What is this "skeet" of which you speak?

[shotgunkevin]

Let me say from the outset, I'm not a total noob. (Though maybe every noob says that.) I'm pretty stuck in the tacticool end of this wonderful world of weaponry. But, I have no knowledge whatsoever of what the various shotgunning games are. The only flying objects I routinely shoot are hand-thrown cans of Shasta pop. Orange is my favorite - it smells lovely.

Can you fellow THR'ers give me the entry-level rundown on what the games are? Skeet, trap, wobbler... what else is there? What's the course of fire? What distance(s)?

Much obliged!

 

[TnShooter83]

I'd do it, but don't want to be the cause of another
Clay shooters addiction.

Skeet, is basically in a horizontal flight from you.
And trap is parallel, a trap rifle will typically shoot high
As you will "under" lead it in flight.

You have Basic "American" Skeet, and International skeet.
The "American Skeet is slower in flight. Where the international is faster.

Normalally you are limited to 1 1/4 Dram Shells.

The best thing I can tell you is to join a local club, and lear the basics.

As I'm still relitivley new to the sport.

 

[GigaBuist]

Trap is fairly easy. The birds fly mostly away from you, you shoot 5 rounds per station, and there's not a whole lot different from station to station. This is what a trap field looks like: http://www.vistech.net/users/rsturge/trap_field.jpg

Skeet confuses me. Birds coming at you, birds flying away from you, birds flying 90 degrees to you, and everything in between. Sometimes one bird, sometimes two. This is what a skeet field looks like: http://www.wegc.org/shotgun/skeet_field_800x500.gif

Supposedly skeet's easier once you know the ame.

 

[zinj]

Trap is where a clay is launched from a house in front of you at a random angle in a pre-set arc travelling away from you. It is probably the easiest game to get familiar with and develop basic wingshooting skill.

Skeet has two houses that shoot clays on a fixed trajectory, and you move to different positions to vary the angle. Due to the fact that most of the shots are crossing it is one of the harder games to start at, but is actually probably the easiest to master as the flight of the bird never changes. Top competitors shoot the course using fixed leads.

Sporting Clays is based around a series of stations, with traps set up at each station to present unique targets. No course is the same. This is the hardest type of clayshooting, as nothing is predictable. While experience shooters at Trap and Skeet often shoot perfect scores, 80% is exceptional shooting on an SC setup (depending on the difficulty of the stations, of course).

 

[wolf_from_wv]

Skeet confuses me. Birds coming at you, birds flying away from you, birds flying 90 degrees to you, and everything in between. Sometimes one bird, sometimes two.

Here's an explanation for skeet:

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/skeet.html

 

[kellyj00]

'lil john talks about it in his song "get low"
skeet skeet skeet skeet.

 

[LaEscopeta]

A few more links:

http://www.remington.com/pdfs/skeet_fundamentals_2004.pdf

http://www.remington.com/pdfs/trap_fundamentals_2004.pdf

http://www.shootata.com/Content/General_Info/Trapshooting_Overview.aspx

http://www.mynssa.com/

I’m going to go against the trend of the above posts and say for someone who was “…stuck in the tacticool end of this wonderful world of weaponry” skeet is going to be the easier game to pick up first. A short barreled, open choke “tactical” shotgun is going to be OK for skeet, but pretty difficult in trap. Yes, the target in trap is always going away from you, but it is also farther away when you shoot, making correct lead estimating important. And the required lead changes as the target goes down range. The shorter distance to the target in skeet means can make up for poor lead estimating with a bigger pattern and a longer shot string (at least to a degree.) At the club I shoot at, they are happy to give beginners all 25 targets from the same house, so you pretty much just have to worry about following the path of the target and firing when the muzzle clears in front of it. I think you are going to be hitting some targets earlier at skeet than at trap.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

Remember, don't "aim" at it... It's a shotgun, not a rifle...

By the time I aquire the target, aim (like a rifle), and shoot, they're already starting down and are 40 yards away... That's just informal throwing at the range. Maybe if I changed the Improved Cylinder choke...

 

[mswestfall]

Trap is an easy game to learn and a hard game to master.

Skeet is a hard game to learn and an easy game to master.

Sporting Clays is whatever the course designer set it up to be.....

They are ALL fun.

 

[Grayrock]

I have heard of 2 variations that I know nothing about: Chinese trap and wobble trap. What are these?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Wobble trap has the launcher mounted on an ocillating (sp?) plate. Instead of the three angles of US style trap, one has that plus many other presentations varying from headed for the stratosphere to cutting daisies. It's a less formal game than registeres trap.

Chinese trap is also informal. One shoots standard trap targets from the skeet positions 1,2,6,7 and the last 5 shots from behind the 27 yard line, at least that's how we do it.

Mongolian wobble is like Chinese trap only using a machine set up to wobble. This was invented by the Geezer Squad at PGC and named by me.

All of these are fun, try them out.

 

[shotgunkevin]

So, which would be most agreeable with a Mossberg 590A1, cylinder bore 20" barrel, with ghost ring sights?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Barrel length is not important for informal clays, but choke is. Your "Serious" shotgun has little.

Skeet is the game with the closest presentations. The GRs may get in the way a bit, but persevere.

Or, get a Mossie 500 with longer barrel, identical controls and "Chops" and use that. Better tool for clays, and practice with one = practice with the other...

 

[Atticus_1354]

I have a related question. I've just gotten a mossberg 500 and the longer barrel has a fixed modified choke. How good will this be for clays and such and can I shoot slugs out of it with no problems?

I was also wondering what the name of the game where the clay is rolled on the ground is called.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Slugs will not hurt a Mod choke but accuracy may not be good.

Mod chokes work well for trap and Wobble.

That's called a Rabbit target, and it's a common Sporting Clays presentatioin.

 

[strambo]

I shot Trap for the 1st time a couple weeks ago. Used a borrowed 28" 870 express that mimicked my 18" 870 social gun as far as controls at least. Shot 3 rounds, 10, 18, 16...I averaged about 50%. I'd like to try skeet next and get my own 870 express or used wingmaster or it. It was a lot of fun.

 

[Dave McCracken]

That's one of the nice things about 870s, Strambo. Putting together a battery to handle a variety of missions but share moves doesn't require.leaving the kids hungry and barefoot.

FWIW, average first round at trap is 13/25, according to the ATA. You did well....

 

[ndolson]

skeet skeet skeet

 

[mswestfall]

Dave,

I assume you got the ATA stat from the ATA. But is sure seemes high to me.

 

[Dave McCracken]

MS, I got it from someone who got it from the ATA. It's in Jerry Meyer's CLay Target Handbook.

Results when I do live Shotgun 101 are similar.

 

[W.E.G.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeet_shooting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_shooting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporting_clays

 

[BlisteringSilence]

in the same vein as W.E.G.:

F.I.T.A.S.C

5 Stand

 

[19-3Ben]

'lil john talks about it in his song "get low"
skeet skeet skeet skeet.

Damn it!!! You beat me to it Kelly!!!!!

 

[shotgunkevin]

Thanks for that second link Blistering Silence! The diagrams were a real help.
I suppose I'm most interested in Sporting Clays. It seems the most relevant to hunting live game.

 

[BlisteringSilence]

Thanks for that second link Blistering Silence! The diagrams were a real help.
I suppose I'm most interested in Sporting Clays. It seems the most relevant to hunting live game.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Another convert!!!!

I am in love with sporting clays. It's an excuse to travel all over the country (and indeed, the world, though flying to Australia with a shotgun is quite an experience), meet great people, and have a good time. I consider it to be my golf. I try to shoot every different course I can get my hands on.

Where do you live? I've got my well-loved copy of Black's wing and clay next to me here on the desk, and would love to get you out to a good field.