When you pull the trigger on a shotgun you are almost always moving, especially when you are shooting a moving target in the air. How you hit the target, is based on how much and what kind of lead you put on a target. Lead is the amount you must shoot in front of your target in order to make up for its speed. It is important to keep your barrel moving during a shot. Think of the barrel as a garden hose, if you keep the barrel in the same place and pull the trigger all of your shot string will go to that point. If you keep the barrel moving, the shot string will be spread over a larger area, allowing you a greater chance of hitting the target.<\/p>\n
There are four types of lead that can be used in shotgun shooting in order to break a target or hit a bird, they are; Spot Shooting, Swing Through, Pull Away, and Sustained Lead. Each one of these can be effective given the right situation. In this piece, I will go over what type of lead is best in each situation and clay target game as well as which one provides the most consistent results.<\/p>\n
Spot shooting is most commonly used in a hunting situation. When a hunter is surprised by a bird flushing, the first reaction is to bring the gun straight up pick a spot in front of the target where they believe that the target is going to be and pull the trigger. This type of lead is also referred to as ambushing. This is because the shooter gets out in front of the target and waits for the target to approach the barrel and pull the trigger. This can also work in some clay target games. In skeet, it can work on stations 1, and 7, and in sporting clays and trap it can be used on straightaway targets. The downside of this technique is that it requires perfect timing and is not very dependable or repeatable. If the shooter has made the slightest mistake there is no room for correction, which often leads to a missed target.<\/p>\n