4 Reasons Why Shooting Your Shotgun Accurately Over 40 Yards is a Challenge

Shooting accurately with a shotgun beyond 40 yards is a common struggle for many enthusiasts. There are a few reasons behind this difficulty. First and foremost, the farther the target is, the harder it becomes to hit. Connecting with clay birds at this distance requires different shotgun swing techniques. Additionally, shot patterns are less effective at 40 yards and beyond, regardless of the choke or shot size used. This is in contrast to the 21-yard distance, which is the center crossing point in American skeet.

I’m working closely with Phil Bourjaily, the Shotguns Editor of Field & Stream, to improve my shooting skills beyond 40 yards. My goal is not simply to shoot game birds at longer distances, as it increases the risk of crippling them. However, understanding the shooting technique and target placement required to break clay targets at longer distances can tremendously benefit skeet, trap, sporting clays, and bird hunting. This concept is similar to how rifle shooters approach shots up to 1,000 yards, making 200-yard shots seem easy. That’s the kind of improvement I’m aiming for, but with a shotgun.

Let’s dive into the basic misconceptions to avoid and some helpful tips to enhance your shotgun shooting past 40 yards.

1. Overconfidence in Shooting Live Birds

While hunting pheasants or shooting ducks in decoys is enjoyable, it doesn’t necessarily prove your shooting proficiency, even if you rarely miss. Although these hunting scenarios can be successful with minimal lead calculation, shooting clay birds presents different challenges. Successfully hitting clay targets at longer distances often requires leading the target more and maintaining the lead for a longer duration. Clay birds are also smaller and move faster than most wild birds, except for woodcock and mourning doves.

Adapting from accurately shooting wild birds at 25 yards to hitting clays beyond 40 yards can be mentally challenging for many hunters (myself included). Skilled bird hunters often focus on the front of a duck or rooster, pull the trigger, and successfully kill their target. Similarly, in grouse or quail hunting, hunters often snap-shoot these small birds by quickly covering them with the barrel and firing. However, both these techniques are ineffective for shooting beyond 40 yards. Hunting approaches differ from shooting clays. Recognizing this difference can reduce frustration and enhance shooting performance.

Allow me to share an example from my experience. Bourjaily and I went pheasant hunting in Iowa, and I successfully killed three roosters with three shots. However, later that day, we participated in a five-stand event, and I missed a looping target in 25 attempts. I kept trying to shoot the clay target as if it were a wild bird, resulting in embarrassment. There’s a clear distinction between hunting and clay shooting, and accepting this difference is crucial for improvement.

2. Improving Your Mount and Lead

Every aspect of your shooting technique matters when tackling targets beyond 40 yards, starting with your mount. Using the low gun technique—where you mount the gun, start swinging, and then shoot—makes connecting at long range considerably more challenging. The entire motion needs to be fluid. To ensure a successful shot, focus on a spot in front of the shooting house or clay bird trap, so you can visually track the bird when you call for it. Avoid looking directly at the house or trap, as it will put you behind the bird when it’s released. Your barrel needs to be even farther ahead of your visual focus to maintain a clear view of the bird, allowing you to start moving the gun accordingly. Match the bird’s speed with your barrel’s movement, bring the gun to your cheek for a full mount, acquire sight of the clay target, and fire. For additional insights on this shooting method, I recommend checking out Gil and Vicki Ash’s OSP School and teachings.

I initially practiced this mount technique with Bourjaily on skeet range before attempting it with longer-range targets. Starting at shorter distances is advisable if you’re new to this method, as it requires adjustment and close-range shots are generally easier. The technique significantly alters the way you shoot, which can lead to initial challenges. However, in the long run, it’s the most effective method for improving shooting skills.

Another crucial aspect to note is the visibility of the gun when your cheek is on the stock. Ideally, you should only be able to see the rib of the barrel, minimizing the portion of the gun visible. If you can see more of the gun, it likely indicates that your head is positioned too high, resulting in high shots. This improper mount makes shot placement more difficult at longer distances because visually, you’ll need to aim below the target and see more of the clay bird. Shooting above the bird will cause you to miss. A poor mount might not affect your performance at shorter yardages, such as skeet or trap, but it becomes increasingly detrimental as you stretch out your shots. The margin for error decreases with greater distances, requiring more precision in shot placement.

3. Mastering Continuous Lead

The world’s best shotgunners can be found among top sporting clays competitors. Their expertise stems from shooting a variety of targets at various distances, necessitating different shooting techniques. For instance, many hunters, myself included, are pull-through shooters. We start behind the target, move the barrel past it, and then shoot. This method works well for close-range bird shooting but becomes less reliable as you go beyond 40 yards. Targets require precise timing when shooting past 40 yards, as the shot window narrows with distance.

When shooting long distances, learning continuous lead is crucial. With continuous lead, you keep the shotgun barrel constantly in front of the clay bird and pull the trigger when you want to break the target. The lead distance varies based on shot length. Continuous lead is easier when shooting at a target flying in a straight line. However, it becomes more challenging when the target has an arc, like a rainbow trajectory. In such cases, you’ll have to move the gun accordingly, swinging horizontally while adjusting vertically based on the target’s path. Additionally, most clay birds have a point where they slow down or an apex before descending. If the clay reaches this point during your shot window, that’s when you should break it.

If you’re accustomed to covering the target with your barrel to break it, that technique generally doesn’t work beyond 40 yards. Instead, you need to leave some space or sky between the barrel’s rib and the bottom of the clay bird. Bourjaily advised me that covering up the target at a distance would cause me to miss high and behind. He was right. I had been trained to cover up ducks with my barrel to ensure a kill, which works effectively for close-range shots but becomes inadequate at longer distances.

4. The Pull Away Shot

The pull away shot can facilitate breaking certain long-distance targets, particularly when combined with continuous lead. Similar to continuous lead, you keep the barrel in front of the clay bird until you’re ready to break it. However, just before firing, you pull the barrel even farther ahead of the bird. It’s crucial to ensure that when you pull away from the bird, you do so in the direction it’s moving. For example, if the clay bird crosses from right to left and descends slightly, focus on the space to the left and below the bird (7 o’clock) and pull away. If the bird is a left-to-right crosser and rising, look at the space to the right and above the bird (2 o’clock) and pull away. This precise method can be challenging to master, so don’t be too concerned if you struggle to find the correct lead. It takes time and practice.

A word of caution: implementing these tips won’t automatically make you a better shooter beyond 40 yards. It’s important to understand that improvement requires practice and may involve temporary setbacks before progress is achieved. If you find that these tactics aren’t working for you, it’s essential to reassess your approach. Similar to a golf swing, repeating bad practices will hinder your progress rather than enhance it.