As the title states, this is an auspicious occasion in that I just joined the world's premiere shotgun forum but I need a little guidance. I got bit by the sporting clays bug last year shooting (at) 200 targets most weekends and see/score at least the equivalent.

Here's the dilemma that's keeping me up at night... on quartering outgoers, occasionally the the shot pattern seems close enough to slightly nudge the target off it's line without chipping/breaking the clay. I realize that experts seem to agree that a target can survive getting hit by 3 or fewer BB's so that might be the reason. FWIW me and my buddy shoot 1 1/8 oz 7.5 or 8's.

What are your thoughts? Is there a explanation or do i need the help of an optometrist/psychiatrist?

Hello Tony. Welcome aboard. Your not nuts, unless I am too. My thoughts are that you can move or shift a target. It can happen on any bird, but it seems most visible on quartering out bound birds. I had the same thing happen two weeks ago with a edge on, slightly quartering bird. I lead it too much. My guess is a couple of pellets hit the bird but not hard enough to chip it.
Just my guess. You would probably need some expensive camera equipment to capture what actually is happening.
Good luck in your new addictive game.

It could be caused by a shot that just grazed the edge of the target but didn't break it. It could also be caused by a sudden wind current. My suggestion is to stick with the #7.5 shot and go to a tighter choke. Soon you'll figure out the shot and how much lead it takes... which isn't a lot, especially if you're swinging through the target.

I use my Atlas AT-50 wobble trap a lot getting ready for bird season hunting behind my big GSP's and set up at the conservation range where I'm generally the only clay shooter. I often go downrange to check the unbroken clays and most often find them with small chips out of the skirts and other marks from pellets. Some are even completely perforated by single or multiple pellets, but landed in the grass appearing unbroken. Attempting to reuse those targets often results in the throwing arm smashing the compromised clay. It seems to be a random thing that affects some clays, but not others. I always use the White Flyers from Walmart for my shooting.

Rather than staying awake and wondering why a few pellets nudged the target and didn't break it, what would keep me awake is wondering what in my technique is keeping me from consistently center punching that (or any) particular target presentation.

I recently struggled and had a slump with quartering targets and had to step back and do just that myself. I moved my hold point out to the 50yrd line (between my look point and break point) and just below the target line which solved my issues (my issue was swinging to far in front of the target due to my hold point being to close to the trap). This may or may not be what your issue is with quartering targets, but I do believe that you should focus on your technique rather than focusing on why a few pellets did not break the target.

A bunch of BBs passing real close to a claybird will make it hop. As said, just learn to hit em. Just me, but on quartering targets I tend to lead them too much. Good luck.

The sporting clays equivalent to feathering a bird in the actual hunting field. Also, I know that a dove will move in flight, even though not hit, in response to shot passing close by. I`ve missed enough to know!

Tony,

When you go practice do you just "shoot a round" or do you go and just work on specific tragets that give you problems such as the one you mentioned? And is there someone who can help you on figuring out the whys of missing and just not the where?

And welcome to the madness

Thanks for the tips guys. This phenomenon isn't a pattern that develops on a particular target per se, I see it only every now and then. Now of course I want to gain any advantage I can to apply shot feedback to revise a shot strategy for a better score but I don't want put the cart before the horse. I need to understand what I just saw and why before making any strategy revisions.

I will say this, I think it might have a lot to do with leads that are too generous and the phenomenon is cause by the target flying thru the turbulent wake of shot. I think this because I see this more from other peoples shots than mine and my shotkam suggests my missed shots are due to stingy leads.

Of lesser importance, I want to understand this in search of validation. My shooting buddy is annoyingly generous calling the "nudge" shots and wads as broken chunks as dead birds...both his shots and mine. As much as he likes to shoot, he likes to have pissy purse fights even more...privilege denied. HeHe.

I've seen clay targets get nudged, but not broken or chipped, numerous times. Whatever your buddy calls them, they're not dead birds. IMO, the most common cause is a failure to center the target in the pattern.

Yes, the nudge can happen and does, and not just on quartering out tgts.

Play the clock face, smaller angle, smaller lead. Move your hold point out halfway between the trap or when you first see the tgt. and the break point. Hold on line, if the trap is visible watch the target come off the plate and when you see it close on the muzzle from a full mount, shoot it. On a deep quartering, you are going to need some lead, almost as much as a crosser if the same speed and distance. 3 things determine lead - angle, speed, and distance. You are on a great journey that can become addictive......enjoy.