Jim Watson
Member
My first adult competitive shooting was ATA Trap. I got used to the routine and rhythm and considered Skeet shooters a bunch of annoying chatterboxes.
I prefer to shoot trap: pull, Bang; pull, Bang; pull, Bang; pull, Bang; pull, Bang; etc. down the line.
Circumstances change and now I shoot more Skeet than Trap, though not a whole lot of either. I can handle the chit-chat on the Skeet field. But when I shoot Trap, I still want to shoot Trap and not carry on a conversation. Or even hear one.
I don't see much equipment snobbery. We have a good proportion of hunters and a 4-H program so guns and gear vary a lot without much notice. And if you show up on the Trap field with a riot gun or at Skeet with a goose gun, you will likely be offered something more suitable.
The worst case I know was the guy who quit trap because somebody hoo-rawed him for showing up WITH a trap gun. In the vein of "Why does a beginner like you need such a fancy gun?" Well, he is a wheeler-dealer type and coming up with a good deal on a nice gun was the easy part of getting into Trap. But he didn't come back. The Skeet shooters treated him better, but he didn't last at that, either. Just not a competition type.
I prefer to shoot trap: pull, Bang; pull, Bang; pull, Bang; pull, Bang; pull, Bang; etc. down the line.
Circumstances change and now I shoot more Skeet than Trap, though not a whole lot of either. I can handle the chit-chat on the Skeet field. But when I shoot Trap, I still want to shoot Trap and not carry on a conversation. Or even hear one.
I don't see much equipment snobbery. We have a good proportion of hunters and a 4-H program so guns and gear vary a lot without much notice. And if you show up on the Trap field with a riot gun or at Skeet with a goose gun, you will likely be offered something more suitable.
The worst case I know was the guy who quit trap because somebody hoo-rawed him for showing up WITH a trap gun. In the vein of "Why does a beginner like you need such a fancy gun?" Well, he is a wheeler-dealer type and coming up with a good deal on a nice gun was the easy part of getting into Trap. But he didn't come back. The Skeet shooters treated him better, but he didn't last at that, either. Just not a competition type.
