I am going to attempt some trap shooting. My shotgun is a 12 ga. Citori with 26" barrels. The traps shooters will be able to advise on which screw-in choke to use. Will it matter which barrel I use, top or bottom. Thanks for your help!

You'll be handicapped shooting a 26" field gun, but you can break birds. Use a modified choke in the bottom barrel (less in your face recoil) and make sure you get in front of the bird (over). Most trap shooters shoot 30"-34" barrels and have the guns set up to shoot high (3"-9"). Your field gun will shoot flat and you'll have to cover the bird. Have fun!


Ps. Trap is boring. Skeet and Sporting Clays is where it’s at! Your friends must be old.

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"I also cook."

I tried skeet and really enjoyed the game. When I left the area I was working in the opportunity to shoot skeet left. In this area trap and sporting clays are the only options. I will use your advice and enjoy attempting to improve my scores. Thanks

Trap is only boring after you start to consistently hit 25 straights. It's a good warm up for skeet or sporting clays.
Unless you're fast on the target I'd start with a full choke.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

The lower barrel will beat you a bit less. Try the modified choke and see how it works for you.
If by chance you start looking at used trap guns, remember these guns may have seen a lot of use.
Check for good lock up on an over under. The top lever shouldn't be left of center unless the locking bolt is worn a good bit. (often seen on improperly lubed Belgian Brownings)
Stick the full choke tube in the top barrel.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

I shoot trap with a Remington 870 12ga and generally use a modified choke. 26" barrel. A normal round is 21-22 for me, and I'm happy with that. I've gone 24, haven't made 25.

Swing through, don't jerk the trigger, and keep your eye open!

You'll do fine.

I tried trap about six years ago. Just bored one day picked up the 870 and four boxes of shells and went to the range.
They weren't busy so a young kid about fifteen took me right out. I told him it was my first time with this game, so he gave me the basic rules.
I began shooting and after fifteen or so misses he asks "are you aiming at the clays" to which I respond "of course".
He then begins to explain "leading" the target. So I try to "lead" the target. I had about five hits out of a hundred.
I've never been much for using one of them scatter guns. I know that had I had my M1 Garand in my hands I'd have hit more than five.
I do appreciate the skill of those that can use them.

There's a good point. If you have shot on a range before, you probably know them, but just in case.

1. Gun is ALWAYS open & unloaded unless you are on the pad AND it is your turn to shoot.
2. Never load more than one shell (except for doubles).
3. Safeties are NOT used. Always open and unload at any interruption.
4. Muzzle discipline is just as important on the shotgun range as anywhere else. Always keep it pointed downrange or at the ground, whether open/unloaded or not.

These things are very basic and I do not mention them to be a know-it-all, but it is surprising the number of hunters and non-target shooters who show up for casual shoots and do not know these things - and then end up feeling embarassed when someone points them out.

Your Citori may not be the ideal trap gun but it will work fine, and if you are just shooting singles at 16-yards, almost any choke from IC up and a light load of 7-1/2s will do the job.

All the shotgun sports are good fun, including trap, mainly because you meet so many nice people who are enthusiastic shooters.

Normally, you try to put improved modified to full on the target at 35-40 yards. That's not necessarily what the choke tube of the same name will give you, that's the % of total shot on a pattern board. What you get also depends on the shell loading. A slower powder, lower pressure load load like International Clays or Green Dot will shoot to higher center density than a faster, higher pressure load like Clays or Red Dot that will have a more uniform pattern density and require more choke. A commercial lower pressure load would be Remington Premiers, while a higher pressure one would be Winchester AA's.

There are a number of techniques for shooting a shotgun. Sustained leads usually work well on skeet where you always know the birds' trajectory. Swing-through leads seem to work better for unknown trajectories in trap. In that case, you treat the muzzle like a paintbrush and touch off the shot as you "paint" the muzzle over the bird. If you ever get to the point that either game seems routine, try shooting "skrap" where you shoot the trap targets from the skeet stations. That game will humble even the 27-yard Handicap experts, especially the hard lefts from Station 1 and the hard rights from Station 7.


Buck

Use which ever barrel that you feel most comfortable with, I always used the top one in my Citori with the IM choke tube in place. If you use the bottom barrel you should get the feeling of less recoil, so a lot of shooters like that. Regarding choke tube selection, that is something that you need to work out at the pattern board, if you really want to know what % your tubes are giving you for each load. I tried that one time and decided to just shoot it and have fun.

For playing around, your gun is OK, but those 26" tubes are really too short, personally, I think 26" barrels are always too short on an O/U, even for field use, they just don't feel right, but I digress. It has already been pointed out that field guns shoot flat and you really want a gun that shoots high as the target is always rising unless you are waiting for ages to shoot. I generally shot a full choke at 16 yds, and an extra full for handicap; I like longer barrels and shot an old Beretta 680 un-single with a 34" barrel for singles.

If you want a a good, all purpose trap gun for both singles and doubles, you could do a lot worse than a Remington 1100/11-87 trap and it won't break the bank. If doubles aren't a consideration, and you want to buy a decent trap gun and not spend a fortune, take a good look at a Browning BT-99. If the budget isn't that tight and you want a gun you can shoot a long time, I'd look no further than a Beretta 682 combo, unless you really want to step up to the plate and pick up a Perazzi.