Well now that you have mastered the pop bottle weight course, lets move on to something more important...GUN MOUNT!
 
We will need a large mirror, good light, and some basic principles, shooting glasses and NO ammunition. REPEAT.  NO ammunition.
 
We are going to practice gun mounts.  A LOT of them!  Care must be taken to make sure that the mirror is at least a good distance away from the end of the barrel. (2 feet)
 
Posture is important in this exercise.  You will need to keep your back straight, legs spread about the width of your shoulders.  Your left leg forward about 1 ft. in front of your right leg.  (Opposite for left hand shooters) and your body at about a 45% angle away from the mirror.  When bring the gun up to your shoulder, care should be taken to mount the gun properly every time.
 
How do you know if it is proper?
 
Everyone has a pocket in their shoulder.  Located just inside the arm.  You know the soft spot between your rotator cuff and your neck.  A good way to find this spot is to raise the gun high in the air and mount it to your shoulder. The gun cannot sit on the muscle of the arm because it is extended so the only way for the gun to sit on your shoulder is in that pocket.
 
Where should my head appear on the gun?
 
By slowly bringing the gun down and pointing it at the mirror while still in the pocket is a good start.  Bring your head down onto the gun.  See your eyes.  They should be level with the gun firmly mounted against your cheek. If they are not level adjust your head to make it level.  By looking down the barrel you should see your dominate eye directly over the center rib of the gun.  If not, try and start over.  If that doesn't work, you could be cross dominate sighted or opposite eye domination.  If this is the case the right eye (in right handed shooters will be right of the rib as the left eye is trying to see down the gun.)   This can be corrected by placing a small piece of scotch tape over your left eye glass lenses, right where you sight down the gun.  By blocking this eye from seeing it forces the other eye to become dominate and will align over your barrel.
 
1.  The mirror should be about 2 feet off the end of your gun barrel.  A mirror in your hallway or large walk-in closet would work nicely.  Take care to make sure that you don't bump the mirror with your barrel.
 
2. Raise the gun up to your shoulder, into the pocket.  Lower your head down on the gun stock, making sure to keep your head and eyes level.  Sight down the barrel.  You should see your beads directly centered over the rib of the gun, with the beads directly in the middle of your eye.  If not we may have to fit your gun to you.
 
3. Raise and lower  your gun 100 times every other night, making sure to be in the proper stance and be very careful to make sure your head and eyes are level.  Each time you should see your eye centered in that rib. Take at least 10 seconds on every mount and dismount!  At least 10 seconds.  Raise your gun, place it centered in the pocket, Bring your head down to the gun, head level, eyes level, cheek firmly against the stock.  Eyes should be at the gun rib height. Centered in the rib and height centered in your eye.
 
This exercise builds arm and back strength.  But more important is it builds muscle memory.  When that gun comes up into the correct pocket position and eye sight is centered on the gun, then we can work on shooting talent.
 
When you think you have mastered this, do it with your eyes shut.  10 times, eyes shut, bring the gun up to  your shoulder.  I t should be in the exact same spot every time you open your eyes. If not keep practicing.  With out proper gun mount every time, your shooting will not progress well.
 
Take care, Have fun,  Practice!
Coach Stevens

 

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1.  Many times we hear a young shooter or novice shooter say " The gun is way too heavy".
 
It's true!  A gun is a heavy weight when extended out away from your body for extended periods of time.  To combat this problem you can perform several exercises to help build up you biceps and triceps muscles.  This will in turn help build your back and core groups also making that gun much more fun to handle.  The first exercise is simple to build and operate.
 
You probably have all the materials right at home!
 
Materials needed 
one - 16 inch long piece of closet rod or old hockey stick or broken rake handle cut to 16 inches.
one - Empty 20 oz. pop bottle with cap.
one - 48 inch long piece of cord.  (Heavy garden cord or plumb bob string works great)
five pounds of common everyday gravel.
 
Please note:  It is not a good idea to go to baby brothers closet and throw all the clothes on the floor to get a closet rod.  Nor should you cut mom's garden hoe or rake in half.  That also goes for the kitchen chairs or bar stools !!
 
Directions:   Tie one end of the cord around the center of the 16 inch long closet rod.  Tie the other end around the neck of the pop bottle.  This should leave about 40 inches of cord between these two ends.  Fill the pop bottle with gravel all the way to the top!  Don't cheat, all the way and screw the cap on tight.  ( the fun is over and your project is ready)
 
Standing straight, extend your arms straight out away from your body at full reach.  Grasp the ends of the closet rod and roll the string up all the way to the pop bottle.  As you twist the bottle up the line more and more you will feel a dull ache start.  Soon it will be a burning sensation in your Triceps!  That is good!   That's right, a little more!   Uhh uhh!  When you are at the top do not let the bottle simple spin back down, oh no!   Roll it back down!   Then repeat!  Do this 5 times the first 3 days.  Add one more time for the next two days. By the start of the second week  you will be at six times a day.  Then begin 8 times twice a day for a week!  Then on the 3rd week go to 20 times a day.
 
Options,  if you are athletic and are already in great shape, simply change the inside pop bottle components to #8 lead shot  (approximately 10 pounds) and follow the above exercise routine!   OH! you slacker!   All of a sudden the 5 pounds looks good again.  We'll be watching you!
 
Remember, the more it burns the more good it is for your body and no problems with holding a gun!