24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
I have 5 o/u shotguns and every one comes to the cheek and point of aim different, I have an Ithica, "SKB' model 500 with short barrels that I have killed a train load of birds with, it certainly "fits differently than my Red label,the Ruger weighs more, is longer and I can't hit chit with it, I blame it on "fit" it points no where near I look, when the gun is shouldered.

I shoot 44-46 at sporting clays and 95-97 at skeek with 20 gauge guns,And I have earned more than a few dollars shooting live birds, I'm not much of a trap shooter, the whole mounted gun thing just isn't for me, and in my mind, most people who shoot poorly do so because they are shooting guns that don't fit them. Take a look at a mans face after shooting 100 rounds, look at his scores most will decrease as the day progresses, why ? Because the gun has slapped his face all day and now his head is off the stock and he is shooting over the birds, "fit" matters .


Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
BP-B2

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
You are contradicting yourself on a couple points, but shows some agreement with my thoughts that close is usually pretty good.

You shoot skeet international style?

88-92 on top shelf SC tournaments with a 20 will place you on the edge of elite master class. Great shooting.

Last edited by battue; 12/26/19.

laissez les bons temps rouler
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
Adding or removing recoil pads, and the cloths you wear while shooting/ hunting also changes the "fit" of shotguns, the gun you shoot doves with in September, will not be your best bet in a November duck blind, the same can be said about your walk about grouse gun, "fit" does make you a better wingshot .


Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
Adding or removing recoil pads, and the cloths you wear while shooting/ hunting also changes the "fit" of shotguns, the gun you shoot doves with in September, will not be your best bet in a November duck blind, the same can be said about your walk about grouse gun, "fit" does make you a better wingshot .

I guess I already said that ! crazy

Last edited by jimy; 12/26/19.

Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
Originally Posted by battue
You are contradicting yourself on a couple points, but shows some agreement with my thoughts that close is usually pretty good.

You shoot skeet international style?

88-92 on top shelf SC tournaments with a 20 will place you on the edge of elite master class. Great shooting.


Growing up in the 70's we bought red dot in 15 lb kegs and shot by the pallet, for 3 of us, my brother ,father and myself, in those days I shot a 12 gauge because I thought you needed to, I don't shoot much any more, but when I do its with a 410.
Shotgunning is something that came very natural to me.

Thank you and Merry Christmas.


Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
IC B2

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,505
65BR Offline OP
Campfire Ranger
OP Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,505
Great stuff folks! Today, I was squirrel hunting with a 22.....and jumped a Woodcock........first one I've seen in perhaps 30+ years!

IF I had a nice 20 O/U I would have likely dropped it. Are IC and Modified the way to go for rabbits and upland game? What ranges will they limit you to say Doves? Thanks. All posts above have great info - thanks folks!

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,359
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,359
I shot a woodcock on my deer hunting grounds in Texas as a "Yute". turned it in on my hunter survey form.. the USFWS mailed me wing envelopes for about 10 years after that, I never even saw another one there after that. but they are cool birds.

on the O/U I would definitely go with IC and Mod

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,354
M
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
M
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,354
Originally Posted by kid0917


on the O/U I would definitely go with IC and Mod


WHY? Even if you don't get a good even pattern with one or the other or both?


Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,581
R
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
R
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,581
Originally Posted by 65BR
Curious what you folks use/recommend for a good quality hunting O/U in 20?

What barrel length is preferred, for rabbits, possible dove, etc? Guessing 28 but any downside to 26?

3" Recommended? What choke tubes. Seen some 'Value priced' off brands which come in less than the Beretta's and Browning's, etc.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance for your feedback.


Plenty of options, handle some and one will just feel right. Stick with the big names and you’ll likely be happy. I’d roll 28” tubes. 3” chamber. Why? More and more states are requiring nontoxic loads on public land. 3” shells give you the option of a bit bigger payload with steel shot (by far the most common nontox). For rabbit and doves, mod over ic or ic over cylinder if shots are close. Good patterns are more important than constriction though so run the chokes that pattern best.

Last edited by ryoushi; 12/26/19.
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
Have guns that come with choke tubes. My preference are fixed choke guns when given a choice.

I shoot with literally 100's of different people during the year. Some average, many being really good, to occasionally being squaded with a world champion. Some use choke tubes, some have fixed barrels. They use every brand of shell that is currently on the market . Some switch around and use whatever decent shell they can get at a good price. Other than point of impact, the overwhelming majority of them worry more about putting the shot on target and very little about how they pattern. Cylinder is open and and as they tighten up so does the pattern. They test on targets and not paper.

I've watched good and great shotgunners given a random gun to shoot, and quickly start breaking targets that most people can't imagine breaking. Fit is important, but what is perfect? Seen some consistently break a long range target with IC and others do the same with everything in between. One three time National Champion won a New Ithaca Double, SxS 26inch barrels, with probably IC/Mod. He is a big guy, and it looked like a toy in his hands. Fit, I'll leave that to your imagination. He took it to a Make a Break game and asked them to throw the 50 yard crosser. Took maybe 10 to 12 shots and he was breaking it consistently. Shells? They were whatever they had on hand. Fit most certainly was off a little, shells were what was available, choke was what was in the gun.

There are people that know how to point a shotgun and it seems the better they are, the least they worry about the little things most of us talk about on here.

Last edited by battue; 12/27/19.

laissez les bons temps rouler
IC B3

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
To a guy that shoots 5 to 8 thousand birds a year, you are right, he will beat most people with their own gun, just like a pro golfer, he will beat you with your wives, clubs and shag balls, but to the guy that goes out, and shoots a couple of boxes of shells at doves in September, and another box or two at rabbits and what few grouse are left, I still feel he will be far more successful with a shotgun that come to cheek, quick and naturally, without getting hung upon a brush jacket and a stock with enough drop to make your eye plane parallel with the vent rib without lifting one's head off the stock.

But that's just my humble opinion.

Last edited by jimy; 12/27/19.

Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
For a guy that shoots your quoted 4 boxes of shells a year, fit isn’t going to help him much. Especially on the hard stuff. Similar to a person that shoots a couple boxes of rifle shells a year. You can give him the best long range rifle made and they are not going to connect all that often at 600 plus on the hard opportunities.

For any sport or mental endeavor, doing it along with being challenged ones the skill.

I’ve only seen one “natural” and he only shot on occasion because it made his Dad happy.
The guy was a fighter pilot in his prime. I think perhaps he saw spatial relationships the rest of us were lacking.





Last edited by battue; 12/27/19.

laissez les bons temps rouler
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
This is how the people that are good at anything got there. It's been proven over and over. Four boxes of shotgun shells a year, even with a perfect fit, won't get any even close....barrel length, chokes, what shell, etc are crutches on the path of hoping to be good. They won't get you there.

The book may bore you to death, but it answers the question of why and how.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]

Last edited by battue; 12/27/19.

laissez les bons temps rouler
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, I think a good "fitting" shotgun is the key to good consistent shooting, you don't, so be it. I hope the new year is a great one for you and yours.


Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
Sorry, I don't agree to disagree. Which is OK also. Nor do we completely disagree on fit. If only you would read my words. Happy New year to you and yours also.

The key is repetition. Not only repetition, but deliberate repetition. The book my bore you to a scream, but the answers to how and why are there.

You can give a new violinist a Stradivarious (Sp?), but they will not be able to play it well. You don't shoot well on 4 boxes a year. Fit or no fit, IC or Mod, pattern or not, 26, 28, or 32.....

Last edited by battue; 12/27/19.

laissez les bons temps rouler
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
To repeatedly do something the wrong way, over and over again, only makes you really good, at doing it naturally wrong with great consistently.

I believe the number one reason shooters "miss" is because they lift their heads off of the stock, for any one of numerous reasons, but they will miss every time they do it.

Last edited by jimy; 12/27/19.

Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
Yes, but I didn’t even suggest that was the path. Although it is also proven one can learn much from their mistakes.

Some sports gurus even suggest one to do it wrong, which enables one to recognize wrong.


laissez les bons temps rouler
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,730
Originally Posted by jimy


I believe the number one reason shooters "miss" is because they lift their heads off of the stock, for any one of numerous reasons, but they will miss every time they do it.


With repetition, not so.



laissez les bons temps rouler
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 845
S
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
S
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 845
Originally Posted by jimy
To repeatedly do something the wrong way, over and over again, only makes you really good, at doing it naturally wrong with great consistently.

I believe the number one reason shooters "miss" is because they lift their heads off of the stock, for any one of numerous reasons, but they will miss every time they do it.

I agree lifting thier heads. Not following through. Flinch on account of recoil. Not patterning thier gun. Fit is very subjective as others have said.

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,490
I can't stand behind a young shooter watching every shot, I can't remind him to follow thru the shot, or to keep his head down, but I can help him shoot a shotgun that mounts consistently and put a pay load on target. The rest is up to him,

I have watched dozens of youngsters fail miserably, because someone is try to get them into the shooting sports, with a gun that was more fit for kayaking than shooting clays!


Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
521 members (160user, 007FJ, 10gaugeman, 17CalFan, 10ring1, 1lesfox, 52 invisible), 2,268 guests, and 1,038 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,596
Posts18,398,179
Members73,815
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.161s Queries: 14 (0.004s) Memory: 0.9029 MB (Peak: 1.0434 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 12:28:43 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS