some really good advice so far....

as for your primary question "How close to reality is the shot and forward allowance?" that is a tough question. There are several things that go into shooting game and clay targets. Speed of the bird, distance, angle, and gun speed will all influence the picture of "lead" thata personshould seewhen they pull the trigger. Swamp Collie's drill is a great place to start in order to see what kind of sight picture you might need. But, I have seen folks get caught up in lead and begin measureing their lead, and just like Swamp Collie mentioned the barrel stops and they miss behind the target. So first rule I always tell folks that ask me for tips "see that bead on the front of your gun, take a good look cause i don't want you too look at it again unless you are shooting a turkey." Keep hard focus on the front of your target.

Techniques vary for shooting different shots, "maintained lead", "swing through" and "pull-away" all require different speeds of the gun in relation to the target, and likewise different leads. But, this is way more than most folks ever care to learn. For now, what you want to do is, first find an NSCA instructor in your area. If you can't do thatget hooked up with a skeet shooting club, or a 4-H shooting sports team and start shooting. You must shoot to get better, all the reading in the world will not make you a better shot. Get out there and sling some lead.

Once you get some confidence with clay targets, eitherthrough skeet or trap,(which are nice because the speed and ange is consistent) move into sporting clays or game birds. You will have a variety of different angles and speeds presented. The best practice for shooting live game is, of course, shooting live game. Sporting Clays is a good primer for many game shots, and Skeet/Trap are great to work on the fundamentals, stance, mount, swing, etc. Really, if you can, find someone that can give hands on instruction, you will progress much faster that way.