Coach Mark Russell of Grimsthorpe Shooting Ground gives us a guide to shooting grouse targets.
Instruction
I want to become a loader. Should I do a course?
I have loaded for some years, and although competent, I decided it was time to get a qualification in the subject. Why is a loading course a good idea? One of the significant reasons for picking up a loading qualification is for health and safety purposes. Shoots and estates have…
How to deal with clays when they’re different sizes
Clay shooting: The size of clays being thrown can influence your shooting style and hit rate immensely.
Swinging the gun – how to improve your technique
This month I’d like to look at all things swing related - and how getting it right can increase the number of targets you hit.
Are your eye dominance issues really the problem with your shooting?
Most people have a dominant eye, meaning that their brain has a neurological preference for the visual input from a particular eye. For right-handers it is usually the right eye and for left-handers the left, though not always. In some cases the brain has no preference — this is cross-dominance.…
Shooting lesson – going back to basics
Based on readers’ recent enquiries, this month top shooting coach, Mark Russell, goes back to basics.
Why you should try to keep both eyes open when shooting
I recently wrote about how an average Shot can improve out of season. We established that Patrick, the pupil, mounts his gun reasonably well and can kill birds consistently when he closes his left eye. However, he had been experimenting with shooting with both eyes open and is “now in…
A shooting lesson in ground game
Shooting ground game can be a tricky business, says coach Mark Russell. Here’s how to hit rabbit-type targets!
Have you tried this clayshooting method?
Mary has her eyes opened to a shooting technique that stands accepted thinking – and teaching – well and truly on its head
How to shoot an airgun accurately
Mat Manning offers some key pointers to improve your airgun accuracy and get you on target
Gun fit terms you need to know
Do you know this gun fit terminology? Cast Cast off: This is the degree to which the shotgun’s stock is offset from its centre point and to the right. The aim is to allow the right-handed user’s line of sight to be directly down the centre of the rib from the breech to the bead…
Improve your gun-mount in minutes
I’m going to show you some exercises here to improve your gun-mount which you can at home, in just a few minutes a week. They’re free and will pay huge dividends. But you need to do them regularly. Gun-mount, footwork and turns should be automatic and subconscious Practice these tips…
How to read a clay target successfully
Last month we looked at a few 'firsts' in the shooting world, safety first, first gun, first targets and the like. Carrying on from this I'd like to reconsider how we actually hit our targets.
How to deal with midis, minis and battues
Here the shooting coach explains how to tackle those clay ground favourites: sneaky little midis, minis and battues.
How to shoot crossers
The clay that's crossing in front of the stand is probably one of the most common targets you’re ever likely to encounter on an English sporting layout
Should shotgun training be compulsory?
Compulsory shotgun training by Ben Samuelson Many of my happiest childhood memories are of the times I was taken shooting by my father – I didn’t even pick up a gun, let alone draw a peg for the first 10 years or so. When all I wanted to do was…
How to practice your gun mount at home
There is no substitute for regular mounting practice to achieve a smooth, fluent and efficient mount — bringing the comb up under the gun sight, aligning your shooting eye perfectly time after time. I recommend some exercises that you can do on your own in your home, using an unloaded…
A lesson on driven grouse targets
Although the RBSS is a clayground, gameshooting tuition is very high on its agenda. The school has an excellent grouse butt and 25-bird sequence, which ends in a four-clay “covey”. Among several of the school’s old- timer instructors is Gordon Robinson, who had volunteered to offer his advice on how…
What to watch to improve your shooting performance
When it comes to teaching an adult to shoot, I always treat each person as an individual. I do not treat a lady Shot any differently from how I would a gentleman, for example. There are lots of things said with regard to lady Shots, such as eye-dominance problems, body…
The limits of the lead factor
“Give it 4ft, 5ft, 6ft”; “I think that bird needs at least 10ft, actually no, that’s at least a gate’s length; change that, it needs a bus’s length.” Does this sound familiar? What is the obsession with lead when it comes to shooting game, and why is it most guns’ and…