[Virginian]

I have tried them all, and have to say I still like skeet the best. I don't know why, maybe because that was the game I first got serious about that made me a better shot, but I don't know. Maybe it's because of the variety of shots. I do love Station 8, too. :D
The people you meet, aside from the occassional Mr.-Know-It-All that you find everywhere, are pretty nice in all the sports it seems to me.
What's your fav and why? (no wrong answers !)

[earlthegoat2]

Rabbit hunting.


OK the clays game that mimics rabbit hunting. Cannot think of it now. Rollo or something like that. It is easier to hit the targets when you virtually take away the third dimension.

[hopper810]

For me it's
Sporting
5-Stand
Skeet
Trap
it's a close call between S/C's and 5 stand. i grew up hunting whitwings and doves and i haven't seen anything the clays do that the real birds didn't do. just wish i could hit more of them.;)

[ArmedBear]

Skeet.

I like to shoot Clays and 5-stand, but as a "game" this has a downside. The guy who sets it up can practice before anyone else shows up, and figure out by trial-and-error that the second target of some really weird presentation needs to be shot with a 5-foot vertical lead once you've hit the first one, etc. Now as long as he isn't shooting for money or beers, that's not a big problem -- but if he is, it's not much of a "game" any more.:)

[conhntr]

trap; a gentleman's game

[krimmie]

I haven't gotten to shoot sporting clays yet, but skeet, 5 stand and trap.

Nothing compares with waterfowl hunting though:D

[Girodin]

The shotgun part of 3 gun.

[DaleCooper51]

I shoot skeet the most and overall that is my favorite.

I really like Chinese Skeet and wobble trap too.

[ArmedBear]

Automatic trap throwers are the work of the devil. They take away the ability to coach a friend or receive tips on your shooting. You can't even say, "Nice shot!" to your neighbor.

They seem to suit the grumpy anti-social curmudgeons at the trap range, though.:D

[conhntr]

armed bear; NO TALKING ON THE LINE!!! if you want to talk go shot skeet! :)

[Youngster]

Shotgun 3 gun.

[oneounceload]

You skeeters need to try sporting clays, and even better....FITASC

Low gun, random launch, targets from 60 to 110mm, speeds from 35 to 85 mph, trajectories from straight going away to chondelles................what's not to like?

[101VooDoo]

Trap - it's a sport of perfection.

[Kevin5098]

Trap. I am an anitisocial curmudgeon! Actually I don't mind modifying the rules for beginners who don't want to rotate. I'lll also stop and coach them if they want and everyone else is game. Every round does not have to be 5 shots then rotate.

[Gunfighter123]

Shotgun " Steel Action" type shooting !!!

[oneounceload]

trappers and skeeters need to try a game where the target trajectory isn't the same, or even known........get out of your comfort zone of perfect scores and have some fun

[tactikel]

Sporting
Skeet
Trap

Im best at trap, then skeet, then sporting :what:

[Al LaVodka]

Trap. A day to learn (the basics), a lifetime to master (especially if you change guns every other season). Think: zen, out-of-body experience, or getting "in the zone." I'm high just thinking about it...

And what's with the talking on the line BearArmed? Holy cow! With your buddies, before swillin' a beer, fine. For real, as in registered targets? No friggin' way. We have to glare at the idiots in the next squad who arrive at our current field prematurely and start jabbering behind us -- highly innapropriate unless invited, and by each and every shooter on the line.

Al

[Sauer Grapes]

My list,

5 stand
SportingClays
Skeet
\
\
\
Trap, I like to talk too much....:neener:

Sporting clays will probably be #1 by the end of the summer. Only done it once, a couple weeks ago. BUNCH A FUN! :cool:

[ArmedBear]

No, not registered targets.

I'm talking about practice shooting with friends. Seems every range has gone to automatic pullers for everything. And the curmudgeons seem to like it that way.

Personally, I don't let the egotistical BS of some aging brats bug me too much, but I have often heard that trapshooters are a bunch of jerk-offs. There certainly are some who can give that impression... I used to shoot local trap leagues, and everyone was friendly, but I've been around more since then.

That's something to think about, if you give a crap about the future of our sports. Between lead paranoia, suburban development, land prices, noise complaints, anti-gun and anti-hunting fanatics, etc., the last thing we need is to chase people off. I've never felt unwelcome at a skeet or sporting clays range.

[devildog32713]

shooting at screaming flying rubber monkeys, no really, Im gonna try that tommorrow, will let you know how it goes.

[PJR]

Sporting clays. It requires more analytical thinking and a wide range of shooting ability. It is also different from course to course. No matter where you go skeet is skeet and trap is trap but sporting clays is something different wherever you go.

[Gunfighter123]

Sporting clays. It requires more analytical thinking and a wide range of shooting ability.

PJR ---- I agree with you about SC is the best of the "bird games" .

I also think that ANYONE who keeps a shotgun for Home Defense should try out some "Action Shooting Games " for the reasons you posted for Sporting Clays. You will learn to reload the SG " on the run " , shoot around/thru doorways and windows , learn to use all types of SG rounds { Bird/Buck/Slugs } , learn to shoot from other then the "Traditional Stance" like kneeling etc. , and add the FACT IT IS FUN !!!

To see a Clay Bird get "powdered" is fun --- to see and hear 5 or 6 Steel Knockdown targets go down in 2-4 seconds is SHEER DELIGHT !!!

[Virginian]

Bear makes a good point, it seems almost every Sporting course will have a "trick" target or two that only the regulars/repeat shooters have much of a shot at, and if you get paired up with them because they are trying to have fewer squads, and then they want to bet for whatever, it's a lot less fun.

[throdgrain]

Skeet is just repetition. Sporting clays is my favourite :)

[Moose23]

Doves...they taste a lot better than skeet.

[conhntr]

moose that is GROSS

[oneounceload]

Just shot some sporting this morning at a monthly shoot. Some stations kicked my butt, others I kicked its butt. The fun is in having something new and different at every station requiring me to determine the flight line, break point, hold point and insertion point, and then figuring out which method I need to implement MMS, swing through, pull away, sustained lead, etc........

[ShowMe2]

I like all 3, but my favorite is skeet. I've shot it the longest and did shoot registered back in the 80's.

There's something about smoking that low house option on 8 for 25 straight that is still a thrill for me.

[Justin]

Between the need to know where the gun hits with birdshot and slugs, learning the ability to quickly execute a weakhand reload, and the generallly wonky thinking needed to run the darn thing, I'd say it's very much a love/hate relationship with the shotgun portion of 3gun competition.

Dove hunting, on the other hand, is always a relaxing affair spent in good company.

[Armchair Bronco]

For me, it's trap.

But I'm determined to shoot some skeet this year.

[Tom Held]

I like them all but for me the most challenging is International Trap, sometimes called Bunker. 5 shooting stations, three ground level traps at each station (15 traps instead of one at regular trap) and you're allowed a second shot but that's usually a waste. Targets at 62 mph instead of 45. Took me a long time before I learned that you just shoot at the blurr. Best I ever shot was 21/25 and usually average about 15/25. Only bunker field I know of is at PG County in Maryland. There's also one at Quantico in Virginia.
I watched our Olympic team shoot at Colorado Springs once and they are incredible, usually shooting 98/100 and all using Perazzi trap guns.

International skeet is equally challenging. Faster targets, low gun, up to 3 second delay when you call for the bird. It's a lot different than "benchrest skeet" where you have the gun premounted and always know where the target is going.

[MCgunner]

Game? Geese and ducks....:D

[oneounceload]

Only bunker field I know of is at PG County in Maryland. There's also one at Quantico in Virginia

If you come down to Florida, there's one in Gainesville at Gator

[chas08]

Crazy Quail

I shoot a few rounds to warm up the shoulder for opening day of Dove season.

[ArmedBear]

Doves...they taste a lot better than skeet.

Not much. But they're fun to shoot.

[taralon]

If you'd asked me a couple weeks ago, I would have said Sporting Clays. I got out this weekend and shot some trap for the first time in years (don't ask me how many because it makes me feel old), and I had a hell of a time. So now favorite shotgun sport? Any one that has the gun thumping against the shoulder.

[conhntr]

Tom Held it may just be me but international skeet seems to be much easier than int trap. to be honest ive shot it much more (becuase you can shoot it on a regular skeet field depending on the machines); but most sporting shooters or anyone that is remotely coordinated can get the gun mount down pretty easy. once that part of the game is down the actual targets are not much tougher than american skeet targets. int trap is a different story!

[jamesb]

wobble trap and then 5-stand, have not tried sporting yet but have always wanted to.

[Tom Held]

Conhunt, I agree with you on international skeet. You only have two traps to worry about instead of the 15 on international trap. The birds are slightly faster than basic skeet and the delayed pull will throw some guys off. The low gun can be more challenging on the #8 station. Tom

[oneounceload]

It is always funny to watch a regular skeeter get upset buy the delay in Int'l skeet or FITASC - they always want to start their move before the bird emerges or they see it.....

[ArmedBear]

they always want to start their move before the bird emerges or they see it.....


...which, BTW, is one of the things that one is coached NOT to do in American Skeet, either. It really doesn't matter if there's supposed to be a delay, or the puller is checking out some member of the opposite sex walking across the parking lot instead of paying attention, or the machine just takes a second to come around.

I'd say that, if the delay is screwing you up, you just found out something to work on. It's like loading a pistol magazine with some dummy rounds to see if you're flinching or anticipating recoil.:)

[ArmedBear]

BTW in International Skeet, is there a rule that you MUST mount the gun before taking the shot?

[Dave McCracken]

My favorite?

Whatever I'm shooting at the moment.

I like them all.....

[oneounceload]

BTW in International Skeet, is there a rule that you MUST mount the gun before taking the shot?

I know you can't mount it before you see the bird, and the butt is supposed to be basically on your hip

[ArmedBear]

Basically?

The toe has to be below a specific type of marker tape on your vest at the position of your elbow, or you are called for gun position.

I can't find anywhere in the rules that says you have to mount, though. I wonder if station 8 would be easier to hip-shoot, if you practice enough.

[w_houle]

Doves...they taste a lot better than skeet.
... and the double entendre of the year goes to...Moose23

[coop923]

Trap is what I shoot the most, mainly due to geography. I probably understand it the best too. I shot skeet and 5-stand yesterday and always find those to both be a lot of fun. I'm not sure if it's just the novelty of those games, since I don't shoot them often, or if I really like them better. I'd probably say that with equal access, I'd shoot more 5-stand than anything else. I like the different presentations. Shooting sporting Clays has always been a good time for me, but long drives and a tight budget keeps that from happening more than two or three times a year. I think it's always fun to mix things up; the "fun shoot" competitions at out local club might be the most fun. When it comes right down to it they're all enjoyable, and since I have yet to perfect any one of them, I'll keep mixing them up... lots of room for improvement here.:D

[Pony Express]

squirrel hunting. I have not once taken the same shot twice

[ncturkey]

Wild Turkey

[conhntr]

Quote:
Doves...they taste a lot better than skeet.
... and the double entendre of the year goes to...Moose23

but all these old guys dont get it... which makes it even funnier!

[oneounceload]

but all these old guys dont get it... which makes it even funnier

What's even funnier is that the younger folks don't know that SKEET is a game, not a target........;)

[Bix]

This is a family forum, guys. Some of us do 'get' that.

Don't know if I could pick one favorite.

Love the mental aspect of trap. It's brain-cleansing.

Love the atmosphere and (significant) challenge of sporting clays.

Love hitting a true pair on the skeet field with a pump gun.

Shot a 'practical' match on Sunday that had two Texas Stars on a single stage. Don't imagine I need to say it - but, I loved that. :D

If I had to pick one, I'd probably say the the practical / 3 gun type matches - because you often see elements of the other games in those competitions, but not vice versa. We had a stage with a straight away rising bird from a trap thrower on Sunday. Only one guy in my squad was able to hit it. Wasn't me :)

[ArmedBear]

but all these old guys dont get it... which makes it even funnier!

You assume too much.

Doves do, in fact, taste just about exactly like ****. They taste only a hair better than broiled clay pigeon.

[chas08]

Doves do, in fact, taste just about exactly like ****.
Well, to the best of my knowledge, I've never eaten ****, so I don't know how it compares to Dove or clay bird. But I bet the Dove smells the best while cooking.:D

[ArmedBear]

The bacon makes it smell good. Otherwise, dove really doesn't smell like anything. Of course, that DOES beat the smell of ****.:)

[chas08]

The bacon makes it smell good.
ROFLMAO :evil::D

[Justin]

Doves do, in fact, taste just about exactly like ****. They taste only a hair better than broiled clay pigeon.

You're doing it wrong.

[ArmedBear]

Oh, I've managed to eat dove. It's all right.

It is, by a long shot, the worst upland bird meat I've had, however.

Pheasant, quail, chukar, they're all utterly delicious. Dove takes some work to make it all right.