How to Shoot Skeet – Tips for Skeet Shooting

How to Shoot Skeet: Shooting skeet is fun for all ages, whether you’re a seasoned competitor or just looking to have some fun. Also, it is a great way to spend time outdoors and start your shooting practice. Hence, it requires focusing on a tiny target and hitting it with speed and accuracy.

Hence, learning how to shoot skeet like a pro is necessary if you are a beginner shooter. Therefore, to learn how to shoot skeet, read the following steps below attentively.

Learning the Rules

Know What to Shoot

The first step in shooting skeet is knowing what to shoot. To hit a target in skeet shooting, usually, a shotgun is used to aim at small clay targets, released into the air to mimic bird hunting. They’re usually orange and have a diameter of 4 to 5 inches (10.2 to 12.7 cm).

These targets are shot separately and continuously from two sides of an arc that includes ground stations on both sides. However, you can rotate between stations and fire two to four rounds at each target when shooting skeet. A skeet round includes 25 shots.

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Use of Skeet Gun

When it comes to shooting skeet, almost any type of shotgun will do. But experienced shooters, choose to use a shotgun, known as a skeet gun, that is accurate and long-range.

Usually, skeet guns are shotguns with over-under barrels. However, by adding relatively open chokes, you can increase your accuracy and make consistent hits on the target. Many skeet shooters prefer to add this.

Know the Difference Between Stations

Skeet shooting is a sport of shotguns. At skeet shooting, you’ll need to move between 7 stations that are arranged 21 yards far away from your target in an arc and a point, which is comparatively closer than other stations. You will constantly aim in the same specific direction (downrange) from your initial station to your final station.

However, the angle that you view the targets from will change depending on your position. Again, two traps discharge clay targets on either side of the range: low and high. These two clay targets will appear and cross your field of view together, and you’ll have to hit both of them.

Learn the Target Pattern

Usually, target release order varies from station to station. In general, each trap will allow you to hit only one target, though, at certain times, that may vary. However, learning the pattern is a core part of the skeet shooting strategy.

At Stations 1 & 2

At stations 1 and 2, the upper trap releases a single target, followed by the bottom trap releasing another single target. The respective traps are called “high house” and “low house.”

The next target will be released from the low trap, and then multiple targets will be released continuously. During the simultaneous release, your goal should be to shoot the higher target first. At each station, the shooter will take 4-shorts.

At Stations 3 to 5

At each of the stations 3–5, the shooter will take a total of 2-shots. One target will be released from the upper trap and another from the lower trap.

At stations 6 & 7

The pattern of 1st and 2nd stations is exactly the same here: a high, a low, and then the continuous targets. One exception is that this time shooter will fire the lower target first. Each of these stations will have 4-shots to shoot.

At station 8

You’ll shoot a high and a low target at this closer-up station. If you do not miss the target, you will get another chance to hit a lower house target.

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Shooting Accuracy

Take Position

A half-circle comprises seven evenly spaced stations on one side of the skeet field. Choose one of the seven stations and take your position located between the lower and upper houses.

Before taking the final shot, it may be helpful to practice shooting at some other targets so that you can get an idea about flight patterns, timing, and accuracy.

Assume the Right Shooting Stance

When approaching a clay target, keep your back straight, spread your feet apart, and be flexible in your position. Also, keep your knees slightly bent and stand on your forward foot. Bring the gun up to your shoulder and hold it tightly.

Practice

Put the gun unloaded and point the gun at a fixed target. Then swing the gun in an arc to get a feel for the motion of the swing. As the targets move quickly, people who want to shoot well must develop muscle memory to get good at it.

It’s not only about aiming precisely but also about the mechanics of how you aim. Once you’ve practiced your swing, it’s time to take some shots.

Take a Shot Ahead of the Targets

If you’re new to skeet shooting, it will take some time to get an idea about the flight pattern and feel for how much lead you may need to give each target.

But once you’ve got it, you’ll start hitting more and more targets. If you consistently miss the target, change your lead time and retry.

Learn to swing naturally and quickly so that you can follow each target and take the most efficient shots.

Follow-through

Target shooting requires a high level of patience. When you pull the trigger, your swing will stay connected to your mind (your brain) for a brief moment. It is important to start thinking about the target as soon as you start moving.

After you fire a shot, continue to move your gun through your swing. But as soon as you’re done firing, put your finger away from the trigger.

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Some Further Steps

Join a Skeet Club

If you want to shoot skeet regularly, consider joining a skeet club. In skeet clubs, you can learn tips from other shooters. You can even join leagues at clubs.

Join NSSA (National Skeet Shooting Association)

Being a member of the NSSA allows you to practice and enter tournaments to improve your accuracy and rank. There are classes for different skill levels of shooters.

For instance, if you’re just starting, you’ll be in a class of other beginners/novices. As you improve, you’ll progress with your level and find people to compete against. Don’t worry about how you rank. Just focus on becoming better by practicing, and you’ll eventually rank up.

Take Skeet Lessons

If you want to improve your shooting skills, take lessons from an experienced shooter. You can learn a lot by being around experienced skeet shooters and listening to their tips and advice, even if you’re not yet at the same level.

The more advanced skeet shooters can show you where your weaknesses lie and help you avoid the same mistakes they made. Overall, you can learn a lot from an experienced shooter.

Keep Practicing

Shooting is just like any other sport – you improve by actually doing it. If you want to get better at shooting, go practice. Regularly shooting will build the muscle memory needed to shoot accurately. Besides, when you go shooting, you’ll learn a lot more than you will be reading about it. Plus, shooting is fun!

Final Verdict

Skeet shooting is a great way to learn how to shoot a shotgun and improve your bird hunting skills. Also, it’s a fun and challenging sport for people of all skill levels.

But, knowing the fundamentals of skeet shooting can make you a much better skeet shooter. In this article, we have covered all the necessary steps of skeet shooting.

We hope this article will prove helpful to you to learn how to shoot skeet.

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