The hallmark of a first-class shot

In this extract from the BASC Guide to Shooting Game  MICHAEL YARDLEY offers a new approach to one of the key elements of good shooting - the mount and swing.

A good gun mount is the hallmark of a first class shot. The mount should be an unhurried but positive action, elegantly executed to three beats at a relatively slow tempo. Economy of movement must be combined with smooth flow.

 
I like to see the heel of the stock just below the shoulder line in most circumstances.

It will always be difficult to complete a good mount without a good stance and a good hold on the gun. Many, if not most, poor shots rush the mount, losing control of the muzzles in the process. The frequent tendency, seen as often on a pheasant drive as at a sporting clay shoot, is to ‘bash and slash’, i.e. to slam the gun up to the shoulder at light speed and then slash at the target. Wild shooting is the inevitable result. Those inclined to rush, often end up rushing to a dead stop (and so miss the bird behind – often with a puzzled look on their face).

The essential problem of the mount and swing – it is important to realise that the two are usually happening together – is that one must achieve fairly precise control without checking gun movement unduly. Economy of movement is required, but flow as well. The stock is raised to face and shoulder (the face should never be brought down onto the gun after the stock has reached the shoulder) with a coordinated movement of both hands. If any hand leads this action, it is the forward one.

The front hand fulfils a critical function during the gun mount. It does not just lift the barrels, but it keeps the muzzles on line as mount and swing progress. It also helps to push the gun ahead of the target (though the primary energy for this is body rotation) and it has a vital role in finishing the shot. One often observes that the left arm of clients does insufficient work and the right arm and hand too much. The required balance of action is not achieved.

Unnecessary head movement is also detrimental to a good mount (to find out why try pointing at a distant object whilst keeping your head still, then try the same thing whilst lifting the head slightly). The head should remain almost still relative to the neck and shoulders as the mount and swing progress (although it will, of course, rotate as the upper body moves). I often find myself advising clients to lower their chins a little before beginning the mount.

As the stock comes to the face it locates comfortably under the cheekbone. There is some variation in technique, and, generally game shots may prefer to position the comb of their stocks a fraction lower than the more deliberate clay busters. The head is not forced down onto the comb of the stock, but the cheek should be in positive contact with wood when the mount is completed.

 

Classic Stanbury Style - With the Stanbury system the weight stays
on the front foot for a shot to right or left.

Nevertheless, many fire their guns with heads well off the stocks, or lift it prematurely as the shot is taken. Both habits may be considered absolute errors (and are typically combined with bringing the weight back) and can result in inexplicable misses behind and above.

Advice on the starting position for muzzles and butt varies. Stanbury advised keeping the muzzles well up – touching the line of sight – and butt well down. This might be described as a classic position and keeps the muzzles safely raised. Churchill advocated an unusual starting position with the butt tucked in under the armpit and the muzzles lower. His concept, a useful one provided one considers the safety implications in some circumstances, was that the barrels should be kept parallel to the line of sight during the mount.

In the case of a Stanbury style mount, the barrels will pivot about the axis of the muzzles as the mount progresses (an effort must be made so that they do not rise above the line of sight). There is some slight forward movement of the gun. The shoulder comes forward to meet the butt sole as the mount is completed.

In the case of the Churchill mount, the gun is pushed out more obviously as the mount commences and the movement of the shoulder to the gun at the end is less apparent (although Churchill would have argued the point). With the Stanbury system, it is almost as if the gun has a hinge at the muzzles, with the Churchill mount, one might imagine that there are wires attached to the front and rear of the gun. These are both lifted simultaneously by a celestial puppet master as the mount proceeds.

These two methods are not the only mounting options. Experiment has led me to a ‘third way’ where the muzzles are kept fairly high (just below the line of sight) and the stock, in a natural position just below and forward of the shoulder, is held gently between tummy and forearm. This gets the best of both worlds. If you were to argue the merits of the classic approaches, you might note that the Stanbury technique is more generally useful and keeps the muzzles safely up, but the Churchill method is excellent for anyone having problems with consistent gun mounting. It ensures that the gun is properly positioned at the shoulder and makes it easier to bring the gun to the face well.

I often use the Churchill mount as a teaching aid before progressing to other things. I also use it when walking up sometimes. If one does adopt the Churchill mount, one must make an effort to hold the muzzles up. In its purest form as demonstrated by Robert Churchill, it would seem to encourage a low ready position (and hence create a potential threat to advancing beaters or working dogs). This is easily remedied, however.

Where should the gun come to at the shoulder?

It is often said that the sole of the butt must come to the so-called ‘shoulder pocket’, that is the natural hollow between shoulder joint and collar bone. For many people, this is good advice, but some very good shots, mount their guns on or partially on the shoulder joint because they have a narrow shoulder pocket. Frequently this works perfectly well.

Mounting the gun on the arm, as will happen if the stock is too long, may be considered an absolute error.
 
In all cases, the gun mount should be an unhurried, fluid and rhythmic movement. A particular effort should be made to control the tip of the gun – the first few inches of the barrels – throughout the process.

The latter, subtle, but important point of refined technique was first brought to my attention by an old and much missed Norfolk gunmaker, Paddy Woods. Paddy asked me to mount a gun in his shop one day, and noted “You’re a good shot boy” - I smiled prematurely - “but you don’t shoot with the tip of the gun, do you?”

I had not thought about it before, but he was quite right: my muzzle control was not what it might be, the muzzles were rising above the line of sight as I raised the gun to his mark (as I remember, a ping-pong bat with a hole drilled in its centre). This necessitates a subtle downwards correction as the mount is completed. The expert, by means of front hand control and disciplined focus on the target, mounts the gun perfectly to the mark and maintains the line with the minimum of movement.

  

Chris Bird, chief instructor at the Holland & Holland Shooting School, demonstrates Churchill-style mount. Wisely he holds his muzzles higher than Robert Churchill.

Speed of mount

Many game shots rush, often completing the mount far too early in their swing. This reduces visibility, impedes timing and may lead to a ‘mount and slash’ style of shooting as criticised earlier.

'Windmilling' is a common malady too, where one allows the gun to pivot about the axis of the front hand, moving muzzles messily below and above the line of sight to the target (similar, but more extreme to my bad habit as described above). A mount dominated by the rear hand nearly always leads to this sort of unnecessary and inelegant extra movement (the solution, of course, is for both hands to work together).

Practice

You should practise the mount as often as possible, as you might a golf swing or batting stroke. Many of the best shots, pick up a gun for this purpose every day. If you do this, be careful to prove the weapon empty first and do not just practise the simple forward mount at a static target, but work on perfecting the combined swing and mount.

Do not mount the gun too early. Place a new emphasis on using the hands well – using the front hand to control the tip of the gun, but generate the power for the swing from body rotation or body bending (for driven shots). Bring the gun to the face smoothly. Keep the shoulders level (unless you are deliberately inclining them to match the line of the bird). Keep the head in contact with the stock as you follow through. Don’t unlock the face from the gun too early. Don’t forget your rhythm: One: Two: Three. And, all the time, keep your eyes glued to an imaginary bird. Don’t focus on the gun.

Practise your gun mount whenever the opportunity arises. Many good shots practise ‘dry’ (with a proven unloaded gun) every day.

The BASC Guide to Shooting Game. By Michael Yardley. Published by Quiller £19.95

In his introduction Will Garfitt describes this book as ‘a big rock in the solid foundation of shooting.’ It covers every aspect of shooting game with a fresh approach and new insights.

Safe shooting and respect for quarry are the paramount considerations – to consistently, cleanly kill game without incurring the least risk for others ion the shooting field is the aim of every game shot and with this book you are firmly set on the right path. Even the most experienced shots will find much of value – Yardley isn’t afraid to question conventional wisdom and for the thinking Gun this book is a must.

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The BASC Guide to Shooting Game is available for £19.95, with free post and packing, from BASC Bookshop on 08700 702712.