Conceal and Carry Newsletter "THE SPOTLIGHT"

Conceal & Carry Network -The SpotLight Latest News and Articles on #Firearms, #Guns, #2A, and more Published by Conceal&CarryNetwork 19 October 2016 Read paper → Just in Case: The Rationale for Spare Gun Magazines Shared by Deplorable Infidel www­.ammoland­.com - By Keith Coniglio Gun writer & activist, Keith Coniglio, makes the case for why you can not have too many spare gun magazines. Of course we think you will agree. USA –-(Ammoland.com)- Whether it’s ... Articles: Obamacare, and What (Else) Is Leading Americans to Revolt Shared by American Thinker www­.americanthinker­.com - What is wrong in health care reflects what is wrong with our relationship with government as a whole in America today.  What is currently in place with Obamacare is a network of government and busi... Articles: Obamacare Is the Ultimate Death Panel Shared by American Thinker www­.americanthinker­.com - Remember when Sarah Palin was excoriated for suggesting that ObamaCare contained death panels?  Then we learned that the nonexistent death panels were actually deleted from the law and then, oops, ... Police Taser man to end standoff in W. Houston Shared by KHOU 11 News Houston www­.khou­.com - HOUSTON - A man was taken into custody for a mental health evaluation following a brief standoff in west Houston. According to Houston Police, officers were called to 1400 Confederate Street around... Soaking rain to end unusual warmth in northeastern US Shared by AccuWeather www­.accuweather­.com - Following a surge of unusual warmth in the northeastern U.S., a round of soaking rain will arrive during late week and a blast of chilly air will follow. "A powerful storm system will develop acros... Read paper →

Conceal & Carry Network's Video for Business Owners

#RedNationRising Radio w/Chris Dixon

What is the Conceal and Carry Network website?

What is the Conceal and Carry Network website? 

Our website  (www.concealncarry.net)  launched on June 12th, 2013 and it started as a firearms Industry Directory with over 64,000 listings. Visitors could do a geographic search in their area to find a FFL Dealer, Manufacturer, Firearms Trainer, Firearms Retailer, Shooting Range, and much more. We allow firearms related businesses to simply list their company for FREE with a Silver level business listing or to pay just $100 a year for the premium featured Platinum Level Business Listing.

Take a minute to watch our Introduction video.

If you own a Firearms related business watch this video.

There is a huge difference between the FREE listing and the Platinum level as our website averages about 5-50 monthly impressions (views) of a FREE Silver Listing and the Platinum Listing averages 1500-5000 monthly impressions. The Platinum Listing has features which include SEO management, Video sharing capability, and the ability to post around 20 pictures, you can even backlink to your website, and has built-in sharing features for almost all social medias. At the price of 28 cents a day this is super affordable for any business.

 

The BEST INFO page is a vast library of firearms and 2nd Amendment related topics, videos, news, podcaster, TV Show, Radio Shows and much more. This is our fastest growing section that is continually expanding. It could take you several days to explore everything on this one page.

 

There are companies in the firearms industry that have invested heavily to create videos that cover safety, product reviews, and other awesome tips. Two of these companies are MidwayUsa and Brownells. I was blessed to have Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA and Pete Brownell of Brownells each give me permission to share their vast video libraries. There are 100's of videos in each library. These are great for anyone in our industry that wants some quick tips or training.

Today Podcasters are the best source of firearms related news and topics. We have one of the largest libraries of Podcasters on the internet. You will find Kenn Blanchard "Black man with a gun", Jake Challand of Gun Guy Radio, Julie Golob and Randi Rogers of Gun Girl Radio, Matt Staser of Average Outdoorsman, Bob Harvey of the BULLSEYE talk show, and several others on our PODCASTER page. The majority of these pages use RSS feed to keep you updated on the most recent broadcasts and shows.

On 08/28/2014 we upgraded our NEWs Page to a Paper.li auto-updating newsletter. The name of the page is now called "The Spotlight". We are using RSS Feed from many firearms related sources with the largest being AMMOLAND.  This Newsletter will update with new articles twice daily (7am & 7pm CT).   You can subscribe specifically to this newsletter. 
AmmoLand is our primary news source as Fredy Riehl and his team work diligently to keep us all informed of the latest and greatest firearms industry news. We do provide links to other news sites like NRA's ILA, the gun wire, and our own version of the news called "No Guns... Really?" There are so many things happening in our world that can and do affect us and these sources are a great place to check up on what is new and ever changing.

We added a new forum to our website on May 2014. We assigned a shortcut URL www.ccnforum.com for easier connections to the forum. You will find we added features that virtually no other forum has included.

There are sections on our forum called ASK THE EXPERT where we have resident professionals that you can interact with and ask any questions related to their experience. Virtually all other forums you cannot know if the person giving advice is a professional or a con-artist. Good and trusted advice can be very hard to come by....but not on our site. Our page ASK THE EXPERTs currently has 6 people with years of experience and they each have a bio page that shares their credentials. My goal is to have over 100 Experts on board in the next year.
Adding the forum to our site opened up a lot of opportunities for people to connect and interact. It has also given me another way to share information. I have posted over 50 articles of news, events, and topics worth reading. People quickly find that I like to "stir the pot" if you will with topics that are dicey or thought provoking.

Our BLOG page has a large selection of guest written articles and several more that I have posted. Some of our most popular articles are "Has America lost its mind?","Why Bother?", and "SAFE CAMPUS COLORADO pushes for gun ban on college campuses"
You can like us on FACEBOOK and follow us on TWITTER. If you own a business please check out our ADVERTISING page and the McMillan Merchant Solutions page as I also work as a rep for them.
I hope this article has sparked your interest and you will start visiting our site and join our forum. Help us get the news out about our unique site by sharing it with all of your friends.
Have a Blessed Day!
Chris DIxon

“PRO versus NO on GUN CONTROL” by Chris Dixon

PRO versus NO on GUN CONTROL

by Chris Dixon

We live in a country that has an ongoing ideological battle going on over gun control.    Fundamentally this argument breaks down to either LESS GUNs on the street or MORE GUNs in the hands of legal citizens….Which idea do you think will make you safer?   We also have to factor in EMOTION to this debate as your Pro Control activists will sight high-profile national tragedies as proof that more gun control is needed.   What makes this worse is the emotional families of the victims are seen in front of the media proclaiming that this nation needs more gun control.    They claim that we need more laws to reduce the guns on the street and this action will in turn save more lives.  You hear them insulting everyone that does not agree with them and calling them every name you can imagine.
If we follow the Pro Gun Control group and we make all guns illegal do you think this will make America safer?    Do you think criminals will still have guns?  
I think this picture says it best!
 
The Pro 2^nd Amendment groups are pushing back with LOGIC and our Constitution.    There is very little anyone can do to stop a crazed person that is willing to die in order to kill other people.   The only thing you can do is stop them before they can continue.    If we have more legally carrying citizens on the street then these crazed killer might get stopped sooner.   This group understands that criminals by nature do not care about laws and they will always have guns.  You will have a hard time finding anyone that is Pro-Firearms that is eager to shoot anyone.   What you will find is upstanding citizens that want to be able to defend themselves and the ones they love.
If we follow the 2^nd Amendment supporting group and we place more guns in the hand of legal citizens that have undergone a background check do you think America will be safer?   Do you think criminals want more citizens to have gun?
This is something we must all decide for ourselves.   I for one would rather live in a country that allowed me to defend myself and the ones I love from those intent on hurting us.   If you would prefer to not have a gun I will not get mad.   I just want you to keep you hands off of my guns and not try to make me a potential victim like you choose to be.

Women and Guns by Zack Phillips

Women and Guns

by Zack Phillips

The number of women buying, shooting and owning guns has been on a steady rise for the past few years and I see no sign of it slowing down. But who are these women, and why are they choosing to arm themselves? When I ask this question to women that come in our shop looking at guns, their response is normally for "home protection" or "self defense". But that is not the only reason, more and more women are getting involved in the sport of hunting and the sport of competition shooting.

The average woman is not as strong as the average man.  In a hand-to-hand struggle, even if she goes to the gym five times a week, the average woman is likely going to lose. Although I would hate to be thrown in the cage with "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey of the UFC. And before I start getting death threats and invites to go behind the bleachers, I am by no means saying it is a waste of time to train at the gym, I encourage you 100% to keep your body fit and take some self defense classes (same goes for men). I am merely stating this is the case for the average woman.... unless she has a gun, and knows how to use it!
There’s a famous quote, ‘God made men, but Sam Colt made them equal.’ I am very glad to hear more and more stories of women who have turned the tables on these would-be robbers / rapists / kidnappers. One story that comes to mind is a 12 year old girl from Oklahoma who was home alone when someone broke into there house. She used her Mother's Glock .40 to shoot the robber in the shoulder scaring him away and was found and arrested a short time thereafter. The bottom line is, a gun is without a doubt the best way for a woman to defend herself in a worst-case scenario.” Guns give women a sense of equality, a sense of safety and a sense of being in control of themselves.  
But why now?  It makes sense that more and more women seek to be individually armed as they become increasingly independent, but the number of female shooters has sky-rocketed within just the past decade.
There isn’t recent comprehensive polling data on the motivations behind the spike, but a number of experts believe current events are also a factor.  The foundering economy and proposed gun control legislation are referenced, in particular. In the past, it would be a lot of wives with their husbands, but now a lot of single women are buying guns and taking training. Like many things, this uptick occurred as the economy soured over the last few years.
Bottom line?  More and more women of all demographics are arming themselves in America, and there are three often-cited reasons: the need to independently defend oneself, current events, and the fact that it has never been easier for women to get involved in guns. 
Or perhaps you are a woman who just happened upon this article in your search for answers to your questions, such as, "do I really need a gun?" I will try to briefly shed some light on this question and hopefully help in your decision.
 
Do I Need A Gun?
Only you can answer the question if you need a gun and it's not an easy question to answer. For a woman, this is a tough question to ask themselves because it means facing their vulnerabilities. For our own peace of mind we tend to assure ourselves that; "people are good" or "my neighborhood is safe" or "I am always aware, I can prevent something from happening." Of course we know that none of these things are completely true, and if you are a single woman your risks go up dramatically.
Home Defense
Because of the confusing nature of the different state laws and crimes, verifiable statistics are hard to come by for home invasions in the United States. Some resources placed the statistics as high as 1 in 5 homes in the U.S. that will be broken into or experience some sort of home invasion. The majority of states do not categorize "home invasions" as a unique crime, but instead specify the actual crime committed once the criminals are inside the residence, such as homicide, assault, rape, kidnapping, or robbery. Even with hard to find numbers I don't believe any of us could or should assume that our home or apartment is not a candidate for a home invasion.
Could You Use a Gun to Protect Yourself?

Your choice to carry and own a gun for self-protection says that you are willing to take the life of someone if necessary in order to save your life or the lives of those you love. This is a very significant statement that has very serious ramifications. We of course don't own a gun to "kill", we own a gun to "defend". Should that moment ever arise, could you use your gun on an attacker? You will have to answer this question for yourself.
Before you purchase a gun for your self-protection you MUST fully consider the following questions:

• Do I believe that there are circumstances that make it acceptable to kill another human?
• Could I really aim my gun at another human being and pull the trigger?
• Would I be able to live with the emotional scars that may follow and perhaps even the social and legal ramifications?
• Can I spiritually reconcile this question with my faith?

In all honesty, if you are not willing to explore these questions and cannot answer yes to them, you may not be ready to own a gun for self defense at this time. This would put you and others at great risk. Perhaps you should consider some other less-lethal form of self defense. 
Will You Be a Responsible Gun Owner?
Becoming a gun owner carries with it a great responsibility. Safe storage must be considered and prepared for. Keeping your gun locked in a safe to prevent children or others from unauthorized access is necessary. You as the owner must take into consideration how you will safely store and carry your gun and be committed to eliminating the possibility of unauthorized access to it. 
You Have a Right to Protect Yourself
I personally believe that everyone has a right to defend themselves and should do so by whatever means necessary. I am not saying that you should shoot every 6 foot 6 inch 250 pound crackhead in the groin just because he ask's you on a date, I am merely saying that you DO have options of protecting yourself and because you are the smaller, weaker person does not mean that you have to just give up. As a Christian I like to reference the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was part of the  Philistine Army and was over 8 feet tall and always wore full body armor. For 40 days he would come out each day mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight. The King of Israel and his entire Army were terrified of Goliath. 
One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the battle lines by his father to bring back news of his brothers. David was probably just a young teenager at the time. While there, David heard Goliath shouting his daily defiance and he saw the great fear stirred within the men of Israel. David responded, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?" 
So David volunteered to fight Goliath. Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying his shepherd's staff, sling and a pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath. The giant cursed at him, hurling threats and insults.
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied ... today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air ... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel ... it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and slung one of his stones at Goliath's head. Finding a hole in the armor, the stone sank deep into the giant's forehead and he fell face down on the ground.
Big or small, weak or strong, male or female, we ALL have a right to defend ourselves against evil beings. What you choose to defend yourself with is up to you. As for me and my family, we choose the gun. I encourage every woman to choose some type of protection, whether it be a gun, pepper spray, taser or self defense classes.

Hopefully you never have to but if the time ever comes... be prepared to defend yourself! I'm not saying that as a woman you should be paranoid, dressed in full camo with a Colt M4 slung over your shoulder, a Beretta 9mm in your purse, a Glock .45 strapped to your ankle and a Keltec P3AT stuffed in your bra. Just always be aware of your surroundings and always be prepared to defend yourself with whatever means you feel comfortable with. My personal recommendation would be to get a gun and learn how to use it. Very few things make a bolder statement than the Armed Female. 
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions.

Zack Phillips
Website: www.shootersplus.com
Twitter: @ShootersPlus
FaceBook: SH00TERSPLUS

Concealed Carry Tips: How to Stop Worrying About "Printing" by Chris Baker

Concealed Carry Tips: How to Stop Worrying About "Printing"

by Chris Baker

If you hang around the concealed carry crowd for long, you’re likely to hear about the issue of “printing”. That’s the informal term that describes when the the outline of a gun is visible through a garment even though the gun is technically covered. This is generally considered a bad thing, and many people will go to great lengths to ensure that their carry gun isn’t printing before they venture out into public.

I remember the first time I carried after getting my permit almost a decade ago. I stuffed a S&W snubby into the inside pocket of a heavy wool coat and went to Target to buy a birthday card for a friend. Even though there was no possible way anyone could see even the hint of an outline of the gun through that coat, all I could think the whole time was, “Holy crap. I have a GUN in my pocket! Everybody knows and I will be shunned from society!”

After having taught concealed carry permit classes for a few years, I learned from former students that this sentiment is not uncommon among first-time carriers. Assuming you carry on a regular basis, the paranoid feeling eventually fades and stowing a blaster in your trousers every day becomes as natural as getting dressed in the morning. But for most people, there is still a lingering desire to avoid getting “made” and having someone accidentally discover there’s a holstered pea-shooter underneath your shirt.

Motives for wanting to be armed discreetly will vary from one person to the next and could be for social reasons, legal reasons, or to maintain a perceived tactical advantage. There are a few different ways you could potentially be “outed” as a CCW-holder, printing being just one of them, but its one that a lot of folks tend to be very cautious about. Oftentimes too cautious, in my opinion, because it often leads to them carrying a smaller or less powerful gun than they should, or to not even carrying at all. Chances are, you have little to worry about, and here are a few thoughts to consider to help put your mind at ease:

1. It’s not as obvious as you think

If you’re worried that the slight bulge in your shirt is really obvious when you’re looking down at it, be sure to check in a mirror. From a couple of feet away, it’s probably barely perceptible. So unless you’re trying to carry a six-inch revolver in a spandex tank-top, a slight protrusion from the base of the grip that looks huge to your eyes when looking down at it will most likely blend in from the perspective of the people around you.

2. Nobody’s looking

With belt holsters being the most common method for concealed carry, printing is most likely to occur around the body’s midsection. Fortunately, in our society it’s generally impolite to stare at other people’s “crotchal region” and most people have a sub-concious aversion to letting their eyes drift toward staring at a strangers belt line. Even if your gun is blatantly printing, few people in public will ever notice.

3. Printing rarely looks like a gun

So let’s say you’re printing a little and somebody happens to notice something a bit odd about the way your clothes fit. The average person is not trained to automatically think “gun” when they see a little wrinkle in someone’s shirt. If they even give it a second thought, they’re more likely to assume it’s something mundane like a belt buckle, cell phone, keychain, or a beeper (that is, if your town happens to be perpetually stuck in the year 1997.)

4. Nobody cares

The only people who automatically assume that any object concealed under clothing is a gun are other concealed carry permit holders, and they’re certainly not going to give you a hard time. Okay, maybe some cops will notice too, but unless you’re acting like a complete moron, 99.9% of LEOs out there aren’t going to hassle you for a little printing. It’s unlikely, though possible that a “bad guy” might notice the lump under your shirt, but chances are he’s looking for an easy target and not interested in getting into a wrestling match with you over what may or may not turn out to be a gun.

5. Know the Law

In states where open carry is prohibited, it’s often rumored that any degree of printing is illegal too, even with a concealed carry permit. In reality, this is almost never the case. Since printing is not a technical legal definition, it raises the important question of what exactly qualifies as “concealed”. Laws vary from state to state, but in most places, as long as you’re making a legitimate effort to keep the gun concealed from the average untrained eye, you shouldn’t have to worry about printing. There’s a lot of overblown misinformation out there on this issue, so be sure to get your facts about state and local carry laws from a reliable source before making any assumptions.

6. Stop Touching It

If you’re overly concerned about printing, then you might be prone to constantly checking and adjusting your carry gun. More often than not, this will only serve to draw unwanted attention to your heater, not keep it hidden. As our pal Say Uncle is fond of saying, “stop touching it“. If you behave as if nothing is there, then most other people will too.

As always, a good holster and solid gun belt are key to maximizing the comfort and concealability of your carry gun. The setup should keep the grip of the gun close to your body to avoid excessive printing, and to keep the gun from moving around. Of course, you’ll probably have to “dress around the gun” to some degree, which may require going up one pant size, and avoiding excessively tight clothing. But with decent gear and some common sense, printing shouldn’t be much of a concern for the average legally armed citizen.

About the Author

Check out other Articles by Chris Baker of Lucky Gunner

"Proper Planning and Preparation" by Keith Coyle

Contributors introduction-Keith Coyle.

A professional Coach since 1990, Keith is currently the only internationally recognized CPSA qualified Senior Shotgun Instructor in the Middle East. As well as running his own shooting Clubs in the past Keith has worked with the very best shooting schools in the UK which includes Holland & Holland, West London Shooting School and was the Senior Instructor for Mr. Sam Grice at the Long Acres shooting School Cambridge. In 1996 Keith assisted with the opening of the Jebel Ali Shooting Club establishing range operations and the Shooting Academy. As well as being a recognised Gun Fitter for many of Europe’s finest Gun Makers he is an experienced Shooting Ground and Sporting Clays Course designer.

ARTICLE 4. IN THE SERIES: ONLY PERFECT PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT:

PROPER PLANNING & PREPARATION.

In the last issue of H. & S.  I described the 5 commonly recognized methods or systems of how to apply forward allowance (or lead) to a moving target when using a sporting shotgun and at the end of the article I promised to reveal to you the closely guarded secret Sixth system that will turn you into the envy of your shooting Friends & Buddies.  So! Bolt all the doors close the curtains and nail crooked pieces of wood across the windows and I will tell you of the mystical “3 P’s”.

This system, if applied in the correct way, is fool proof and I am so confident in its ability to give you the power to hit any target consistently, I will offer you a life time “Money Back Guarantee!”

What are these 3 P’s I hear you ask,  well it’s the formula I use for getting a pupil to focus on what is the most important element in making a successful shot and that is to use their natural ability to simply “Point” and override the brains conscious desire to make them “Aim”.

When shooting, our competitive nature subconsciously demands we generate success, this means seeing the target break, so the first thing the majority of shooters start to focus on and think about is “How Much Lead Do I Need To Give The Target’, which is in fact the very last thing we should think about as it’s the end of the process, not the beginning or even the middle!

So when we step up to the plate or enter the shooting cage what should we concentrate on first? Well it’s the first “P” of the system, this is to look for and find the correct visual “Pick Up Point”, the place on the flight path where our eyes first focus on the target as a solid object, so we can“Pick It Up’

The next “P” in the system is to simply point the barrels straight at the target once it’s released and to stay in contact with it on its flight path with a moving gun, so we “Point At It”

 

Now having made accurate contact with the target, the final “P” in the system, that is required for you to complete the shot, is just to accelerate the barrel movement ahead of the target, so we“Pull Away”.

You are now armed with the 3 P’s formula, so, all that is required for you to do when you call for the next target is to solely concentrate on saying this phrase in your mind as you carry out the movement, you must not, I repeat , must not, think about breaking the target, just the 3 P’s:

Pick It Up………….Point At It…………………. Pull Away………

Don’t attempt to shorten the words, it will break the rhythm, just say it as you do it, if it’s a quick  or slow moving target  just say the phrase  at the same speed, just focus on this and nothing else and the target will automatically break, I guarantee it!.

 

Concentrating your mind on this simple phrase will override the on board computers (The Brain) demand for you to break the target and will allow you to concentrate on creating the perfect technique, which will then always result in success. The true advantage of this system is that by making accurate contact with the target, it gives the Brain a base point from which to make a judgment. So if you miss, the onboard computer will automatically now know where you missed and will be able to tell you to either increase or decrease the distance in front you pulled away.

 

As one of my Coaching mentors, the late Chris Craddock used to say; “For many shooters, What’s Missed is a Mystery and What’s Hit is History”, meaning that many shooters never truly understand the reason for their miss or actually understand why they hit it.  Well using the “3P’s’will take the mystery out of the missing and will ensure you have the ability to hit whatever you point your barrels at and know how you did it. So next time you find yourself missing and not knowing why, give the “3P’s’ a try!

The Late Great Chris Craddock.

When planning the series “Only perfect practice makes perfect’  I intended to cover in this fourth article the correct technique and the reasons for shooting “Gun Down’ and the advantages it gives the Clay Shooter particularly in the disciplines of Sporting Clays and Skeet.

Little did I know then how relevant it was to become especially after I had been a spectator and an observer at the Dubai Nad Al Sheba, Sporting Clays Championships which was held at the beginning of March.  (See my report on page……..)

PROPER PLANNING & PREPARATION.

It was during my time at the Nad Al Sheba Sporting Clays Championships, where as an expat that cannot have his own guns in his possession in the UAE I was relegated to the role of observer, it became very evident to me that a considerable number of the competitors were unable to effectively shoot “Gun Down”, which was a requirement of the F.I.T.S.C. Sporting rules that the competition was shot under.

This to me was amazing and on talking to some of these shooters it was clear that many did not understand the principles and correct techniques required to shoot from a gun down starting position at a moving target.  Many could not even basically mount the Gun correctly and by the time they had got the gun in their face and in line with their eye, the target was either long gone out of range or hand landed.

We all know that the Shotgun was originally designed as a hunting weapon that relied on our instinctive skills of split second reaction and our ability to point without conscious thought to shoot at and hit a moving target, either in the air or on the ground. That is why there are no sights on a shotgun because it is not meant to be aimed as when out hunting there is no time to aim, just point and shoot.

It is also physically impossible, when hunting in the field, to either walk or stand for any length of time with the gun already mounted up to the face and held in the shoulder and it would also considerably restrict our ability to move our arms, rotate our upper body and to point effectively.

These are the reasons why shooting a Shotgun from the Gun down position is by far the most efficient and natural method to use when shooting moving targets that cross our view, fly directly at us, quarter away, run along the ground and even when lifting up from the ground in front of us and flying away.

 

So, to shoot from gun down what are the techniques required to do this!

Well, the first and most important of these is the ability to mount the Gun consistently up to the face without conscious thought in the correct way. This is the bedrock of all good shooting and as is covered in my very first article of the series. To perfect the mount takes time and practice; at least 2,500 repetitive movements before it becomes “Muscle Memory” (See my demonstration photos in article 1).

The great Robert Churchill showing how to mount a shotgun for shooting in the field.

Once this is achieved then we need to start looking at other elements such as; how low down do I start the gun? At what angle should I have the barrels? Where is the correct start point for my barrels on the flight path? And how much movement should I generate to enable me to make contact with and then pull away from the target? Of course the answer to all of these questions depends on the target you are about to shoot.

The objective of shooting gun down is to generate one single movement that allows the barrels to converge on to the target in a flat diagonal approach by coming up from underneath its flight path, making contact with it at exactly the same time as the gun comes into the face and the stock locks into the shoulder pocket.

This is Stuart Clarke one of the UKs most successful Sporting Clay shots, you will see his stance is relaxed and upright with his weight resting over the front foot, his barrels are set at the right elevation to approach the target from underneath, his eyes are focused on the pickup point and his gun start point is set a little further out on the targets flight line.

I see so many shooters start with their gun held out of the shoulder at a level and in a position that has no relevance to the target they are about to shoot. As soon as they call pull they just throw the gun up to the shoulder with a pivoting incorrect mount, which drops the muzzles, so they are now off the line of the bird and all this before they have even seen the target appear.  Then they have to lift the barrels back up to the flight line and chase after the bird in an effort to catch it and get ahead with a mounted gun. So they have created three moves instead of a single efficient one, in fact it would be far better and far more successful for them to shoot “PreMounted-Gun Up”.

I hope this Lady will forgive me but this is a classic case of very poor preparation, the gun is held completely in the reverse way to shoot gun down, the butt is already in her shoulder barrels pointing at the ground with no relevance to the height and angle of the target she is about to shoot. Pointless! She would be better to have the gun PreMounted with the barrels set just under the anticipated flight path and use the 3P’s to achieve success.

 

Unlike this Lady shooter who has planned her preparation perfectly to shoot a right to left climbing crossing bird. The gun is held slightly away from the body allowing her arms to move freely and lift the gun, the muzzles are held at an angle that allows them to come up from underneath the Line, she has her eyes set at the Visual Pick Up point, and the barrels are set further out along the flight path (to the Left of here eyes)so that the target, despite its speed, never gets in front of the moving gun forcing her to chase and catch up. She will make one easy fluid movement that will bring the gun into her face at exactly the same time as the barrels make contact with the target and the natural swing generated by her movement with automatically take the barrels ahead of the target the right distance as she squeezes the trigger.

Many shooters believe that they don’t have enough time to shoot gun down.  In fact it’s completely the reverse; shooting gun down for Sporting & Skeet creates time for the shot to be taken, because it is physically a far easier movement than shooting with the gun PreMounted into the shoulder. It also allows full use of our peripheral Vision enabling the brain to judge speed and distance more accurately.

The question of how far down the gun mount should start, as I mentioned earlier, depends on the target itself. A simple guideline for this is, the further the target is away, you to need to generate a bigger movement to be able to make contact, so the gun start is low down, the closer the target is you only need a smaller movement, so the gun is only a short way down. Think of it in Golfing terms, if you are on the Tee making a long drive you take the club head as far back as you can to generate a big movement that hits the ball as a far as possible, if you are chipping on to the green you only take the club head back far enough for a Small Swing, it’s the same principal.

The key factor about shooting gun down is to keep the gun out of the face and shoulder until the barrels make contact with the bird which is the moment you should squeeze the trigger and shoot. If you delay in taking the shot once the gun hits your shoulder and you keep the gun in your face riding the target, trying to make sure of the lead, your swing movement slows down and you end up missing behind.  Also it is vital that you should start the mount, moving and pointing the gun the moment your eye locks on to the target, this keeps you synchronized with the speed of the target and allows you to stay on the line even if the bird changes direction. You must “Participate” not “Spectate”, watching the target move without pointing at it and leaving the mount till the last second will leave you rushing the shot and unable to judge target speed and line accurately, resulting in a Miss!.

”Participate’ don’t “Spectate”

The next thing we need to consider is where the muzzle start point should be on the targets flight path.

A simple guide is;

The barrels should always be set further out along the line ahead of the eyes and the visual pick up point. This means your brain can start pointing your front hand forefinger at the target the moment the eyes receive the information, enabling your barrels to come up and make contact with it. This positioning takes a little practice to get right, as if the start point is too far out it will bring your barrels up ahead of the bird resulting in either a miss in front or you stopping the gun to wait for the target to catch up, which will mean a miss behind. If your gun start point is closer to the trap house than your eyes or set in direct line with them , the barrels will always end up trailing and being behind the target which means you never make contact with it and that’s another probable Miss!.

There are several other factors that need to be taken into account when shooting gun down, the main ones, other than distance, that dictate the type of movement we need to make are; the angle of the targets flight path and the size of the “Window of Opportunity” we have to shoot the target in, such as Station 8 on the Skeet field. These I will talk about in the next article and how we apply Shooting Gun Down at specific targets such as Arcing Battues, High Tower Birds and Ground Running Rabbits

Having hopefully now read this article can I encourage you to go out on the range and practice, you need to experiment with new techniques and learn how to incorporate them into your own chosen method.

All shooting instructors have their own way of teaching.  Mine is simply to teach a style of shooting which makes sense to the people who are going to use it.  Most important is the need for every pupil to understand what he is doing and why he is doing it.  It is pointless if you don’t know exactly why you hit or missed a target.   

People who are waiting to take their turn on a stand at a clay shoot will often give many conflicting opinions about a shot, but it is the man or woman with the gun who should know exactly where the shot has gone in relation to the target.  I, therefore, believe that shooting should be kept at its very simplest so that it is possible for the shooter to understand what it is all about.  After all, there is nothing terribly complicated about shooting; people make it more difficult for themselves by not understanding the basics first.  These basics are the reasons behind what is done and how it is done – and there is a reason for everything.  

The most common fault in Wing & Clay Shooting is that of not getting in front of a target.   All shooters have enough common sense to realise that they must be in front of the target to actually hit it.  As I have explained in an earlier article lead (or forward allowance) is what has to be achieved with consistency, so any advice that you might hear to the effect that a given target requires a specific distance in front should be completely ignored.   It might appear to the person giving the advice that the distance he shot in front is what is required, but as we all see, read and approach a target in a different way; there is little point in heeding such advice.   It all basically comes down to you.   If you practice and master your own technique the breaking of the target will look after itself.   The pulling of the trigger to hit the target becomes the simplest part; it’s just the3P’s!

Remember, Good Shooting & Safe Shooting Are No Accident!

Keith Coyle,

Member of the Institute of Clay Shooting Instructors, C.P.S.A.  Senior Sporting & Academy Coach,

Senior Consultant, Hunt Arranger & Instructor for Classic Wing & Game Safaris, www.classicwingandgame.com

For Private lessons, courses, master classes, accompanied hunting & instruction in the field,

Keith can be contacted on: +971(0) 50 741 1429 email; kpcoyle53@gmail.com & keith@classicwingandgame.com

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