Shot First Round of Trap Today

[Thruhike98]

I was able to go out to the PGC Trap & Skeet club this afternoon, and shoot a few rounds of trap. It was my first time there except for some sporting clays instruction with the pro a while ago. I told the staff as much and they were helpful, getting me up to speed on the set-up. I had a great time. Today I used a rented break-action single-shot Beretta and the standard shells from the pro shop.

As for results - pretty terrible. I seem to have forgotten much of what I learned before, only hitting them well from the #4 and #5 spots. A nice guy who just happened to be there gave me some tips on stance which helped, but I'm thinking more instruction might be needed.

What do you think of renting guns? I don't have a shotgun now. Is changing from gun-to-gun detrimental as a guy tries to figure out the sport? Would I be better off with my own (probably a pump-action) every time, or with the different (presumably better-suited?) rental break-action guns each time? Any other tips you'd recommend to improve one's results, other than "keep going out there," which I absolutely plan to do.

 

[Al LaVodka]

Get a gun -- perhaps a standard Mossberg 500.
Do NOT keep going out there and practice bad habits, spending more money than you have to on a rental and over-priced pro-shop shells, and use different guns that will clearly throw you off from session to session.
Read the NRA Basics of Shotgun Shooting and an article on Trap.
Take a lesson.
You'll be so happy for life -- I promise!

BTW, I have read that the first time Trap shooter usually breaks between 12 and 13 birds. All I can say about that (as a competitor, Instructor and Training Counslor) is... BS!

Al

 

[Thruhike98]

That makes sense. I'm sure most of the acquisition I need to do is between-the-ears, but I would like to control for as many variables as possible. Thanks for the tips, Al LaVodka.

I think you're right - can't help but be happy when you bust one of those fast-moving evil little discs to dust!

 

[conhntr]

u picked a nice range PG is one of the best public ranges in the area. they have coaching that would be fine for a beginner and will really help you out.

go to dicks sporting goods to pick up your shells prior; they have the best prices in the area; and will probably save you 1-2$ per box.

as to guns if you are planning on clay target shooting i cant agree with the Mossberg recommendation. if you are shooting trap its a poor choice. if you are shooting skeet and sporting again its a REALLY poor choice. an experienced shooter can do well with a pump, but ive never seen a novice successful with one. so you will struggle with an ill suited gun; and loose some money trading up.

a used remington 1100 (preferably a choke tube gun with a target stock) will be around 500 and definently worth the money. best part is when/if you sell it; will still be worth 500! try to find one with an adjustable stock if you can.

you just missed the big show in chantilly but check trapshooters.com for alot of for sale listings.

 

[Dave McCracken]

I'll be there tomorrow, look for me around range 7 around noon. I'm a big old guy and lots of folks know me there. I'll be glad to coach you. I drive, ironically, a grey Cherokee.

Rhys does a bangup job, but he charges. I do not.

Check the board in the clubhouse for gun deals. While I like pumps inordinately, most folks will be better off with a decent auto. An 1100, 11-87 or one of the Berettas will do fine.

And yes, you'll do better with your own gun.

See ya....

 

[Thruhike98]

Thank you Dave. I had obligations that kept me inside today, but I would love to take you up on that offer! I am very interested in what you might see that I could improve. If you've got the time, I'll keep us in shells. When do you usually like to go out to PGC?

Conhntr: Thanks for the tips on shells and trapshooters.com. You make a good point about semi-autos. I hadn't given them much thought at all, but this makes me think I should consider them in my options.

I appreciate the tips!

 

[Dave McCracken]

I'm on night shift at the moment. Weekdays early like 10 can work, off on weekends but it can get crazy busy at PGC then. It was today.

Ever shoot an 870? I can bring Frankenstein.....

 

[batex]

Trap is a great sport and pasttime. If the bug really bites you, you'll be reloading your own shells in about 6 months if not sooner.

As far as guns....I now have a nice Italian over and under sporting gun that serves me very well for trap as well as sporting and 5 -stand. However if I were you, I'd look for used Remington 870 Wingmaster. You should easily be able to find one of these for around $350 or so. I have one with the 30" full choke barrel and it serves me very well for trap. The new guns or barrels have interchangable chokes. Lots of guys at the club i belong to also have at least one 870 even if they also have expensive o/u guns as well. You just can't beat a good 870 wingmaster and it will always have good resale value.

 

[Al LaVodka]

This "novice" became Distinguished Expert w/a 500 when they didn't have replaceable chokes, nor ribs and porting on every barrel. Heck, there were no synthetic stocks! Yes, by the time I was done I DID have a vent rib w/a custom center bead added and a screw-in Imp. Mod. choke which is pretty much what the standard 500 is today. Novice.

I agree that if you are shooting other clay target sports (not just hunting and HD) you might want something else. If you ever graduate to a truly dedicated Trap gun, it is actually useless for pretty much anything else.

Al

 

[conhntr]

what do you average at trap/skeet/sporting with that 500?

low-mid 80s would be my guess... like i said ill suited.

 

[Thruhike98]

Dave: I'm working days. Maybe <a-choo> I feel a cold coming on. Kidding, but I would like to see if we could meet up out there. I'll look at the work calendar. This past Saturday was not bad at all - there were several open ranges and I was on one by myself for a while. I expect that'll not be the case for too long, as things thaw out around here.
I've shot an 870, back in the days of my youth, but it has been a while. I'd take it as an honor to just handle Frankenstein.

batex: I'm thinking the bug is biting. It seems like you're right about the Wingmaster being a solid option - it may not always be the first on the list, but it's always on the list whenever people start to recommend. I haven't been able to find a used one around here for $350 though - might be looking in the wrong places.

 

[conhntr]

national gun show in chantilly last weekend had multiple 1100s in sub 500$ range. i bought a beautiful 1100 trap (mid 70s gun) about 95% condition for 550 there.

yes i own a 870. yes i can shoot multi-target games with it. my best with a pump gun is a 95 at skeet. but for a beginner or an expert there is really no advantage in it. clay shooting is expensive anyways go to pg county and pay 5$ per round plus 5$ for a box of shells. shoot 4 rounds per trip and the difference between a pump and auto is about 4 weekends of casual shooting.

it worth the extra money.

 

[Thruhike98]

conhntr: I was disappointed to miss that show in Chantilly. Congratulations on your find! That sounds pretty nice.

You make a good case for an 1100. I was leaning toward something like a Wingmaster due to its simplicity. What do you think of the extra (if any) maintenance or knowledge required of a novice to keep a semi-auto running compared to that required by a pump-action?

 

[conhntr]

the 1100 and 870 are really really similar as far as take down go. ask anyone at any range and they will show you how to pull it apart. i clean it before i leave the range and literally takes less than 5 min. a detailed cleaning every 2-3k rounds and your good.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Let's think about next Sunday, Saturday I've obligations. I'll bring Frankenstein.

Noon sound good?

 

[Sauer Grapes]

Frankenstein, I like that Dave. I have a 1973 Frankenstein. Great guns! It's a trap killer.

 

[Al LaVodka]

what do you average at trap/skeet/sporting with that 500?

low-mid 80s would be my guess... like i said ill suited.

As I indicated, you're the novice, not me, and clearly full of opinions not experience. I couldn't shoot as low as an 80 anything with any shotgun. Its actually pretty amazing if I do say so myself. OK, maybe not a PGO but that's another endless thread...

My guess is if you could take a class you are the kind of student I train Instructors to make-an-example-of at the range, and stop coaching after the first session because its just wasting everyone's time and the coach's patience.

Al

 

[conhntr]

sounds like a great "instructor"; pick on people in your class? recomends a mossberg 500 as a clay gun. guarantee you "couldnt shoot as low as an 80 anything with any shotgun" at skeet/trap and sporting.

i will make the drive up to put money on an 89 or less. seriously why would you say something like that? heck ill let you use the mossberg 500 and we can take a walk around the sporting course.

im on vacation this week i can come out tue, wed or thur. im heading out of town for the weekend. which day is good for you?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Keep it on The High Road, guys...

 

[conhntr]

i am; i would be glad to see him shoot a 90 or better with a mossberg on the pg county sporting course this weekend. i would gladly pay him 50$ for the pleasure of watching

 

[sarduy]

BTW, I have read that the first time Trap shooter usually breaks between 12 and 13 birds. All I can say about that (as a competitor, Instructor and Training Counslor) is... BS!

that is not BS, i shoot my very first trap round last weekend and i hit 14 out of 25, i have shot shotguns before but never traps and i think i didn't do better because i was using the wrong choke... and old timer told me to use full-choke next time, and as soon as i got home i change it, this weekend i try again 2 more rounds the first was 17 out of 25 and the last was 19 out of 25... i'm sure with a more practice i can get a perfect score...

 

[Al LaVodka]

I was talkin' Trap, not others, as OP. Cannot do less than 90's. Sorry. As indicated pumps are not ideal for some things. For singles Trap, which is largely an upland gamebird scenario, it is perfect. HD? Perfect. 500? Reliable, inexpensive, well-appointed, perfect IMO.

So someone hittin' 14 first time insists they are average. I'm not gonna argue w/them.

Al

 

[Thruhike98]

Dave: Thanks, I'd like to check out the famous Frankenstein.

PM sent.

 

[conhntr]

al you probably want to edit your response then i asked skeet/trap/sporting and you stated you couldnt shoot under 90. obvious gun type for singles doesnt matter as long as it fits reasonably well and goes off when you pull the trigger.

but im sure the OP would get bored of singles and like to shoot some of the games that require multiple shots; which the pump gun will be ill suited for as i said before.

 

[testosterone]

BTW, I have read that the first time Trap shooter usually breaks between 12 and 13 birds. All I can say about that (as a competitor, Instructor and Training Counslor) is... BS!

Yep, we have a few first timers every week. Most commonly the score between zero and 5 their first time out.

An experienced wing shooter will usually go 12-15ish if there nerves don't get the better of them and they control frustration on misses.

p.s. and as a matter of beginners luck, I shot a 22 on my first round ever of trap with a mossberg 500. I dropped to shooting 18-21 average over my next 15 rounds, shot a best of 24 with it, a few 22's and 23's over the next 10 rounds.

Bought an old 1970 something BT99 that was is in beautiful shape for a song, had a local stock fitter adjust to me, and have shot 10 rounds with that gun, besting with a 24 so far and the rest 21-23.

25 is coming!