Best Practice: 6 Skeet Shooting Tips

Looking to crush your personal best the next time you head out to shoot some clay pigeons? We've got your back with a few tips to help you score higher and make your competition sweat. Skeet shooting is an excellent way to learn how to master the shotgun and improve your bird hunting technique. It's also amazingly fun and a real challenge for novices and experts alike. But like any sport, it does take a unique combination of skill and technique that requires consistent practice. Here are some ways to boost your skeet skills during those crucial off-hours.

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Pelican has the tips to help you sharpen your shooting skills and the gear to keep your arsenal in tip-top shape. Whether you need a quality long gun case for your shotgun or an ammo case to store your ammunition, Pelican's got you covered.

1. Get Comfortable with Your Weapon

One of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for a successful round of skeet is to learn how to operate your shotgun in a way that requires little to no thinking. In other words, you want to intuitively control the safety, loading mechanisms, sight picture, etc. For safety purposes, you don't want your mind to go on auto-pilot while holding a firearm, but you also don't want to overthink simple actions while shooting. Get familiar with your weapon!

2. Keep Both Eyes Open

In some shooting scenarios, pulling the trigger with one eye open brings advantages. If you learned how to aim and shoot a gun in one of those scenarios, it might be a hard habit to break. However, shooting your shotgun with your eyes open is important because you need both eyes to track such a fast-moving object properly. Whether you shoot clay pigeons or targets at the range, shooting with both eyes open can increase your field of vision and help improve your eyesight for more accurate shots.

3. Match Gun Speed to Bird Speed

When the distance between the gun speed and the bird speed is the same, the experts say your shot will be much more consistent. It takes a third of a second to pull the trigger of your shotgun. That time can throw you off significantly, causing you to get distracted and miss the target. However, you can maintain focus if you start and stay in front of the bird, effectively keeping the gun speed equal to the target lead.

4. Check the Fit of Your Gun

The wrong size gun can dramatically delay your progress as a sport shooter. Indeed, an ill-fitting weapon tends to control you and not the other way around. With the wrong fit, you could risk getting punched in the face by your stock, not to mention having to deal with a very awkward hold. Be sure you know how to properly fit your shotgun for the best possible shooting performance. The three most important dimensions to pay attention to when sizing your shotgun are the length of pull, drop at comb and drop at heel.

5. Perfect Your Stance

Like prepping to hit a baseball or squaring up for a golf swing, your shotgun shooting stance is very important to ensure consistent success. Position your stance with your target break area in mind — orient the front foot toward the target break area. Keep a slight bend in your knees and lean forward with your feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure to keep your elbows tucked in at all times.

6. Use Shotgun Trainer Devices

If you have access to a controlled practice environment away from the range, consider investing in some laser training devices to boost your dry-fire training. These devices help you see where you're shooting immediately and provide instant feedback on whether you're leading the target, stopping your gun or altering your gun speed. The best part is that they don't require you to use any ammo while you're training.

Skeet can be quite a rewarding hobby for those who enjoy shooting. Pelican is here to outfit you with the best gun case for your shotgun so you can maintain your gear and blast target after target.