Intuitive shooting

[Rató:rats]

I’m wondering how many of you smoothie enthusiasts aim along the barrel with RB
I’m a small game hunter so my gun is loaded with shot for my hunting. Pretty much put the blade sight on the beastie and fire. No precision aiming
. I was read one of the books in the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwall and my favourite Cheshireman Dan Hagman explained his accuracy “you don’t aim, you feel the shot”. The same way when we throw a baseball we can gauge in our mind the force and trajectory needed to put the ball where we want.
I’ve been trying this out punching paper with rb . I just let the sight rest on the target and instead of checking my cheek weld, the tang screw alignment with the front sight, my posture, my breath, my heartbeat, I just let fly when I feel I’ll hit where I aim without carefully sighting along the barrel. Kind of a shoulder version of shooting from the hip.
Not much of noticeable difference then when I concentrate on aiming and a few instances of better results.
Maybe that just speaks to my shooting.
Anyone else tried this?

 

[Banjoman]

Yep. That’s how I shoot squirrels using shot in smooth bores. Basically just point and shoot. Don’t want to wait for him to get away.

I do the same thing with round balls. It actually works better for me than trying to get that perfect hold, sight picture, etc. If I hold too long the gun starts moving every which way. But, I’m not trying to shoot little groups at 100 yards.

 

[Rató:rats]

Yep. That’s how I shoot squirrels using shot in smooth bores. Basically just point and shoot. Don’t want to wait for him to get away.

I do the same thing with round balls. It actually works better for me than trying to get that perfect hold, sight picture, etc. If I hold too long the gun starts moving every which way. But, I’m not trying to shoot little groups at 100 yards.

Thanks for contributing
It seems we have similar experiences transferring shotgunning to round ball shooting
I’m not shooting groups at 100 yards either but I bet if I tried I could kick up some berm dust 25 yards right of target

 

[oldwood]

When 5 yr. old , dear old Dad put the latest tube fed BB rifle in my hands. This was a Daisy lever cocking rifle that the end of the muzzle unscrewed , the BB's were loaded in a tubular magazine attached to the side of the gun barrel , and BB's were fed one at a time , when the cocking lever was activated. Neighbor kid and I shot so much , this mechanism lasted through half of a summer. Dad was working three jobs then to save our house , and I was on my own to fix the BB gun. I couldn't make it feed , but figured out , that by loading the rifle at the muzzle w/one BB , and cocking the lever , the gun would work very well. Problem solved , and I unknowingly had my first muzzle loader. Back to the forum entry.........We shot so much , thousands of rounds , the natural progression of learning to aim , was to sight down the side of the barrel. We never did "sight our guns in" from a bench. Dad's NRA Magazine , had an article about the Army training troopers the art of "point and shoot". Read the article , and told myself , we were doing that all along , with our air rifles, just not with a high powered rifle.

 

[Rató:rats]

Man I had a similar BB gun liberated from a great uncles garden shed around 7 or 8 but I think at the muzzle you twisted the end off and dumped a few bbs in and then twisted it back to shoot a bunch without reloading

 

[oldwood]

Rato........My rifle had a twist off muzzle end. The magazine tube was affixed to the barrel tube , and when the cocking lever was activated , the full length spring inside the magazine tube pushed a single BB into the breach end of the barrel. Pull the trigger , and a piston instantly compresses air into the barrel behind the BB propelling it out of the muzzle. I learned early on , if a single BB was inserted into the muzzle , cocking the lever caused the BB to be sucked tightly enough to be held in the bore , and held there ready to fire. That rifle was so worn out , it lost the ability to fire a BB , even if loaded one BB at a time.

 

[Cruzatte]

I have two trade guns; one is a Caywood Wilson, the other a Track of the Wolf fusil de chasse. Both have that pied de vache buttstock profile. Each requires a slightly different way of gun mounting.
With the Caywood, if I see no barrel and put the sight right on the target, the butt firmly in the pocket of my shoulder, I can do respectable shooting.

Mounting the TOW fusil in like manner, I end up looking way over the top of the barrel, and thus shoot very high. This gun has all the drop of an army musket. So it requires a different combination of raising the butt, and lowering my head as best I can.

 

[ZUG]

You point a shotgun and aim a rifle -- period. If the shotgun fits you then you don't think about hitting your target - it just happens unless you pick your head up off the stock - then you will miss your target all the time.

 

[Trigger]

I'll bead a flying away.

All other shots Its funny I don't remember.

I start off holding half way ready and when the birds in flight direction I shoulder for its butt.. the swing threw and pull for the head.. there's been a few where I caught the head And nothing on the body..

So far my right barrel prints to the right a smidgen but still catches the target... I offset the double bead just a smidgen and its right on.

I missed more with a modern.

If I don't pull when I'm in front and I follow the bird a second and then pull aimed leading shot.. I miss.. like matching the birds speed with swing no good..

Swing threw don't slow down in front of the birds.. pull. It's is hard to describe.. you pull when.. don't loose gun momentum.. throw the shot..

 

[russellshaffer]

I'm with Trigger on this. When I just shoot quickly I can hit but thinking about it is a miss. I'm a poor shot most of the time if there is time to think.

 

[wiscoaster]

.... “you don’t aim, you feel the shot”. ...

I think what you're describing is an actual technique called "point shooting":
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/point-shooting-vs-sighted-shooting-which-do-you-use/
You can practice this techniqe by pointing with your index finger at the target with your eyes closed. Amazing how close you can get just by visualization.

 

[Sam squanch]

I quit thinking years ago. But I’m not a better wing shot.

 

[Eterry]

Having shot competition in almost every discipline, I agree you point, mostly, a shotgun and aim a bullet.
If you hold too long, or can't find the X with rifle, smoothbore ball or pistol your muscles will fail and you'll lose your aim. I lower the weapon, close my eyes, breathe deep and count to 10, then reaquire my aim. As it aligned I touched the trigger.
With shot you need a good cheek weld, a smooth swing and good follow through (easy to say..much harder for me to do).
I've heard many say they don't need or use the bead, but also seen good shooters drop bird after bird when their bead fell off.
I need the bead, dad didn't.

Oh, btw, we were taught to use the front bead on our patrol shotguns and slugs out to 100 yards. After learning the proper hold few would be safe at that distance with the bead.

 

[TCMonts]

All I know is that if you are being embarrassed in the dove field by a crack shot, you just need to mosey over to them and say, "Man you're sure doin well with them birds. tell me, do you swing through, use a sustained lead or spot shoot?". and I bet they miss the next10 birds.

 

[ZUG]

Some say that they don't use the bead on a shotgun and can do without it - I say BS -. Your mind subconsciously does look for some front sight reference whether it be the barrel or a bead. Once that front reference is located then your eyes focus on the target. This happens so fast that you don't even know it is happening.

 

[Trigger]

Some say that they don't use the bead on a shotgun and can do without it - I say BS -. Your mind subconsciously does look for some front sight reference whether it be the barrel or a bead. Once that front reference is located then your eyes focus on the target. This happens so fast that you don't even know it is happening.

Yes.. .. your eyes do that...

 

[WALT53]

Yes.. .. your eyes do that...

I look down the barrel and put the base of the front sight on target and pull the trigger with both my trade guns with shot I’m not doing so well with ball but I think it’s got something to do with the size of ball I’m useing .

 

[Trigger]

I look down the barrel and put the base of the front sight on target and pull the trigger with both my trade guns with shot I’m not doing so well with ball but I think it’s got something to do with the size of ball I’m useing .

my choked gun is funny.. I think it's no rib vent...it patterns from the top of the bead down everytime.. it's OK top of the head I'll aim..

The dp10... I have to try a ball.. im sure with the double bead I should be able to shoot ok maybe good.

I want to see how the ball does from a nest of insulation. They used to nest a ball a certain way that did better over patch.

I don't know what Size ball to try..

 

[Trigger]

I look down the barrel and put the base of the front sight on target and pull the trigger with both my trade guns with shot I’m not doing so well with ball but I think it’s got something to do with the size of ball I’m useing .

I think I still need a patch and..

My idea is the insulation there in the patch... help strip it off.. looking at it I might use half that amount. Just enough there to help push the patch open.

 

[Trigger]

It might not work good at all.. but it's an ideas I'll try..

Other idea is card wad the muzzle add insulation... add ball... pack insulation around ball nice.. then card it and push it down.

In even planning on cutting a dollar bill patch... if that works OK... lol. If it does then I'll want to get fire rated Tyvek too try. Or just regular Tyvek patches and see...