5 Stand Clay Target Shooting

[Narragansett]

I am a former trapshooter, and have never seen a 5 stand field or watched the process. Anybody here shoot this game on a regular basis?
It this just a game that was invented to make a poor score acceptable?

What do you use for a gun/choked how? Barrel length?

 

[kilo charlie]

It's basically five sporting clays stations condensed to about 30 feet from 1-5. Just like sporting clays, the choke needed is determined by how the throwers are set. I generally use light mod for just about all my shooting. Shoot whatever gun fits you best. A round of 5 stand where I shoot requires 25 shells. It's fun. Think of it as sporting clays for people who don't want to do much walking.

 

[lrb1200]

Yeah Pete, it's not trap shooting.

I don't believe there is any actual standard
to the presentation the course throws.
Seems more like how much the club is willing to
invest in throwers.

My primary club converted a skeet field,
kept the high and low buildings, and added
7 more throwing machines.

Target presentations, rising, falling, vertical, outgoing, incoming, across, with one rabbit thrower.

Your time on the field, a little more than trap,
a little less than skeet.

Challenging in it's own right, but with practice comes familiarity, your skill level in other clays games will be
reflected in five stand.

My preferred shotgun for the game is a
Beretta 682 'Gold E' 30" Sporting Clays.
Choke tubes IC & Mod

 

[H Richard]

It's Sporting Clay's for clubs that have not enough room for field sporting clay's. It's fun and good practice for a full size Sporting Clay's game.


I use a Browning Citori Special Sporting Clay"s. Usually a IC and Mod will handle most all birds.

 

[JackM]

Our club in Sarasota County (FL) built a raised, hurricane proof, and handicap accessible (elevator) 5-Stand facility to augment the skeet and trap fields and the blue, green, black, and red clays courses. The 5-Stand can be quite challenging with targets thrown out from underneath the building, over the roof from towers behind, as well as crossing and quartering targets out front. The traps are changed out regularly to keep things fresh. I shot skeet for years. It's fun, but like trap it can become monotonously mechanical. And with respect to scores, the more serious 5-Stand shooters still chase straight rounds, just like in skeet and trap. A dedicated trap gun wouldn't be the best choice, but any skeet or field gun with chokes on the lighter end, SK, IC, LM, will work.

 

[minconrevo]

If the 5 Stand setup has portable targets, the presentations can be changed to keep the shooters interested. Often there is a rabbit station for a jumping ground clay target, as well as a teal clay thrown from a raised tower, with the trap on an elevator mechanism to refill easily. Wireless control is the way to go, not the older cable controls that can get cut up in the lawnmower deck.

 

[dave1918a2]

One of Our clubs here with limited room has 5 trap fields and a five stand sporting clays. A round is 25 targets and the presentation depends on the field available. We throw targets from 100 ft+ away from the stand up to 20 ft. Not as difficult as regular sporting clays like I shot in Colorado, but still a lot of fun and still humbling to a trap shooter. You'll enjoy it.

 

[Birdhunter6]

As stated above 5 stand is primarily used to offer a Sporting Clays style option at clubs that don't have the space for a traditional SC course. Also, its an option at hunt clubs that offer Sporting Clays in the off season, but use their course space for hunting operations in fall and winter.

In addition to Skeet & 5 stand, the club I frequent offers 2 stations through the winter, each with 2 shooting points and 8 throwers. The targets are reset weekly.

5 stand, Sporting and Super Sporting are great practice for wing shooters. Unlike trap and Skeet, they offer a bigger variety of target types, angles, ranges and speeds.

My friends and I shoot those games with our hunting guns. We call for targets from the low gun. IC or Light Mod are our prefered chokes. I shoot a 20 ga Citori. Some of the longer shots are a stretch, but when I hit one I've just proved that my gun/shell/choke combo will break any target on the course if I do my part. We are shooting to improve our performance in the field, not our score.

 

[M29since14]

If you want to shoot a lot of 25 straights, it's not the best game.

I agree with the notion that a 20 is usually plenty of gun, at least here in the Midwest. If you're a tournament shooter who wants every last bird he can get, maybe not. And maybe not if your club throws a majority of longish targets. I've been to a couple of clubs out west that were definitely 12 gauge 1-1/8 ounce territory.

I don't care for 12 gauge guns, in general, but use them now and then. Generally, the little group I shoot with will use the small gauges. We consider the 20 more or less the equal of the light loads we use in 12s, when we do shoot them. Any shotgun you're comfortable with, except a dedicated trap gun, will work just fine. Most shooters prefer a 30- or 32-inch over-under, or a semi-auto if recoil is a potential issue.

Give it a try. I've never taken anyone shooting sporting clays or 5-Stand that didn't have a good time.

 

[kenjen]

Was in a 5 stand league about 10 yrs.ago. We shot both winter and summer, very well set up with 6 stations. There were times I shot 2 times a week, for me I would rather shoot 5 stand than trap or skeet. Shot my best scores with a 20ga Ruger Red Label with mod chokes.

 

[Narragansett]

Well, I may consider giving it a try. I only have a trap gun 30" that has been modified for trap doubles. 12 points of constriction in the bottom barrel, and 32 in the top. Put another way, a slightly tight improved cylinder and a low end full. No choke tubes. I am sure it will work.

What is the point of the stand?

 

[M29since14]

Several years ago, one of the best shooters on the U.S. sporting clays tournament circuit used a 34-inch over-under Perazzi with extremely tight chokes - I believe IM and F. I think I can safely assure you that your gun will work just fine, if the shooter does his job.


Some of the early Browning fixed-choke sporters were IC & IM. I've never owned one of them, but I wouldn't be afraid of buying a nice used one today if I needed it.


"Choke tubes are overrated."

 

[Narragansett]

Several years ago, one of the best shooters on the U.S. sporting clays tournament circuit used a 34-inch over-under Perazzi with extremely tight chokes - I believe IM and F. I think I can safely assure you that your gun will work just fine, if the shooter does his job.


Some of the early Browning fixed-choke sporters were IC & IM. I've never owned one of them, but I wouldn't be afraid of buying a nice used one today if I needed it.


"Choke tubes are overrated."

My comp guns have nothing that is adjustable in the way of chokes or stocks. Nothing to fiddle with and get inside your head. There is no substitute for putting the gun in the right spot

 

[JRB416]

Everyone has described the game of five stand very well. It moves along very quickly when you have five experienced shooters on the line.

I like it on rainy days because a couple of places I shoot have a covered facility to shoot from.

Regarding gun, a field or target shotgun that fits you is just fine. I shoot a Beretta DT11 or Benelli Super Sport (12 & 20). I like a pretty flat shooting gun because of the variety of target presentations. You as a past trap shooter, might like a gun that shoots a little high. Also are you going to use the same gun for trap? I see guns set up a lot of different ways. Whatever works for you.

Choke choice is dependent on course. With today's tight patterning shells usually in a double Mod, Light Mod / IC will work fine and with an autoloader, IC or one of the Mod's is good.

If your gun has interchangeable choke tubes just take several choke sizes with you and change according to your shooting style and course conditions.

I notice you reside in Georgia. If you are ever in the Atlanta area visit Cherokee Rose Sporting Clays. Great clay shooting facility.

 

[dave1918a2]

Well, I may consider giving it a try. I only have a trap gun 30" that has been modified for trap doubles. 12 points of constriction in the bottom barrel, and 32 in the top. Put another way, a slightly tight improved cylinder and a low end full. No choke tubes. I am sure it will work.

What is the point of the stand?

Your gun will work fine. May seem a little slow during a fast swing, but You'll get used to it. The stand is where You stand to shoot. 5 stand means there are 5 different places where You shoot from. kind of mini SC.

 

[Narragansett]

Your gun will work fine. May seem a little slow during a fast swing, but You'll get used to it. The stand is where You stand to shoot. 5 stand means there are 5 different places where You shoot from. kind of mini SC.

My gun is a Perazzi Grand America 29 1/2' barrels. It swings fast.

No Choke tubes or adjustable stock

 

[Babysitr]

Pete, our little one trap club here uses 4 throwers and our trap on manual for 5 stand..I shoot it, but to be honest, give me trap caps all day...your gun would be great on our course! and you probably would be too!

 

[Hair Trigger]

Our club started out with a wobble-trap field and the shooting stations are a "pyramid" with #1 and #5 at ground level, #2 and #4 raised 4 feet higher and #3 is 4 feet higher than #2 and #4. Position 3 is directly over the wobble trap. We added 6 more traps along the sides of the field. Each station is a combination of two different traps and each throws the same pattern every time. The wobble trap is random. One of the side traps is a rabbit. It's pretty darn challenging, you don't get the same shot twice during a round and the wobble just adds to the variation. 25 shots is a full round.

 

[Narragansett]

Our club started out with a wobble-trap field and the shooting stations are a "pyramid" with #1 and #5 at ground level, #2 and #4 raised 4 feet higher and #3 is 4 feet higher than #2 and #4. Position 3 is directly over the wobble trap. We added 6 more traps along the sides of the field. Each station is a combination of two different traps and each throws the same pattern every time. The wobble trap is random. One of the side traps is a rabbit. It's pretty darn challenging, you don't get the same shot twice during a round and the wobble just adds to the variation. 25 shots is a full round.

Really like wobble trap and international trap

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When my club started 5 Stand, it was something to do while you waited for your turn on the Sporting Clays course. Since I usually shoot 410 or sometimes 28, That's what I use on everything these days. Chokes, Warm weather Skeet/IC, sometimes Skeet/Skeet. Cold weather, I/C/Mod.

Once I got used to the sport, I average around 75% on Sporting Clays and 5 Stand.

BTW, 7.5's shot will do all you need, 8's are OK, forget 8.5's & 9's!

Ivan

 

[Narragansett]

When my club started 5 Stand, it was something to do while you waited for your turn on the Sporting Clays course. Since I usually shoot 410 or sometimes 28, That's what I use on everything these days. Chokes, Warm weather Skeet/IC, sometimes Skeet/Skeet. Cold weather, I/C/Mod.

Once I got used to the sport, I average around 75% on Sporting Clays and 5 Stand.

BTW, 7.5's shot will do all you need, 8's are OK, forget 8.5's & 9's!

Ivan

I do not use 8's any more. In 1991 I broke a 98 in the Grand American Handicap event using 8's from the 25 yard line. I dusted the 2 I missed.. Lesson learned, no more 8's, except for the first target in target in trap doubles sometimes. The shot is fast and close

 

[2152hq]

We had a 5=Stand at out club for several yrs.
I really liked it.
Movable target throwers so you could change the coarse up.
A tower behind the shooters to throw over your head target(s) out there and that machine like a Trap thrower so you never knew which direction it would be going out.

Each of the 5 shooting points, the shooter took 5 shots from.
A marker at each point showed the shooter which of the 7 or 8 different target throwers would be offering up the target .
You get one single bird for the first shot.
Then like Trap the next shooter in line is up to shoot and so on down the other shooters.
When it comes back to you,,the next presentation of targets are a Report Double and again the marker in front of you tells you which positions the targets will be coming from.
Then on to the next shooter,,etc.
When it comes back to you,,your last 2 shots at that position are a True Double, with the chart once again noting where the targets come from.

Once all five shooters have shot their first Stand,,as in Trap, the shooters move over one Stand and the last shooter on the end (extreme RH position) comes around to position/Stand #1.

Same cadence of shooting,,One Single, A Report Double and then a True Double. But each Stand has a different line up of target positions that the targets come from.
5 shots at each Stand,,5 Stands,,25 rounds.

I shoot it with a Full choke vintage guns with 30in bbl(s) and never feel handicapped.
Don't over think this Choke Thing.
Get the correct lead and follow through and you will break the bird.
Wipe all that other needless scramble out of your head about choke(s), barrel length, gun weight, action type, shells, velocity, ect.

It can be a very humbling game expecially if you are used to just shooting Skeet.

We often ended the day with a 'Flurry' where all five shooters get to shoot at the same time at multiple targets lunched at the same time.
Great fun.

 

[loc n load]

Sporting clays

Been a trap shooter since the 70's. Started shooting clays 20 plus years ago. I live 15 minutes away from a ten stand course, which recently was purchased and totally redesigned & equipped with new state of the art stands and traps.
I concur with not over thinking the chokes & all that. I shoot a O/U 12 ga with mod/mod chokes. I hosted a shoot years ago for a fraternal group that had about 60 shooters.
I had new shooters with me. One of them had never shot clays, he was a duck & goose hunter. He had a weathered 870 ( his only shotgun) that had obviously been in a lot of blinds & boats.
He was one of the top 5 shooters of the group. Several of the other shooters were trying to "game the course" by swapping out choke tubes & had big $$ & big name shotguns.
The duck/goose hunter simply put the pattern where the clays were.

 

[Narragansett]

That is one thing I never do, and that is get tied up in the choke tube game or anything else. My guns are choked the way they need to be, and there is nothing adjustable on either gun.

If anybody knows the name, I took several instructional clinics with Frank Little. I could list his accomplishments, but I would have to type for 15 minutes. If there is one thing you learned from him, it was to get the trivia out of your head.

 

[loc n load]

Totally agree. Too many get caught up in "gadgets & gaming" instead of refining shooting skills, have seen this is several shooting disciplines.