FENNELL SHOOTING SCHOOL
  • Home
  • Will
  • Elizabeth
  • Schedule a Lesson
  • Sponsors
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Forum
  • Contact

The next season starts NOW

11/18/2019

1 Comment

 
For most of us, the current year of competition is over. Almost everyone has checked off their final big shoot of the year, whether that is their state championship, or the Nationals. Sure, there is the odd local shoot, or ‘club championship’ left, but for the most part, the big stuff is done for the year. Many think of this a time to wind down, take it easy, and focus on family and hunting season (maybe not exactly in that order). Well, that certainly maybe a good idea, but if you plan on shooting strong next year, lets not totally put our sporting clay game out of the picture for the next few months.

First, we can use this time to take care of our equipment requirements. Now most of you are thinking that I’m going to bring up your gun(s). We’ll get to that in a minute, but first I want to talk about your eyes. That is the most important piece of equipment you have. This spring I was talking to our friend Dr Rich Colo, renown sports vision specialist. He said that he estimated the he could help approximately 65% of the competitors at that shoot see better. Think about that…..the guys and gals entered in the US Open are some of the most dedicated, prepared shooters in the sport, and over half of them could see BETTER, if they invested the time and dollars to see the bird better. So, now that your shooting schedule has slowed down a bit, get your eyes checked out. If corrective lenses can help you see better, at all, get corrective lenses. Do it now. This is waaaaay more important that your gun. You want to start this process now, and having lenses made sometimes can take a few weeks. We don’t want to be angsting over a UPS delivery the night before your first big shoot of 2020.

Next, your shotgun. If you have one you love, take care of it. Now is a good time to have a gunsmith go over it after the last season, and get it ‘tuned up’ for the next. Shotguns will work fine for years, but if you want it to last for generations, and probably more pertinent to this discussion, if you want it to remain trouble free, give it some preventative maintenance. Sometimes this takes awhile, so start now. If you are thinking about a new gun, NOW is the time to start shopping and trying stuff out. You don’t want to wait, as you want time to get used to it before next season. 

Now, this is something I recommend thinking about in advance, though most won’t. If you are a competitive shooter, you will use quite a few shells during a season. Generally somewhere between 20 and 100 cases of ammo a season. Sometimes many more. Its really not good for your performance to be constantly switching ammo, and worrying every weekend about going to the local big box store to hunt for ammo to use the next day in a shoot. Not to mention, but planning in advance, you can maybe save some $$$ buy purchasing in bulk in advance. FInd ammo that you, and more importantly that your gun, likes. Then, make a plan NOW to start laying in your ammo for the season. Sometimes that means a large bulk purchase for yourself, or splitting up and order with your shooting buddies. Others like to purchase ammo at large retailers…..well, get ahead of the curve and start now. There will be big sales coming up for the holidays, so take advantage of them. Buy ammo and stack it up. It won’t go bad. You’ll be happy when you need ammo during the season when you have a nice supply on hand.

And lastly, don’t completely stop shooting. Don’t lose all the advances you made this year by taking to much time off. Get down to the club occasionally, see your friends and at least shoot a little 5 Stand or a round or two on the course. Keep the rust knocked off...maybe introduce a new shooter or two to the game over the holidays. Just keep your hand in the game. You’ll be glad you did when its time to prepare for the first big shoot of 2020.

Folks, here’s the thing. You worked hard this season, so lets don’t let it go to waste. Stay current….get your blaster out and bust some practice clays. Get your gear together. Set goals and start planning NOW. The ‘next’ season will be here before you know it.

 Best,

Will
Fennell Shooting School

​
1 Comment

Get in your competition bubble

6/21/2019

2 Comments

 
Taking care of business- Get in your competition bubble!

Whether you are trying to win your class at the US Open, or wanting to enjoy your Saturday off by shooting at the local club with your friends, there are a few very common sense, basic things you can do to make sure you perform your best on the course. While these will come across as ‘no brainer’,  you would be amazed at how often shooters ignore these simple guidelines.

First, drink plenty of water. Start early...heck, start the day before! Your cognitive brain function, and your ability to visually focus depend HEAVILY on being well hydrated. Your eyeballs are small bags of water, and the pressure created by the amount of water, effect the shape of your eye, thus setting the distance between the lenses and retina. Get dehydrated, and it can change that distance. When that distance changes, you can't visually focus like you should. If you aren’t peeing occasionally during the round of clays, you aren’t getting enough water. You should have water with you at all times, and you should be sipping along before and during the whole round.

Second, have food in your stomach, with more in your range bag to nibble on during the round. I don’t want to have a heavy meal right before shooting, but I certainly want to have food in my system, and trail mix, nuts, fruit, bars, etc to keep satiated with during the round. Know your system…..while I love fried/greasy chicken, I don’t want something like that in my system when I’m on the course. I love grapes in the cooler, and pistachios in the cup holder of the cart!

Third, get plenty of sleep. At least as much, if not a little more, than you get normally at home. If you are a person that normally likes 8 hours of sleep a night, get at LEAST that much the night before you shoot. That being said, if you have to shoot early in the morning, allow yourself plenty of time to get awake before you shoot. My general rule of thumb is to have my feet on the floor a minimum of 3 hours before I compete. And if you were any type of corrective lenses....contacts or glasses....get them on as soon as possible so your eyes can adjust.

If keep these 3 guidelines in mind, you will be helping your performance quite a bit when it comes time to head out on the course.

Best,

Will

2 Comments

Ammunition Selection for New Sporting

12/3/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Ammunition - this what we feel that is the best bang(for the buck!) for new/beginner/recreational sporting clay shooters. As you grow in the game, your experience will help you develop your own ‘favorite loads’, but this post is a simple primer on the subject to get you started.

We like ammo that doesn’t have much ‘kick’, or recoil. The recoil caused by a shell is determined by 2 factors- how much shot is in the shell (has nothing to do with the pellet size, which we will cover later) and the speed that the shot leaves the barrel. We like to shoot a smaller amount of shot, at slow speeds, so we have less kick!

The first thing we have to cover, is that sometimes we need different ammunition for a ‘break open gun’, like an over and under or side by side, than for a semi-auto. A break open gun doesn’t care how light a load we fire thru it, but sometimes a semi-auto needs a bit heavier load for the gun to function correctly. First, let’s talk about the break open guns…..

For a O/U or SxS, we can shoot very light recoiling ammo, without worrying about how the gun will ‘cycle’. Look for a ‘low velocity load’.... 1200 feet per second(FPS) or less. In the old days this was described by calling out a ‘dram equivalent’ to refer to how fast the pellets left the gun, but that system was tough to understand, so most companies now simply list the speed in FPS. For a 12 ga, we like 1 oz (in metric thats 28 grams) of shot, or if we can find them, 7/8th oz( 24 grams). In 20 ga, we like 7/8th oz.

For a semi-auto, sometimes the mechanism that loads the shell for you will need a bit of pressure, provided by the firing of the shell, to reliably cycle the action. Most 12 ga semi’s will reliably run on 1 oz/1200 fps ammo. For 20 ga, the baseline is generally ⅞ oz/1200 fps. You can experiment with lighter ammo, but this is a good place to start.

Regarding shot size, the smaller the number, the bigger the pellets (crazy, right?). Sporting clay ranges limit the shot size to 7 ½’s as the biggest pellets. Also common are number 8’s. There are a few more pellets in the #8’s, and while either will work, if you have a choice, we suggest 8’s. The size of the pellets have nothing to do with recoil, it’s the weight of the shot charge, combined with the speed. So for 12 ga, look for slow- 1200 fps or less- 1 oz or less. In 20 ga, look for ⅞ oz around 1200 fps, and you will be happy with your ammo!

One last thing….what ‘brand’ to look for? We that can be confusing. Some ammo cost more than others, and to add to the choices many brands have multiple ‘lines’ of shells. For a new or recreational shooter, the best grade of shell is simply not needed. Most of the ‘brand names’ will have a secondary line of ammo, at a substantially reduced price compared to their premium target shells. As an example, Fiocchi Ammunition, has a top line competition group of ammunition called the “Exacta Line”. They also have the second level of shell titled the “Shooting Dynamics”, at a considerable savings. The Shooting Dynamics line is targeted, pardon the pun, at the recreational shooting market, and offers exactly they types of shells we have talked about above.

This all is meant to just give the new sporting shooter a basic guideline to get started  with your ammunition purchasing. There are many other factors that can come into play as you gain experience, but this will get you started in the right direction!

Best,

Fennell Shooting School

​
1 Comment

PODCAST

11/23/2018

0 Comments

 
Recently, I was asked to participate in a podcast produced by my friends at BEHIND THE BREAK. Justin Barker and his crew do a fantastic job with the competitive sporting clays oriented podcast production. I highly recommend that after listening to my episode, you check out other editions with some of the greats of the game being interviewed! 
0 Comments

Just Load one shell.....

9/25/2018

1 Comment

 
We see it all the time in lessons…..student is working on a single target, and they just can’t seem to break 2 in a row. They will load 2 shells, go through their routine, and break the first bird, then immediately whip the gun back to their hold point and call for the second target. Resulting in a miss…..this generates a groan, headshake and generally a weak excuse of some sort. The shooter then does the same thing on the next 2 targets(!). I then ask if they are doing their routine before each….and I generally get a blank stare.

I suggest they just load one shell at a time for awhile. Suddenly they are breaking 2-3-4-5 birds in a row. By loading one shell, they find it easier to remember to do their pre-shot routine before each shot, and they are actually practicing not only their shooting technique, but also reinforcing their routine. I find that perfecting the pre-shot routine is probably to most important part of practice for the intermediate to advanced competitor.

Practice with a purpose, and have fun doing it!

Best,

Will and Elizbeth
​Fennell Shooting School



1 Comment

ROUTINES....Planning, Pre-shot, and Post shot

9/16/2018

3 Comments

 

Have you ever noticed that top shooters look very calm and focused while shooting? Generally, they intentionally do the same things in preparation to call for the birds….and that routine looks the same, pair after pair, on purpose!  Think about it: if you were watching someone, and suddenly they changed what they were doing before calling “PULL’, you can probably bank on the fact that they would miss one or both birds! Pre-shot routine is the heart and soul of the mental game, and as soon as a shooting competitor achieves some basic gun handling skills, they should start to understand and develop their own routine. Here is what I do, and serves as a basis for what I teach my students.

First, let me say that there are 3(!) routines that I go through while shooting. Now, don't worry, it’s not as complicated as you may fear. You are probably already doing most of this, but maybe not quite in this order...

Lets just make the assumption we are looking at a crossing target....

We start with The Planning Routine….

I make my plan the same way every time. I only need to do this once (assuming all goes well)...at the beginning of each station. I watch the show pair, I decide where I see them the clearest, and what detail I can make out on each bird. Once I determine the aforementioned, I now know the kill zone of my target. With the method that I generally employ, I take the gun halfway back to the place where I first see the bird clearly, (right out of the trap if I can see it there) and this is my hold point. I briefly decide whether I am going to insert the gun on the bird, thus connecting with the bird, or at some point in front of the target. My feet are aligned to the kill zone (if we are shooting pairs, I do this all for the second target, including knowing where I am going to look for the second bird, and whether I need to move my feet, or favor one bird or the other with my stance).

The plan is done....we should not need to revisit this...

Pre-Shot Routine time...

Every time I address a target (or pair), I do my dead level best, to follow this routine- I align my stance according to my plan.....as I drop the first shell into the chamber, I VERY BRIEFLY visualize the detail on the first bird that I will bring into focus. I'll do the same for the second target if its a pair.  I then gently/calmly close my gun and move the muzzle to my hold point (that I prescribed in my plan). I then make sure my eyes are back to where I will first see the bird, calm them down and make them still, ..(the overriding feeling at this point is that I am mentally ‘out there’ being anticipating the target, vs. being ‘back here in the stand’ thinking about the mechanics of the shoot)..and call for the bird. If at any point before I call for the target I catch myself thinking about other things, I STOP, and break the gun open and start over.

...after the shells are fired, we go through the last part…

The Post Shot Routine…..

This is critical. You simply ask yourself, whether you hit the bird or not, whether the target was in crisp focus when the gun went off? Depending on the honest answer you give yourself, you make adjustments as needed. Be sure you are settled and committed to your plan, and then start over again on your pre-shot routine for the next pair.


This all seems very long and drawn out, when you type it out....done properly, it takes seconds. The key is doing it ALL THE TIME....in practice and on RACE DAY. If you don’t do it during practice, you won’t be able to stick with it during a tournament. Most folks are screwing up by carrying the planning routine over into the pre-shot routine. They are still thinking about what they are going to do, when they call for the bird, which leads to trying to see the ‘plan’ develop during the shot. Which means measuring the shot. This is a bad thing. When the shooter calls for the bird, the only thing they should be doing from that point on is trying clearly to see the bird, and let your technique come out subconsciously. Frankly, most of my practice is basically practicing my routine, so that it is happening automatically without effort.

This probably will lead to more questions, which is fine, but let this sink in first,..........be introspective and ask yourself if you are doing any of these things? and if so, in what order? The order is critical. Don’t gloss over that, just like you can’t do your routine ‘sometimes’..... You have to do it all the time. If you are just starting this process, start working on and implementing the planning routine, as it is certainly the most important. Get your planning routine in order and comfortable before moving to implementing a pre shot routine, and then in turn the post shot analysis.



**There is certainly more that we can talk about regarding this subject, but this is the nuts and bolts. We have developed this outline thru working with Henry Hopking of the Brain Training Company  Get The Mental Edge | Mental Training for Athletes . We can certainly tweak things to work best for the individual shooter, but this framework will get you started in the right direction. If you want to delve deeper into the mental game for sporting clays, feel free to contact us!

Best,

Fennell Shooting School

3 Comments

Efficient use of Eyes and Hands

7/24/2018

2 Comments

 
When shooting sporting clays, most shooters feel constantly rushed. You see shooters swinging the gun wildly around the sky, searching for the second bird of the pair, whether it be on report or a simo pair. Frequently, you feel forced into shooting the second bird waaay past the ideal kill zone. Sometimes, though very rarely, not even able to get off a second shot. You only have so much time available before the clay hits the ground, so to score well in this game, we need to figure out how use our time wisely.

With that said just try to remember this: When planning and shooting pairs of clays, you almost ALWAYS have more time than you think. What we need to do as be as efficient as possible in the ‘beginning’ and ‘middle’ of the shot, so we have the valuable time to kill each target. When I watch many shooters, they start moving the gun too late, then move the gun rapidly to engage the first bird, then look for their results, then search for the second bird, and slash the gun at it. Basically, because of poor efficiency and lack of planning, they are forced to shoot very quickly because they have wasted too much valuable time. So let’s break this down….

First, the shooter needs to be EAGER to see the bird, and in almost all cases, start their hands in motion based on seeing the movement of the bird. Most shooting methods work best when we ‘move on the flash’ of the target. Most shooters wait to long to start the gun to meet the target. Simply put, it you wait longer, you just have to move faster. This makes everything ‘look’ and ‘feel’ faster than if you started earlier in the process. Then, engage the first bird. Let’s assume you are shooting a report pair.  IMMEDIATELY after the gun goes off, get your eyes back to see the second. Don’t waste time admiring your break. This is critical and where most of the time is wasted shooting a pair of targets. This should happen so fast that in a report pair you ‘beat the trapper’, and be waiting for the bird to leave the second trap. In a true pair, during your planning of the shot, you should have figured out precisely where the second target will be in the air, when you fire at the first, so you know exactly where to look as soon as you finish the first bird. Side note, most shooters think about ‘where to take the gun for the second bird’ when they should be thinking about where to take their eyes to find the second bird. Find the bird with your eyes first, and the gun will generally take care of itself. This will all add up to more time to work the second bird.

So to sum things up, most shooters shoot like this…..

Late start- Quick shot- Slow transition- Quick shot.

You should feel like this…..

Quick start- Slow shot- FAST transition- Slow shot.

Remember, if its a report pair, strive to beat the trapper to the second trap. If its a true pair, don’t grade your performance on the first bird, and know precisely where to immediately look for the second bird. Let’s do everything we can to have as much time with each bird as needed.

Best,
Fennell Shooting School




2 Comments

AN EYE OPENING EXPERIENCE with Dr. Richard Colo

6/10/2018

1 Comment

 
Today both Will and I had the most comprehensive eye exam we have ever had!  We had the privilege of spending the day with the fabulous and gifted Dr Richard Colo in Suffield, Connecticut.  What we learned was ALOT about eyes!  

We learned that you can be all right eye dominant or all left eye dominant and yet there were also numerous degrees of dominance in between the two as well!  Yes folks, there are “DEGREES OF DOMINANCE”.  This has many facets of course and means nothing for some folks yet for others, well, they may need a tweak here and a tweak there.  

To that note, there are degrees of occlusion which isn’t simply a spot on the lense, but the degrees of opaqueness of the spot!  The choices of needing a patch to correct a visual shift can also be dependant on how your vision relates with your style of shooting; ie, pre-mounted, transitional or low gun.  We learned there is a definitive time to decide to either blink or close the eye of a cross dominant shooter and when you should simply spot the lens of the master eye and shoot with both eyes open.

Picture


Today’s discussions and personal revelations have been particularly interesting for us and will be intensely studied and used as we come across eye issues and questions on a daily basis during our lessons.  ​

I personally have worked long and hard to find a solution and final resolution to my cross dominance.  Today, by combining my eye exam and watching me shoot Dr. Colo and I came to that solution. The answer for me was, as a predominately low gun shooter, to use tape to block the lense over my left eye and shoot with both eyes open.  It also became very apparent that finding my visual hold point was as important, if not more so, than my physical hold point when calling for the bird.

Picture
Will and I cannot say enough about  Dr. Colo generously spending his time (on his 51st wedding anniversary no less) with us and openly and happily sharing his wealth of knowledge with us.  
 
He has shared his time and his amazing and deep knowledge with many other instructors, top shooters, weekend clay warriors, and even bird hunters!  For Will and I it was wonderful for us to be able to fill in the blanks of things we have observed over the years with our students.
 
We thank him for his willingness to share his invaluable insights with us and other instructors.  If we understand the nuances of the eyes and how they work with the brain and thus our eye/hand coordination, it can do nothing but help shooters get better.  
 
We left feeling extremely grateful there are such fabulous folks in our sport!  Dr. Colo, thank you for all you do and share with so many of us in the shooting sports!  Your enthusiasm and joy as you shared your time and gifts with us today was wonderful to experience and especially for this old gal! I “saw” things today in a whole different perspective, in more ways than one!  Thank you for the best eye exam ever and insights to my way of seeing things and shooting things.....many puns intended!
 
For more about Dr. Colo click here

​
1 Comment

The Advantage of Fiocchi spreader loads

5/28/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
THE POPULARITY of shotguns equipped with screw in choke tubes has transformed the “scattergun” world.  Shooters can easily change choke tubes to suit their needs depending on the varying presentations. The transformation is so complete, it can be hard to find a current production shotgun that doesn’t have screw-in chokes.

However, there is no free lunch. To accommodate the screw-in choke, the profile of the barrel has to be a bit wider. That means the barrel is generally heavier with ‘screw-in chokes’ vs a ‘fixed choke’.  This is especially true with an O/U (or even Side x Sides). When you have twice the added weight, and this addition weight is out on the end of the barrels, it’s easy to end up with a nose heavy gun. Another issue is spending time assessing which choke to use when you walk up to a station. A shooter can become easily distracted on the course by constantly accessing, and potentially second guessing, choke selection. Many potential good rounds of clays have been ruined by spending too much time twiddling chokes and not enough time planning for the presentation. I think we may have all been guilty of this a time or two.

As a result, many shooters, generally experienced sporting competitors, have come full circle and are seeking out O/U’s with fixed chokes. This can give the shooter a nimble handling gun, and lets the user to pay more attention to their plan when they don’t have their nose in their choke tube box! Since you have to have enough choke for the long/edgy presentations, most folks that shoot fixed, generally have their chokes set around modified/improved modified or even full choke.

This is perfect for those 35-45 yard crossers, but admittedly, a bit much for 20 yard rabbits and short window birds. Since you can’t change your chokes in your new fixed choke gun, what can you do? Well the first answer is to just bear down and make smoke balls, and that is exactly what most folks do, most of the time. BUT, if you need a bit of help, you can also change shells. Since I started shooting my K80 Parcours, with fixed Improved Modified chokes in both barrels, I decided to do a bit of pattern testing, experimenting with different shells.

My standard shell is the FIOCCHI Nickel Plated Crusher, which is a one ounce of high quality nickel plated 7.5’s at 1300 fps. This load is a high performance long range target killer proven to perform well in my barrels. What I was looking for was a load that would help be with close and fast presentations. If its close and slow (meaning I have plenty of time), I have no problem using my regular shells and tight chokes...but if I have little time, and the target is close, it would be nice to have a big, evenly distributed pattern, like you normally get with a cylinder or skeet choke.

First, using my fixed improved modified choked barrels, I tested a typical “Skeet Load” of dead soft #9 shot. While there were certainly more flyers in the pattern, I did not see a noticeable, dependable enlargement in the pattern compared to my standard load. I’m sure the #9 loads would be an advantage for close targets when using a more open cylinder or skeet choke, as the increased number of pellets would help fill up the larger pattern, but thru my tight chokes, there was not a noticeable advantage. At 20 yards, my Nickel Crusher #7.5’s gave a consistent pattern of 15”, and the #9 shot gave a 17” pattern. A little bigger, but not dramatically bigger.

​
Picture
         (NOTE:  Testing was done at 20 yards on our white lithium grease covered steel pattern plate)

Next I tested the FIOCCHI Interceptor Spreader Load. This was a one ounce load of #8’s, also at 1300 fps, but loaded with a special wad to open the pattern much faster. It is designed to provide a large, evenly distributed pattern. At 20 yards, this shell, thru my same improved modified fixed choke, gave a 30”(!) pattern. Basically double the size of my standard load thru the same barrel/choke. I pattern tested this shell for 10 shots, and confirmed that it is a reliable performer. Large, even patterns, time and time again. I also shot a normal shell, my regular Crusher, thru a cylinder choked gun, and it gave a approximate 30” pattern.

​
Picture
          (NOTE:  Testing was done at 20 yards on our white lithium grease covered steel pattern plate)

​So by keeping some FIOCCHI Interceptors in my range bag, I can get cylinder choke performance out of my improved modified choked gun, by simply changing shells. I get the tight

patterning, dynamic handling shotgun I want, but can easily employ a wide pattern for
close-fast-short window birds by changing shells.  

That folks is why we suggest if you have a fixed choke gun, go out and test some FIOCCHI  Spreaders for yourself and you might just like what you see, garnish some confidence in the performance of these spreader loads  on your next outing or competition and really smoke some close clays!

Good luck and great shooting to you!

Will Fennell

**NOTE:  Testing was done at 20 yards on our white lithium grease covered steel pattern plate

SPONSORS:    FIOCCHI Ammunition
                                  Lucas Oil Outdoor Line
                                  Krieghoff International


2 Comments

Gun fitting

2/12/2018

5 Comments

 
this is more text

GUN FITTING:   WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT ISN'T , AND THE GREAT DIVIDENDS IT CAN PAY!
 

Here at FSS, Elizabeth and I help lots of students with their gun fit. It is always interesting, and as a general rule, very satisfying to us as instructors and fitters. It is, however, frequently not what the student expects. 

Often it is a simple tweak that comes about during their shooting lesson. We see that we could make their gun work better for them with some relatively simple changes. Adjusting their stock height or cast with strips of moleskin, maybe changing their length of pull (LOP) by some simple means, or a change in their pitch by adding washers under the top or bottom of  the recoil pad, etc. Sometimes they have adjustable combs or butt stocks, but generally we are making changes in a ‘field expedient’ manner, just to show the small changes make significant differences in the fit and feel of their gun, and then we suggest a gunsmith come behind us and make the changes permanent.  Generally they are AMAZED at how simple it all is. 
 
Then there are custom fitted stocks, built from the ground up specifically for a shooter, their style of shooting and their shooting needs . This is where, frequently, students have a different notion of what is involved in ‘being fitted’ for these stocks. They think that they will be ‘measured up’, kind of akin to being measured by a tailor for a new suit. While your body shape and size has quite a bit to do with the dimensions you would need in a shotgun stock, how you handle the gun as a huge impact on your ‘fit’ as well. This issue is further compounded if the shooter is inconsistent in how they handle the gun.  If they  mount the gun differently shot to shot, which mount does the fitter adjust the gun for?  Needless to say,  these are the times we have to work with the student on their technique first, to get them handling the gun correctly, and in a consistent manor. Often, the shooter’s gun fits much better after they clean up their gun handling.  Saves money and breaks more targets! Yaaayyyy!  Who doesn't like that?
Picture
Picture
While we work with try guns* in some instances, we greatly prefer to work with the gun that the shooter wants fit to them. Imagine if you have a try gun built around a flat rib 28” field gun, and a shooter wants to be fit for a 32” Kreighoff Pro Sporter, there will be many differences in handling alone that will cause problems. Frequently, we can work with the original stock, modify it to fit, then measure the final dimensions to give to your stockmaker. The BEST answer is to work with your stock maker and shooting coach to make a ‘pattern stock’. This is a stock built to suit you, out of an oversized "plain jane" inexpensive piece of walnut.  Sometimes it will need to be modified with the automotive body compound, commonly known as Bondo, and filed down to shape. This gives the fitter the option of dramatically changing your stock shape to fit your body and style.  The result? A stock you can shoot for months, making sure you have the dimensions that YOU like and that you have confidence in and using it over a period of time and shooting conditions. Then, after you and the fitter are satisfied, the stock maker can use your pattern stock to duplicate a stock with a more suitable and attractive piece of wood. Add a nice checkering pattern, and beautiful finish and you are done!​

Picture
I have worked thru this process with different stock makers over the years. Originally with Bob James. He did amazing work, and taught me much of what I know about stocks and gun fit. Bob is now retired, but I still have the custom stocks he made me that fit wonderfully and are still going strong! Now, we work with Jim Greenwood of Greenwood Custom Stocks from Augusta, KS. Jim has built me a couple of stocks, and they have been fantastic. Jim is not only a talented gun fitter but a consummate craftsman. Add the fact that he is also a Master Class sporting clays competitor who certainly knows what is needed in excellent gun fitting and that is gun fitting “tailor-made” to your style of shooting. In addition to careful attention to most areas of your fit, Jim spends more time on the grip, considering both hands, than anyone I’ve worked with.  It always astounds me how much subtle and small changes in this area can improve gun handling for the shooter. Recently, while working with a new student, my first observation was that he had a very awkward gun mount, especially from the “FITASC"ready position.  It turned out that the problem was 90% in the grip area of his firing hand. After his pattern stock was made, he immediately improved, and he could then begin learning to mount the gun properly for the game.

We have a full fitting facility here at the Fennell Shooting School. We work on gun fit with our students daily as part of their lessons. We are also planning on hosting Jim Greenwood here in South Carolina a couple of times a year to offer his advance fitting with pattern stocks. Using data we observe from the pattern plate, shooting clays, and at times the try gun, our students go home with a great new confidence in their gun fit, and a pattern stock to use until they are certain the fit is perfect for them! Let us know when you want us to make your job easier on the course!
​

Ready...PULL
​Will and Elizabeth Fennell

*A ‘Try gun’ is a shotgun with a stock that is capable of adjusting for length, cast, height, grip shape, pitch, etc. Fitters can use this tool to fit a gun to a student, then measure the results to determine the student’s needs. Though try guns are very effective, the student must also be observed shooting to see how they handle a gun and to their style of shooting.

5 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Elizabeth Lanier Fennell and Will Fennell

    Archives

    November 2019
    June 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Location

Picture

Contact Us 

Picture

EMAIL US

​will@fennellshootingschool.com
elizabeth@fennellshootingschool.com

Subscribe

Join our mailing list today!