Long crossers

norma 308

Well-Known Member
Guys ,
got a beaters / keepers clay shoot next week on a nearby estate .not shot clays for a long time and had a go yesterday just up the field at home and did ok but struggled on the long x'ers fine at driven DTL Ect any tips ,I shoot an o/u 20g .dont want to make a complete c##k of myself and if the truth be known I probably shoot a lot less than the beaters .
cheers
​norma
 
Norma, haven't got a shooting mate who can stand behind you? If not then I would go back to your field and start by shooting 20 yards crossers. Once you're killing them all move back 5 yards and then another 5 until you're killing the 40 yarders regularly. Try to log the sight picture at the different ranges. Hopefully you should be able to go forward and backwards again and hit them all? One thing that a lot of people fail to do is alter their point of aim if they miss the first one. 5 pairs are soon shot so don't miss all 5 pairs on a stand in the same place because you were sure that you had your POA correct the first time. IE if you miss the first pair give the second pair a bit more or less lead. Hopefully you will find them and get a few kills on a stand when others shot scored a zero!
Hope that helps a little?

All the best

Baguio
 
Try the crossers using the TRACER cartridge, should enable you to see where your missing. Above, below or behind as I bet you wont be in front.
 
I am by no way an expert but my rule of thumb is:
If its a fast crosser and you miss give it more lead as its surprising how far in front you need to shoot.
If its a slow crosser remember the clay is slowing down and thus dropping, so its very easy to shoot over the top of the clay.
I agree with Baguio if you missed with your first shot don't repeat what you just did as you already know the outcome. Before you call pull again stop and make a conscious change to how you will shoot the next clay.
What ever happens enjoy the clay shoot & the crac your amongst friends.
 
Good advice already given the the only advice I can give is to shoot at a pattern plate
old feed bag will do set at around fifteen yards to see where your shots going you have
allready said driven and going away targets are not a problem so sounds as if the cast is fine
But if its shooting high you could be going over the top and not realising it
method I'd use is to come from behind the target and swing through picking up the line
then put your lead on and take the shot
hope this helps have fun
regards pete
 
Thanks chaps
i had a great evening but the long crosser was very difficult for me again ! At the end of the evening for fun a long x,Er was shot by everyone then the shoot station moved back 10 yards and shot again those missing dropping out I dropped out very quickly lol .
i was the only person shooting a twenty and the 50 bird flush was very exciting we scored 42 .
clays are not my thing really but watching a couple of lads there was like pure poetry but like one said he shoots 500 clays most weekends in various comps and he shot the pool straight almost like they were in slow motion . Guess practice makes perfect ,till next year for me till I shoot a clay again .
​norma
 
Well the fact that you had a great evening is the main thing. You're not going to ever compete with someone who shoots 500 every weekend that's for sure! When people see the likes of Peter Wilson shoot Olympic trap on TV they have no idea how hard it is or how many hours are put into getting to that level. He made it all look so simple when I know from experience that Olympic trap is anything but! I used to shoot for the REME and Army Clay teams with MS. We used to win lots of competitions and I believe are still the only REME team to win the Army Championships, however, we put in lots of time and fired lots of cartridges back then. I don't think it would be quite so pretty now a days though! Long crossers can be hard to see too, especially early enough to pick up their line of flight. Good shooting glasses and good eyesight is a must in order to have a reasonable chance of shooting good scores!
ATB Baguio
 
Well the fact that you had a great evening is the main thing. You're not going to ever compete with someone who shoots 500 every weekend that's for sure! When people see the likes of Peter Wilson shoot Olympic trap on TV they have no idea how hard it is or how many hours are put into getting to that level. He made it all look so simple when I know from experience that Olympic trap is anything but! I used to shoot for the REME and Army Clay teams with MS. We used to win lots of competitions and I believe are still the only REME team to win the Army Championships, however, we put in lots of time and fired lots of cartridges back then. I don't think it would be quite so pretty now a days though! Long crossers can be hard to see too, especially early enough to pick up their line of flight. Good shooting glasses and good eyesight is a must in order to have a reasonable chance of shooting good scores! ATB Baguio
Ahh, happy days when I could shoot a shotgun and hit stuff! I suffer 'skill fade' I'm afraid these days!:lol: (By the way, it was an AAC team with REME support as normal!:rolleyes:)
I always used to tell people to double whatever lead they gave it if they missed a long crosser. Most would then hit it straight away as it is actually quite difficult to miss in front! Almost every clay missed is missed behind!;) Your pattern at longer ranges may be about 2 foot wide so it follows that you can realistically increase perceived lead by about 2 foot each shot until you connect. Have fun! MS
 
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+1
2 p worth
also your prob over the top ,try an old way that works bug tum bang to gain the speed then over take clay and shoot it at 7oclook if you see what i mean if clay is R TO L or 4 oclook if L TO R this way it reminds you to shoot just under the clay .
a lot of chaps also start gun up as in the dtl try to drop the gun down, just out of shoulder and point the barrel to a place you intend to shoot then look back ,i bet you start to pick them up pdq think its a real bird flipping out of a tree .
:old:


I am by no way an expert but my rule of thumb is:
If its a fast crosser and you miss give it more lead as its surprising how far in front you need to shoot.
If its a slow crosser remember the clay is slowing down and thus dropping, so its very easy to shoot over the top of the clay.
I agree with Baguio if you missed with your first shot don't repeat what you just did as you already know the outcome. Before you call pull again stop and make a conscious change to how you will shoot the next clay.
What ever happens enjoy the clay shoot & the crac your amongst friends.
 
I think it was before you changed suits MS? Did Paul Rabidge not organise the team and then fail to make the cut or was that a different comp? I know that I still have a black shotgun case upstairs that we won on that shoot and I won £100 for shooting 4 ex 10 in the pool shoot. 5 pairs of stupidly long crossers funnily enough! To win it with a 4 in that company tells you how hard it was. I shot a zero on my first attempt at it just like a lot of others did!

All the best

Baguio
 
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I think it was before you changed suits MS? Did Paul Rabidge not organise the team and then fail to make the cut or was that a different comp? I know that I still have a black shotgun case upstairs that we won on that shoot and won £100 for shooting 4 ex 10 in the pool shoot. 5 pairs of stupidly long crossers funnily enough!

All the best

Baguio

I think that was a divisional Comp, and yes, the team Captains scores didn't qualify him for a prize as I remember. I too have a black 'Express' case the same as yours!
We won the entire Army Championships at Bisley as 3 Regt AAC.
MS
 
That win was a different one from the REME one I was thinking about. So many competitions and prizes back then. A time when the Army encouraged sport above work. Good times as you say!
 
Also make sure you keep your head on the stock as its easy to go over the top if you don't. I also try to keep a firmer hold on the pistol grip to prevent canting the gun. Even slight canting will alter your point of impact. Otherwise start close and work up
 
I like to use an imaginary rectangle when shooting crossers. For a right to left crosser, you're barrel/bead/eyes will be aligned with the bottom left hand corner and your peripheral vision keeps the clay in the top right hand corner. Once you break one, just keep that rectangle in your memory bank.

Another danger is that you waft your barrels where you think they need to be and yet focus on the clay. LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO SHOOT and let your peripheral vision take care of the clay :)
 
What method are you shooting?

Swing through is normally the easiest method for long crossers followed by pull ahead.


Both give you the line and speed of the bird and that make it just a case of led. Get someone who know what they are talking about to stand on your shoulder they should then be able to see where your missing. Falling that try to miss in front I'm surprised how often that works for people.
 
Tryed some at the week end ,went back to not trying too hard just blocking out swing through and pull and was hitting a lot more !
Cheers folks
norma
 
It's called practise norma! I would hazard a guess that next time you hit a few more still and suddenly you're actually quite good!
All the best
Baguio
 
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