Citori Trap Shooter
Citori Trap Shooter

12 Shooting Tips From The Pros

12 Shooting Tips From The Pros

Published on May 28th, 2024

People shoot for different reasons. Some shoot for the pure joy of watching orange clays become puffs of dust. Others love to plink 鈥 punch paper, clang steel, and create shooting games. Then, some take their love of shooting to another level. This group longs for podium finishes. Some take their passion for shooting to the field with the ultimate goal of punching鈥痩ungs鈥痑nd filling the freezer.鈥

础迟鈥在线玩老虎机, we understand that shooting is a personal journey, and we鈥檙e here to support you every step of the way. It doesn鈥檛 matter which type of shooting fuels your fire; our unwavering commitment is to provide you with the best firearms in the world, designed to enhance your shooting experience. Moreover, we鈥檙e dedicated to equipping you with fantastic advice 鈥 tips and tactics that will elevate your skills and make you a better shooter.鈥

As makers of the world鈥檚 finest firearms, we鈥檝e assembled a fantastic group of鈥在线玩老虎机 Pro Staff shooters. We are鈥痑lso鈥痜ortunate to have several top-tier outdoor writers and television personalities who trust our鈥痜irearms. Recently, we pooled together an excellent group, and each shooter provided tips and tactics to help you take your shooting to the next level.鈥疎njoy!

Shooter:Matt Bartholow

Position:听在线玩老虎机 Pro Staff Shooter

Matt is one of the best trap shooters in the world. At the 2023 Grand American, Matt set a new record with his third-in-a-row and fourth overall World Doubles Championship.

Matt Says...听

鈥淲hen switching from clay shooting to hunting, or vice versa, understand that the object you鈥檙e shooting at will behave differently. Switching between trap, skeet, and sporting clays can pose the same target differences. The flight angles, point of impact, and sight picture will all differ.听

Keep this in mind when you find yourself switching the type of targets you鈥檙e shooting at. If you鈥檙e switching between clay target disciplines, you may consider shooting a couple of practice rounds before entering a competition, so any technique changes are fresh in your mind.

It also helps if you make adjustments when switching between types of firearms. Stance, forearm grip, and how you pull the trigger are all examples of the little things you may have to alter when switching between types of firearms. Typically, rifle targets are stationary, and there is little room for imperfections. Switching to shotguns and a fast-moving clay target is much different. A听wide, squared-up stance is vital to move freely and swing to that target. Also, extending your front hand further out into the forearm of the gun can help to give you more swing control on those moving targets.鈥澨

Trap shooting Stance
Trap shooting Stance

Shooter:听Scott Haugen

Position:听Outdoor Writer

Scott is known for his precision accuracy with a rifle and being one of the most proficient hunters of his time. Haugen is a legend and has multiple big-game records to his credit. He is also a world-renowned waterfowl enthusiast.

Scott Says听...

鈥淚f you want to improve your shotgun shooting, ignore the bead and听go with听the flow. Last season, a buddy asked what color the bead was on the end of my听Maxus II. 鈥楻ed, no, green!鈥 Was my reply.听I honestly had no idea. Next,听he听told me I had no bead and hadn鈥檛 all season 鈥攖hat I broke it off on one of our first hunts. I never look at a bead when shooting waterfowl or upland birds. If听you鈥檙e overcome听with the need to find the bead before pulling the trigger, try looking down the barrel and letting the gun go with the flow of the bird. Think of throwing a ball at someone who is running. You don't try听to calculate听their speed, how hard to throw the ball, and with what trajectory it should听be launched. Instead, you lead them and toss the ball. The flow of shooting a shotgun should be just as smooth. Don鈥檛 aim a gun when hunting waterfowl and upland birds. Acquire the target, swing, lead, pull the trigger, and keep swinging or following through. Shooting with both eyes open can help remedy the urge to aim a shotgun.

Shotgun Sights
Shotgun Sights

鈥淣ever take a shot at a big game animal, hoping you hit it. You should know the bullet will hit the mark whenever you pull the trigger. If you miss, you should be shocked as to why; then stop and figure out why听right then and there. Know the distance, your gun, scope, and bullet performance, and then take a steady rest and fire. Many hunters get in a rush the moment they spot an animal. Slow down,听don鈥檛 let the animal hear, smell, or see you, and you often have plenty of time to calm down and take an ethical shot. Control your breathing, get a precise range, and get a solid rest,听be it听prone or on shooting sticks.听Don鈥檛听pull the trigger until the crosshairs are rock steady.鈥

Shooter:Alex Wampler

Position:听在线玩老虎机 Pro Staff

Alex has been a professional sporting clay shooter since 2013 and has multiple titles to her credit. Wampler is also working on her Ph.D. at UC Davis and is an accomplished hunter.听

Alex Says...

鈥淚 always use a pre-shot routine, and I highly recommend it. There鈥檚 a lot to visualization. I suggest developing a personal a pre-shot routine using visualization techniques before calling for the clay. I use听B.R.A.S.S.听This stands for Breathe, Relax, Adjust, See the听target, and Slow听down.听This听works exceptionally well for me.

鈥淥ne of the remarkable things about becoming a better shotgunner is that you can do much to improve without ever going to the range. I recommend practicing gun mounts as often as possible. Be sure that the shotgun听is unloaded 鈥 check it multiple times 鈥 and then start practicing mounting the gun to the shoulder. If you do this often, even a few minutes a day, you鈥檒l notice improved comfort and performance.鈥澨

Shouldered Shotgun
Shouldered Shotgun

Shooter:听Cody Robbins听

Position:听Host of听,

Cody is a world-class big-game hunter, television host, and seminar speaker who has traveled the world chasing his hunting dreams.

Cody Says...

鈥淎s a traveling hunter and outfitter, I come across too many people who shoot a caliber that may be too big for them.听I鈥檓 unsure if this is an ego thing, but shooting a rifle you can honestly say you鈥檙e comfortable with is essential.听So many times, in a hunting camp, I鈥檝e overheard that one guy who makes fun of others for not bringing a big enough gun. This guy usually misses the mark when he gets his opportunity. Shoot a rifle that you can control, is comfortable, and fills you with shooting confidence, and you鈥檒l kill more big-game animals. It鈥檚 all about bullet placement, my friends.鈥澨

鈥淎nother helpful rule I live by when it comes to hunting and shooting 鈥 whether hunting for myself or taking a newcomer 鈥 is always trying to find a way to get some stable contact on the trigger arm. Even if the shot isn鈥檛 far, added stability can prevent a flinch or a pull to one side or the other.听If I鈥檓 sitting and using shooting sticks, I always get my knee up to create a point of contact for my trigger elbow.听If you鈥檙e standing and shooting from sticks, get creative and find a way to get some stability on your trigger arm.听If there isn鈥檛 a tree, get your hunting buddy to stand beside you and push into your arm.听It can make a world of difference in your shot placement.鈥澨

Shooter:Foster Bartholow听

Position:听在线玩老虎机 Pro Staff

Foster, like his brother Matt, is a trap-shooting legend. He has been named to the听ATA听All-American team three times, has multiple titles to his credit, and is an accomplished hunter.

Foster Says...

鈥淲hen heading out on the range, Matt and I are often asked, 鈥榃hat choke tubes do you use for trap and why?鈥 My simple advice is not to be afraid to throw in a full or improved听modified听when heading out to shoot听ATA听singles. With a tighter pattern, you can see exactly where you shoot on the clay target, and having a stricter choke gives you a ton of confidence when you leave that orange clay in a wad of black smoke.鈥

鈥淎nother tip for more experienced shooters is instead of focusing directly on the center of the clay target, dial your eyesight on the leading edge of the clay where the black ring and orange dome meet.听This听helps define the clay target more precisely and allows the shooter to lock on the clay when coming out of the house.鈥

鈥淚f you notice yourself behind or in front of the clay, adjust your hold point slightly to make getting to all targets easier. Last, go out with complete confidence in your gear, and don鈥檛 rush. Rushing leads to a lack of mental focus on the task, which is destroying each clay target. Take your time and get them all with your 在线玩老虎机 shotgun!鈥

鈥淚f you鈥檙e heading into the woods, fields, or water hunting, take the time to learn your Point of Impact (POI).听This听can change depending on the choke tube and ammunition used. For example, if you use the same 在线玩老虎机 choke with five different types of ammo, you鈥檒l likely get five听different听patterns and听POIs.听Relying on your gun patterning center听POI听for a duck hunt because it was on for dove or pheasant hunting might not be the best method for success. Different shot sizes, shot types, and ammo speeds all factor into the performance of your firearm. No one wants to be embarrassed听in front of听their buddies when that lone drake comes floating in on a string. Don鈥檛 be that person. Put in the time to learn your 在线玩老虎机, and great things will follow come hunting season!听I鈥檝e had tremendous success in the field with my Maxus 2, and I'm confident you鈥檒l love it, too!鈥

shooters eyes
shooters eyes

Shooter:听Willi Schmidt

Position:听Former television host of Pure Hunting on the Sportsman鈥檚 Channel for 11 seasons.

Willi is an influential outdoor personality and an incredible hunter. He has turned his love of the outdoors into his career.听

Willi Says...

鈥淵ou are at the range to sight in your rifle only to find you aren鈥檛 hitting paper.听 Here is a little trick to help you out. Move the target to 50 yards so the target is more prominent.听With your gun pointing down range in a rest, remove your bolt and look down the barrel.听Adjust the rifle so the target is visible through the barrel.听Without moving the gun or rest, look through your scope.听 Presumably, your crosshairs are on the edge of the target or entirely off-target.听As you continue to look through the scope, adjust your crosshairs so they intersect on the bullseye. Replace the bolt and fire a shot.听Assuming you hit the paper with the first shot, and it is reasonably close to the center of the target, move the target to 100 yards and shoot again.听You should still be听on paper and can start your normal process of sighting in.鈥

bore sights
bore sights

鈥淟onger-range shooting has continued to grow in popularity.听There are so many improvements in the rifles and optics that hitting your target at a more extended range is getting more manageable.听There are many ways to improve your long-range accuracy, but one that does not seem to get much attention is ensuring the gun is level.听 You may have calculated the proper distance and windage, but if you tilt/cant听the听gun听at the shot, you will be off the mark.听 The longer the distance, the more off you will be.听Visually, you may feel your gun is level, but uneven terrain between you and your target can sometimes be deceiving.听Using a level is the only way to ensure the rifle is level. Many scopes and mounts come with levels built in.听If yours does not, many aftermarket ones are available that are easy to install and worth the relatively minimal cost.鈥澨

There you have it: 12 shooting tips that will help you have more fun, increase shooting comfort, ensure you climb the podium, and fill the freezer.

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