Pointing, Not Aiming: Mastering the Art of the SBBL and DBBL Shotgun

In the world of shooting, there is a fundamental divide between the rifle and the shotgun. A rifle is a tool of precision aiming, while a shotgun—whether it is a Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) or a Double Barrel Breech Loading (DBBL)—is a tool of pointing.

Attempt to aim a shotgun the way you aim a rifle, and you will miss nearly every moving target you encounter. The shotgun demands instinct, fluid movement, and trust in natural hand–eye coordination. Mastering these classic break-action firearms begins with understanding this principle.

 1. The Foundational Stance: Balance Is Everything

A shotgun generates significant recoil, and your stance is the first and most important element of control.

The Athletic Stance: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your lead foot (left foot for right-handed shooters) should be slightly forward, angled toward the target zone at approximately 45 degrees.

The Forward Lean: Lean subtly into the gun with knees slightly flexed. Keep about 60–70% of your weight on the front foot. This “nose over toes” posture allows your body to absorb recoil naturally and prevents you from being pushed backward during the shot.

2. Mastering the Mount: Bringing the Gun to Your Face

One of the most common—and damaging—mistakes in shotgun shooting is lowering the head to meet the gun.

Face First, Then Shoulder: Bring the stock up to your cheek first. Once your cheek is firmly welded to the comb, draw the buttstock back into the shoulder pocket. The gun should come to you—not the other way around.

Consistent Eye Alignment: SBBL and DBBL shotguns lack rear sights. Your dominant eye becomes the rear sight, and only a consistent cheek weld ensures perfect alignment every time the gun is mounted.

3. The Pointing Secret: Total Focus on the Target

The golden rule of shotgunning is simple and absolute:

Don’t look at the bead. Look at the bird.

Hard Visual Focus: Your eyes must remain locked onto the moving target. The barrel and bead should exist only in your peripheral vision.

Both Eyes Open: Keeping both eyes open preserves depth perception and situational awareness—essential for judging speed, distance, and direction.

4. Swing and Lead: The Art of Follow-Through

Shotgun success depends on movement—specifically, continuous movement.

The Continuous Swing: Match the speed of the target with your barrel, smoothly move ahead to create lead, and pull the trigger without stopping the gun.

Follow-Through: Just like a golf swing or a tennis stroke, the shot does not end at the trigger pull. Stopping the barrel at the moment of firing is the most common reason shooters miss behind the target.

When you stop trying to aim a shotgun and learn to point it—when the gun moves where your eyes look—shooting becomes fluid, natural, and remarkably effective.

A shotgun does not shoot where you aim it. It shoots where you look.

When you use a shotgun, you don’t line up sights like a rifle. Instead, your eyes guide the gun. Wherever your eyes are focused, the shotgun naturally points there.

If you look at the front bead, your eyes stop moving—and you will miss a moving target. If you look hard at the target, your hands and body automatically move the shotgun to the right place.

Think of it like pointing your finger at a flying bird. You don’t “aim” your finger—you just point and follow it. A shotgun works the same way

Correcting High Shooting

If your patterns are consistently landing above your target, use these adjustments:

• Lower the Comb: The "comb" is where your cheek rests on the stock. A comb that is too high forces your eye to look over the barrel, causing high shots.

  • Fix: Adjust shims to increase the "drop" of the stock or use an adjustable comb to lower your cheek position.

• Check Your Mount: If you mount the butt of the gun too low in your shoulder pocket, the muzzle will naturally tilt upward, causing you to shoot high.

• Maintain Head Position: Raising your cheek off the stock (peeking) mid-swing is a common cause of high misses. Keep your cheek "welded" to the comb until the shot is complete. 

Correcting Low Shooting

If your patterns are hitting below the target, follow these steps:

• Raise the Comb: A comb that is too low causes your eye to sit below the sighting plane, making you shoot under the target.

  • Fix: Add stick-on comb risers, padding (like moleskin or cardboard), or adjust your shims to raise the comb height.

• Check Stock Length: A stock that is too long can be difficult to mount quickly and often results in low shots.

• Examine Your Mount: Mounting the gun too high on your shoulder tends to force the muzzle down, leading to low impacts.

• Address Recoil Anticipation: "Flinching" or jerking the trigger often causes shooters to push the muzzle down just before the shot.

How to Diagnose at the Range

Before making permanent changes, verify your "Point of Impact" (POI): 

• Pattern the Gun: Shoot at a large sheet of paper with a central mark from 15 meters away.

• Repeat the Process: Mount and fire at least 3–5 times without over-aiming. This reveals your natural POI.

• The 1/8-Inch Rule: Generally, an adjustment of 3mm at the comb will move your point of impact by approximately 2 inches at 15 meters.