IMO, if you shoot clays as practice for the field, then low gun, or some variation thereof, is best. Needless to say, one does not walk around woods, meadows, or sits in dove fields or duck blinds with the gun premounted. If shooting clays for the game`s sake, especially skeet, then premounted is good. I think some skeet variations, however, require starting from a low gun position (?).

 

The original game of skeet was low gun. It still is with International Skeet and may include up to a 3 second delay for bird launch. I shoot low gun with everything except trap. My reason is that it forces me to focus on the bird first then the rest will follow. In skeet, there is really plenty of time to mount, even on station 8. Thats me. Others, of course, may have a different opinion. P.S. I never shoot registered targets, its all just for fun
.

 

What are your shooting goals? American skeet is a dumbed down version of skeet where the mount is omitted resulting in a much easier game. In wing shooting and sporting clays the mount is the most important facet of the game.
Here is my opinion:
If you want to shoot American skeet competitions then pre-mount. If you want to make the most improvement to your skills as a shotgunner then develop a solid mount and shoot low gun.
Willie T

 

To IndyCA35: Had the same problem with our launcher. Spoke with Dave at Long Range LLC. Sent unit to them. The problem was it takes more battery power when using the mike than just pushing the buttons does. Their recommendation is to replace the battery...and it works. Hope this helps.

 

What are your shooting goals? American skeet is a dumbed down version of skeet where the mount is omitted resulting in a much easier game. In wing shooting and sporting clays the mount is the most important facet of the game.
Here is my opinion:
If you want to shoot American skeet competitions then pre-mount. If you want to make the most improvement to your skills as a shotgunner then develop a solid mount and shoot low gun.
Willie T

Absolutely agree. I shoot about as informal a round of skeet as you can get in practice for doves. Don`t even shoot regular doubles. Never encountered doves flying in opposite directions! I`ll just shoot two singles for more "realistic " field presentation. Usually start from a little higher than true low gun, but not premounted.

 

Short answer is the good shooters may shoot pre-mounted but the best shooters shoot low gun. There is plenty of time to hit the birds shooting low gun, including walking up 10-15ft forward of the positions on Station 8.

 

Low gun, more fun.

Mounted gun, more "X"s.

 

There is plenty of time to hit the birds shooting low gun, including walking up 10-15ft forward of the positions on Station 8.

I'd have to see that demonstrated, let's say to a 95% kill rate. I'm sure someone can do it, but not many.

 

I do it all the time. Miss about 25%. The trick is to have the bird launched exactly when you call for it. If there is a delay involved, then I have a lot of trouble breaking it.

 

There is plenty of time to hit the birds shooting low gun, including walking up 10-15ft forward of the positions on Station 8.

I'd have to see that demonstrated, let's say to a 95% kill rate. I'm sure someone can do it, but not many.

We do it all the time at my club. The guys each take a step or two closer than the previous shooter who hit the 8-Low bird from down gun. It's a load of fun!

 

IMO, skeet is a game that replicates waterfowl shooting, where the birds can present themselves from many angles. Most times that I've been waterfowling, I've seen the birds coming from a distance, which gives one time to mount your gun and shoot. At skeet, the targets are launched at full speed already in your gun's range. In the real world of duck hunting, your gun would most likely already have been mounted by the time the birds are in the range of your skeet target. As such, shooting at a skeet target with a mounted gun is fine. Trap, on the other hand, replicates a flushing bird and, as such, it would seem to me that to shoot that game from a low gun would be more realistic.

Sporting clays, as originally designed, was meant to more closely reflect field conditions and so a low gun was correct. Now, many sporting clays courses have become completely unrealistic presentations and, so, anything should go as far as gun mounting is concerned.

 

IMO, skeet is a game that replicates waterfowl shooting, where the birds can present themselves from many angles. Most times that I've been waterfowling, I've seen the birds coming from a distance, which gives one time to mount your gun and shoot. At skeet, the targets are launched at full speed already in your gun's range. In the real world of duck hunting, your gun would most likely already have been mounted by the time the birds are in the range of your skeet target. As such, shooting at a skeet target with a mounted gun is fine. Trap, on the other hand, replicates a flushing bird and, as such, it would seem to me that to shoot that game from a low gun would be more realistic.

Sporting clays, as originally designed, was meant to more closely reflect field conditions and so a low gun was correct. Now, many sporting clays courses have become completely unrealistic presentations and, so, anything should go as far as gun mounting is concerned.

I see your point. I've thought of both trap and skeet as replicating upland shots.

Skeet is like following a flushing dog. The birds get up in range and fly in a wide variety of angles. Including straight at you.

Trap is similar to running pointers. Walking in on a point all of your shots will be a slight variation of an outbound, going away angle.

 

When I am into my "serious" preparation for grouse hunting, I like to put the tight choked barrels for my field gun on and shoot low gun on Wobble Trap. When shooting by myself and no one watching, I also simulate walking and then call for target. It is surprising how that little amount of movement can really foul me up.

Wobble Trap of course gives me far greater range of angles and elevation changes unlike ATA Trap. It helps but I still miss those darn grouse with great regularity! :? I think what I need is a Wobble Trap machine located in some brush with intervening trees. If I had the land I think I would try make such a set up.

 

IMO, skeet is a game that replicates waterfowl shooting, where the birds can present themselves from many angles. Most times that I've been waterfowling, I've seen the birds coming from a distance, which gives one time to mount your gun and shoot. At skeet, the targets are launched at full speed already in your gun's range. In the real world of duck hunting, your gun would most likely already have been mounted by the time the birds are in the range of your skeet target. As such, shooting at a skeet target with a mounted gun is fine. Trap, on the other hand, replicates a flushing bird and, as such, it would seem to me that to shoot that game from a low gun would be more realistic.

Sporting clays, as originally designed, was meant to more closely reflect field conditions and so a low gun was correct. Now, many sporting clays courses have become completely unrealistic presentations and, so, anything should go as far as gun mounting is concerned.

I see your point. I've thought of both trap and skeet as replicating upland shots.

Skeet is like following a flushing dog. The birds get up in range and fly in a wide variety of angles. Including straight at you.

Trap is similar to running pointers. Walking in on a point all of your shots will be a slight variation of an outbound, going away angle.

The single thing that helped me the most when hunting over pointing dogs was something I read, but can`t remember where. " When walking up behind a dog on point, don`t look at the dog or the ground in front of him. SCAN THE HORIZON. That`s where the birds will be! " When I started doing that, I was amazed at how my quail shooting improved. It gives you an extra second or two.

 

We have went off topic but it's a good discussion so I will go with it. I got addicted to skeet while sharpening up my wing shooting on a skeet field for walking behind my pointing dogs. If you can regularly shoot 25's from the low gun and stay in the twenty's playing doubles from the low gun you are ready for upland birds with either a pointing or flushing dog.
Willie T

 

I've done both American and International. International adds more variables..... Mounting the gun, more speed on the targets, more doubles and delay on launches. International is more challenging but can be more rewarding. I feel let down when I break 24 in American skeet, but quite happy with the same score in International.

 

Short answer is the good shooters may shoot pre-mounted but the best shooters shoot low gun.

IF you're talking about Skeet, that is 100% pure bovine excrement of the highest odor.

 

International skeet is much harder, there is no doubt, but for the avg guy wanting to become a better game shot and get more time behind a shotgun, American Skeet and Trap are just fine and fulfill their intended purpose. Most flying game will fly in that 40-50 mph range, which is the speed of American Skeet and Trap targets. Skeet was also used to help train gunners on US bombers shoot down fighters in WWII. I think most bombers used pre-mounted guns.

 

I've done both American and International. International adds more variables..... Mounting the gun, more speed on the targets, more doubles and delay on launches. International is more challenging but can be more rewarding. I feel let down when I break 24 in American skeet, but quite happy with the same score in International.

If you are shooting 24/25 with regularity in any of the International disciplines you need to be competing for a spot on the national team. Seriously, with some added coaching you may qualify. That is very impressive!

As for low gun VS pre-mounted gun; IMO there is no question that a pre-mounted gun eliminates a significant variable and is therefore used almost exclusively by NSSA Skeet match winners. However, I think the elimination of the 0-3 second delay with no movement allowed until target appears; is the one most influential rule that provided for a pre-mounted gun. I can't imagine anyone being effective if they pre-mounted, and then had to hold the gun and their attention, for a full 3 seconds from when they called for the target.

 

Short answer is the good shooters may shoot pre-mounted but the best shooters shoot low gun.

IF you're talking about Skeet, that is 100% pure bovine excrement of the highest odor.

From what I have seen I respectfully disagree. The international skeet shooters can play American skeet and not miss a beat. On the other hand I have seen guys who shoot solely American skeet that looked like a monkey f#*%*'n a football trying to shoot international skeet.
Willie

 

Short answer is the good shooters may shoot pre-mounted but the best shooters shoot low gun.

IF you're talking about Skeet, that is 100% pure bovine excrement of the highest odor.

Except for the skeet that they give out Olympic Gold medals for. :mrgreen:

Since Frank said some pre-mount, that immediately meant he wasn't talking about International Skeet. :mrgreen:

 

Short answer is the good shooters may shoot pre-mounted but the best shooters shoot low gun.

IF you're talking about Skeet, that is 100% pure bovine excrement of the highest odor.

From what I have seen I respectfully disagree. The international skeet shooters can play American skeet and not miss a beat. On the other hand I have seen guys who shoot solely American skeet that looked like a monkey f#*%*'n a football trying to shoot international skeet.
Willie

Disagree all you want to; it doesn't change the fact that the BEST American Registered Skeet shooters ALL shoot a pre-mounted gun. There have only been a couple of American International Skeet shooters make the transition to American Skeet when their International Skeet careers ended and none of them (to the best of my knowledge) have attained World Championship Honors (as in HOA World Championship Gun Champion). So the facts do not support either of your claims to the contrary.

To get back to this threads topic - pre-mount or low gun - it will depend on what your goals are and which clay target game you will be shooting. There is NO single answer that will be correct for all games and all people. I shoot registered American Skeet and recreational Sporting Clays and pre-mount for both when shooting my dedicated clay target guns. When I shoot any of my game bird hunting guns, I shoot low gun to simulate true field conditions. There is no right or wrong answer to the OP's question. Carry on.
{hs#

 

Bob, for what it's worth my first post in this thread stated almost verbatim what you commented regarding shooting goals and In that context I believe we agree. However I also firmly believe that if shooters who played international and American skeet were to compete where they shot both disciplines for an aggregate score, those who shoot international skeet would prove to be the more rounded shotgunners as a group based on the required skill set for each discipline. From what I have seen I also believe that would carry over to wingshooting prowess as well.
Edit to add: (I have taken too many American skeet shooters bird hunting with my pointing dogs to think otherwise regarding wing shooting)
Willie

 

At least in my eyes, Digweed is the best of our time...maybe all time.
Willie

 

At least in my eyes, Digweed is the best of our time...maybe all time.
Willie

Kinda hard to argue with that.....at least to this point. But someone will have to ride hard to eclipse his championship total. Plus, today's talent pool is getting deeper every day.