Wingshooting
When it comes to missing closer on flying targets, some of the best coaching you and I have ever had came from the quotable quick hitter—a succinct, colorful connection between teaching word and shooting deed. To that end, I’ve gathered a collection of snapshots, if you will, of the wingshooter’s ways and means, gleaned from contemporary coaches as well as from several shelves’ worth of beloved and heartily recommended books on shooting flying.
We begin with the Edwardian game shooter, Lord Ripon who, in lieu of Christmas cards, mailed holiday greetings made up of his bag list from the previous season. For those keeping score at home, 1893 was a good year at the triggers for his Lordship: 2,611 grouse, 8,732 partridge, and 5,760 pheasants, all part of a season’s take of 19,135 head of game falling to Ripon’s trio of matched Purdeys.
“To be a first-rate shot,” Ripon opined in his 1911 treatise “How To Shoot,” “necessitates the combination of two distinctly opposite conditions: a highly strung nervous temperament which keeps you ever on the alert, a cool head which enables you in moments of excitement to fire without recklessness or undue haste.”
A Sporting Search For Perfection
For about two decades, sporting clays shooters in America have spend day after day searching for the perfect gun, shotshell, shooting style, and gun mount. This search for perfection has been great for the shooting industry. Just look at the number of products that have come on the market as a result of the surge in sporting. With all of this technology available to shotgunners, let’s break them down into categories to see if we can make some sense of this quest for perfection.
Once a shooter discovers the game of sporting clays and decides that he really likes it, his first search is usually for the perfect sporting gun. I can remember the very first “sporting clays” model I bought almost 20 years ago, a Browning GTX with 28” barrels. I actually came from a wingshooting and skeet background, so the stacked 28” tubes seemed to make sense to me. Boy, how times have changed.
You don’t find many 28” over-unders in the hands of male sporting clays shooters these days, with barrel length preferences now leaning toward the 30-32” range. You will find that what length a shooter chooses is often based on what his friends use instead of what might actually feel best between his hands. Keep in mind that you’re looking for balance, comfort, fit, and ease of swinging and pointing when you choose a shotgun. I don’t know of any sporting guns that won’t break targets right out of the box as long as they are steered in the right direction for the target at hand.
Gun Safety Rules
Whether shooting sporting clays, hunting, or handling, cleaning, transporting, or storing firearms, it’s vital to adhere to safety procedures. Here’s a refresher all shooters—regardless of experience—should review.
1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. This is the primary rule of gun safety. A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off, it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle, or front end of the barrel, is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. When holding a gun, rest your finger on the trigger guard or along the side of the gun. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger.
3. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s), which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.
When using or storing a gun, always follow these NRA rules:
— Know your target and what is beyond. Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second.
— Know how to use the gun safely. Before handling a gun, learn how it operates. Know its basic parts, how to safely open and close the action, and remove any ammunition from the gun or magazine. Remember, a gun’s mechanical safety device is never foolproof. Nothing can ever replace safe gun handling.
— Be sure the gun is safe to operate. Just like other tools, guns need regular maintenance to remain operable. Regular cleaning and proper storage are a part of the gun’s general upkeep. If there is any question concerning a gun’s ability to function, a knowledgeable gunsmith should look at it.
— Use only the correct ammunition for your gun. Only BBs, pellets, cartridges, or shells designed for a particular gun can be fired safely in that gun. Most guns have the ammunition type stamped on the barrel. Ammunition can be identified by information printed on the box and sometimes stamped on the cartridge. Do not shoot the gun unless you know you have the proper ammunition.
— Wear eye and ear protection as appropriate. Guns are loud, and the noise can cause hearing damage. They can also emit debris and hot gas that could cause eye injury. For these reasons, shooting glasses and hearing protectors should be worn by shooters and spectators.
— Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription, or other drugs before or while shooting. Alcohol, as well as any other substance likely to impair normal mental or physical bodily functions, must not be used before or while handling or shooting guns.
— Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons. Many factors must be considered when deciding where and how to store guns. A person’s particular situation will be a major part of the consideration. Dozens of gun storage devices, as well as locking devices that attach directly to the gun, are available. However, mechanical locking devices, like the mechanical safeties built into guns, can fail and should not be used as a substitute for safe gun handling and the observance of all gun safety rules.
— Be aware that certain types of guns and many shooting activities require additional safety precautions.
— Regular cleaning is important for your gun to operate correctly and safely. Taking proper care of it will also maintain its value and extend its life. Your gun should be cleaned every time it is used.
A gun brought out of prolonged storage should also be cleaned before shooting. Accumulated moisture and dirt or solidified grease and oil can prevent the gun from operating properly. Before cleaning your gun, make absolutely sure that it is unloaded. The gun’s action should be open during the cleaning process. Also, be sure that no ammunition is present in the cleaning area.