SHOTGUN MARKSMANSHIP FUNDAMENTALS
Some of the fundamentals we learned with pistols and rifles apply to shotguns, but some shotgun fundamentals differ.
Let’s start with some of the similarities.
Eye Dominance
Remember, just like a rifle, your eye dominance determines which shoulder to shoot from. If you are right-eye dominant then you shoulder the shotgun on your right side, vice versa for lefties.
Your dominant hand has nothing to do with which shoulder to use. As already discussed, a shooter whose dominant-eye side is different than their dominant-hand side is considered cross-dominant.
Shotgun Stances
For the beginner, I recommend that you first learn how to shoot standing, and try prone and bench shooting later. The reason why is that shooting from the bench will not enable you to develop the critical technique you need to learn how to effectively handle a shotgun. On a bench, too much of your body will be relaxed, and the bench will do too much of the work for you. A bench is used to provide stability, which increases accuracy. Since a shotgun is not a precision weapon, we don’t need to worry about accuracy with a shotgun as much as we do with a rifle. Sitting down will only enable your upper chest, shoulders, and arms to assist, whereas standing will then include your abs, hips, legs, and feet. Standing enables you take advantage of your full body weight to absorb the recoil and manage the shotgun.
Let me say this right up front: you need to manhandle and control a shotgun. You need to tell it who’s boss and be aggressive with almost every aspect of shotgun handling.
To properly shoot a shotgun in the standing position, start in a Weaver stance, as described in the pistol section on p. 90. Put about 65 to 70 percent of your weight on your forward leg (left leg if you are right-handed, vice versa for lefties), which will help you manage the recoil.
Moving up the body to the hips, many new shotgun shooters tend to stand straight up and get knocked off their feet. To partially address this, you want to bend forward 5 to 10 degrees at the waist. This is important, because it will help you control the gun, absorb recoil, and quickly reset for your next shot.
Notice that the upper body is leaning forward to help manage recoil and stabilize the shooter. This solid shooting platform also enables faster follow-up shots.
Note that the degree of bend will vary depending on the game. Trap and skeet shooters tend to stand more upright than 3-gun and action shotgunners.
Another critical part of the shotgun stance is having solid contact with the buttstock and your shoulder. The recoil is going to come straight back at you, and you want your body to absorb it instead of getting hit by it.
To demonstrate getting hit vs, absorbing a force, have someone push your shoulder (where the shotgun would be seated) from 2 inches away with an open palm. Then do it again with the exact force, but this time have the person start with their hand on your shoulder. When there’s contact with two objects at the start of the force, the object getting hit will more easily absorb the energy.
Getting Your Shotgun Fitted
I owned my 12-gauge Benelli Vinci shotgun for three years and never had it fitted. I thought I shot fine with it, but it wasn’t until after I got a professional fitting that I realized I was compensating for a poor fit. My shooting improved a ton after having the gun fit to my specs. Specifically, the buttstock had to be shaved down. a particular shim was installed to have the buttstock at the correct level so that, when I had a solid cheek weld, I could clearly see down the rib.
Before my fitting, I did not have a solid cheek weld because I had to lift my head up a bit for the front sight to come into view. This was causing all sorts of inconsistency in my trap shooting. I was dedicating a lot of energy to my form when that energy could have gone towards hitting my target.
The length of pull is another measurement a fitter can help you with to make sure your shooting hand is the right distance from your face. Length of pull is the measurement from the back of the trigger to the end of the buttstock. The “correct” length of pull is different for everyone.
A properly fitted shotgun will not only help improve your accuracy (as you’ll really be shooting what you’re aiming at), but it will help you absorb more recoil and control the gun more effectively. To find a shotgun fitter, contact your local gun shop or range, or consult some shotgun Internet forums.
Think of the shotgun barrel as an extension of your eyes—a line of sight, if you will. New shooters often have a problem with the cheek breaking off the stock after the shot. Most likely this comes from not being used to the recoil, which comes with practice, or shooters break their cheek weld to look above or to the side of the barrel to check the target.
Notice the shooter’s cheek and how you can see skin, muscle, and fat coming over the comb of the buttstock. A solid cheek weld is not only crucial for accuracy, but it also enables faster reacquisition of the target after each shot.
When I’m shooting a shotgun, I imagine that my cheek is glued to the buttstock. Perhaps that or some other visualization will help you remember to keep your cheek on the stock.
Just like with cheek weld and head alignment on a rifle, your head should be almost straight up, not tilted to either side. Remember to bring the gun up to your face, and not your face down to the gun. Doing the latter will likely lead to poor cheek weld and a misaligned head placement.
Shotgun Grip
A “standard” shotgun stock is very similar to a “standard” rifle stock in that your shooting hand is placed behind the trigger, where your index finger can naturally reach the trigger.
If your shotgun has a pistol grip, you’ll want to grip it exactly like a pistol grip on a rifle.
Your support hand should be placed under the forearm.
Trigger Slap
In shotgun parlance, instead of the trigger squeeze used with pistols and rifles, you “slap” the trigger—which basically means just pulling the darned thing. A shotgun is not a precision firearm like a pistol or rifle (unless you are using a slug, which is covered below). Remember that birdshot is usually hundreds of small metal BBs coming out and forming a circular pattern that increases in diameter the farther the shot goes. Basically, you can be less accurate with birdshot or buckshot, as there are multiple projectiles coming out of the barrel.
When you use slugs, which are a single piece of metal, you need to be precise. Using the “trigger squeeze” framework to hit your mark is appropriate here. Shooting slugs requires a steady hand, so a slower, rifle-style trigger squeeze is appropriate.
With shotguns, finger-pad placement is also not important as it is with pistols and rifles. Typically, your trigger finger touches the trigger around your first knuckle, the one closest to the fingertip. However, feel free to experiment with what’s comfortable for you.
One thing to note about trigger slapping though is that don’t slap it too hard or else you may end up jerking the trigger and moving the end of the barrel down as the shot comes out. If you are continually missing low on your target, you might be slapping the trigger too hard.
Dry-fire practice is a good way to find the happy medium. You should be able to slap the trigger without dropping the barrel in the process.
Sight Picture
With pistols and rifles, your sight picture should have a hard focus on the front sight. However, with shotguns, your focus is on the target. This relates back to the idea that the shotgun is not a precision firearm (again, unless using a slug). With pistols and rifles, your focus is on the front sight because that is the point when the bullet will leave the barrel, and where the barrel is pointing at that moment will greatly affect its accuracy.
However, since many shotgun sports and other uses require shooting at moving targets, it is more important to be looking at the target when you slap the trigger.
As mentioned earlier, some shooters decide to remove the front sight and the mid-bead (if present). Alternatively, some shooters will take a permanent marker and black out the front sight. Both of these methods are intended to help the shooter focus on the target, instead of the sights.
Lead and Swing-Through
Lead and swing-through are relevant concepts if you are planning to hunt birds or play clay-target sports (particularly skeet or sporting clays). Shooting at moving targets requires lead, which is basically pointing the shotgun ahead of the target. The distance from your target, the type of ammunition you’re using, and the speed of the target will determine the proper lead required to hit the target.
Birdshot often moves slower than a pistol or rifle bullet. Remember that with birdshot there are multiple projectiles (BBs) that are leaving the barrel in a circular pattern that expands outward the farther it travels.
The best way I can describe swing-through is that it’s similar to follow-through in a baseball swing, a baseball throw, a golf or tennis swing, or a football throw. When the ball leaves your hand or the club or racket makes contact with the ball, the movement of your hand and instrument doesn’t stop there; they keep moving. It is the same concept with shooting a shotgun at a moving target. In hunting and many shotgun games, you should be moving the gun with the target. Once you pull the trigger, you should keep the barrel moving at the same speed.
Birdshot creates what is called a “shot string.” Imagine that when birdshot leaves a barrel that is not moving, it forms a three-dimensional, cylindrical shape composed of all those BBs. There are gaps in between all those BBs that increase the further the shot string goes out. Now imagine if that barrel is moving while the shot is exiting. After you pull the trigger, the first part of the shot string comes out. As your barrel continues swinging, the shape of the shot string isn’t a cylinder but rather like a Slinky toy that is being pushed to one side.
There are many other details to go into at the intermediate and advanced levels, such as fitting your shotgun, what kinds of ammunition to use in which situations, and what kind of chokes to use. I recommend finding some specialized training books, websites, videos, and other sources of information if you are planning to hunt; shoot trap, skeet, or sporting clays; train for home defense; compete, and engage in any other shotgun activities. This beginner’s book covers the safe handling and operation of a shotgun, and I’ve done my best to boil this down to the core essentials to help you focus on the basics.
Chapter Summary: