Shotgun newbie q's: ammo and clay games....

[Bobarino]

i just bought my first shotgun and am planning a trap shooting session this weekend. i have a few questions i need answered before i go though.

what the heck is a dram? i haven't been able to find a definition of it. the local trap range has a 3 dram max, 1 1/8th ounces of shot max.

so what would be a good load for some recreational trap shooting. mind you i am by far, no pro at this. i've only been twice before. the best round i shot was 13/25. cheap ammo is good. cheap, soft shooting ammo is great. (12 guage) i have bony shoulders. how about shot size? 7 seems to be pretty common. any other suggestions?

is there a primer on the rules of the clay shooting sports? trap and skeet are available at the local range. anyone have a quick and dirty rundown on the need-to-know stuff?

any other advice or suggestions are appreciated. thanks all!

Bobby

 

[Steve Smith]

Google kicks butt.

1. dram, drachm, drachma -- (a unit of apothecary weight equal to an eighth of an ounce or to 60 grains)
2. dram -- (1/16 ounce or 1.771 grams)
3. dram -- (the basic unit of money in Armenia)

 

[kudu]

Drams are antiquated units of measurements on shotgun shells that should be done away with. They were used primarily for black powder originaly I believe. Your'e best choice would be some 1oz light target loads for the 12ga, about 1150-1175fps in # 8s or 9s. 7.5s are for a little further back in yardage for trap or sporting clays.

Don't punish yourself with the heavy target loads untill you are comfortable shooting trap and skeet and have found if the gun fits you. Poor fit and heavy loads will make you very uncomfortable.

Cograts on the new gun. Whatjagit.

 

[Bobarino]

Kudu,

i picked up a Verona SX-405S. its a Turkish made, aluminum receiver (about 6.25 pounds) semi-auto, 3" chamber, 5 round capacity, 28" barrel, all black synthetic. it was only $319. good beginner gun. i put a limbsaver recoil pad and hi-viz fiber optic front sight on it. it seems to fit pretty good so far. i'll find out more when i get a chance to shoot it. i need to get a little more educated on the clay games before i head out there. thanks again.

Bobby

 

[TrapperReady]

Bobarino - Sounds like you've got a nice setup. A good recoil pad can always help. The only thing I might take issue with is the high-viz sight. You may want to save the few $$$ and try the plain bead for a while. Since you don't aim a shotgun like a rifle, having your eyes focused on the sight can actually lead to worse shooting... you want to focus on the TARGET as much as possible. Personally, I find that those brightly colored sights tend to make me concentrate too much on the end of the gun and not enough on the thing I want to hit.

Of course, that's just my opinion, and some people do really seem to like them.

With regards to loads and drams and such, Kudu gave you some good advice. For stuff that is generally available in stores, I will try to find 1 oz loads of #8. Try to stay with light target loads, and away from anything that says "handicap", as those are loaded more heavily. If you can find them, Winchester makes some low-recoil extra-light target loads that are VERY nice.

When I've got some more time, I'll see if I can find some helpful links with regards to the different games and such.

 

[Bobarino]

Thanks Trapper,

the reason for the hi-viz sight was that the gun only comes with a cheesey brass post on the front. it too small and hard to see. it was a cheap gun though, i didn't expect a whole lot. i like the hi-viz so i can focus on teh target but still see where the sight is with peripheral vision. i don't have to look for it. thanks for the inof on the loads. i'll be stopping by GI Joes or Walmart soon to pick up some fodder for it.

Bobby

 

[kudu]

Go through Dave's 101 posts for some great information on shooting and setup.

What TR said about the front sights is true for many. If the gun fits, you don't even think about the front bead. It's just a reference point on the barrel.

Remember a trap target is going up and away, you have to go up and through the target to smoke it. Skeet targets have to have the lead and follow through. A heavier gun often helps with this. Read sm's "BELLYBUTTONBANG" thread. It has some real insight on busting skeet birds.

 

[esheato]

IIRC, I thought a dram was equivalent to right around 27 grains of BP.

When shotgun shells went from BP to smokeless, a measurement was put on boxes so you knew what you were shooting, velocity wise, in comparison to a BP load.

AHA! I thought I was correct.. Alright, I feel better...Link

Q. What is Dram Equivalent?

A. When using BLACKPOWDER a Dram equals 27.34 grains. Smokeless powder does not measure the same way as blackpowder so an Equivalency was developed. In the smokeless world, any 12 ga. 2 3/4 inch, 1 1/8 oz. load traveling 1200 fps is a 3 dram equivalent load. In the 20 ga., and 7/8 load in a 2 3/4 inch shell traveling 1200 fps is a 2 1/2 dram load. You cannot measure smokeless powders in Drams.

esheato

 

[Bobarino]

i stopped at GI Joe's on the way home and picked up some Remington Premier STS light target loads. they are 2 3/4", 2 3/4 dram, 1 1/8th ounce, #7 1/2 shot. they claim 1145 FPS on the box. i hope i done good and i like them because i bought a case of 250. they were a little spendy at about $6/25, but thats ok. i don't shoot often enough (yet) where i need to watch my pennies so much. i can't wait to get out and shoot some trap this weekend. it even looks like a might get a break in the weather for Sunday. i might even have to go flying too. thanks for the help all.

anyone have any advice as far as the rules and ettiquette of trap shooting are concerned? thanks again.

Bobby

 

[Slimjim]

Most loads made for skeet shooting are 3 dram max, even if it just says the FPS on the box. Also good cheap rounds are the federals and winchestrs walmart sells by the 100 pack for 15 bucks.

 

[TarpleyG]

You can also get Winchester "general purpose" in 100 packs for ~$15 too. Should work for what you are doing and it's cheaper than what you paid. $6/box vs. $3.75/box.

GT