FINALLY it happened...

H

Hemicuda

New member
I have never been good with a shotgun...

Having spent my youth shooting rifles, and competing succuessfully in Jr. Smallbore matches, I have a largish problem with throwing a gun up and slapping the trigger... I want to "breathe, sight, and squeeze" which is not condusive to breaking flying clays. ;)

Well, Saturday, a friend brought 2 five gallon buckets of homeload trap loads over, picked me up, (made me bring a 12 Ga., I picked my old Fox double-trigger side by side), and took me to a trap/skeet/sporting clays shoot...

first the trap... I went a perfect 25/25 2 times! I have NEVER done this... EVER... (best of 19 or 20 out of 25...)

then I shot the sporting clays... (I have worked the throwers, but not shot, because I SUCK...) not today... I broke every bird they threw... not a miss... me and that old Fox were in tune, I guess...

boy it felt good to actually do well with a shotgun for once...
 
Good going! Last time we took the trap up I did the same thing, not a miss. Dont know what we were shooting, trap, skeet or clays (Think it was skeet), just launching clay pigeons straight away fast. The time before that we went I hit maybe 10 or 12 out of 50 or so that I shot at. Dunno what happened to make my hit ratio increase like that, but I'm not complaining.:D
 
Good going! Last time we took the trap up I did the same thing, not a miss. Dont know what we were shooting, trap, skeet or clays (Think it was skeet), just launching clay pigeons straight away fast.
Click to expand...

Away is Trap, IIRC.

Last weekend I did trap and skeet for the first time ever, shot 15 on skeet and 18 on trap. Beat most the guys that invited me there, lol. Hope I get invited again. ;) I injoyed skeet more myself, but both were tons of fun.

Now I need to buy a new SG for this, all I have is a Mossy 590 with colapsing stock and no choke, not exactly a sporting gun. My get a nova like the one I borrowed to go.
 
there were a buncha people there (few I knew) who were all asking for pointers... I haven't a clue... I'm not that good with a shotgun... it was all luck...

but at least I had a really fun day, and got to feel good about my shotgunning once in my lifetime!
 
Don't EVER sell that Fox! Obviously, it fits.

Seriously, sometimes folks just get "In the Zone" and do something like you did.

And, I've know a few folks who can do amazing things with one particular shotgun. It's a combination of fit, form and confidence, IMO.

Nobody can stay there all the time, but with practice and obsessive attention to the Shotgun Senseis here(G),days like this come more often.

Congrats and Mazeltov!!
 
There's alot to be said for "fit" as mentioned previously...A shotgun that fits you well, makes it a whole lot easier...Now, I'm just the opposite of you..pretty lethal with a shotgun (any shotgun, used to seem...Could shoot 98 or 99 out of 100, did it once using 4 different shotguns, 3 which I'd never shot before!) However I just flat SUCK with a rifle...SOoo when I shoot anything that resembles a decent group, I get excited
 
Guys, a good shot with a rifle can also be a good shotgunner. It's a very different sport tho.And it takes work.

Rifles are shot mostly at things that stand still or move slowly. Shotguns, swung on moving targets.

The big change for me is the trigger. I don't yank shotgun triggers, but use a high speed press. Rifles demand a slower and more controlled press. I can transit from one to the other quickly, but I've had long practice.

Also, shotgun triggers of less than 4 lbs help the transition, My rifle triggers run down to less than 2 lbs.

HTH....
 
Dave McC...

my rifles run triggers set at around 2 to 2.25 lbs (I build and shoot custom Mausers)

my shotguns run whatever the factory set them at, since I neither understand nor wish to foul up one of my Boxlock doubles, and the trigger groups on my 870's and mod. 37's seem so damn complicated...

the Fox (I have them in 12, 16, and 20 Ga. now) all seem to run 4 to 4.5 lbs... so that might be why I do better with them...

I was taught to "slap" a shotgun triggger... not to "jerk" it, but kinda a very fast press... which is hard, for someone used to the control needed to shoot rifles and pistols very accurately...

I will now likely sell tyhe Mod. 37's and all but the HD 870 MArine Magnum, as I can see that the double guns fit me better, and I shoot them more naturally...

I am also gonna have the 20 and 16 Ga. Fox's "adjusted" to fit like the 12 Ga. cause obviously, as you pointed out, it FITS me!

strangely enough, the Marine MAg 870 has almost the same LOP, comb drop, and all other measurements as the Fox !2 Ga... (all measurements within .125" +/- of the Fox.)

thanks for the encouragement... I am intending to do alot more shooting with my double guns...

the "light" homeloads my buddy brought were nice too, and I still have a 5 gallon bucket full that he gave me! - they are a "20 ga." charge, with a 12 Ga. shot load, he said... and they sure shoot "mild" on the shoulder, but break "birds" well!
 
Hemi, shotgun triggers between 3 and 4 lbs seem to work best for me. That happens to be the range my Model 94 falls into also. The TC ML has a 1 lb, 14 oz trigger. I do NOT recommend that last for general use, but this is a stand gun and I've good trigger discipline. Some of my Lightweight Sporter bench guns in the old days had less than 2 lb triggers also.

A 3-4 lb trigger seems close to ideal for many shotgunners, but few ever pay attention to the weight unless it's extremely light or heavy.

BTW, factory specs on the 870 are 3 1/2-6 lbs, IIRC.

How does your MM shoot for you? Probably pretty good, I surmise.

Good luck with the Foxes, they're wonderful guns.
 
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