The best thing to do is go shoot some clays and see what works for you. What works for some might not work for others and it is more a reflex than anything.

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;195022]Indeed - To each his own. Your experience has not been my experience - I was merely suggesting to Craig what has worked very well for me.


Same here Dean. Craig L. was asking for suggestions for shooting a smallbore SxS, not an O/U. The two are VASTLY different in handling characteristics. If I tubed my K32 with 20ga. tubes I would certainly shoot a much higher score but it would feel like a club in my hands. That is not why I shoot a smallbore SxS. They are just plain sexy and fun to shoot. As I get older fun trumps score and if I score well with a 20 or 28 all the more fun.

At the Southerns my shooting buddy and I always shoot the light guns one day. Put them away and go to the long heavy guns the next. They handle very different.

Yesterday on the Skeet range shot one round with 12 G Wingmaster Pump, Skeet barrel Pretty good too. Then another with its lighter Twin 20 G Skeet Wingmaster not so good. Settled down 3rd round with the 20 same score as the 12. Forward hand position on pumps is fixed if I had been able to move my left hand forward would have helped.

Light gun It's a different swing more forward hand driving. Pure fun nothing like a good smallbore Parker.

William

Another thing that I have found to help is to pivot at the hips rather than torque the upper body and shoulders to move with the target.
Pivoting at the hips allows your preferred upper body shooting form to be maintained throughout the swing.






.

I have noticed that pictures of target shooters, or any shooters, in the 1900-1920s period always show the shooter with his left hand extended far down the barrels. Since these men shot for a living, I can only guess that they knew what they were doing. Also, M. V. Highsmith advised me to move my left hand forward to compensate for a stock that felt too short. Finally, on opening day of dove season, before I take to the field, I say to myself, "left hand, Frank."

Craig - I shoot lots of 28 Ga with my K-20, and an occasional 12 Ga with my K-80. It is all about the weight and center of mass of the gun. As Newton's Second Law says: F=MA. The force exerted to track the bird is very different because of the weight and CM of the gun. I don't think O/U or SxS makes that much difference - we are looking at the bird, not the barrels. Skeet and Clays will give you the best feel for the various crossing angles. Shoot in the style that you hunt, don't get wrapped up in technique. Billy

I shoot a lot of small bore guns as I'm not a 12ga guy but I do have them and enjoy shooting them but not as much as a light 20.

It's hard to go from an 8lb 12 to a 5 1/2 lb 20 or 28 as they handle much differently. When I shoot clays if determine a point where I want to break the target, set my feet towards that point so I have plenty of room to swing and be aggressive. When shooting targets I don't like to go from a 12 to a 20 then back to a 12 and so on. If I'm going to shoot small bores then that's what I shoot that day.

It's just as hard to shoot a 12 when your used to shooting a lighter gun. There is a certain Fox 12 that I'm learning to shoot:whistle:

I did find when shooting yesterday moving my left hand out on the barrels did give me more control. I think shooting lots of skeet will help establish a consistent swing. Thanks for the suggestions. Craig

If you read the classic English books Percy Stanbury or Robert Churchill they both advocate forward hand positions. Stanbury more than Churchill, but he was tall and thin Churchill short and stocky. Stanbury and Churchill's books are very good and available from Amazon

Any sport I have ever participated in Form is one of the most important things. Good Form and getting your position right gives you a foundation for improvement.

Don't watch Skeet shooters for form though. Memorized break points locked in positions. Shooting Skeet for practice is great but close your ears to 90 % of the advice you will get. Fellow yesterday hit rate way less than mine was telling me to shoot high gun hard cheek on the stock, lock my knees and hips. Not a recipe for success except on the Skeet field. Even skeet crouch and locked hips is not good.

William

[QUOTE=Daryl Corona;195026]You missed my point entirely !

And no a tubed O/U doesn't feel like a club . Well not once you get used to it atleast .

With a Superposed O/U 410 that weighs about 7 1/2 pounds and an Iver Johnson side by side 410 that weighs less then 6 pounds I shot virtually the same scores . Granted I shot better with a tubed gun but then again that was a few years ago .