How the ShotKam helped me become a better shooter
Deutsche Version
What is the ShotKam and how does it work?
The ShotKam is a high-speed, 4K gun camera for hunting and clay shooting. The camera can be mounted to any shotgun’s or sporting gun’s bottom of the barrel and it records every shot automatically. It records not only the shot itself but also the shot’s trajectory, giving a detailed perspective of aim and shooting mechanics. Designed to withstand the rough conditions in shooting sports, the ShotKam is built to endure high recoil, rain, dust and other challenging environments.
The ShotKam has a built-in WiFi antenna so that the camera connects to a smartphone, without any other sources of WiFi, internet or mobile phone connection, perfect to use in the field. The ShotKam comes with an app that allows to connect it to a smartphone via said WiFi, personalize the shooting settings of the camera according to what you are using it for, calibrate the device and watch as well as download the videos to your smartphone.
A compilation of ShotKam-clips from one of my shooting sessions.
Before shooting
Since every body and every gun is different, the crosshair/reticle must be adapted to the gun’s point-of-aim before shooting. This can be easily done in the app. When alone, it best works when the gun is placed on a gun bag, then the bead of the gun aimed at a stationary target that is around 30 meters away. In the app, the crosshair/reticle can be moved so that it is exactly where the gun is aimed at. Once adjusted, it stay like this. However, it is only accurate if the camera always is placed at the same spot on the barrel. I usually check it quickly before starting my shooting sessions because I remove the camera when storing my sporting gun away. My partner helps me doing so. Instead of using a gun bag or any other object to stabilize the gun, I just hold it and aim while he moves the crosshair for me in the app. This way it is much faster and easier and only takes a few seconds to check and - if needed - to correct.
While shooting
When switched on, the camera goes to sleep mode after about half a minute of inactivity to save battery. It can be re-activate by pressing the control button. However, there is no need to fiddle with the small buttons, it will awaken when opening or closing or just bumping the gun.
In the app, it is possibel to set a mode according to what the user is shooting: clay target, flying birds or ground game. Setting one of these modes defines how long it will take for the ShotKam to go into sleep mode and how much of the video that the camera takes of every shot will get saved.
E.g. when the camera is set to shoot clay targets, it saves 2 seconds before the shot and one second after. Playback is in 1/3 speed so the saved clip will be between 9 to 15 seconds long. Multiple shots taken within 5 seconds will be saved as one single but longer clip. For flying birds, it records 3 seconds pre-shot and 3 seconds post-shot, so that clips will be 18 to 30 seconds long. For ground game, the camera goes into sleep mode after 5 minutes and records 15 seconds pre-shot and 20 seconds post-shot. Mutiple shots taken withing 10 seconds will save as longer videos. There is also a mode to keep the camera permanently on. However, this mode drains the battery in about 2 hours while in the other modes it lasts much longer, up to 15 hours.
Another compilation of the ShotKam-clips from one of my shooting sessions.
After shooting
After shooting, with the app, the smartphone can be connected to the ShotKam and the clips can be downloaded to and watched on the phone. The speed of the clips can be adjusted for better review or they can be watched frame by frame for better analyzes. Connecting the ShotKam with a computer allows to directly access the clips in the dated video folders. Watching the clips on the phone is very handy in between shooting sessions to quickly detect mistakes and do better on the next session. However, I personally prefer to watch them on my laptop since the picture is better, bigger, sharper and more detailed. A ShotKam Gen4 can hold up to 3000 clay videos, 1500 flying bird videos, or 300 ground game videos on its 128 GB internal memory. The videos are neatly saved in folders with date and time so that clips can be found easily.
Since the crosshair or dot in the clip correspondes to the gun’s bead (if set correctly), it provides a clear view of gun movement and target trajectory. It helps to understand why a target was missed and how to adjust the shooting technique.
A game-changer for shooting practice
When I started to shoot clays, I used my partner’s Beretta 694. Despite being a nice sporting gun, the stock was not for me. I soon got myself a lovely ladie’s gun, a Rizzini Venus, with an adjustable stock. Although the gun felt good in my hands, my shoulder and on my cheek, I kept missing those targets. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. Frustrated of not knowing what I was doing, I bought a ShotKam. The clips of me shooting revealed that I had enough lead but was constantly shooting too low. I raised the comb and suddendly, smashing a clay was no longer optional. Thanks to the ShotKam, I was able to detect my main issue and resolve it. Since then, I could see some real improvement.
The ShotKam mercilessly reveals my mistakes and helps me getting better. The camera is not only very useful to see what I am doing wrong but also what I am doing right. There are certain clays on the shooting grounds I frequent, that I struggle with. Sometimes I get lucky and I manage to hit them. Those clips are very precious because they show me how to do it and help me memorize the lead and height my shot needs to be successful. Thanks to the ShotKam I can better visualize distance, speed and access the method I want to shoot the clay with.
During breaks in between shooting sessions, I review my shots on my smartphone so that I can learn and adjust immediately. Later, I watch them on my laptop for deeper analyze. I put all the hits in a folder so that I can re-watch and see what I did right. This helps me to better visualize a shot, how I have to swing my gun, how much lead I need and when I have to pull the trigger. I do not spend too much time watching my mistakes, I just check if there was too much or too little lead or any other mistake and then move on to keep the right picture in my head.
Since the clips can be slowed down and watched endlessly, I can take all my time analyzing and I do not have to rely on an instructor who might be wrong, as the camera proved a few times, On the long run it is cheaper than an instructor however, the ShotKam does not replace an instructor. Only instructors can correct posture, grip and overall shooting technique and give advice on how to access different trajectories of clays.
Another thing to keep in mind is the weight of the ShotKam on the barrel. The camera weights around 180 g. This is not a huge difference but it definitly makes a difference. For people like me who are very aware of the gun’s weight, I recommend shooting all the time with the camera attached.