Trap/ Skeet Etiquette?

If you are talking about sometimes shooting right handed and sometimes left handed then it is his problem not yours.

That is exactly why I try to shoot with a full line of my friends. Yes I can see how you switching hands could ruin his concentration but thats his problem to overcome, certainly not a "rule" infraction.
I have been scowled at for forgetting to take my safety off. On the other hand I have gotten so swept up with the timing; pull...bang,pull...bang,pull...bang, that I have fired without being anywhere near the bird.
Some people are there to blow off some steam and have a good time, some are there to compete or try to.
Years ago I used to frequent a kinda high brow trap club. Lots of old guys shooting Perrazis, Brownings, Berettas, with 32" barrels and exquisite wood. At the time all I had was an 1187 SP with 26" tubes and I would shoot as well if not better despite all the "you can't shoot trap with that".

It is what you make it,

Broadbill

Hi Sky, et al...

For years (and maybe even still) there was a sort of animosity between trapshooters and skeet shooters. The Skeet boys were usually described as being more relaxed and jovial whereas the Trapshooters were often described as dour souls. I remember Dave Petzal (Field & Stream) remarking that a trapshooter's idea of a good time is staring at the toe of his boot and gnashing his teeth. How true that was, or is, I'll leave to someone else to decide.
But I do think the rather mentronome quailty of shooting trap does, in fact, often appeal more to people who really, really like things to be same, same, same, same, same - and when "same" doesn't happen - it genuinely upsets them in more ways than one. Also, I've belonged to three "Trap & Skeet" Clubs and in all of them there was more or less continual, and usually petty, griping by the trapshooters about the skeet shooters. I quit two of the clubs specifically because I got tired of the Trappers vs Skeeters silliness.
But to take it a bit farther - when I and a few skeet shooting friends began shooting skeet from the "gun down" position - and started "dueling" each other by allowing a delay on the release of the bird - the longer-term skeet members got annoyed with us! We figured it was better practice for bird hunting (Clays was barely being started) but many of the older guys refused to even speak to us. Add to that the fact I used a side x side which made them all think I suffered from some exotic mental deficiency! Nevermind I averaged in the 90s all the time.
Not that I believe trapshooters should rule the Earth but I know the unnecessary change-ups could easily throw their shooting concentration off (at least some of them) and, since you asked about ettiquete, I'll assume you are wishing to be reasonably courteous and aren't looking for someone to affirm your right to rude the other shooters.
Thus I'll say the "ettiquete" you should probably follow is to simply decline to shoot with someone who has expressed annoyance with your changing sides OR shoot with them without doing anything you know throws them off.
Either way you are showing them a modicum of respect and that is what "ettiquete" is about.

Local opinions may vary.

Yes there is safety , etiquette, respect, range rules and all that.

Some folks need to focus on targets and not guns, equipment, and everyone else.

I shot skeet, I got along with the trap folks. I used to get a kick out of my men and women trap freinds shooting from the hip and breaking birds from 16 yd and further back. Usually when someone that could not shoot, making excuses and being a whiny butt "said" something like the weeds needing trimming or the slight breeze was messing them up.

Heck even the high-dollar shooters, had a sense of humor. Change must ocurred when flouride was added to water, because I recall a time trap shooters did not care if a shell ejected their way. Then again they did not miss ducks out of a duck blind because a repeating shotgun ejected one either.

Us Skeet folks at least ain't afraid of a incomer at 55 mph or faster if Int'l Skeet.

One of my shooting pards in Skeet, also shot trap, benchrest, Bulls-Eye and Machine guns....etc. If it went "bang" he did it. One day for the heck of it- he and others decided to shoot 20 ga guns, 1100s , 1400s, and Beretta 303s. Wild hair and just because. He run 50 straight in trap with a Beretta 303 20 ga , back from the 16 yard line. He ran another 25 straight from the 16 yard shooting from the hip. 75 straight, and the rest of the squad just having a ball with him. I am talking THE Trap shooters too.

I was holding the cigar box and grinning at the nay-sayers that said a 20 ga, would not work in trap, and said them folks ( my friends and pards) couldn't shoot a decent score.

Wanna bet?

I use nothing but a SxS 20 gauge anymore since I do better with that than anything else. It's probably a mental thing or something. I just love when the "Fancy Gun" guys snicker when I pull it out. And if I happen to do well, it never fails that a couple of them will come over to check out my piece afterwards.

As far as etiquette, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless it's the Olympic trials or something, I don't see what the big deal is. So long as everyone is shooting safely, I NEVER fail to have a good time. Miss a few, break them all, who cares? It beats watching TV. It's a shame some people forget that we are all there to have fun.

I put up with all kinds of cr@p at my old trap range because there were shooters there with guns worth thousands of dollars, some more than $10,000 and I'm up on the line blasting away with my Remington 870 Wingmaster and a 30" full choke barrel.

If you're changind hands and shooting lefty, then righty, or whatever, as long as you're participating in a safe manner, there's no rule that says you can't switch up. The OTHER shooter has some mental problem to overcome, it's his burden, not yours.

And we wonder why new guys aren't participating in our sports

One thing you didn't say is if you were picking up your hulls. I consider scrounging for hulls that have hit the ground a big no-no. It's extremely disruptive, dangerous, and holds up everybody in the squad.

If the hulls were hitting the guy, I'd consider it a legit complaint. Otherwise, I'd consider him a jerk. Some guys will complain because you wore the wrong color shirt.

It sounds like you are a casual trapshooter and not serious about anything other than have fun (nothing wrong with that) who hooked up on a practice squad with someone who IS serious about competing and becoming a better trapshooter.

You might not be violating any club rules but there are rules in both the ATA and PITA rule books about "disrupting the harmony" of the squad. Whether switching sides during a round of registered competition would qualify is an interesting question.

It's real easy for someone who is just goofing around to make fun of serious trapshooters. Maybe when you have a 100 straight patch and a 27 yard handicap you might understand the commitment that it took to get there.

I never did get there. I started shooting trap, competed for a few years, discovered sporting clays and never looked back. Trap shooting is a game of concentration and focus. Sporting clays requires more analysis and ability to adapt and suits me better.

Remember what he looks like. Do not shoot on the same squad again. Problem solved.

And it's his problem. If you had shown up and shot with us Geezers at PGC, there may have been some comment on switchitting but no complaints.

The only caveat I can suggest is getting a shell catcher for that auto. Bouncing shells off someone or even worse, someone's shotgun will earn you dirty looks.

This is one reason I shoot sporting clays and not trap!

This is one reason I shoot sporting clays and not trap!

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Man, you got that right. Too many crabby old guys shooting trap.

ysr, I shot some trap today with a couple sets of fathers and sons. The only reason I didn't do much teaching is the only other experienced trap shooter in sight beat me to it.

His vest had a mess of straight patches and pins. His Kreighof ground targets into smoke regularly.

We joked about trapshooters who spend thousands on shotguns without an eyeblink but complain mightily when shot goes up $0.50 a bag.

We laughed when the 45 MPH gusts made the clays do things they usually do not. We had a grea time and so did the kids.

Stereotypes are demeaning and misleading.

We laughed when the 45 MPH gusts made the clays do things they usually do not. We had a great time and so did the kids.

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Yup - that's what makes it great. The day that shooting is no longer fun is the day I sell all of my stuff (Dave has first dibs on the TCs )


I just wish my load would lighten up a bit so I could get out to the range

You are to be commended for asking what is the right way, the other guy is just trying to "get in your head". Pretty common on the trap / skeet range. There is alot of posturing and positioning that goes on. Stay above it and don't let it ever get in your head. You'll shoot better.

Bleh, there's always a guy that's PMSing. Just because they been at it for a few years they think they own the place or something. When I'm around those people, I just go out for a coffee or something.

And God forgive, if you ask them a couple of questions or to see their guns......

Then you wonder why first timers or beginners don't come back.

This is one reason I shoot sporting clays and not trap!

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Man, you got that right. Too many crabby old guys shooting trap.

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Then you wonder why first timers or beginners don't come back.

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Ya know, recently I kinda had my interest in shooting clays piqued ... I think I'll just wait until I can get my own land and clay pigeon tosser ... sounds more annoying than Golf

I'll certainly not be bringing my Saiga 12 (Tromix converted) around to any of the public clay shootin' ranges, thats for sure.

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Well, this thread has certainly been an eye opener. I've been shooting for about 15 years, all of it pistols. This year, for some reason, I got a wild hair, and bought my first long gun, a small caliber rifle(.17HMR) for plinking. Yesterday, I picked up my first shotgun, a Remington 870 Express Magnum with the 18 inch barrel. I wanted to try something a little different for home defense, and this fit my needs. I was all set to buy a second longer barrel, and see just how fun skeet/trap is. This thread has really opened up my eyes. I knew that there was some gun snobbery involved with the skeet/trap crowd, but at 42 years old, I really don't need to put up with grown men having hissy fits over the gun that I'm using, or the way that I'm using it(as long as it's safe).

Tim

It all depends on the club. The first time I went trap shooting many years ago I had a Remington 870 with an 18.5" cylinder choked barrel. I was greeted warmly, shown how the game was played and some of the shooters even let me try their guns. I was going to buy a second barrel but found a discounted 28" 870 with choke tubes on sale for not much more than the cost of a replacement barrel and bought it instead.

I would never suggest that there isn't snobbery in shotgun sports as there is in rifle, handgun, archery, boating, motorcycles or any other field of human endeavor. But more often than not new shotgunners are welcomed at clubs regardless of what they are shooting. There is the rare butthead but they can be easily ignored.

I've dabbled in all the shooting games at some point. Shotgunners are no worse than anyone else in my experience. FWIW, my worst experience with shooter elitism was when I looked into IPSC. My encounters with them kept me out of that game.