Short Barrel for Trap/Skeet?

[oneounceload]

shooting a short barreled gun shouldn't be a problem, except that maybe the weight , or lack thereof, might give you more actual recoil - how would that work for your condition? I'm sure you remember that the reason those guys shoot those 8-10 # guns is to soak up as much of that as they can....FWIW

 

[axeman_g]

trumpet... you shoot what you want to shoot. I shoot an A5 with a 24" barrel at trap many times, it is my favorite gun, so I shoot it. And keep this old saying in your mind ready to fling out when somebody cracks on your "cowboy gun"....
Beware the man with just one shotgun!

 

[Oldnamvet]

I have shot a lot of skeet with my BPS and 22" barrel. If you have a tendency to stop your swing, this really shows it. You have to keep your mind on the target and keep swinging after you fire. If you do that, it works fine. The more time I have to think about it, the worse I do so I normally shoot low gun with the short barrels. Seems to work a lot better that way and is good practice for bird hunting.

 

[Marshall]

esmith,

Not to worry, it's a very common call.

Around here the term skeet is used for shooting clays all the time. Bear is correct and gave a very good educative explaination, and, you won't find a much better guy to give it to you. Terminology is important. In all that's fair and forgiving though, we usually know what someone means by the way the question was asked so around here we usually just go with it. But where better than a gun forum to get the best information and knowledge.

 

[Trumpetman]

I've been practicing my swing at home. Considering my normal field gun, which is a 5 lb single-shot, single-barrel 12 gauge, the 20" double gun doesn't swing all that differently. It doesn't really swing much at all. The extra barrel takes on the additional weight that a longer single barrel gun would have, but it does lose some centrifugal swing. That light single gun is certainly not the ideal trap gun, but it beats the pain of getting to station 5 and having trouble holding up and pointing a front-heavy gun. It's really easy to carry in the field too.

I use shorter and/or lighter barrels for very practical reason: Lupus, fibromyalgia, and two kinds of arthritis. These limitations have made me look to alternative tools in every area of life. As they say--"necessity is the mother of invention." It does take a lot of concentration to follow through with light guns, especially short ones, but my physical limitations make it impossible for me to shoot an entire game with a traditional gun, especially a double.

Also, I enjoy innovation. I like the "shoot what you brung" mentality. I don't have any dedicated "target guns" at all. Every gun I shoot is used in hunting as well as in target work. It's amazing how many ways you can take a squirrel -- .22 lr Ruger Single-Six, 9MM S&W combat pistol, .50 Cal. muzzleloader with saboted .454 round balls at 1000 ft/sec, any shotgun, .357 Mag revolver with .38 Spcl wadcutters, slingshot, etc. (Okay, I haven't taken any game with a slingshot, but I know a guy who claims he got a rabbit with one. I suppose it's possible.)

I appreciate your openness and encouragement. Sure, I'll miss a number of birds due to poor follow-through, but hopefully I'll get better with practice. It sure beats giving up shooting, which I'm NOT going to do.

 

[icecorps]

I've been shooting a little trap with a 20" unchoked pump. I started mostly to get practice & trigger time for 3-gun and USPSA shotgun matches, but I really enjoy it. I'm sure I'll get a choked 28" single or over-under eventually. Right now I am having fun and improving my skill.

 

[Trumpetman]

That's gutsy, Icecorps. I was wondering . . . with an open choke like that, do you get any breaks at all on longer birds, or do you just concentrate on getting off a good shot as early as possible?

 

[icecorps]

response to Trumpetman

Honestly, it's half just to get used to handling and shooting. But I'm getting about 30% breaks on Trap singles, and I've only shot about 4 rounds. I don't know how that compares with most beginners with real trap guns.