trap question

[d90king]

Originally Posted by sharpshooter

I will be using a O/U when I finally acquire one, I kinda figured the other people on the line wouldn't appreciate a semi.

Also on the subject of the gun I know trap guns have 30" barrels but I found a nice one with a 28" on it does the two inches make a lot of difference on a shotgun

28" is to short for trap IMHO, good for skeet because its a crossing pattern but going away you need some length. Don't get me wrong there are some that can shoot with a shorty ( I learned on a 28" 20 gauge) but you are at a disadvantage. 30" is fine but 32" is perfect.

[d90king]

Originally Posted by sharpshooter

d90king, good God I think you spent more on your gun then I did on my car.

I work hard in life and reward myself from time to time.

I also believe in buying the best up front and being done with it. In the long run sometimes you actually end up saving because you only have to buy one instead of having to keep upgrading as your passion in the sport grows.

[Karys]

I bought an inexpensive belt pouch when I got into trap a few years ago. It's got three pockets, one for a box of shells and two for emptys.

I put the empty shells from the hits in one pocket and from the misses in another. This way I don't have to keep count of hits and misses as I'm shooting thru a flight. (Not that it's all that hard because I don't hit many.)

I doubt I'll ever be a good trap shooter without a tremendous amount of practice. I really prefer to shoot pistols where you have to focus on the front sight. When I shoot trap, I tend to focus on the bead as I get close to the bird, stop my swing and shoot behind it.

[customloaded]

You got some great advice here but I would like to add one thing. You are a rifle shooter, not a trap shooter. I read you are only getting interested in trap as a father/son thing and maybe some other plinking. Keep it simple and uncomplicated. A good used Remington 1100 Trap is the standard. Barrell length for what you are doing want make much difference. I shoot trap with 26" in barrels all the time. Keep in mind, a good gun is a good gun but its the shooter that makes the gun work properly. I've known guys that shoot 98 or 100 on trap consistantly with a $400 dollar gun and guys who spend thousands and barely make 20 out of 25, then blame the gun, sell it, and buy another.

I really think you ought to look for a used Remington 1100 Trap gun...just my opinion.

enjoy!

[bigrdenu]

I average 17-18 with a 26 inch .410 bore. The weapon itself is less important than fit of shooter to weapon. If you can swing a 28" better than a 30" the 28" would be better. Overall, focus less on the equipment, and more on the bird and you will break more of them. Most importantly do not focus to much on your misses. The shooting sports are supposed to be fun, and if you shoot and it is fun you will shoot more, and that will lead to more broken clay birds. Good luck. Be careful clay bird shooting is addictive.

[jb12string]

Get a gun that fits you well, it makes your scores go up faster I used to shoot my 870 field gun all the time, then I started lusting after a Red Label I would borrow from a fellow shooter, in fact, I called dibs on it if he ever decides to sell it (I doubt it) then on a whim I borrowed my brothers unused BPS and wouldn't you know it, he hasn't got it back yet I bought a 2 compartment shell bag to start out with, then I switched to a carrier that holds a box of shells on my belt and a big bag for empties. I like the box carrier cause it helps me keep track of where I am in a station, which benefits me because I shoot with a fairly small group and we don't always have a scorekeeper, so we keep our own.

[Frenchy]

Let’s see if I can make sense so this all. First off, I shoot better with a 20G on trap then a 12 G, and the 20G I have shot where all shorter then 28 Inch. Go figure.

Trap unlike Skeet is a bird going away from you, so get a tight choke, possibly one marked Trap…

Just as when I Play darts, disturbing the opposing players is part of the game, If you can disturb the other shooter, he needs to learn self discipline. Unless a shell hits him in the face, I really don’t feel sorry for the other shooter. If it hits him in the face, he was not paying attention. I generally wear a broad Australian bush hat (looks a lot like a cowboy hat) and it is not unusual to feel a shell land on it. Shell catchers are great if you don’t want to bend down to pickup, other then that, they are not needed.

I have seen people shoot with shotguns I would wonder if they would hold up and a Home depot nail pouch to carry the shells, and guess what, they shot as good as any other there.

Main thing is to forget your rifle skills and learn to lead and follow through, the further the bird, the more lead you need. Also don’t forget, the further the bird is out, the faster it drops. What I do when I show others to shoot is to have them count the seconds in their time when the person in front of them shoots. As a general rule in trap, the bird is up going on 2 seconds and down the rest of the time, so if you pass the 2 second time, shoot a little low.

[jb12string]

I'll second what frenchy said about timing, I find myself getting into a cadence when I shoot trap. I "feel" when I should shoot based on when the bird leaves the house, If I take too much time, I know that I am aiming instead of pointing and I "feel" when the bird should be breaking (ideally). I find myself starting to put miss if I am scoring and a shooter waits longer than I normally do or if a bird takes longer to break than I am used to (further shot, slower load, etc). Also, some useful tips that I picked up that may or may not work for you is A) put most of your weight on your front foot and bend your knees a little bit. B) I find that if I turn my back more toward the trap house (closed stance) it helps me, especially on station 4 and even more on station 5.