Clay Target Q&A
With Russell Mark, Olympic gold and silver medallist
Questions: russell@corporateshootingstars.com.au
Q I am constantly confused where to position my left hand (I am a right-handed shooter) on the fore-end of the gun. If I hold it short or near the action of the gun, I think I shoot the targets faster, but if I hold it at the end, I feel I can point the gun better, however, I often feel like I am overstretching. Is it okay to change my fore-end hold depending on the speed of the target?
Jacob Niles, Vic
A Jacob, it is a fallacy to believe a short fore-end hold will make you shoot the targets faster. What an overly short fore-end grip does do is give you less control. The only way a short grip will make you shoot targets faster is if you are using your arms to swing the gun instead of your whole upper torso. This is fundamentally wrong and will result in plenty of lost targets and inconsistency.
Accuracy is largely determined from what our eyes dictate to the brain. Our body will then point at the object we are trying to hit. Fore-end hold should never be a major factor in this. A good ‘rule of thumb’ is if your fore-end hold is correct, then generally your left forearm will be running at 45 degrees from the woodwork of the fore-end to the ground.