Clay Shooting, a Beginner’s Thoughts

By Keith Hollar – Guest Contributor

I wanted to chronicle some of the things that I have been learning as I start my journey into the world of clay shooting and bird hunting.

Even though I’ve been shooting for over 20 years I’ve only shot at flying targets a couple of times before.  I had some friends that enjoyed clay shooting that took me along a few times and gave me some basic instructions, but it didn’t really help me understand what I was doing, wrong and right.  I wasn’t very successful at breaking the clays those times.  Recently I’ve been able to go with someone who has been shooting at clays for a while and was able to explain things to me that made a light bulb go off in my head.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned while shooting trap and skeet; when shooting a field gun in trap you need to cover the clay with the barrel to get a hit, also in trap you want to hit the target while it is still rising, in skeet the leads are for station 1 = 1 foot, 2 = 2 feet, 3 = 3feet, 4 = 4 feet, 5 = 3 feet, 6 = 2 feet, 7 = 1 foot, and of course with both keep the barrel going.  Now these may not be huge revelations to most of you but I’ve never had anyone explain these things to me in such clear terms.

The next lessons have to do with the shotgun itself.  Since I’m used to shooting rifles I got into the habit of bringing the weapon to my shoulder and then bringing my head down to the sights.  That works fine for a rifle, but not a shotgun.  What you want to do is bring the shotgun up to the eye, then mount it to the shoulder.  I’ve found this works lots better getting the sighting rib aligned correctly.  Also you need to make sure the shotgun fits you.  I purchased a nice used side by side shotgun and took it to a local guy who was recommended to me to have the butt stock shortened to fit my arms.  Now that I’ve had it cut to a length of pull of 14 1/8” (including the new recoil pad) it now mounts quicker and feels more natural.

Now I’m not ready to be taking on a competition but I have noticed my scores improving each time I go.  I hope to be able to get more proficient and consistent and also try sporting clays and other more difficult clay sports.

One last piece of advice, don’t worry too much about not breaking all of the targets at first, even if you’re shooting with guys that complain about shooting a 24.  Everyone started at the beginning.  I know that is something that was difficult for me to do at first.  I know I need to concentrate of making sure I’m doing things right in order to hit the target.

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This post and its contents are the views and opinions of the author only, and do not necessarily represent those of Beretta.

First Lady of Duck Hunting

by Adam Brassfield - Pro Staff Contributor

Painted nails, pretty earrings, gorgeous lips and an itchy trigger finger. She is a knock out in a dress and a sharp shooter from the blind. Her Beretta Xtreme is her instrument and killin' greenheads is her passion. Yes, she is absolutely amazing!

For so many years it was never a thought. I mean: the one where you could see a female, day in and day out, in the duck blind. With all the nasty weather and mud, the thought of ever seeing a woman showing me up was a long shot. Then I met Natasha and my whole world changed. Seriously, when you think of a lady duck hunting you think of a backwoods, tobacco spitting woman whom you may or may not mistake for Clay Aiken. But I have to be the first to tell you: I was floored.

The first time she went duck hunting with me I thought it was a nice way to "give back" and something real good to look at, other than the other three mildly disgusting gentlemen that work with me. She shot a wood duck and a few others and looked as though she belonged out there, but I wanted to put her to the test so, the next week in our duck boat, we three guys let her come again...big mistake! She out-shot all of us and she is an incredible professional of the sport. What? I did not know if I should ask her to marry me or throw her out of the boat. I did both.

Watching this beautiful lady shoot greenheads out of the sky, give commands for the dog to retrieve them then load her Beretta without even asking, did nothing short of making me want to have kids all over again! The other two guys are ugly enough to burn a wet mule, so I knew I had a chance. She has changed our company and she has changed this industry.

Natasha is living proof that women have a place in the gun and hunting world. Not only are they coming but they have already arrived. Have I mentioned she shoots a Beretta? I have died and gone to duck hunting Heaven.

Adam Brassfield is a guest contributor for the Beretta Blog. He can be reached on Facebook.

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This post and its contents are the views and opinions of the author only, and do not represent those of Beretta.

The 10 to 2 Rule

By Brad Wilson - Guest contributor

As an avid duck hunter I get to spend quite a bit of time in the blind with different people from all walks of life.  I have had the opportunity to hunt with professional sports stars as well as with average Joes that have never sat in a blind a day in their life.  One thing that I can not stress more is SAFETY!

When folks whom I've never been hunting with get in the blind with me, we always go over safety and shot selection, first and foremost.  The basic rule that I give is what I call the "10 to 2 Rule."  Basically what the hunter has to understand is that his window of opportunity will present itself between the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position as he or she directly faces the front or rear of the blind.  If the bird happens to get outside of that range then that bird is off limits to the hunter and is in play for the person standing next to them.

If I have a hunter deviates from this rule, I will give a fair warning on the first instance.  I love this sport and I completely understand that we get caught up in the adrenaline rush sometimes, so if the infraction wasn't blatant or reckless I will give a little leeway.  My delivery will definitely make them think about the shot they took though.  If it happens again, the hunter will be asked to unload his weapon and set it down.  In all the years I have been hunting I have only had to go to this extreme one time.  After a few vollies, it was apparent that he understood where I was coming from and after a little pep talk we agreed that he would be WAY more careful.  I didn't have another problem all morning, and he learned a new respect for his weapon and the other hunters around him.

One exception to this rule is the hunter on the end of the blind.  I normally like to put more experienced hunters on the end because typically their shooting skills are far better than a novice's and thus they can "cover the end" of the blind.  I typically sit on the end where the door is, so I can work the dog on retrieves and cover that end of the blind.

One thing we all should remember: a hunt with no safety is nothing more than a game of Russian Roulette with accidents waiting to happen.  Whether you are in the duck marsh, the deer woods, or just having fun at the local range, safety should be your first and foremost concern at all times.  Always understand that "you are your brother's keeper" and not speaking up about unsafe acts is just as bad as if not worse than committing the unsafe act yourself.

Happy hunting and stay safe!

Brad Wilson is an avid outdoorsman targeting waterfowl and saltwater fish and is a guest contributor for the Beretta Blog.  He can be reached on Twitter and YouTube.


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Flight of the Silver Pigeon

by Rick Chisholm -- guest contributor

    It was a fine, late summer’s day when the phone rang at my parents residence. I was staying with them at the time, as I worked to pay-off some student debt. On the phone was a gentleman from a gun store in a nearby city who wished to speak with me. After the oft-occurring  confusion caused by my father and I sharing first names, we got the correct Rick on the phone. The man quickly informed me that I had entered a contest and subsequently won. At the time I could not recall entering a contest, but the prospect of winning anything from a gun shop was rather thrilling. The voice on the phone rattled off quite a few details, which I immediately forgot. The call ended and I stood there with my father looking at me,

    “Well?” He said.

    “I won a gun.”

    “Really?” He seemed almost dubious. “What kind?”

    “The guy said Silver-something, Silver Pigeon maybe.” I advised.

    “Never heard of it.”

    “Me neither, I think he said it’s a Beretta.” I explained excitedly.

    My father frowned.

    My head was filled with images of Martin Riggs gunning down bad guys with a 92FS, in the blockbuster Lethal Weapon series, perhaps the Silver Pigeon was a special version of the iconic Beretta pistol. I had high hopes. My father, however was likely secretly praying that it was not a pistol.

    My Dad and I arranged a little trip to the city to collect my new gun. As soon as the salesman brought out the large box, my hopes of a free pistol were immediately dashed.  Dad seemed pleasantly surprised though. The salesman explained it was a 12 gauge over/under, yadda, yadda, yadda -- I think my lack of enthusiasm was evident, and he saw an opportunity to make me a deal. While Dad watched quietly from the sidelines, the salesman courted me with tantalizing samples of “equivalent” firearms he was willing to substitute for the Beretta. A parade of “cool” rifles and shotguns proceeded, with each came a subtle but disapproving look from my Dad. I begrudgingly conceded to his experience and wisdom and eventually left the store with the Beretta box under my arm and a scowl on my face.

    On the trip home, my Dad advised me that if I wished to sell the gun, I would do best to do so privately and to maximize my price I would have to leave it in the box and not shoot it.

    Not shoot it! I was floored, it was bad enough to leave the store without some kind of black semi-auto, paramilitary rifle, but to arrive home with nothing more than a box that I dare not open was too much to bear.

    In the end though, the decision was mine and I opened the box and stood in awe at the beauty it contained. The Silver Pigeon was a magnificent shotgun, gorgeous wood and intricate engraving, right then I understood that my Dad was again right. I assembled the Silver Pigeon and fondly caressed that gun for the next few hours, taking in every last detail. I carried it around like a new baby, in fact, the gun barely left my side for the next few days.

The Silver Pigeon III

     I am truly of the belief that a gun needs to be fired to be fully appreciated, and although I was not certain if I would keep the Silver Pigeon or not, I took it outside and fired a few rounds. I marveled at how good the gun felt in my hand and how naturally it came up to my shoulder, I imagined pheasants rising from tall, brown grass and being taken cleanly on the wing.

    A couple weeks later I disembarked on a journey, first crewing a yacht on a 2000 mile cruise, followed by a cross Canada trip which drained my resources. I called my Dad from the West Coast and asked him to sell my new shotgun, at the time the need to eat and pay for lodging superseded my need for having a fine shotgun in my collection.

    To this day, selling the Beretta is one of my biggest regrets, and to be honest, I regret selling practically all the guns I have offloaded over the years. Yet, that Beretta was exceptional, I think partially due to the fact that I acquired it during a time of upheaval in my life and partially because it represents a rare but special instance of camaraderie between my late father and me. Now that I am older with a family of my own, I realize just how right he was about a great many things, and how his subtle guidance was so important as I grew up. Someday I will replace the Beretta I let slip away, and I will share it with my son, and whether we journey to the field or the range, I know my Dad will be there with us, looking down with that wry grin that says,

    “I told you so.”

Rick Chisholm is an IT Security Officer and guest contributor for the Beretta Blog. He can be reached on Twitter under the handle @rickchisholm

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This post and its contents are the views and opinions of the author only, and do not represent those of Beretta.