Trap Shooting

[Mydogmax]

I just joined a local gun club. Great place and only ten minutes from my house. In addition to the rifle & pistol ranges they have a trap shooting area. I've never tried this before but it looks like fun. Any recommendations for a shotgun. I know nothing about them. What's a decent brand. What style, gauge etc?
Will something under $1000 work?

 

[Nevada Ed]

Any shotgun that .............."Fits" will work.

A pump will do it all, some like a over and under for two chokes
that can be used for doubles, skeet or sporting clay type shoots.

A custom single barrel is sometimes used for Trap, like a BT99
but you are getting into the high dollar shotguns, now.

You don't need the 1200fps 3 dram loads to break clay birds!!
A 12Ga. 1 1/8oz 7.5 at 1145fps will break any bird thrown and
if you are on, a little 1/2 oz. of #8's from a .410 Ga. will work.

Learn to get the proper amount of lead ahead of the clay at the
angle that it is flying away or towards you and keep swinging
after you pull the trigger and you will be a step ahead of most.

It is all about the time lag from the barrel to the bird.

Good shooting.

 

[tops]

Since you are just starting to shoot Trap any kind of shotgun will do. Later on if you like the game you will decide what you think will work better for you. Then again later on you will decide that something else will work better. It is a never ending pursuit of happiness. Larry

 

[Salty RI]

I started shooting trap when I was 15 the only gun I had at the time was a 12ga single shot, I used that gun for several years, later on I used several guns even 20 ga.

 

[Hapworth]

Plain Jane used 870 Wingmaster can be found for a few hundred; great way to get to know the gun and the sport to decide if you like them before spending serious money.

 

[alwslate]

I agree with the others. Start with any 12 ga that fits you and has a
full choke preferably. If you decide you like trap you will most likely
work your way up through ever more expensive shotguns. Most serious
shooters end up with one of the various expensive single barrel break
open models on the market. There are a few high dollar brands you
have never heard of most likely. Don't try to buy high scores by
investing big bucks until you have a very good idea of what you want.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

The thing about any gun that set up as a "Trap" gun, is they usually shoot high. That makes them a little harder to do other shooting sports or hunt with. I shoot trap once and a while to practice for other things and use my regular guns. I have seen people using tactical shotguns for the practice of picking up moving targets. It is a great way to get to know any shotgun you own. Ivan

 

[glowe]

Trap shooting is best shot at a rising target, so trap guns are made to shoot high. The problem with using a hunting gun is that if you are shooting the target at the right time in flight, you will lose sight of it under the barrel in order to break the rising bird. There are many single shot trap guns out there and some standard hunting guns that have been adapted to trap by the factory. Remington 1100, for example has a trap version of their gun.

I have one interestng alternative and that would be a Browning Recoiless Trap Shotgun. These were only made for 3 years in the 1990s and there is just nothing better out there for recoil and for the money. I have a couple that I have bought used many years ago and they shoot great. They are only single shot, so no Doubles Trap, but are still ahead of their time in design. Very reliable and totally adjustable. The drop and length of Pull is adjustable. The barrel rib can be set to 3", 6", or 9" above the point of aim. I have shot mine for years and have never had any complaints, except for my scores.

These guns came out with an outrageous price tag of $1500 in the 1990s and proved too much for shooter. You can pick them up at auction for under $1000 today.

 

[arjay]

You can shoot it with about any gun out there,but breaking 25/25 often will take a true trap gun.I started with an 870 and moved on to a Browning Citori with 30" barrels.Stacking the front bead on top of the midbead worked well.

 

[Dennis The B]

You'll also be limited in the ammunition you can use. Most ranges only allow 2.75" target loads (Remington Gun Club, RIO target, etc.).

The owners/managers of the club will doubtlessly have posted rules about gun safety, ammunition, etc.

If you decide to get serious about trap shooting, the ante for a shotgun starts at about $1K. But, you can also find a nice, used Browning BT99 for less. You can also spend $20K for a Krieghoff combo set. Just sayin'.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Here is a picture of four of my working guns that I use from
the Winchester pump .410, the double barrel 20 Ga. and the
two 12 Ga.
However when I go out in the field I love the old Browning Auto 5, humpback that I grew up with. I have downed lots of birds with that old beater.

It don't have to be pretty to work !!

Have fun.

 

[H Richard]

I shoot trap in a league. A good way to get to know the game and getting to know lots of other shooters. At first any decent safe 12 gauge with a IM or F choke will do (if it fits you). If you find you are interested in Trap, you will then want to trade up. I went through 6 different shotguns over about 10 years until I settled on the BT99+ by Browning. A dedicated trap gun does make a difference, the same as in any shooting sport, a gun designed for that particular sport will do the best.

 

[shaggist]

On a typical day of competition during a trap shoot, you will shoot at 100 Singles birds, 100 Handicap birds, and 50 pairs of Doubles birds. That's 400 rounds fired for the mathematically handicapped. The end of the competition on such a day can't come soon enough! Recoil, unnoticeable at first, becomes a increasing concern as the day wears on. In order to remain competitive through the entire episode, reduction of recoil becomes most important, especially when you are just beginning the game. My recommendation for a starting gun would be a Remington 1100 Trap or Competition model or a Winchester Super X-1. Both should have a 30" Full Choke barrel, and can be set up with an adjustable comb, if they don't already have one. Both are available used in good condition for under $1000, depending on condition. They have been around the claybird world since the 1970s and are a proven design. Parts are readily available, if needed, and they will break more birds than you can shoot at without coming apart. Start with good equipment like the above, and you will determine very quickly if you like the sport and want to progress to higher levels.

 

[Frank237]

100+100+100= 400?

I do agree on a Rem 870 or 1100 TRAP grade though. Still have my 30+ yr old 1100 Trap grade.

 

[straightshooter1]

Almost all I do is shoot trap. Having a few health issues now that has pulled my averages waaaaay down, but still shooting every day our club is open (5 days per week in the summer, 7 days in the winter).

An 1100 Trap will work for casual shooting, but if you get hooked on competition, shooting 300 a day, you'll either need a second one or a large number of parts as they tend to break. Nothing big, and can be fixed in a few minutes IF you have the part.

A Browning Citori Trap, on the other hand can be found for about the same price (an older one) or a few hundred more for a newer one. Don't be afraid of used or well used in a trap gun, they generally hold up well and can be rebuilt relatively cheaply.

For a trapshooter, 5K +/- guns are commonplace. I had heart palpitations the first time I shucked 5K out for a gun, but I sold it a few months ago, after several hundred thousand more rounds, being rebuilt twice in that time, and for exactly what I paid for it-5K.

Trap is fun but I should warn you that competition is very addictive. It is a sport that can be enjoyed by kids, women, old men, & people confined to wheelchairs (there's actually a category in ATA competition for "Chair shooters). It's pretty neat to see some little kid, shooting a gun that is longer than he or she is tall, breaking all or most all of the targets thrown.

My wife, that I had taken handgun shooting several times (she could shoot, just wasn't interested), got hooked on trap the first day I took her to the club. Now she owns two of those shotguns (which, of course, I paid for ).

At your range, you probably can get others to let you try their guns. Trapshooters like to do that, BUT it is kind of an unwritten, unspoken rule that you always use factory ammo when you do shoot someone else's gun.

Good luck,

Bob

 

[Acebow]

TOM story: When I was about 16, there was a trap'n'skeet club near where I lived. One August, when dove season was getting close, a buddy and I decided to go shoot a round to get ready for the season, and to learn what Trap Shooting was all about. We showed up, me with my trusty 20ga 870 Wingmaster, him with something else that worked, paid our money, and proceeded to shoot almost all of the first 25 birds. Was fun, but when we went into the clubhouse to have a pop and find out what was next, a group of 'real' trap shooters was sitting around making fun of us, partly for our [honest] ignorance, mostly because of the guns we had. We left, I haven't tried trap shooting since, and still have a bad taste in my mouth from that experience.
Now a bit older and wiser, I can look back and see how a bunch of snobs probably saved me thousands of dollars over time. If we'd had a pleasant experience, and been helped along instead of ridiculed, I'd likely have a closet full of $2,000 dollar guns and another closet full of target loads, special coats with a pad on the shoulder, over-the-shoulder purses for carrying shells, and so on. Acebow

 

[ordy]

Something that has been mentioned a few times is to make sure it fits you. Length of pull, cheek weld and the drop at the heel of the stock should be looked at carefully. If you want something new, a Remington 870 trap might be a good place to start. It is set up for trap shooting out of the box and allows you to shoot doubles. You can also change barrels (sold separately) for skeet, five stand, etc. MSRP is $1098 according to Remington web site. Good luck with whatever you choose and have fun.

 

[straightshooter1]

Acebow, I hate reading stories about things like you had happen to you.

Was all set to come on and tell you those guys are probably dead by now, go try trap again (except you'd likely end up with a closet full of 5-15K guns).

Then I realized your experience mirrored my own 45 or so years ago with the American Legion (okay, no guns) and the members mocking the VN war as not being a real war and not wanting us (me) as members.

It does leave a bad taste and even though I know almost, if not all, of those guys are dead, I won't join or go back.

Bob

 

[Damn Yankee]

Find yourself a Browning Broadway and you will have one of the best Trap guns made.

As for using it on the Skeet game in my opinion it will be like playing Golf with a baseball bat

Have the stock fit to you and get a adjustable comb installed.

Shoot 7/8 or 1 oz loads and learn to shoot with both eyes open.

See if the club will let you shoot all straight aways from station 3. When you can break ten or fifteen straight move to the right and then left and work on the
little quarter angles. You will not have any fun missing targets going to the right or left from station 1 and 5. Got to walk before you can run.

More birds are lost by lifting your head than anything else. Keep the two blocks of wood together.

Check back in a couple of months and we will go from there.

Read the the similar threads at the bottom of the page.

Have you found this site yet?

Trapshooters.com

 

[arjay]

TOM story: When I was about 16, there was a trap'n'skeet club near where I lived. One August, when dove season was getting close, a buddy and I decided to go shoot a round to get ready for the season, and to learn what Trap Shooting was all about. We showed up, me with my trusty 20ga 870 Wingmaster, him with something else that worked, paid our money, and proceeded to shoot almost all of the first 25 birds. Was fun, but when we went into the clubhouse to have a pop and find out what was next, a group of 'real' trap shooters was sitting around making fun of us, partly for our [honest] ignorance, mostly because of the guns we had. We left, I haven't tried trap shooting since, and still have a bad taste in my mouth from that experience.
Now a bit older and wiser, I can look back and see how a bunch of snobs probably saved me thousands of dollars over time. If we'd had a pleasant experience, and been helped along instead of ridiculed, I'd likely have a closet full of $2,000 dollar guns and another closet full of target loads, special coats with a pad on the shoulder, over-the-shoulder purses for carrying shells, and so on. Acebow

Those guys have always been around in the clay target games,but most aren't like that.I figure that's all they've got,which is kind of sad.