Beretta Blog

The debate over beads is so great, it cannot be contested, or even in explained, in one post, so we’re giving it a second. In Part One we learned the difference between single-projectile firearms which you aim and a shotgun which you point with a lot more margin for error. We also learned a shotgun will work perfectly well without beads and that some folks think it’s best to learn to shoot one that way. And finally, we covered front beads and mid-beads on modern shotguns.

Now it’s time to explore why many … make that most … top shotgunners consider highly visible beads so crucial on both target and field guns.

Rifles and handguns are aimed. Shotguns are pointed. But what does that really mean?

It means shooting any firearm with a single projectile is precise. It requires time and attention to align the sighting system – whether open sights or optical sights – on the intended target. Alignment and steadiness are so critical that the best shooters control breathing and heartbeats to press the trigger at the absolute proper millisecond.

There are two reasons every shotgunner needs to wear shooting glasses. First, and most important is for protection of your eyes. Second, is to enhance your ability to see the targets quickly and clearly.

It's conventional wisdom to do a few things prior to bird hunting season. Wax your cotton chaps, clean your guns, road your dogs, and drop a few hard-earned pounds from summer BBQ's. Other items need tending, but getting ready for the season by shooting clays is a whole lot of fun.

Spend a pre-hunting season Saturday afternoon at a sporting goods store, and chances are pretty good you’ll witness this scenario.

A parent, seeking a first shotgun for a son or daughter, walks in and makes a beeline to the single-shots, maybe with a glance at the pumps on the way. The youth points at the semi-automatic rack but is ushered away quickly. Eavesdropping, you’ll hear: “Too expensive,” “Too big for you,” “Adult’s gun.” Or the worst, “Those are dangerous!”

I admit that I was worried when I looked around the gun shop's tremendous inventory. I'd need nerves of steel to depart without making a purchase. That said, shotguns are like potato chips, you can't just have one. And so I squared my shoulders and started reviewing the Over/Unders, Side-by-Sides, Pumps, and Semi-Automatics to find one I couldn't live without. I'm always in the market for a new firearm, so that makes me a salesman's low-hanging fruit. And I'm sure it's a similar situation with you.

Shooting a shotgun to successfully hit a flying target is often called “instinctive” shooting. In comparison to the precision aiming of a rifle or handgun at a stationary target, swinging a shotgun is indeed more of an art than a science, but at best it’s a “learned” instinct. No one is born with an innate ability to see the mental pictures required to break speeding clay targets.

Sometimes when I’m trying to emphasize the value of shooting instruction, I use the analogy of riding a bicycle. I ask the individual or group which way you turn the handlebars on a moving bicycle to turn right. Over 90% respond you turn the handlebars right to turn right. They look stunned when I tell them they’re wrong. Then I explain.

I was at the Northeast Side by Side Classic Shotgun Championship and shooting with one of the best shooters in competition. While only a few of the target presentations on the course were long-range shots, J.D. was shooting a gun with modified and full chokes. Classic shotgun competitions do not allow choke changes because those old classic guns didn’t have interchangeable choke tubes. He was clearly a better shooter than I, but I was outdoing him on the close shots. I was shooting a gun with improved and modified chokes. The rules do allow using different loads for different stations, and I was using RST Spreader loads for the really close targets.