci highlights some technique issues that Guns about to venture into the field may face and what to do about them
This month we focus on a driven shooting lesson. Whether your season has started and is not going as well as you had hoped or you are preparing for your first day in the field, here are some of the areas I would focus on.
After a chat about your experience, problem areas, choice of gun and the location of your next venture into the field, we would move off to the first stand. The chat at the beginning is to gauge what direction the session needs to take, so I can give the best information for the individual. This can vary greatly, from local informal farm shoots to high Devon pheasants, formal Hampshire partridges, and so on. All require training in some similar areas but there are detailed differences and I try to tailor the session to a client’s specific needs.
The warm-up
On the first stand I would set up a regular driven target; let’s call it a warm-up stand. On this I would be assessing a number of things about your shooting. Safety is a high priority and even though we are on the shooting ground I would not let a game shooter close a gun up horizontally. When we arrived at the stand, I would be pointing out the location of the traps and the safe areas to shoot. The gun should be closed pointing at the floor, then brought up through a safe area so the barrels are up in the air. The safety catch should be pushed off as part of your mount, which is the next area of focus.
Ready position
The mount is greatly influenced by the ready position and everyone’s ready position is different. Standing bolt upright is not going to give you a consistent mount. To find your ready position, place your lead foot forward slightly and then mount the gun, with your head down on the stock. Keeping your head still, lower the gun so the stock is in line with your forearm. This will feel strange but gives you a perfect ready position. Now, I am not recommending that you stand like this while waiting for the birds to arrive. While waiting, you should stand normally with weight on both feet and your barrels directly up in the air. When you get a sense that something is going to happen, assume the ready position and bring your barrels down to where you are looking, keeping them above the treeline but where you expect the bird to come from.
“The mount should be smooth and to the shoulder and cheek at the same time”
There should be a distinction between rest and ready positions. Once the ready position is sorted the mount will be more consistent; it should be smooth and to the shoulder and cheek at the same time. It is a common mistake to mount the gun to the shoulder and move the head independently of the gun on a driven target as it creates erratic misses, usually in front. As the gun is mounted to the cheek, the gun should drive along the line the bird is travelling on with the head connected to the stock.