By: Paul Giambrone, III

Most shooters want to think there is a magic formula out there to make them a championship shooter overnight.  I have seen it way too many times to ignore this subject.  Shooters will think the new set of lenses for their glasses is the answer or getting that new reload recipe is going to buy them that last Low 6.  While equipment is extremely important, equipment is usually not the answer to getting that last target you are looking for.  There usually is a magic formula, but it does not take place overnight and is probably not what you think.  I hear questions like:

• What type of gun/tubes do you shoot?
• What type of ammo do you use?
• What chokes do you shoot?
• What glasses do you wear?

These are just a few questions people ask and believe me there are plenty more.  I am very humbled that people ask me what equipment I use, but the trick is that I have found a combination of things that I am comfortable with and items that I feel are the best on the market.  However, not everyone can swing a 10 and a half pound Kolar Max skeet gun.  It is what works for me.  I can give you my exact setup but these things are not the most important.  What is the most important thing for you is to find what you are comfortable and confident with…

Shooters that get bogged down with the tiniest of details usually end up driving themselves, their spouses, and other shooter’s crazy about these small things.  I have heard too many discussions about chokes, shot size, and different ammo velocities.  The difference in .001 or .002 on paper is not much at the distances we shoot in skeet (assuming that the chokes are cut correctly).  Now, if you go from a .000 to a .010 choke, then you will notice a difference in the pattern.  However, at 20 yards, the difference is only a couple of inches.  I know you are thinking “well that might just buy me a target here or there.”  In my 20 years in this sport, I think I have witnessed someone miss a target by an inch maybe a couple of times…maybe a few inches on occasion, but the majority of the time when we miss (myself included), it is because we make a terrible mental or physical error which causes us to miss the target by a couple of feet!  Therefore, in most cases, it is not the chokes or the arrow, but the Indian.

Solution: Find a set of chokes that you are comfortable and confident with and stick with them!  However, if you change ammo or your reloading recipe, you may want to double check the pattern.  Again, most of the time when we miss, we are not talking about an inch or two so more than likely the current chokes would be fine.  I have tighter chokes so my pattern is smaller than the average, but that is what gives me confidence…

Ammo is the next topic, and for the record, I do prefer Remington STS #9 shot target loads for my competitive shooting.  Yes, I know there have been plenty of discussions about #8 vs. #9 shot and there are pros and cons to each one.  However, it really doesn’t matter.  It is what the shooter prefers and is comfortable and confident with and nothing more than that.  You must also have confidence in the loads that you are shooting and should not have to wonder if the next shell is going to go off or not…  In my case, I prefer the #9s because I have a tighter than average choke and pattern, but mainly because #9s have more BBs working for me than #8s.  Does this mean that it is wrong for you to use #8s?  Absolutely not!  Again, it is what you have confidence in and once you find that sweet shell, stick with it!  Also, different velocity speeds come into play, or do they?  The STS load for the sub-gauges is 1200 FPS (feet per second).  I have had questions about “lead changes” when shooting different velocity shells.  If you can literally see an inch or two precisely at 21 yards, my hat is off to you.  For us humans, it is impossible to visually see a difference in your lead when the velocity varies 100 or 200 FPS with your face on the stock of a shotgun swinging with a target that is 21 yards away from us.

Solution:  Do not get bogged down in the technical mumbo jumbo.  Find a velocity that you are happy with and that can give you consistent results.  Stick with what you are confident in.

The common denominator with any equipment is to find things you are comfortable with and have confidence in.  If you aren’t sure if the next shell is going to go BANG, you might want to get better ammo or get your gun serviced.  While equipment is a very important factor, it is no substitute for looking in the mirror and evaluating your mechanical and mental games.  Good mechanics will get you far in this sport, further than any piece of equipment, but having a solid mental and physical game will take you to your highest potential… Most of the time, shooters will have a good combination and think something better is out there and make a switch.  More often than not, they will find themselves worse off than before because they think that getting a new piece of equipment will make all of the difference (putting their confidence in the wrong place).  The secret is to work on your mechanics and your mental game and to have confidence in your own game and self.  That will bring you to the next level…not the equipment alone.

If you have any questions or comments, please email me directly at info@gsclinics.com and visit breakmoretargets.com for more information!  Please check the website for upcoming clinics in your area… Next scheduled clinic will be in Fort Worth, TX February 16-19 at the Fort Worth Skeet and Trap club.  To kick off the month of March, San Antonio, TX will host the first clinic March 1-4.  Tulsa Gun Club will also host a clinic March 19-21 in Tulsa, OK followed by Blue Rock Gun Club March 22-24 in Little Rock, AR.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:      Remember, there is always more than one way to do something.  So find which combination of things works best for you and stick with that combination.  What works best for you may not work best for someone else, so find your combination to success and stick with it!