Tips for clay shooting?

1

1911Alaska

New member
So I went clay shooting today for the first time. And I was terrible lol. I did have a lot of fun though, and am planning on going next paycheck and buying some more clay pigeons and a thrower thing.

I was using my Weatherby SA-459 TR, which only has an 18in barrel. I am assuming this is not the best gun for clay shooting ;) but right now its my only option.

I was wondering if any one has any tips for a noob :) lol
Thanks :)
 
Have fun!

Does the 459 series have a barrel accessory program? If so try to get a 26-28" barrel for it. Remove any extras like extended mag, lights etc if it has them to get as close to a neutral balance as possible. Don't be afraid to ask questions or for critique. We can't see your form or how you shoot. Best three things I can tell you is look at the target, keep your head down and follow thru, do this the rest will come around.

The purpose is to have fun, don't make work out of it.
 
When I was learning to shoot trap and missing almost every shot, one of the old timers at the gun club gave me a couple of 12 gauge tracers. In 2 shots I earned what my mistakes were. I don't know if they are available any longer but I think they'd be worth a look.
 
The best advice I received was focus on the bird and focus on the leading edge of the bird. Never let it leave your eyes and the instinctively mount the gun and shoot. It works well for me.
 
WHAT clay target game?

There is a lot of difference between trap, skeet, 5-stand, and sporting clays, and even a bigger difference compared to backyard pasture clays.

Remington has good training brochures for trap and skeet:

http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and-resources/downloads/brochure-downloads.aspx

The old adage "head on the stock, eye on the rock" does apply across the board, but since each game has different presentations and rules, it needs to be taken into context of what you are facing.
 
The reason I say to shoot quickly is not so much that you have a short self defense barrel, but I assume it has a fixed open choke. That means that your shot pattern will open up so quickly that the pattern is blown; the shot is spread so much that the target can pass through a whole in the shot column. With an open cylinder, I think it will be hard to break anything further than 25 yards out.

That is lilkely why oneounceload asks exactly what you intend to shoot. In formal trap, the targets are going away from you as they come flying out of a machine, kept in an a house, that is already 16 yards out. Hence you have to shoot it really quick with an open cyllinder choke. A common choke used for 16 yard trap is a modified choke.

In regulation skeet many of the targets are shot when they are much closer. some are going away from you, some come at you, and some pass in front of you. That is why many use a "skeet" choke. Skeet targets are often so close when broken that the shooter is showered with target fragments. I believe some shoot targets going away with a slighly tighter choke thqan a skeet but I am not that sophisticated. A skeet choke isn't much tighter than an open cyllinder and if you intend to set your back yard machine up to somewhat emulate a skeet machine my guess is that you may find it easier to break clay with your gun.

Whatever you do just be sure to set things up to be safe.

Experienced shooters please feel free to correct me as needed.
 
"thrower thing" sounds like maybe a hand thrower. Those targets are not nearly as fast as a machine thrown targets. It still takes the shot some time to get to the bird from the time you pull the trigger. Shoot where the bird is going to be when the shot arrives, not where it is when you fire. Keep tryin' & have fun!:D
 
IMHO, the best advice to a noob is to match the speed of the target, stay in front, and keep the barrels moving. Don't stop and spot shoot, the target will be long gone...
 
just some newbie advice

I'm somewhat a newbie. I shoot with my daughters and their friends. good advice above. I picked up a white wing auto thrower "thingy" at www.ohya.com they had the cheapest price. we've had loads of fun. well worth the "investment". haha. remington 870 at big 5 sporting goods and the white wing thrower will give you years of fun. JT
 
Thanks for the advice guys! :)

Code: 
Still waiting for the OP to respond to my friend, 1-oz's pertinent question:

I couldn't tell you honestly because I am not sure. All I know is we had some clay pigeons and a thrower.
 
I couldn't tell you honestly because I am not sure. All I know is we had some clay pigeons and a thrower.
Click to expand...

That is euphemistically called "backyard" or "pasture" clays, and while a lot of fun and a great way to get started into clay shooting, it is worlds apart from the machine-thrown targets you'll find on a regulation trap, skeet, 5-stand, or sporting clays layout - those move faster and further than a any thrower. Get some basics down, find a local club, get some help from the veterans that shoot there and, as mentioned, make sure you are having some fun!:D
 
Get some basics down
Click to expand...
Amen.

I was at the club one day when the trap fields were closed, but you could shoot hand tossed. I was giving my neighbor, a newby to shotguns, some basic pointers and we noticed two young shooters on the adjacent field. One would toss and the other shoot, then they would swap the thrower and the gun.

I mentioned to my neighbor, "Watch this guy, he's going to miss." Sure enough the guy missed and my neighbor was amazed, "How'd you know he'd miss?" I told him it was because of the shooter's abominable stance and gun mount. He was obviously self-taught and didn't have a very good teacher.

Cornfield clays can be a tons-O-fun, but they can be very frustrating for newbies when it's a case of the blind leading the blind. As my friend, 1-oz recommended, work on your basics.
 
BoogieMan, thanks for the Fiocchi link. I haven't seen tracers since the late '60s. They were a great way to learn where you're shooting (why missing). But, like messing with fireworks, there's a hazard. I thought they'd been universally prohibited, but it seems they're available in some jurisdictions. As recommended, please check your State, County and local laws for restrictions before ordering any tracers.
 
Weatherby SA-459 for skeet and bird hunting?

W respect to the original question of using the SA-459 for Skeet and for bird hunting, If you are like me, you have a shotgun for home defense, and occasionally you might get together with friends and go on hunt. Since I don't have the $ for more guns right now, I plan to make my SA-459 perform multiple duties.

I have an SA-459 Turkey. It came from the factory with the front AR-type sight, and the picatinny rail over the receiver along with a rear ghost ring sight. In fact it is identical to the TR models but has camo stocks and a 22 inch barrel with a removable full choke (Beretta mobilechoke system thread pattern).

I have not tried it at skeet yet, however I will be this weekend. The front sight removes easily, leaving a small mounting block on the barrel, which when painted with tru-glo paint, will be about as quick to acquire as a bead, and will not limit visibility of the bird as much.

The rear sight comes off by QD knob, and the picatinny rail dismounts with 4 screws. I will have to go to the specialty hardware store to get 4 machine screws of the same thread pattern and pitch but a bit shorter length to plug those 4 holes, but I'm confident that they'll have them.

So for the cost of a little gunsight paint, 4 short machine screws for the receiver, some blue locktight 252, and maybe a couple different inexpensive chokes from Cabela's, my tactical turkey gun will easily convert for skeet and dove. Not saying its ideal - just food for thought.

BTW, the other 51 weeks of the year, the SA 459 wears its front sight, picatinny rail, ghost ring sight, a vortex red dot sight, and ... (on order) a Choate +2 mag exension. With no plug, this will give me 7 + 1 rouds of 2.75" for home defense.
 
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