doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Station 8 help

Went to the skeet range today, and despite it being cold and very windy, managed to run 23 straight, and I was trying to stay calm and concentrate, until I got to station 8, and lost both of 'em. So frustrating! I've yet to shoot 25 straight, and thought today might be the day. Oh well. I've always had a difficult time at that station, but maybe I just choked under pressure. Any tips for station 8 that might put me over the edge next time? I shoot low gun, and I'm shooting my 1880's 27" cyl/cyl choked 12 hammer gun, with 1 oz. 8's (I normally use 9's but my store is out of them for now).

If you hide the bird with the barrel and pull the trigger it will smoke. If you see it when you fire you miss
bill

Thanks Bill, that's exactly the kind of tip I was hoping for.

This ought to help:
http://www.nssa-nsca.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/station_8.pdf

1. Don't shoot low gun. You're not any less of a man if you don't. If, after you get the correct concept and can hit them, then go back to low gun and work on your speed if you want. First things first.

2. Shoot last. Ask your fellow shooters to all shoot the high before they move to the low. Watch the targets. Know the flight path, but don't watch the shooters. Just the targets.

3. Foot position for the high (right handed shooter) is at the rear corner of the station, farthest away from the center stake, facing the outfield. Your weight should be mostly on your pivot foot, and stay there. Don't shift your weight to your back foot, keep it on your pivot foot.

4. Hold a few feet out from the house along the target path, BE READY, and simply cover and shoot. I see some wild gyrations on station 8, and none of it is necessary. A follow through is a must, but your foot position should not change. Your gun should end up a few feet past where you broke the target. The closer to the house you break the target within reason, the better. Try for about two thirds of the way to the center stake.

5. For the low, face the house. Weight on left foot, lean a little left if it helps. BE READY, and just cover and shoot.

Station 8 is really fun. Shoot a couple boxes of shells there. It gets funner when you start hitting them.

Low gun does make the center shots a bit harder. Problem is that you need to have everything exactly right to hit station 8. If you feet are not set to allow you to swing easily you will never be consistent. There is no time to correct your mistakes on 8 unless you flinch. Not a good idea as I had a flinching problem that took a few years to stop.

Many of us are less flexible as we age. Shooting a bird that is coming right at us becomes harder as we tend to slow our swing down as we reach a point almost right over head. Try mounting a gun and swing right up with it. You will hit a point about 80% the way to right over head and you will hit an invisible wall. The old back is too stiff, the knees and legs just are slow to flex and the head will come off the gun almost every time as you struggle to keep the bird in sight.

Now if you turn so is more a side shot than a over head shot you can hit station 8 high and low 8 easier as you get older. You have no problem hitting the middles stations. So on the high bird turn you body more to the center stake. This makes the swing more of side to side shot and less of that directly over head shot.

On the Low bird, turn your feet slightly (more) to the center stake, hold out off to the side of the door and take the bird as a incomer with a upward and slightly side to side swing. You can not let the bird get under your barrels or much past you. Mount with fluid movement, smoke the bird and do not act surprised and you will amaze other squad members. And when in doubt remember every squad comes complete with four other experts that will give you free advice on what you are doing wrong. And who knows, one of them might be right. First time for everything.

I like the guys who load about 28 in every box. They will shoot two or three extra on every round so they end up with a 25. Lot cheaper than lessons and more fun than most advise.

+1 on Mr Jones advice, it's good. I shot International skeet for years, I would shoot with the gun off my shoulder, after starting low gun, you have to, bring the gun up blot out the target move the barrels and shoot. No rule says you have to shoulder the gun!
Of course I was younger and faster then.....

Great stuff, thanks! I much prefer low gun, as pre-mounted just feels very unnatural to me. And, I like to use the "goofy foot technique,(right foot slightly forward creating a shoulder pocket for the gun butt), so I'm probably just goofy all the way around. Thinking back in retrospect though, after viewing the link and reading the comments, I was leading it too much and possibly lifting my cheek. I'll put the butt of my gun up a bit higher before I start, and just blot it out next time. Shooting a couple boxes there would be time well spent.

If I do anything but look at the bird I miss. If I am thinking after I say pull I miss. Right before I say "pull" I say to my self "Look at the bird. Look at the bird. Look at the bird." If I am thinking after I say pull I miss.

You can tell I repeat myself a lot.

This was taken with our new Shotkam today.

http://youtu.be/rQSiZpD74mo

Hope it helps. I was suprised how much lead was there when it looked like you wer shooting right at it.