The ONLY thing the shells did was take your mind off your shooting.

Use them long enough and they'll be FAR more detrimental than beneficial.

 

They do kick like mules and the difference in speed results in negligible reduction in lead requirements.

If you can hit them with the Nitro, you can hit with an softer skeet load.

 

I agree that you sound naive.

 

If you are "swinging through the targets", your coach is doing you no favors. The reason you are only breaking 20s and 20% less than 20s is that you are not shooting sustained lead. You need a couple of videos, a new coach, and softer shells. Try the new Federal Top Gun 7/8 ounce, 1200 fps loads. They are cheap and they are soft shooting. Anyone your age, (my age) should see a marked improvement by changing to sustained lead.

 

way too hot- I had a box in my truck that someone gave me and I shot them last week and even with a semi auto they still kicked like a mule. The extra kick is not needed and in time will lead to bad habits.

 

The above comments are about correct. Is your coach a certified instructor by the nssa? If so, he ought to be teaching you to develop sustained leads and you will not need to swing through except when you mess up and the target beats you. maybe H2 or L6. You need to get Bender's video and use it. Floyd in Vienna

 

In defense of my coach--very certified and proper--he does teach sustained lead in shooting sporting clays. However for skeet, (he's never coached me there) I find the relatively short path of flight to be more swing-through than sustain-friendly. And maybe this is a condensed version of my slow reaction?

FWIW, I usually shoot B&P, Remington Club or Estate standard FPS.

Sorry to have annoyed so many of you with my naiveté…but none offered explanation for the sudden increase.

 

You had a good day, no need to justify it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Ohub Campfire mobile app

 

It isn't the ammo.

You are a new shooter, and there are times when things go really right and YOU really don't have any idea why, mostly because you are a new shooter. You might not realize it but something that YOU were doing has changed, or at least changed for a short period of time.

Breaking 20's in skeet may seem like a huge increase, and it might be, but you are also taking lessons, so a little credit goes to your coach and credit to you for listening to him.

Now to break great skeet scores you are supposed to shoot sustained lead, but no where is it written that you HAVE to use sustained lead to break targets on a skeet field. It is just a more accepted way of shooting skeet, but certainly not the only way.

 

I love the Remington Nitro Sporting clays load, however I find it just a tad too snappy for high volume shooting. I really like what they do to the target.

However for skeet you don't really need to spend the big bucks on premium shells when learning a new move or just practicing. I have found the Rio's 1 1/8 At 1145 to be a nice shell, the Remington gunclubs 1145 or 1200 also work great.

If you really want a premium shell try the Remington STS at 1145 or 1200 fps or the Remington Nitro 27 at 1235.

My personal favorite is the Nitro 27 at 1235.

 

Ray,

On any given day, a shooter (particularly a relative newcomer to skeet) can have an exceptionally good or exceptionally bad day. These days can happen with no apparent explanation. A few days later, the same shooter using the same equipment/ammo can have just the opposite result occur...... again with no apparent explanation.

About the only thing we can attribute it to is that the path to progress is not a straight line. When you have an unusually good day, just be happy and enjoy it. Try to replicate it the next time you go shooting, but don't be surprised if the success is short lived. Again, the path to becoming a good shooter is not a straight line. There will be ups and downs in your progress.

 

Ray,

On any given day, a shooter (particularly a relative newcomer to skeet) can have an exceptionally good or exceptionally bad day. These days can happen with no apparent explanation.

Again, the path to becoming a good shooter is not a straight line. There will be ups and downs in your progress.

I've learned this lesson the hard way, as I'm sure most here have..

 

They could just pattern better in your gun for whatever reason than what you had been shooting before, letting you pick up a few targets with marginal shots.

 

Thx guys for your serious responses. Had I been among strangers or alone, I would have automatically discounted it as luck. But when a regular squad mate expressed his congrats/astonishment, what else could I do but be astonished and wonder about the only obvious variable: a new ammo.

Now, I'm going to file this away as good luck, as I must start all over again having just acquired a new left shoulder and a Zoli Z-Sport in 20ga…and I have found the new B&P importer, thanks to their mini-page on here.

Thx again for your 12 GA ammo suggestions too; I have tried virtually all mentioned, but the Nitro Sporting clays are the only one that seem to have made a 'difference' (and I did NOT notice any kick in my B. Rizzini).