New Obssession ... Trap!

turbo38gn

turbo38gn

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I haven't posted or been around much lately .. I've acquired a new obsession.. shooting trap. It's opened up a whole new world of shooting, forums and guns .. Need I say how many trap guns I have purchased .. those that know me here know how I get with new guns.. :D but I did buy a new M360 Friday .. but only to use the ride to pick it up to also pick up a new trap machine for my club.. I did notice a prominent member screen name on one of the trap boards I've frequented … so I'm not alone .. :D
 
I shot a lot of trap and skeet when i was much younger. And to tell the truth, if I lived close enough to a trap club, I could get re-addicted real easy. One of my favorite smells is the aroma of opening the BT99 and having the smoke of burnt propellant out of a Federal paper drift up to my nose. aahhhh:D . Yeah, turbo38gn, I'm jealous.
 
Trap is my favorite too!! Been shooting registered ATA trap for 3 years now. Krieghoff is my go to gun. I have a KX5 SBT for singles and handicap and a Krieghoff model 32 for doubles. I won doubles yesterday at our monthly ATA trap shoot. It is just so much more exciting when your targets are flying all around as opposed to it just sitting in one spot.
 
Just another 22 shooter said:
I shot a lot of trap and skeet when i was much younger. And to tell the truth, if I lived close enough to a trap club, I could get re-addicted real easy. One of my favorite smells is the aroma of opening the BT99 and having the smoke of burnt propellant out of a Federal paper drift up to my nose. aahhhh:D . Yeah, turbo38gn, I'm jealous.
Click to expand...

haa … I've purchased 3 different BT99's and 3 BT 100's in the last 2 months! a PP Golden Clay, a basic 99 and a older 99 plus... like the higher rib on the plus, then when I got the 100's .. I really fell in love with the higher rib and removable and adjustable trigger .. Also picked up an older Citori plus for doubles, just sold it and picked up a CXT for a smoking deal.. now I'm looking at a 725 unsingle combo … I'm a little crazy like that … :eek::D I'll settle into something soon..
 
turbo38gn said:
I haven't posted or been around much lately .. I've acquired a new obsession.. shooting trap. It's opened up a whole new world of shooting, forums and guns .. Need I say how many trap guns I have purchased .. those that know me here know how I get with new guns.. :D but I did buy a new M360 Friday .. but only to use the ride to pick it up to also pick up a new trap machine for my club.. I did notice a prominent member screen name on one of the trap boards I've frequented … so I'm not alone .. :D
Click to expand...

Yer doomed.:D
 
I can't remember the difference between skeet and trap. I think I have shot both in the past. Please enlighten.
 
My trap initiation was in 1971. Stationed Fairbanks, Ak. and one of my buddies bought a Rem. 870 @ the PX. He had a lot of experience in trap. Three of us went to a range, with the idea to rotate using his gun. While he was shooting another shooter offered me his gun to shoot a round. I told him that I didn't know how, and he said, you need to shoot to learn. With that, I said Ok, and off I went. Shot 15 out of 25 and thought I was a pro {ya I know}. I came back inside and returned his gun with a thanks. Later another gent asked me how long I had known the loaner gent and I said that I had just meet him. THe new guy looked startled and said that the guy had loaned me a custom gun worth north of $3K {probably helped my score}. Needlessly I have been hooked since. Enjoy the sport greatly but was never good enough.
 
I probably shoot as many trap loads as I do .22's any more. I was never a shotgunner but about 17 years ago a couple friends invited me to shoot trap. All I had was a 2op ga. 870. Didn't take me long to get hooked. Went through a series of trading up and finally got a BT99+ about 10 years ago. This follows a Browning Citori Special Sporting Clays I use for Skeet. I don't know which I enjoy more, trap or skeet. I think skeet is more relaxing as it takes longer and you have to wait your turn at each station. I do shoot trap in a league, and highly encourage it.

I'm far from a top shot, but i get enjoyment from busting 23-24 and occasionally 25 from the 16 yard line, and similar from the 20-21 yard line. Shot in a tournament last week and did 24 + 23 from the 16 along with comparable scores from the 4 others o the team, but then we were placed on the 24 yard line based on the 112 we broke at 16 and most of our scores dropped off quite a bit.
 
That's great to see so many shooters here... we had our last shoot this morning on our old Western trap machine .. I picked up a new Pat Trap, single, double and wobble machine Friday, we installed it today.


couple things … We shot a few rounds with the old Western machine.. it went good..... but the boys were like kids at Christmas.. When I pulled in with the new trap machine, they were all congregated around the trap house.. tape measures in hand.. they couldn't wait to get their hands on it.. I let them do their thing.. before telling them I had everything specked out, figured how to mount it and install it.. so lets get on with some trap shooting. When we are done .. we'll remove the old one and install the new one.. I'll just say.. they couldn't wait to get a round in before wanting to stop and install.. I made em shot one more round.. then it was game on!

Long story short it took us less than an hour and a half and we were shooting wobble, singles and finished up with doubles! It was the most enjoyable day of shooting trap, I've ever had in my short career.. The Pat Trap was flawless, dropped right into our old ATA approved house with the 15" pedestal. I cut half a sheet of 3\4 plywood, bolted it to the base, a few supports and we loaded up the machine.. that wobble is crazy.. I see some fun times in our future.
 
In 1966, I started a new job. When I was hired. to start the next Monday, I found out that the men's stag was the next day, a Saturday. I asked my boss to be if it would be all right if I went. He assured me it would be OK. The event was held at a local sportsman's club, that had trapshooting and archery, as well as a range in a quarry for rifle and pistol. I shot trap for the first time, and fell in love. We signed up for the Industrial Association trap league, and because it was half over, we had to shoot a hundred targets a night to catch up. We finished dead last, but over the years we improved to where later, at a time when there were over seventy teams in the league, we finished first in the highest division several years in a row.

Shooting in the league led to shooting in local registered shoots led to state shoots in Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa, plus several trips to the Grand American. Made a lot of good friends, many of whom I still shoot with. I have come full circle, and am back, at 76 to one league. I never got to be a really good shooter, but I won a number of class trophies at state shoots, and a bunch of local trophies. My grandson has joined me the last few years, and is the sub on our team, fifty to sixty years younger than the rest of us.
 
I started as a trap boy in 1960 at the age of 12. Most of my life has been centered around trap shooting. After collage and a well deserved divorce I started shooting registered targets. All I can say is what a blast it has been. I had a bad accident 6 years ago and can't shoot as much as I would like too but my bride still competes. Last night we made RV reservations for the Nevada State shoot.

During the last 35 years I have owned just about every kind of trap gun ever made. About 20 years ago I got high centered on Ljutic shotguns and I have never looked back. I shoot a Pro 3 for singles and handicap and a Bi-Gun for doubles. My wife shoots a Lady Ljutic on the single target events and a K-80 for doubles.

I really enjoy collecting and shooting S&W Revolvers but my true passion is trapshooting. We only live about 5 miles from the gun club and we are out there at least 3 times a week. I'm up early here because today I'm getting a pallet load of shotgun shells delivered. Even with me shooting very little now we still go though 100 or more flats of shells a year.
 
Rudi said:
I can't remember the difference between skeet and trap. I think I have shot both in the past. Please enlighten.
Click to expand...

Trap comes out of one low house in front of you and is always going away from you at different angles. You have 5 different stations that you shoot from and move forward or back on those stations to handicap yourself. Skeet has a high house on the left and a low house on the right with 8 different stations, always at the same yardage. You shoot a high and a low bird from all of the posts, and doubles from post 1,2,6 and 7. That's a basic overview.. Go out and try both.

edit: In trap you handicap yourself by moving back, or farther away from the trap as you get better. With skeet you shoot a smaller gauge to handicap yourself. Most of the big time shooters have one gun with sub gauge tubes in them so they shoot the same gun for adjustment and feel. I grew up shooting trap, but really got hooked on skeet. That was until I walked a sporting clays course...
 
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I have a friend who believes shotgunning and rifle/pistol shooting are mutually exclusive because of the different techniques used in firing the guns. A shotgun trigger is said to be “slapped” and the rifle/pistol trigger is “pressed.” I’ve never been an expert with either type of weapon, but can manage both styles of shooting the same day without any noticeable detriment.

I started with trapshooting, but soon found I was more comfortable with skeet. I’ve always enjoyed skeet and, more recently, sporting clays. Trap seems to me a different animal, and while I still have two trap guns, they haven’t been fired in years.

Shotgunning certainly can become “addictive.” IMO, there is no reason to forego shotgunning just because your rifle or pistol experience predates it - well, no reason except maybe finances! :o :D
 
Both my wife and I are trapshooters, though we've been sidelined this year because of my heart surgery.

But, before that rather unpleasant surprise we shot most every day the club was open, (Wed thru Sun during the summer and every day during the winter).

She has two Beretta 682s, one is a combo, both are top singles. I have a Silver Seitz, 35" barrel, Wilkinson tuned, adjustable rib and a Browning 725 for Doubles.

She is on the 25 yard line and I shoot from the 27 in Handicap.

My doctor says I can begin shooting again in July, and, if we can pull it off and if we can still hit those little orangy devils, we plan to go to the Grand at Sparta in August. Big ifs, though.

Our home club is the Silver Dollar just north of Tampa.

Bob
 
TRAP, I LOVE IT BUT IT DON'T LOVE ME.

Confession time, worst trap shooter ever, and that was before the age/health issues. :( I did OK with a Browning pre sweet 16 (1946 a good fit???) I overthink it & me and thinking never worked out well. I do good on snap shooting game, oh well.
 
I got some free trap range passes at IGOLD. Going to give it a whirl. I understand trap guns are choked full so that limits me to the kid's Saiga 12.
 
Many years ago I knew a man who at seventy-five had ferocious hand tremors, possibly Parkinsonism. He shot trap.

It was terrifying to onlookers who had never watched him shoot, when he went to the line with the gun vibrating in his hands like a tuning fork.

When he called "Pull!" the O/U snapped to his shoulder rock solid, swung smoothly, and smoked the birds.

Then he lowered it and it was shaking like a reed again as he reloaded.

Fun to watch.
 
Shot my first round of skeet at age 9. I was a trap boy at the local one field club. I was usually in the low house. Shooter called pull for high and mark for low house 2 yrs later I worked as a trap boy at a local trap club. They had a manual Remington cocked trap with the handle to cock it and pull the bird up behind the shooters. Loved shooting it all but got into shooting skeet in 1963 and never looked back. It was more like shooting in the field which was what shotgunning was all about. Ole bobwhites, doves ducks and geese. I didn't just give up on Trap..I just shot it for fun in the off season. When we moved the skeet club out of town we put in a trap field and later put another trap field in with those really nice Pat traps. We even put a 5 stand field in. I still have 2 of the old Western skeet machines from the skeet club when we upgraded. Getting harder to get parts for them now. I was president of the skeet club for 10 yrs..It has been in operation since 1927.. Clay targets are fun. I even shot skeet with a pair of Contender handguns in 410. Got to get right behind the trap house to shoot trap with one though. Try trap...and/or skeet
 
Thought I'd give a quick update, of my journey into Trap .. Started out about 3-4 years ago after a trip to Arkansas to tune one of my customers cars. We had some time one afternoon, knowing I was into guns big time, he asked if I wanted to take a trip to one of the big new Clay fields the state had just built, so off we went. He handed me one of his $35000.00 Krieghoff K-80's.. I couldn't even begin to shoulder it.. that stock had so many twists and turns, the gun was pointing in the wrong direction for me.. so I shot a Bennelli Black something or other.. I shot under a 10, can't remember how far under.. maybe way under ..:D I was hooked, went home, found an old Berretta 300 or 301 from my father, picked up a Franchi by Benelli that year... but never got out to shoot until about 3 years later.

Fast forward to last year, went a few times, liked it but still I way sucked.. while in a sporting goods store last summer I shouldered a Bennelli Super Sport and fell in love, shot off and on last summer, slowed down in the fall then picked it up just before Thanksgiving. That's when the bug really began to catch fire. Got up to around 17-19 birds a round 3-4 sundays in a row, but I was only shooting 2 rounds a session. Then I started looking at other guns... now this is where I go nuts.. since late winter early spring, I have purchased a new BT99 Golden Clay, a used older BT99 Plus, 2 BT99's, a BT 100SS, a BT100 blued, a BT100 satin NIB old stock, A Citori Ultra Plus, a Citori CXT and finally, .... think I'm done for a while ... a 725 unsingle combo 32\34 ...

Think I got the fever.... last night was the 1st time out with the new 725 ... shot a 22,21 and finished off with a 24! Think I'm starting to gt it now!
 
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Anybody shoot "Crazy Quail"? I tried it last year while visiting a buddy in Crystal River, Fla. Loved it! He also shoots trap, skeet, 5 stand. And I shot those with him too. But, really liked Crazy Quail. By the way, being a Cowboy Action Shooter, and being very familiar with my Winchester 97, I tried it on CQ. 19/25, didn't do too bad.....

WR
 
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