Well, it’s spring once again. If you have made plans for a high-volume wing shooting safari, now would be a good time to be getting out the old shotgun and go to the sporting clays range to make some noise and break things. Nothing will help with your enjoyment of a high-volume bird hunt more than being able to hit what you are shooting at and not getting hurt in the process.
Speaking of getting hurt, have you ever gotten a bruise on your upper arm after a day of shooting doves? Have you ever wondered how that bruise got on your arm when you were supposed to be mounting the gun on your shoulder? It hurt too, didn’t it? The next morning when you had to go to the field and shoot again, it really hurt. You know it hurts when you get back to the lodge and you count the number of Advil tablets you have and divide them by the number of days left to hunt.
You probably would not think that just simply changing your grip on the gun would keep you from getting that nasty bruise on your arm, but it will.
We see two mistakes that shotgunners make frequently when it comes to grip. One, they grip the gun way too tight when mounting and trying to swing it. Two, their backhand position is too high in the grip. This keeps them from being able to get the gun butt all the way up to their shoulder and it stops out on their upper arm.
The grip is simple and should be the same for everyone. If you’re right-handed, your left hand is placed on the forend of the gun. Point your index finger along the side of the forearm for semi-autos and over/under shooters, and slightly under both barrels for side-by-side shooters. Let the bulk of the gun rest in your three remaining fingers with your palm on the side of, or just slightly under the forearm.
Remember, you want to feel like the gun is an extension of your arm and hand. The arm and hand should be relaxed. Don’t squeeze the gun much harder than you would squeeze a tube of toothpaste to bring the toothpaste just to the edge of the opening.
The backhand (or right hand for right-handers) is where the problem occurs. Most guns have a pistol grip, and it is the curve of that grip that tends to position the hand too high in the grip. It is comfortable to hold that way. It is also comfortable to carry in the field with the backhand in that position. The problem is that it is darn near impossible to mount the gun to your face and shoulder with the backhand in that position. When you try to mount the gun, your wrist is cocked and you can’t get the gun all the way up. It invariably ends up on your upper arm, and not your cheek and shoulder.
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