Tom Gresham emphasizes the critical importance of a properly fitted shotgun for accurate clay target shooting. He explains that when a shotgun stock is correctly fitted to the shooter's eye and body, the process of aiming and firing becomes intuitive. This involves aligning the eye with the shotgun's rib, allowing the shooter to focus on the target and execute a smooth mount and trigger pull without conscious aiming adjustments.
A properly fitted shotgun stock is essential for accurate clay target shooting. It ensures your eye aligns perfectly with the shotgun's rib and barrel, allowing for intuitive gun mounting and trigger pulling. This focus on the target, rather than conscious aiming, leads to significantly improved accuracy and consistency.
This technique, explained by Gil Ash, leverages the concept of 'visual speed' or relative velocity to make fast-moving clay targets appear slower or even stationary. By matching the speed of your gun's movement to that of the clay target, you gain crucial extra time for sight acquisition and a more accurate shot. This is a fundamental principle for improving performance in clay shooting disciplines.
This guide, presented by an expert from OSP and Krieghoff, details how to achieve a proper shotgun fit by focusing on the 'drop at comb'. It emphasizes that the comb must be low enough for your eye to align perfectly with a flat rib, meaning you look straight down it. Proper alignment is confirmed when both the center and front beads are visible and lined up. An improperly high stock will cause the shotgun to shoot high, highlighting the importance of a stock that is both low enough and short enough for comfortable mounting and direct eye-to-rib alignment, ensuring correct shot placement.
