I started shooting skeet when I was just a kid. In my late teens (and when my eyes were still good), I shot a number of perfect rounds (25 out 25). Competitive shooters made fun of me because I shot a "side-by-side" double barreled 12 gauge. Any serious skeet shooter uses the more accurate over-and-under shotgun. I blew them away just the same.
Years ago, the rules for skeet were that if one missed a hit at any station, one had the option to take another shot. If there were no misses (or one chose to defer the option) in the regular round, the shooter ended up with one shell left out of the box of 25.
At the 8th, and final position on the skeet field, there is (in theory) a shot where both the high and low house targets cross. To get the shot, you have to be crouched low to the ground, and leaning outside of the box. I used to hold onto my option for the last shot in the hope of the elusive double. It was showboating, but one time I hit it, and it was (almost) better than sex. (I was maybe 19 at the time)
[4]
Anyway, I know a thing or two about skeet shooting. In this sport you have beginner shooters who don't really know what they are doing, you have amateurs that are "regular" shooters who take it seriously, and you have guys and gals that shoot 25 out of 25, again and again.
The following is a picture of a person who has not shot skeet before. This person doesn't know how to hold the gun properly. This person is going to get a big recoil in the arm that will hurt. No one has bothered to show this person how to hold a gun. This person has not been taught how to position the body to make a successful shot. This person has no chance of hitting a moving target. This person is not wearing the proper clothing for a skeet range (padded vest that has pockets for 25 shells). This person is pretending to shoot skeet. This is a photo-op:
[5]
[6]
I don't mean to make fun of the President's shooting skills. New shooters are always welcome on skeet ranges. I'm glad to see the Prez give this sport a shot, so to speak.
But the spin from the White House on this story is that Obama is banging away every weekend and he is an avid shooter. The president was quoted:
“I do it all the time”
The picture that the White House has offered up as "proof" that the president is a shooter is "fluff". This is an effort to spin things so that O looks like he is not an extremist on guns. The fact is, this picture tells us nothing, other than Obama is faking it. The WH picture is not of a guy who shoots skeet, it's a picture of a guy who likes to spin images.
Skeet shooters who do it "all the time" learn how to hold a gun and position their body. This is step number one in this (and most other) sports. These pictures are of people who have been on a range, and know the ABCs of shooting. Notice how they lean into the shot. (Also note that they are all shooting over-and-unders. It's like long handled putters - cheating, sort of, in my book...)
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
This is a picture of Kim Kardashian shooting skeet. This photo is also staged. Look how she is positioned and holding the gun. If Kim shoots this gun, she will get knocked on her ass, and she has no chance of hitting a thing. Maybe Kim and O should go shooting together. After all, it's just for show, right?
[11]
[12]