As I work with students of all skill levels, I’m frequently asked if I prefer gun up or gun down? My answer will depend on my student’s skill level and what types of shooting he participates in.

Wingshooting, of course, we’ll start with gun down. Sporting Clays, I prefer gun up with certain caveats. If my student spends a lot of time in F.I.T.A.S.C. events, we’ll likely be working from the gun down position.

From the starting position, gun up or down, what must remain constant is “muzzle control.” By that I mean, during the gun mount, the trigger hand must not disrupt what the fore-end hand is doing, which is guiding the gun. To best demonstrate this, take your left hand, palm up and place it under the receiver of your unloaded shotgun. The stationary gun is now balanced on your left hand. Now, take your right hand and place it gently under the back end of your stock, at the toe of your recoil pad. As you prepare to move your right hand up, watch the muzzle of your gun. OK, left hand still, gently lift only your right hand. As your right hand comes up, the muzzle is going down.

Now, in the shooting box or afield, imagine yourself preparing to mount your gun from the gun down position. As the target appears, you’ll lift your right hand to bring the gun to your cheek. This is fine except that your right hand moved much faster than your left (fore-end) hand. Result, as your right hand moved up too quickly, the muzzle dove down. With the muzzle pointing in the wrong direction, you must now correct, quickly lifting the barrel and chase the bird. While all of this happens in milliseconds, the reality is that the gun is out of control. Valuable time is lost as our shooter races to correct his muzzle onto and ahead of the bird. And the consistency in all this random movement?

From the gun down position, during the mount, the trigger hand should be moving at the same speed as the fore-end hand. This harmony of the hands movement allows the muzzle to find and track the target with no wasted time or loss of critical precision.

In Sporting Clays, with the stock in the gun up position, the majority of the random movement in the swing can be eliminated. Remember though, we are not on the Skeet or Trap field. Before the call, our head must be upright so a) we can see over our barrel and, b) preserve our peripheral vision. Both a) and b) are extremely important in the shooting box.

There are pros and cons to starting both gun up and gun down. To be consistent, what can’t be compromised is muzzle control.

Thanks for stopping by. Be safe and I hope to see you out on the course.