New to trap/skeet - need advise

[TonyAngel]

Hey guys,

I took my son out on a scouting trip the week before last because he signed up to qualify for shotgun. In order to qualify, you have to hit 25 of 50 clays. I really don't know if you call it trap or skeet shooting, but they had the thrower setup in front of the shooter so that the clay is flying away from the shooter, rather than across.

Anyway, my son shocked the heck out of me. His first time shooting at moving targets and he hit 25 out of 28 clays to qualify. Needless to say, I bought him a Remington 870 20 gauge last weekend and found us a place to shoot today.

So....I need a target thrower. I have an Academy Sports near me and they have what appear to be decent throwers. Do-All, I believe the brand name was. What I'm short on is the vocabulary associated with the sport.

What does it mean when a thrower is a full cock? 3/4 cock? Cocking not mentioned? I want to get one that will mount onto my trailer hitch, but is there really any disadvantage to the stand alone models? They do appear to be a bit more portable.

Can anyone recommend a good load for shooting clays out of a 20 gauge. From the clowning around that we did, it looks like 7 and 1/2 or 8 shot is going to do it, but is one preferred over the other? I just don't know.

His 870 came with an IC choke. Do I need to replace that for what he's going to be doing?

I'd appreciate any advise.

 

[oneounceload]

For what you are doing, (typically called pasture clays),the IC choke will be just fine - hand traps do not throw the targets as fast or as far as the machines at a gun club. Trap and Skeet are specific names for specific target games. Target loads of #8 will fit the bill perfectly. The key to success is making sure the gun fits him. From your description, it sounds like it is pretty close - for the moment (those kids have a way of growing real fast - at least mine did)

 

[btg3]

From a product review...

The ease of cocking this 3/4 unit versus a full one is HUGE...It's makes loading and throwing a pure pleasure and actually fun whereas the full cock units can wear a person out rather quickly and turn the whole event tiresome...My unit actually moves around closer to 7/8 than 3/4 so it almost fully re-cocks itself...Of course I've made sure the bearing clutch and pivot arm were properly lubed so I'm sure that helps...

At age 12, I was fortunate to be coached at skeet by World Tournament Champion -- my Dad. We shot tournaments together and enjoyed dove seasons. I won the state title in the junior class. We continued to shoot together for many years.

A few things contributed to this experience:

1. Coaching. Competent instruction is fundamental. Otherwise, expect bad habits that will be problematic going forward.
2. Gun type. A semi-auto gas gun is a softer shooter than a pump. Less fatiguing, flinching, etc that detract from focus on skills.
3. Gun fit. Dad obtained a couple of extra stocks and had them cut to fit me as I grew. (ebay has some.)
4. Gun club. We had a membership and practiced on a regulation skeet course.
5. Reloading. Dad provided the equipment, material, and training, but then delegated reloading to me. In addition to cutting costs, it gave me some "ownership" in the venture.

Competition shotgun may not be on your radar screen, but thought I'd share the above FWIW.

 

[451 Detonics]

I would really recommend an electric thrower if you can afford it. The make life much easier and the speed and distance they can throw will much better prepare him for real trap, skeet, 5-Stand, etc. Yes they are more expensive but very much worth the money.

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/p-2...t-automatic-electric-clay-target-thrower.aspx

If you go with a manual thrower I would get one that stands up off the ground, bending over every time to load the trap and cock it gets old very very fast. The chair type work well...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FDSUIG...e=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B000FDSUIG

 

[oneounceload]

Not knowing where you are, you can try here for clubs in your area

www.claytargetsonline.com, select your state and check them out - you should be able to get some good shooting advice on form, fit, etc. as well

 

[Starter52]

+1 to the 3/4 cock chair type manual thrower that 451 Detonics mentions. I've used the same style before and they are much superior to the on-the-ground type.

 

[Virginian]

See how he likes it and go from there. The more you invest up front, the less likely things will pan out the way you hope is my experience - it's like the Murphy's Law of parenting.
I don't like the trailer hitch mounted throwers myself. The attachment is too loose for my no rattle mechanical penchant.

 

[RUT]

>>For what you are doing, (typically called pasture clays),the IC choke will be just fine<<

And that's pretty much all I use for "real" sporting clays.

 

[9X23WIN]

I would also recommend a chair mounted launcher. I had an Outers double arm version on a chair/stand and it worked great.

 

[oneounceload]

>>For what you are doing, (typically called pasture clays),the IC choke will be just fine<<

And that's pretty much all I use for "real" sporting clays.

If that works with your loads in your gun at your course, then that is a good choice. I have several courses here that are similar in that aspect. However, I also have one where M or IM are the order of the day for 1/3 of the stations - especially when I am shooting my 3/4 or 7/8 oz 12 gauge loads - a little tighter helps the smaller pellet count stay together that much further downrange

 

[TonyAngel]

Thanks for all of the advise guys. I'm going to pick up the 3/4 cock model from Academy. The one with the seat on it.

I looked at the electric model, but at 70lbs, plus the weight of the marine battery, it seemed a bit much to handle.