Silly Trapshooting Question

[Broadbill]

I'm going shooting tomorrow and its been a while.
If shooting an o/u in Trap don't I use the top barrel preferably for recoil purposes or dosen't it matter?

Broadbill

 

[oneounceload]

Most folks use the bottom barrel. Many trap singles are what they called an "unsingle", where the barrel is actually in the lower position

 

[Al LaVodka]

Actually, shooters would usually default to the lower barrel if guven a choice -- the recoil is straighter back. You may have seen serious single-barrels with a VERY high rib. These Un-Singles only have the "lower" barrel. But they look "un-traditional" and most single shots are just that and are effectively the "top" barrel (no lower one).

That said -- know what? It doesn't matter as long as you are comfortable and can hit birds...

Al

 

[Broadbill]

Thank you,
I knew there was a preference but wasn't sure which. I've got a Ruger All Weather that kicks a little with the plastic stocks.

Broadbill

 

[ricklin]

Less kick

With my over under I get "cheek slap" with the upper barrel, none when firing the lower.

Does your gun have choke tubes??? If not choke should be the dominant factor in choosing which barrel.

 

[oneounceload]

If the stock properly fits, there should not be any cheek slap. A good recoil pad to the back will improve comfort over a plastic buttstock.

Do your self a favor for 16 yard targets - don't shoot 1-1/8 oz loads, use 1 oz. or even 7/8. The recoil will be a lot less and your shoulder (or cheek) will thank you for it.

Have fun!

 

[ArmedBear]

With my over under I get "cheek slap" with the upper barrel, none when firing the lower

Interesting. I'd sell a gun like that without hesitation.

What is it, a Citori in 12?

I can't really tell which barrel I'm using by pulling the trigger. I switch sometimes to change chokes, or switch barrel order to swap the choke order, or even just to keep the crud evenly distributed. Can't tell the difference. If I could, that gun would be gone.

Many people have accepted that "over-unders do X" when it's not true. Over-unders with poor engineering and/or fit may do some bad thing or other, but they don't all do it.

Also, if you look around there are both unsingle and top-single designs. Perazzi, for example, offers a dizzying array of each. People have different preferences for balance, rib height, etc. There's no rule that says a top barrel has to pound you. It depends on the design of the gun -- and like I said, excessive recoil from the top barrel would be a showstopper for me. There are plenty of well-designed guns out there; there's no reason to buy one that isn't.

 

[ArmedBear]

Oh yeah, WRT the Ruger, why not try both barrels and see what you like? In Trap, there's plenty of time to switch barrels between shots if you want to play around. Hell, sometimes it seems like there's plenty of time to refinish your stock.

Again, you can put different chokes in the barrels and change chokes by switching barrels. This is someting I used to do when I shot Progressives in an after-work league. M on bottom, F on top, switch barrels around the 23. Or maybe IM/F or M/IM. Whatever.

 

[ricklin]

Still working on it

Still working on fit and technique. I'm a beginner!
Most of my issue with cheek slap was being to "stiff" and too firm of a cheek weld.
I do have a good recoil pad and it helps. I'm going to buy a couple of bags of 1 oz. wads and a universal charge bar for my MEC grabber. I think 1 oz. will be fine and save a penny or two a round. I need to buy Rollin's book as well.

Every little bit helps these days.

 

[ArmedBear]

You said the upper barrel slaps you. Presumably, your cheek weld was the same with each barrel. Therefore, it's the gun doing it, not you.

Certainly, there's a lot to learn about gun fit and handling. Some really great shooters win for years, and still learn new things to improve these fundamentals.

What gun are you shooting?

 

[Al LaVodka]

Broadbill;
You were right, there is a standard preference by regular Trap shooters. Even if many don't buy guns that provide it. Anyway, my point about "given a choice" and selecting the lower barrel is around the choke. Choke is fundamental, so, if you can screw an Improved Modified in the lower tube you are good to go.

Have fun and good luck;

Al

 

[ArmedBear]

there is a standard preference by regular Trap shooters. Even if many don't buy guns that provide it

That's one of the funnier statements I've read here...

 

[ricklin]

Armedbear:
I've got a Charles Daly diamond 3. Only thing I've done is installed a Morgan adjustable pad. It does shoot where I'm looking. I'll play with the pitch on that pad, but shooting the lower barrel, no issues with 1 1/8th loads. It's working real good right now, don't want to change anything.

 

[Al LaVodka]

That's one of the funnier statements I've read here...

LOL Why BearArmed? More serious Trap shooters shoot single barrel trap guns and relatively few of these are un-singles. I change guns every year, LOL, but before I went to a Browning Special Trap I was primarily using a Charles Daly set where my 34" Single was clearly just a single barrel version of the 32" Doubles gun action and it shoots on top.
Al

 

[dubbleA]

I'm going shooting tomorrow and its been a while.
If shooting an o/u in Trap don't I use the top barrel preferably for recoil purposes or dosen't it matter?

The opposite is true.......By using the bottom barrel in an O/U, the lower barrel has a lower center of gravity and is more inline with your shoulder thus reducing felt recoil....in theory anyways