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Marty Fischer

The Ortiz Custom AR-15

Pedro Ortiz, a self-taught gunsmith from Savannah, Ga. via Puerto Rico, holds the custom AR-15 that bears his name.
Pedro Ortiz, a self-taught gunsmith from Savannah, Ga. via Puerto Rico, holds the custom AR-15 that bears his name.

In assembling his custom AR-15 rifle, self-taught gunsmith Pedro Ortiz adds the special touch that only a true master can bring to the table.

The Ortiz Custom Rifle starts with a Geissele two-stage trigger, which Ortiz has further honed and set at 3.5 pounds. Ortiz has for years specialized in trigger work, starting in three decades ago when he modified Model 1911 triggers for most of the competitive shooters in Puerto Rico.

“Frankly the most important part of any gun is the trigger assembly,” Ortiz says. “It’s virtually impossible for a firearm to perform at its best in human hands if the trigger pull is not smooth and crisp.”

The second part of the Ortiz Custom Rifle is a Stoner AR-15 stainless barrel with the popular Wylde chamber. Many shooters like the Wylde chamber because it has a longer throat than the .223 SAAMI spec, which allows safe usage of 5.56x45mm NATO approved ammunition.

This match grade barrel features a 1-in-8-inch twist with 5R rifling. The barrel is fluted for greater strength, less weight and accelerated cooling, and is made of 416R stainless. The barrel also features M4 Feed Ramps, a gas port mid-length and is threaded 1⁄2”-28. The customer has the choice of an 18- or 20-inch barrel.

The trigger assembly is the most important part of the gun according to Ortiz. He uses a Giessele two-stage trigger on his custom AR-15 rifles.
The trigger assembly is the most important part of the gun according to Ortiz. He uses a Giessele two-stage trigger on his custom AR-15 rifles.

To assist in the cooling and handling of the gun, Ortiz selected the Troy Industries Alpha Battle 15-inch free floating rail. This modular handguard is lightweight and slim enough to feel great in the hands of most shooters. The popular rail is constructed of aircraft aluminum and finished with a mil-spec anodized coat. It can accept modular rail sections and can easily accept a number of tactical accessories.

With the popularity of the AR-platform rifle these days, you can bet that there are a number of stock options available, too. It is the stock configuration that comfortably allows the sighting eye to look through any chosen optic. Ortiz selected the Magpul PRS, which is short for Precision Rifle Sniper. This stock is similar to those used on the finest precision target rifles, but is designed to withstand the elements.

The Magpul PRS is fully adjustable for length of pull and comb height in order to ensure the best fit possible. The length of pull is adjustable from 1⁄4-inch shorter to 3⁄4 of an inch longer than factory dimensions. The comb height can be adjusted a full 3⁄4 of an inch, which allows an easy comb height fit for shooters of all shapes, sizes and genders.

One of the problems AR shooters may one day encounter is a broken or malfunctioning charging handle. Ortiz Custom Guns has addressed this concern by selecting a Vltor BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle for its custom gun. The Vltor BCM Gunfighter handle is machined from 7075 billet aluminum and finished with an anodized hard coat.

Ortiz Custom AR-15.

One of the features of a custom rifle is that it not only look good, it must also feel good in the hands of the shooter. To help ensure both of these physical attributes, Ortiz added an Ergo Sure Grip Pistol Grip AR-15, which is made for left- and right-hand shooters.

This grip is ergonomically designed to fit the shooter’s hand more comfortably, which provides better recoil control. In many ways the grip is an extension of the trigger pull, since a comfortable grip of the gun greatly reduces mistakes when squeezing the trigger.

To complete the physical gun, Ortiz mounts a JP Enterprise Compensator. which serves to significantly reduce the felt recoil of the gun. Obviously muzzle jump can be a significant factor for second shot accuracy whether hunting predators or competing in 3-Gun, and Ortiz has recognized the need to keep the muzzle calm during operation.

To enhance the performance of the Ortiz Custom Rifle, Ortiz has also added a Harris 6-9 Bipod and a Burris Full Field II 3.5-10x50mm tactical scope to the standard model. The scope is seated in a Burris AR-P.E.P.R. one-piece quick-release scope mount. Burris P.E.P.R. stands for Proper Eye Position Ready, which means that as much as 2 inches of forward scope movement is possible for the shooter to achieve the perfect eye-relief distance.

Putting It All Together

Ortiz Custom AR-15.Of course all of the “best of the best” parts are only as good as the sum of those parts once assembled, tweaked and made to be as perfect as possible. The Ortiz Custom Rifle is designed to be accurate at 350 to 400 yards, and Ortiz guarantees ½-inch M.O.A. or less at 100 yards using factory ammunition.

According to Ortiz, the rifle will shoot a 4-inch group or less at 400 yards, again with factory ammo. Shooters are shooters, however, and as with all rifles, the proof has to be seen.

A recent trip to a gun range in late July proved to be a real test for the Ortiz Custom Rifle. It was almost 100 degrees on the range and there was a steady crosswind of more than 10 miles per hour.

Ortiz put the gun through its paces by shooting not on a bench, but from a standing position off of a BogPod with an AR rest. Using factory Winchester Match Grade ammo, the rifle performed as advertised.

The standard Ortiz Custom Rifle comes assembled as described and  weighs 6¾ pounds without optics and approximately 8½ pounds  with optics. There are also numerous upgrade options available, which may be added upon request. The standard rifle retails for $1,795. That’s about the same cost as some more expensive assembly line models, but with Ortiz, the shooter gets a custom rifle that delivers unbelievably good custom performance.

For more information on the Ortiz Custom Rifle, contact Pedro Ortiz at 912-925-0799 or visit his website at ortizcustomguns.com.

This article is an excerpt from the November 4, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

3 Wingshooting Methods Explained

The wingshooting swing through method.
The swing through method of wingshooting.

Learn the swing through, pull away and maintained lead methods to hit more moving targets with your shotgun. Wingshooting expert Marty Fischer explains how.

The Swing Through Method

Swing Through, Pass Through, Pull Through (all are one and the same). The swing through mehod of shooting is very popular with hunters and those who are self-taught and shoot instinctively. Remember – successful, instinctive shooting comes as a result of good technique. With swing through, the gun is always inserted behind the target. The bird is allowed to pass the line of the muzzle before any move is made. Control of speed of swing  and timing are generally far more important to the swing through shooter than any lead picture. Some swing through shooters with good timing and a fast swing see little or no lead on most targets. The trigger is pulled on, or very near the bird as the mounted gun swings past the target.

Wingshooting pull away method.
Wingshooting pull away method.

The Pull Away Method

This is the official CPSA shooting method. With pull away, the gun is mounted directly at the target. This method uses our natural ability to point. Pull away enables a shooter to judge speed, distance and line of the target very effectively. Stance, timing and rhythm of the shot, as with all shooting techniques, are determined by the pre-planned kill zone. After the stock touches the face, the gun is smoothly moved ahead of the target until the correct lead picture is seen and felt. Pull away is excellent for long range shots and can improve shooter timing and consistency on many shots.

The Maintained Lead Method

When using the maintained lead style, the gun is inserted ahead of a bird, it moves at the bird’s pace as the lead picture is found. When the shooter recognizes his insertion as the right picture, he simply moves with the bird and pulls the trigger. It should be noted that keeping the gun moving after the shot is important because the gun and target are traveling at the same speed with this style, and any deviation of the gun speed will affect the lead picture. The more the bird crosses in front of the gun, the better this method will work.

This article is an excerpt from The Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning.

Avoid 7 Common Mistakes of Wingshooting

Once the head comes off the gun, the rear (eyes) and front (bead) sights on the gun are no longer aligned. This will most certainly cause a miss. Since the shot has been taken, was the cheek pressure released early or after the shot?
Once the head comes off the gun, the rear (eyes) and front (bead) sights on the gun are no longer aligned. This will most certainly cause a miss. Since the shot has been taken, was the cheek pressure released early or after the shot?

Poor Timing

A major problem that many shooters seem to have when shooting afield is poor timing. This can be a result of virtually anything from having the gun out of position to get it on the shoulder properly, to an inconsistent gun pace relative to the pace of the target or an overzealous trigger hand racing to mount the gun.

Poor timing can be a reason for missing that might occur at any time, and can be most easily cured by proper target focus, a good gun mount and solid technique. The problems with a shooter’s timing are most often caused by a lack of concentration and an inconsistent gun swing relative to the speed, angle and distance of his target. When a shooter fails to recognize and react to these target characteristics, chances are that a miss is imminent.

Timing is based on how a shooter moves relative to the movement of his target. Chances are if he overreacts to a flushing or passing bird, for instance, he will rush the gun past it before the trigger can be pulled. On the other hand, if he is slow to swing the gun when a bird presents itself, he will invariably wind up behind his target.

Let’s not forget that the most accomplished wingshooters you will ever see look to be in slow motion. They only react to the speed of the bird they are attempting to harvest, and they can change their speed to compensate for the speed of the target. They do this by making sure that step one in the shot process is visual focus on a chosen target. When the birds are fast, they move fast. When they are slow, they move slow. Once a shooter’s eyes have focused on a bird, the most important part of the shot sequence is to move as the bird moves, and then a bit more to execute a chosen shooting style and complete the shot.

By matching up his initial pace with that of the bird, the shooter will always be able to comfortably get his gun in position to make a clean kill, and he will find that keeping his target in view with the gun mounted will be much easier. This will be the case regardless of which shooting style is used, since the speed of the gun for pull away and swing through don’t increase until the insertion point is made.

Since the rear sight on a shotgun is the shooter’s eyes, and a proper gun fit allows the gun to shoot where the shooter is looking, it is important to bring the gun to your face and focus on the target through the beads on the gun.
Since the rear sight on a shotgun is the shooter’s eyes, and a proper gun fit allows the gun to shoot where the shooter is looking, it is important to bring the gun to your face and focus on the target through the beads on the gun.

Focusing on the Gun and Not the Target

One of the more common reasons that shooters miss in the field is because they focus more on the gun than on the target. In other words, they are in effect aiming at the bird. Most shooters got their shooting legs at an early age by plinking away with a .22 caliber rifle. Unfortunately the only similarity between rifles, shotguns and pistols is that they are all classified as firearms. Shooting them is as different as day and night.

In order to consistently hit a target using a precise aiming point with a rifle or pistol, the shooter must align front and rear sights with a focus primarily on the sights. In most cases the targets for rifle and pistol shooting are stationary, which allows the shooter the time to make his precise sight alignment. Herein lies the main difference between these three types of firearms.

In wingshooting the targets fly at various rates of speed, and a successful shot requires the shooter to focus on the target and not the gun. Since a shotgun has no visible rear sight, the shooter’s master eye serves as the sight. As a result, the eye and the front bead on the shotgun have to align perfectly when the gun is mounted to the face and shoulder if the gun is to shoot where the eyes look.

In many instances, however, the shooter wants to make sure that this alignment is correct, and the tendency is to transfer the eyes from the target back to the gun. Once the eyes shift to the gun, the shooter loses touch with his target. When this happens, the shooter will attempt to find the bird again. Since the eyes lead the hands in shotgunning, the gun will go to the bird rather than to the proper lead, which in turn affects the timing of the shot.

The correct procedure for the shooter to be successful is to focus on the bird while having a soft focus on the muzzle of the gun. In other words, the shooter must be aware of the gun without aiming at the target, and by looking beyond the gun and to the target, the gun should shoot where he looks. Can you see now how important visual focus is to a successful shot? Having an idea of the type of lead picture required will certainly simplify this procedure, but as we have already established, it is amazing how the eyes find the proper lead picture when the shooter does everything else right.

Many rifle shooters struggle with focusing on the target, since they learned to shoot by focusing on the sights of the rifle. The learning curve to move these rifle shooters to shotgun shooters could be significant.
Many rifle shooters struggle with focusing on the target, since they learned to shoot by focusing on the sights of the rifle. The learning curve to move these rifle shooters to shotgun shooters could be significant.

Poor Gun Mount

Once a shooter has fitted his gun properly, a large number of his misses will be a result of a poor gun mount. As alluded to earlier, the mechanics of a proper gun mount are critical to shooting success.

It’s important to keep in mind that mastering the motor skills required to mount the gun consistently in the same spot on the face and shoulder every time does require practice. Unfortunately, the majority of casual bird hunters would never think of practicing gun mounts on a daily, or at least periodic basis, like many of the top clay shooters do.

The difference between that casual shooter and a seasoned sporting clays enthusiast is easily noted, but both of them have to be able to mechanically mount the gun to be successful. Perhaps that’s why most competitive sporting clays shooters often fare better on live birds than their trap or skeet counterparts. Being able to properly control the movement of the gun’s muzzle starts with a mastery of the gun mount, and once the muscle movement for the mount has been memorized the shooter will find it easier to get the gun in position for a successful shot.

Don’t forget that a proper gun mount is a push to the bird and insertion point and a lift of the stock to the face with the trigger hand. The hands work as a team, with neither exerting more push or lift than the other. And since gun mounts can be practiced away from the range and field, getting the proper mechanics dialed in perfectly is simply a matter of time and a desire to do so.

Incorrect Technique

When a shooter misses a bird because of incorrect technique, it is generally accepted that his mistakes were the result of trying to apply a certain shooting style that didn’t comfortably suit the target he was shooting. We have established that any of the various recognized shooting styles used worldwide will work for a shooter as long as the technique is applied properly. The main reason that incorrect technique misses birds is because most shooters don’t fully understand the orthodox use of recognized shooting styles.

A shooter should always keep in mind that the more a bird crosses in front of him, the more forward allowance or lead will be required to successfully hit it. As a result, if he is shooting at a bird that requires a good bit of lead, it would generally be a mistake to start the gun well behind the bird to obtain that lead.

At the same time, if a bird presents itself in a manner that doesn’t take much forward allowance, he can’t expect consistent success if the gun mounts too far ahead of the bird. If a shooter feels that he is well ahead of his target, chances are he’ll have problems slowing the gun to get the right lead.

Regardless of which style he uses, his chances of a successful shot will improve if he remembers to match his pace with that of the bird early in the shot sequence. This will help make a precise insertion point much easier.

The muzzle of the gun should be steered to the lead picture with minimal movement. This is best controlled by positioning the gun just under the armpit, with the muzzle elevation starting just under the line of the bird
The muzzle of the gun should be steered to the lead picture with minimal movement. This is best controlled by positioning the gun just under the armpit, with the muzzle elevation starting just under the line of the bird

Stopping the Gun

Certainly one of the major reasons a shooter misses could be traced to our rifle shooting heritage. Since most shooters learned to shoot by aiming a rifle or pistol, chances are they will occasionally find themselves unable to get the gun sufficiently through or ahead of the bird. When a shooter’s smoothness of swing is interrupted this way, he will invariably stop the gun. If the muzzle ever stops, even briefly, the timing of the shot will be affected and the possibilities of a miss are increased.

A shooter can minimize stopping the gun by heightening his concentration and focusing on the bird, being smooth with the gun swing and remembering to follow through after the shot is taken. By concentrating on these aspects of a successful shot, the shooter can assure himself a good chance every time he shoulders the gun.

Two ways to make certain that the guy doesn’t stop is to watch the bird fall through the beads of the gun or staying in the gun as if you were going to shoot at the bird again. While these two tips sound simple, if you can make them a part of every shot in the field your shooting success will increase significantly.

A great deal of the success or failure experienced by a shooter is determined by the confidence he has in seeing lead pictures. The more often a shooter sees a bird fall or a target break with a lead picture, the more confidence he will have the next time he sees a similar shot.

When the gun is noticeably out of place relative to the target, the shooter rarely has time to recover quickly enough to make a successful shot.
When the gun is noticeably out of place relative to the target, the shooter rarely has time to recover quickly enough to make a successful shot.

Jerking the Trigger

It’s pretty rare for the average hunter to find himself jerking the trigger or flinching when shooting live birds. This phenomenon is typically found in the intense competitive clay target shooter, who has shot literally thousands and thousands of rounds of ammunition over the years.

A flinch is best described as a mental refusal of a physical act, such as pulling the trigger. In other words, even though the shooter attempts to pull the trigger, the brain sends a message to the muscles in the trigger finger that will not allow it to move. This is most often the result of a fear of missing or the anticipation of recoil, and is almost always followed by the trigger being jerked with little or no success.

When shooting birds, hunters will usually not refuse to pull the trigger, rather they have a tendency to yank the trigger and fire the gun before it is properly positioned on the shoulder. When this happens, of course, the timing of the shot is significantly affected and the target is usually not hit.

This typically occurs on flushing birds or when the shooter is surprised by the sudden appearance of a bird. Sometimes in a rush to get off a shot, the shooter gets into the trigger too quickly. The flinch in hunting can be eliminated if the shooter realizes that he usually has more time to execute a shot than he thinks. There are no gamebirds that can outrun a speeding shotstring, so rushing a shot just isn’t necessary. By slowing down his approach to shooting the bird and giving his eyes time to focus on a specific target, the shooter will have better control of his movements and the technique required to properly mount and swing the gun. If the shooter will stay in the gun by keeping his head down and his eyes through the rib in order to watch the bird fall, he will be less concerned with shooting too quickly.

It’s been said that 60 percent of shooting is confidence. That’s confidence in yourself, confidence in the gun and confidence in your ammo. Having this level of certainty that a successful shot can be made by taking the time to properly position the gun will certainly improve one’s percentages of success afield.

When more than one bird is presented in the kill zone, like here with this covey rise, you must choose your target one at a time. There’s always more time than you think.
When more than one bird is presented in the kill zone, like here with this covey rise, you must choose your target one at a time. There’s always more time than you think.

Lifting the Head off the Stock

Of all the reasons for missing birds, lifting the head off the stock is probably the the most common of all. Remember that a properly fitted shotgun will allow the eyes and the gun to look and shoot to the same spot. That’s the beauty of pointing the gun rather than aiming it. So when you look through the beads on the rib of the gun, it will shoot where the eyes look. Don’t look at the beads. Just be aware of them, much like you are aware of the white lines in the center of the road when driving. You are aware of them, but your focus never goes there.

This holds true time after time, and successful shots are made consistently unless the eye/barrel/bird relationship changes. But when the head is lifted off the stock or the eyes are lifted above the sighting plane of the gun, this constitutes a change in where the eyes and gun look, which will usually constitute a miss.

A fairly common occurrence with clay shooters is not lifting the head, but merely lifting the eyes above the rib to get a better look at the target. This is especially true on targets that are dropping or have a descending line of flight. The results, however, are generally the same, and they aren’t good. Shooters guilty of lifting the eyes should remember to concentrate on their targets through the rib of the gun. Failure to do so will usually cause the gun to stop.

There are a number of reasons for the head to lift as the trigger is being pulled. If the drop on the stock is too low for the shooter, the eyes will be below the receiver and the face will have to be lifted in order to correctly see the bird beyond the muzzle. Proper gun fit, of course, will cure the problem if this is the case.

If the gun is mounted improperly, it will be difficult for the shooter to get his sight picture adjusted in the short time that a shooter generally has to take a shot at a speeding bird. Since the eyes should attempt to follow the bird, they will want to stay focused on it, so they could leave the stock if it isn’t positioned in the cheek and on the shoulder properly. Consistent gun mount practice will add to the timeliness of a proper picture and shot.

The angle of ascent or descent of a bird in flight will also cause the shooter to lift his head off the gun. If a bird flushes and rises quickly, the shooter’s tendency is to first lift the eyes above the gun to find the bird. If the eyes stay up as the bird rises, there’s a good chance that the head will come up as well. If the bird is dropping or landing, if the shooter allows it to come to the gun, chances are he will lift his head in order to keep it in sight just on top of the rib.

It has been established that in shotgun shooting the eyes lead the hands to the target and subsequently to the correct lead picture. And as long as the gun mount is correct, the head can stay down as the muzzle moves along the target line. If the lead picture is right, a successful shot will be the result.

So there you have it, a series of examples of why you miss. By identifying these individual problems and providing a fix for them, there is a good possibility that your skills in the field will improve significantly.

This article is an excerpt from the Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning.

The Basics of Wingshooting – Part 2

The more crossing a target to your position, the more lead you will need to hit it. Don't be afraid to miss in front of those crossing birds.
The more crossing a target to your position, the more lead you will need to hit it. Don't be afraid to miss in front of those crossing birds.

To become competent at wingshooting, you must have the basics of shooting flying objects firmly in place. In Part 2 of the series excerpted from the Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning, Marty Fischer gives you more basic tips.

A shotgun is a different animal all together. Since there is no rear sight on the models used for wingshooting — shooting flying objects like gamebirds and clay targets — the gun is pointed and not aimed.

When you consider the absence of a rear sight, you’ll find that the shooter’s eye on the side of the shooting shoulder takes its place.

Assuming the gun fits the shooter properly and is mounted to the face and placed in the shoulder correctly, the gun should shoot exactly where the shooter is looking.

Since the gun will shoot to the point of the shooter’s focus when properly fitted and mounted, he should always look down the rib or through the beads of the gun and directly on the target itself or to a point ahead of the target depending on his shooting style.

If at any time the eyes leave that focal point relative to the target and are directed back to the barrel for shooter alignment, or they look at some object other than the intended target, the result will almost always be a miss.

Wingshooting
Successful shooting starts with a good stance, which allows the body to move freely through-out the shot sequence.

The shooter’s ability to use his eyes to acquire a lead picture is not the only ingredient needed for a successful shot. Things like proper foot and body position and a well executed gun mount are also required if a shot is to be successful. These important elements of successful shooting require physical motion and can be learned and applied with proper practice.

At first, mastering the basics of wingshooting might appear to be difficult for some new shooters, as the thought of having to determine just what sight picture is needed to hit a constantly moving and changing flying target can be confusing.

Even though humans are not blessed with the best vision in nature, they do have a mental capacity that is superior to all creatures. As a result, we can see and feel lead pictures that can in fact be learned and stored mentally for future use. You will find that shotgun leads are not measured. On shots taken in the field, there simply isn’t time.

Professional instructors often tell their students to feel the lead, not measure it. The eyes will tell the shooter when the picture is right. Without question, the more information that is stored for immediate recall when a bird is flushed or passes overhead, the more instinctively the shooter will respond. As this skill is further developed, the shooter’s ability to feel the lead will become more natural.

A good understanding of how the eyes and brain work together to direct the hands can give a shooter a leg up when it comes to his wingshooting skills. These skills can only be developed with proper practice.

Like other physical skills that require precise use of the motor movement senses, the proper and controlled mechanics for handling a shotgun have to be learned and developed to the point that they become habitual or as some might say, instinctive.

Being an accomplished shot with a shotgun doesn’t bear any resemblance to passing a college course in rocket science, but many shooters seem to take it to that level.

Once the basic motor skills of mounting and swinging a shotgun are mastered, and a series of mental images of lead pictures for certain shots are filed away in the brain, lead picture identification becomes more natural. And when all of the elements needed for a successful shot are in place, the shooter will be amazed at how natural it feels when a target such as a pheasant or duck presents itself in front of the gun.

The eyes will lock on the target and the hands will masterfully push the gun towards the bird. As this sequence of events unfolds, everything to the shooter seems to be in slow motion.

Remarkably the eyes and brain instinctively know when the proper sight picture is acquired and, as the shot sequence continues, the shooter will see the bird fall while focusing on it through the beads on the gun.

Did the shooter have the time to decipher all of the aspects of the shot in the few seconds it took for this scene to play out? If he was successful, chances are he would say that the gun just went to the right spot and the trigger was pulled when the muzzle got to the target and the picture felt right.

Many would define this action as instinctive, but once we analyze how the sequence of events unfolded, instinct might be only a small part of what actually happened. It might be better to say that the satisfying result of such a shot sequence was a combination of the eyes, hands and brain working as a team.

You will find that as you become more comfortable with your wingshooting it is this teamwork of senses and our remarkable mind that ultimately define the basics of wingshooting.

Since there is much more to the above scenario than just pointing the gun until it feels good, let’s take a look at the myriad of variables that allow such a shot to take place.

Click here to read part 1

This article is an excerpt from the Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning.

The Basics of Wingshooting – Part 1

If possible, it’s best to shoot a shotgun with both eyes open. You are much better off using 100% of your visual capacity instead of closing an eye, which limits depth perception and peripheral skills.
If possible, it’s best to shoot a shotgun with both eyes open. You are much better off using 100% of your visual capacity instead of closing an eye, which limits depth perception and peripheral skills.

Wingshooting is an eye/hand coordination game. The eyes see the target and send information about the target to the brain. The brain then signals the finger to pull the trigger once the desired lead picture is confirmed. This process sounds easy, and it is when the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. So let’s get right to those pieces of the puzzle.

Once a shooter learns to use his vision to see the target, he must have a working knowledge and understanding of the physical movement required to place the muzzle of his shotgun in a location relative to that moving target. When the muzzle of the gun is pushed to the right spot, the pellets from the fired shotshell will impact the intended target.

Shooting a shotgun can be as easy as pointing your finger. Since a shotgun is pointed and not aimed, the ability to focus on an object and point at it is the first step towards wingshooting success.
Shooting a shotgun can be as easy as pointing your finger. Since a shotgun is pointed and not aimed, the ability to focus on an object and point at it is the first step towards wingshooting success.

He must take into consideration that he is sending a speeding shot charge traveling somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 miles per hour in the direction of a moving target traveling at a much slower pace.

The very best shooters seem to have a knack for deciphering information that includes target speed, angle and distance so as to allow their eyes and hands work as a team in placing the shotgun muzzle in just that right spot relative to the target as the trigger is pulled. The not so skilled or trained, however, can visibly struggle with the same challenge.

It is true that some members of the species homo sapien have inherently better physical and visual skills to draw from. These individuals tend to be the so-called “natural” shots that you might hear about from time to time. This natural ability is merely a superior blend of eye/hand coordination that one might find in professional athletes such as baseball or tennis players.

In fact, most professional athletes make excellent wingshooters because of their ability to let their eyes lead their hands to a successful end. Great vision and superb reflexes allow those natural shots to see and react to moving objects in a totally different way than does the average shooter.

Since most shooters don’t have the aforementioned tremendous natural ability, it is comforting to know that wingshooting skills can be learned and subsequently developed through proper training and practice. Like most top athletes in other sports, the best shooters constantly hone their skills by taking quality instruction and practicing continuously.

This book is written to provide concise information that, when applied properly, can open a number of doors that lead to significant improvement of one’s wingshooting skills. The most effective way to do this is to break a successful shot down to its most basic elements.

Most shooters got their start by shooting a .22 caliber rifle. With open sights, the rifle is aimed at a specific target. Shooting a shotgun in the field is quite different.
Most shooters got their start by shooting a .22 caliber rifle. With open sights, the rifle is aimed at a specific target. Shooting a shotgun in the field is quite different.

First of all, shooting a shotgun is much like pointing your finger. You will find that by simply focusing on an object and then pointing at it with either hand, chances are pretty good that you will never miss that object with your finger. This will be the case whether the chosen target is stationary or moving. Give it a try. Pick out an object and point at it while keeping both eyes open.

Remember to point and not aim. Right on, I’ll bet. So if you can successfully allow the eyes to lead the hands to an object without a shotgun in them, chances are you can do the same thing with a shotgun in hand.

Keep in mind that wingshooting is quite different from shooting a stationary object with a rifle or a pistol. Those types of firearms have both front and rear sights that must be properly aligned on a target in order to hit it with a single projectile.

Since this alignment must be very precise, hitting a moving object like a speedy game bird with either of them would be very difficult.  Click here to read part 2

This article is an excerpt from the Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning.

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