New to clays where to start

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brainwake

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So my birthday money burned a hole through my pocket and I picked up an over/under shotgun......

So I will be looking at getting a clay pigeon thrower....probably manual one. I will get to shoot at the in-laws every few months..

I also might start checking out the local ranges too.

I don't imagine that I will be competing anytime soon. But any advice as to where I should start? what other stuff do I need/might want? What kind of ammo should I start with?
 
EDIT: I misunderstood and didn't realize you already got a gun, so I'll delete the paragraphs about which gun to get. Congrats! Which did you pick up?

Federal or Estate target loads tend to run about $6.50 a box nowadays and are totally adequate for any clay sport. Remington Gun Club shells have given me a bit of trouble (I've had two shells come apart in my gun in four boxes of RGC; gone through dozens of boxes of Federal and Estate target loads and never had anything similar) AND they're marginally more expensive than Federal/Estate.
 
You might want to try the Trius One Step trap thrower they run about $100.00 but they will last you a lifetime, they are simple to operate by one person and are quite a bit of fun. Due to the fact you got a 20ga., you will probable only be shooting informal trap, as you're at quite a disadvantage using a 20 as compared to using a 12ga. in formal Trap Competition.

Don't let that bother you though go out and have fun busting clays, with that pretty little gun you got there.;)
 
Besides a pouch, do not forget eyes and ears.

You do not say what TYPE of clay games you might be interested in at your local clubs

Here's a map of clay clubs in OK.

The main page, depending on where you live, might show courses in other states that might be closer
 
I prefer the automatic throwers over the manual ones simply because I shoot a lot and I can use a deep cycle battery rather than my arm to cock the thing. $350 or so at Gander.

As far as ammo I will use any field load of ammo that I can find at a decent price. I have no doubt that some are better than others but for my purposes all of them are pretty much the same. You can generally load up on clays 2-3 times a year when Walmart or Academy runs them on sale. I have done that but it may not be worth it to tie uo the money and save a dollar.

Shooting clays is not a cheap sport. At $5 for a box of 20g shells and $10 for a box of clays you are looking at $35 to shoot 100 times. I have a friend that reloads, or did before components got hard to find, which cut the cost of shells more than half. He can also load them lighter which is noce for my shoulder.
 
The issues with "pasture clays" that arise are several:

You are only shooting one type of target going in one direction

Those wally world targets are not the same as the ones the clubs throw on professional/commercial machines

The speed isn't even close to what the club machines can throw them at.

You would be surprised at the differences; couple that with shooting sporting clays where you can also have rabbit targets, midis, minis, battues, and different presentations like quartering, incoming, dropping, rising, chandelles, and any other way the setter can think of, and you begin to realize how much fun it can truly be
 
I am looking forward to trying skeet, trap and sporting clays.

I went 20 GA because I have wife and kids, and figure the 20 GA might be a little easier on everyone. I imagine if I were to get into competition, I would upgrade.

For now, it's all about fun!

Glad to hear someone likes that Trius One Step....I was just eye balling that at Bass Pro this evening. It will do for getting everyone involved at first.

I work with a couple of guys that are getting into it as well. I think we are going to check out Silver Leaf first....www.silverleafshotgunsports.com
 
Realize a few things -
A 20 can have as much, and sometimes, even MORE recoil than a 12 because the guns are typically a pound or more lighter. I can shoot the equal of a 20 and even a 28 gauge load in my 12 (and I DO shoot a 3/4oz 12 gauge load and that makes recoil VERY light.
Secondly, if you are getting the kids and wife involved - unless you are all the same size and build, one gun will NOT fit everyone and improper gun fit leads to more felt recoil and pain no matter how light the loads are. If the LOP is too long, folks will be leaning backwards - and that will hurt. If the cast, drop at heel, drop at comb, thickness of the comb, reach to the trigger are all wrong for folks, it is going to hurt and their hit ratio will be low to non-existent - that all translates into no fun and a quick loss of interest in shooting because if you can't hit anything and all it does is hurt, it is no fun..........

Getting a youth stock to go with an adult stock can address some of that, but not if everyone is trying to shoot at the same time. (Several guns works better and can be a great excuse to buy more!)
 
Brainwake, sounds like a pretty nice club, plus it's family owned. That Trius One Step is a really easy to set up, and you just have to use one foot to send the clay up and out, you can actually cock it with just one finger, you can adjust the speed of the clay as well as the height. My wife only weighs about 100 #s soaking wet and she can activate the machine all day long.:cool:
 
Realize a few things -
A 20 can have as much, and sometimes, even MORE recoil than a 12 because the guns are typically a pound or more lighter. I can shoot the equal of a 20 and even a 28 gauge load in my 12 (and I DO shoot a 3/4oz 12 gauge load and that makes recoil VERY light.
Secondly, if you are getting the kids and wife involved - unless you are all the same size and build, one gun will NOT fit everyone and improper gun fit leads to more felt recoil and pain no matter how light the loads are. If the LOP is too long, folks will be leaning backwards - and that will hurt. If the cast, drop at heel, drop at comb, thickness of the comb, reach to the trigger are all wrong for folks, it is going to hurt and their hit ratio will be low to non-existent - that all translates into no fun and a quick loss of interest in shooting because if you can't hit anything and all it does is hurt, it is no fun..........

Getting a youth stock to go with an adult stock can address some of that, but not if everyone is trying to shoot at the same time. (Several guns works better and can be a great excuse to buy more!)
Click to expand...

I agree with all this. It might make sense to eventually get the stock shortened on the over/under for the kids (and your wife if she's of significantly smaller build than you) and get a semi-auto for yourself (and your wife if she's roughly the same size). A gas-operated semi-auto will significantly reduce felt recoil, making a twelve-gauge a soft shooter (particularly with target loads). And for a given price point, you can get a higher-quality semi-auto (or pump) than over/under because you're only paying for one chamber and barrel instead of two.

EDIT: Silverleaf looks like a really, really good club. I'd go check it out.
 
A 20 can have as much, and sometimes, even MORE recoil than a 12 because the guns are typically a pound or more lighter.
Click to expand...

Given that, the best gun to use is the one you have. Don't get too wrapped up in equipment. A decent gun, some decent ammo, eye and ear protection and a shell pouch or vest and you are set. It's not about the equipment, it's about the sport. And of course as you stated early on, having fun. IF you decide you love it and want to do it a lot, that is the time to look into different guns and better equipment, etc.

I'm betting you will get hooked. It is tons of fun.
 
Brainwake, the "One Step" will let you shoot at any angle you decide to point it at, as it has a big knob under the arm that you can adjust the height also. I read the reviews on the other one, and I believe you'll need to take a wrench with you.
 
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Skeet, on a regular skeet field, use a .005 constriction, AKA Skeet choke; trap, on a regular trap field, use a M form the 16 yard line; sporting clays, anything goes since no two are alike - that said, I shoot sporting clays and I typically start out with an IC and a LM and change accordingly - do NOT get too hung about chokes that you forget to focus on the bird. Unless something is VERY close, the IC will do just fine; unless something is really far- as in 50 yards - the LM or M will do just fine. There may be a few separator stations for the comp shooters where something tighter might be necessary - but that is rare. Learn to read the target line, get help on how to determine hold point, insertion and break points and do NOT look at the bead - only the bird.

For any of these games - "Head on the stock, eye on the rock" and keep the gun moving. More folks miss by stopping their gun when they shoot. When in doubt about lead, try to miss in front

Good luck!
 
Go toa good trap clubland ask for a NRA certified shotgun insructor for lessons. Better yet, take the NRA basic shotgun class to start.
 
I went to the OTA Shooting Park in El Reno, OK this last weekend. That place was destroyed by a tornado that came through a few weeks ago. Too bad too, because it looked like it used to be nice. The building was a pile of rubble. I hope they rebuild it.
 
guess ill be the first to suggest a plastic 10$ hand thrower (as long as you got a friend to throw for you). they eliminate clays going into the same exact spot. with a small amount of practice you can throw some challenging targets for cheap.
 
Shot some skeet for the first time this last weekend. We had about 5 of us taking turns on the hand thrower. Man it sure was fun. I gotta get me a better thrower, the hand one is a little inconsistent. We had to duck a few times LOL.
 
Glad you had fun - but that wasn't skeet if you were using hand throwers.

Like trap, skeet is shot on a specific field with defined shooting stations and angles, not hand thrown targets. It is a very fun game, and the 20 gauge is perfect for skeet.

It helps to get correct terminology. It just helps to eliminate confusion when asking and answering questions.

Again, glad you had fun.
 
I guess I should say, I shot some clays. My ignorance is showing. :) Heck first time, I will have to go visit some of the shooting parks and try out the skeet, traps and sporting clays. It all looks like a blast....pun intended...
 
PapaG said:
Go to a good trap club and ask for a NRA certified shotgun instructor for lessons. Better yet, take the NRA basic shotgun class to start.
Click to expand...
Basic question: Do you want to compete?

If so, the advice to get coaching is spot on. IMO, no need to buy into the NRA certified stuff when clubs typically have several excellent mentors with a genuine interest in you, rather than an income stream.

As mentioned, trap is a 12ga sport, so consider others such as skeet, with a 20ga class. (Also consider that trap typically requires deeper pockets than other clay sports.)

As you move forward, keep reloading in mind. If you pursue competition, you'll want to reload (or have sponsors), and you could start saving hulls now. Even if you switch to 12ga, you can sell/trade your 20ga hulls.

If competition is not really in the picture, then just have fun and don't sweat the bad habits and lack of instruction.
 
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