I will not venture to opine on Sporting Clays. But when it comes to trap, I'm going to say that virtually every shot I miss (excluding the ones where I have some crazy flinch) is due to picking my head up. Every now and then I'll pull the trigger before I get to the target but that is pretty rare. If I concentrate on keeping my head down on the stock and focus on the target, I'm going to have a good round. Maybe even win some bling.

I think that whenever an experienced shooter misses a target, it's because your mind or body causes an unconscious unplanned movement that interrupts your planned move to the target.
A couple of years back, I had a long conversation with Jon Kruger about this, and we delved deep into the psychology behind hitting and missing.
I wish he were a member here so that he could share his knowledge with us.
Kruger was an absolutely incredible shooter and competitor. I learned a lot from that conversation. That's where I first heard the term "target panic"
An old friend of mine who makes money with a shotgun, and used to be a shotgun coach told me once that when he steps in the box he goes through a 3 stage mental ritual he calls:
Set Up
Settle
See
If you do these three things consistently, your body will follow your commands more closely.

This thread has been a lot of fun, and much fodder for thought. I'd still like to know if anyone has seen or handled one of those 5 or 6 foot guns.

And, why is it that when I "see" the bird (these are birds, not clay targets, mind you), I generally hit the bird?

Both eyes open, a gun that points where I'm looking, and really seeing the bird, is the formula for success for me...on very wild birds that don't wait for me to say "pull."

Thanks to those who have contributed. As always, I learned a great deal from my hard core shooter friends.

Garry, we have a saying here, “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.” :rotf::rotf::rotf: