We recommend fitting a gun with light cheek pressure and that the gun be stocked so that with light cheek pressure, the Point of Impact (POI) be 50/50. While some shooters like floating a target, we are not among them. We have two reasons for this.

First, let’s say your pattern is 60/40. That means 60 percent of the pattern is above the point of aim, at 16 yards, but because the deviation is exponential, at 60 yards it can be two patterns high! We have literally seen hundreds of thousands of long crossers missed over in our carriers!

Adding to this, the distance to our targets is unknown. So, the amount of “float” you apply will typically be a guess, putting you in your thinking brain as you take the shot. And as OSP member Rick Carter says, “If you’re thinking, you’re stinking!”

So, just how much float do you give a curling dropping left-to-right chandelle at, say, 55 yards? The second reason we prefer a 50/50 pattern for sporting is due to the large number of dropping targets in our game. Shooters who have a lot of cheek pressure must move the gun with their body, and if their gun shoots high with a lot of cheek pressure, they must give a dropping target more lead than necessary. But “how much more” is determined by the unknown distance to the target.

The further away a dropping target is, the more lead must be applied. But just how much more is the real question.