Author Topic: Pattern centering?  (Read 794 times)

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Offline Questor

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Pattern centering?
« on: November 19, 2007, 03:37:19 AM »
I am getting quite a few targets breaking, but without being really shattered. I believe I'm hitting with the margins of the pattern. Can you recommend a good exercise for learning to center the target in the pattern?
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Offline Graybeard

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Re: Pattern centering?
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2007, 03:55:18 AM »
It might be gun fit Rudy or it might be you are just not pointing the gun correctly. I lay no claim to expert status in this area which is one reason that some time back I suggested that if there is a shooting pro at your club you pay him for a lesson and his tips.

Are you at this time able to tell where you pattern center is? That really is the key to learning to center them. You must know where you're hitting them to know what to do to improve. By the way they break you can tell if you're center of pattern is low, high, left right. If it's consistently off in any one direction that's likely a gun fit issue. If on the other hand you're just all over the place break some high some low some left and some right then that's a gun pointing issue and you'll need to work on learning better where to point the gun. That's mostly an issue of time and practice but...

With both a pro can help. He can help properly fit the gun to you and he can watch you shoot and help you determine where your weaknesses are in pointing.

It's been many years since I shot much trap or really any trap for that matter. I shoot skeet these days due to the shoulder pain as the .410 and 28 are all I want bumping my shoulder. But I do grade my targets not just score them. I want to center them and most days I do center most. For the most part when I miss I just plain miss and am not even remotely close. Still I wound a few and I'm always careful to pay attention to where on the target the initial shot hit it. You really can tell if you watch the targets closely enough.

Watching them for where that initial break occurs tells you if the pattern is left right hight low and what correction would have been needed to have centered it.

I'm way too out of touch with trap to offer specific advice however and doing so long distance without being there to watch would pretty much be impossible anyway.



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