Shotgun n00b here - Joined a club and started Trap league last night

[hikeeba]

This is sort of long, so here are the Cliff Notes: I am new to shotgun sports. I joined a club that has a trap league. I bought a gun and joined the league. It is lots of fun!



Howdy all. Any trap shooters here?


Last summer I applied for membership at a local gun club. The club has a nice covered rifle and pistol ranges, as well as 3 trap fields. I enjoy shooting, and have shot basic trap a couple times with friends (not on an official trap field; thrower was right beside the shooting stand). I figured if I got into the club, in addition to using the rifle and pistol ranges, I'd explore the trap shooting thing.

I got into the club this February, a year ahead of schedule. There was a trap fun shoot the weekend after the new member induction, so I attended that to see what was what. One of the members immediately took me under his wing, and filled me in on how things work. We went out and watched a round. After the round he asked if I wanted to try it. I said I had no equipment, but he said he'd give me a box of shells and find a gun I could borrow. He found someone to loan me a Browning BT-99 (?) and away I went. I broke 18 targets in my first ever round. I was immediately hooked on the sport.

In the month that followed, I found and purchased a barely used Remington 870 TC Trap. I had shot my neighbor's Rem 870 field gun in the past, and it seemed to work well for me, thus my going with an 870. I attended the March fun shoot and shot two rounds there; a 23 and a 17. Weeeee! the 870 TC Trap worked well, I thought. The Trap League chairman was at the March fun shoot. He asked if I was interested in shooting on the summer league. I waffled a bit, but after shooting two rounds, I couldn't say no.

So last night the summer trap league started. I was placed on a team that needed a hole filled. The other guys on the team have been shooting together for many years. They had been informed that I was a new member, and talking to the team captain on the phone beforehand, I did tell him I was a beginner. He said not to worry, and that the team only shoots for fun and isn't crazy-competitive. I was a little nervous for the first round last night, but after missing the first two targets, I got into a grove and broke 20 in the round - and I wasn't the lowest score on the team! Yippee! However, I was the lowest in the second round with a 19. Still, I was happy with my score. One of the other team members gave me some nice compliments, too.

So, there you go. That's my story. Sorry it was so long and wordy. I am looking forward to shooting again next week! If you have ever thought about trying this sport, make a point to get out there and do it. It is tons of fun! Thanks for reading!


Edit: Thanks to Riflemanz here for pointing me in the direction of the club!

[ScottyT]

I just shot some clays for the first time last weekend with my new 870. It was about as much fun as I have ever had shooting and I can't wait to go do it again!

[texas_rebel_1980]

the only times i have shot clays is with a buddy either using a hand thrower or a thrower mounted on a tire. never shot trap or even know what it is. however, the challenge of your buddy with a hand thrower is a great one. we change the speed, angle everything we could to make each other miss. it is a good time for sure.

[boardsurfer]

Originally Posted by texas_rebel_1980

the only times i have shot clays is with a buddy either using a hand thrower or a thrower mounted on a tire. never shot trap or even know what it is. however, the challenge of your buddy with a hand thrower is a great one. we change the speed, angle everything we could to make each other miss. it is a good time for sure.

ok, I am going out on a limb here and ask what seems like a really stupid question.

Is there a difference in shooting trap and shooting skeet? Growing up, I thought the terms were interchangeable.

[hikeeba]

Originally Posted by boardsurfer

ok, I am going out on a limb here and ask what seems like a really stupid question.

Is there a difference in shooting trap and shooting skeet? Growing up, I thought the terms were interchangeable.

Not a stupid question at all.

Yes, there is a difference. Basically speaking, from my very limited knowledge:

In trap the targets go out away from you. The angle at which they are launched varies, but the trajectory is mostly the same. Shooters shoot from stations located around an arc located 16 yard behind where the targets are launched.

In skeet, the targets go from side to side and follow the same path each time. There is a 'house' on each side of the skeet field where the targets are launched. Shooters shoot from a number of positions around and within an arc that spans between the two 'houses'. Unlike trap, at some points a skeet shooter will be standing right next to the house that launches the target. Although the skeet targets travel the same path each time, the different shooting positions in skeet offer a large variety of shooting scenarios.


That's all I know off the top of my head. A friend took me to a skeet field once a number of years ago after I expressed an interest in shotgun sports. I found skeet to be very hard. I maybe broke 4 targets in an entire round.

[ScottyT]

I didn't know the difference between "trap" "skeet" and "sporting clays" until I looked it up on Wikipedia last week!

[boardsurfer]

Originally Posted by hikeeba

Not a stupid question at all.

Yes, there is a difference. Basically speaking, from my very limited knowledge:

In trap the targets go out away from you. The angle at which they are launched varies, but the trajectory is mostly the same. Shooters shoot from stations located around an arc located 16 yard behind where the targets are launched.

In skeet, the targets go from side to side and follow the same path each time. There is a 'house' on each side of the skeet field where the targets are launched. Shooters shoot from a number of positions around and within an arc that spans between the two 'houses'. Unlike trap, at some points a skeet shooter will be standing right next to the house that launches the target. Although the skeet targets travel the same path each time, the different shooting positions in skeet offer a large variety of shooting scenarios.


That's all I know off the top of my head. A friend took me to a skeet field once a number of years ago after I expressed an interest in shotgun sports. I found skeet to be very hard. I maybe broke 4 targets in an entire round.

Awesome, thanks for that. I didn't even think to look up wikipedia.

[texas_rebel_1980]

i didn't know there was a difference either, til i started reading on gun forums and still didn't understand completely. thanks for the info

[mhillsing23]

A church that I used to attend holds an annual trap tourney and there is usually about 50-70 participating. It is a ton of fun, and man there are some shooters there. It isn't uncommon to have 3-5 guys go perfect through 100-150 shots!

[tialloydragon]

I've actually been helping my club (Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association) run the trap and sporting clays events for the past 8 years. I started when I was 15, am 23 now, and been shooting shotgun since I was about 11.

To me there is little more gratifying (in the shooting sports anyway) than shooting a target moving 40mph, and knocking it out of the sky (or hitting it so square in the pattern it ceases to exist.)