New to Clays, How to Determine Miss Location

[IVC]

I've shot clays a few times in the past, once with an instructor who gave me the initial pointers, but then haven't touched it in a decade, never really learning. A few days back, I tried it again and realized not only that I'm missing, but that I can't tell which way I'm missing. It reminds me of not being on paper when sighting-in a rifle. But, with a rifle, there is an easy crutch of shooting at the berm and figuring out which way the bullet is going. Same with a pistol. But not with a shotgun.

 

So, when I miss, how can I tell which way I'm off and by how much? If I have no idea which way the shot is going, how can I adjust or correct what I'm doing?

 

Yes, I will take a class and all that, but the class will have the instructor correct the technique and tell me how to practice, where it is still completely up to me to do the practice. And during the practice, I will miss and I won't have the instructor to tell me which way (or why) I missed. And if I don't know which way to correct, then I'm back to square one of wasting ammo when not under the direct supervision, only hoping I start hitting the birds. And even if I start connecting because "instructor improved my technique," I still can't do the proper training by myself on harder shots if I don't know which way to correct on misses. And miss I must if I'm going to get better... A vicious cycle. 

 

If you have any pointers or can provide some insight into how beginners are supposed to train and work on their skill, I'll be most grateful. 

[practical_man]

First, pattern your shotgun on a pattern board. See where it’s hitting from a snap shot. Chances are you’ll need to make some minor changes to the stock to get the POI you want. 
 

Second, keep your head on the stock. You may be missing because you’re looking for the bird to break. This would put you behind and below the bird. 

 

Skeet has always been better practice for me to get on target. YMMV. 
 

There’s a gun mounted camera in the market that’s supposed to help diagnose misses. Can’t recall the name right now. 
 

 

 

[lefty o]

your gun mount has to be consistent. if you mount the gun different each time, well its never going to hit the same place twice. then as mentioned above, put the gun on paper so your mind can visualize where the gun is hitting. also touched on above, gun fit. if the gun fits you, it will hit where you are looking, and it will hurt you much less. you can shoot well with a gun that doesnt fit, but it is so much easier if it does.

[IVC]

Thanks guys, it seems that there isn't an easy or reliable way to know which way the miss went... It's unfortunate as it makes learning and training that much harder. 

[lefty o]

3 hours ago, IVC said:

Thanks guys, it seems that there isn't an easy or reliable way to know which way the miss went... It's unfortunate as it makes learning and training that much harder. 

it comes with experience. subtle hint, on your forward/support hand point your pointer finger outward the same direction as the barrel. its kind of subconscious, but your eyes tend to go where your finger is pointing, and if your head is firmly on the stock, the gun and your eyes will be pointing in the same place.