New shooter info:
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1st is firearm safety on the range, The range master has the authority to have any unsafe shooter removed from the field. The following are some of the basic safety rules at the range I shoot at:
Safety is absolutely paramount when handling firearms. Buncombe County Wildlife Club Safety & Range Conduct Rules
1. Be familiar with and learn the characteristics of the firearm you are using.
2. All guns are to be unloaded when not on the firing line.
3. Guns must be unloaded when moving between stations on the firing line.
4. Actions are to be open and be obvious that they are not loaded when off the firing line.
5. Target Loads only. Shot size cannot exceed 7 1/2 Velocity load = 3 dram equiv.
6. Load only 1 shell at a time on Trap when shooting singles and handicap. 2 shells are allowed for doubles in Trap and for singles and doubles on Five Stand. Never load more than 2 shells at a time.
7. Keep gun muzzle pointed downrange and in a safe direction.
8. Eye and ear protection are required at all times on the shooting fields. Eye protection is required at all times outdoors on club property.
9. All visitors are required to shoot with a club member on the field.
10. If in doubt - ASK - when it comes to guns and shooting there are no stupid questions.
All firearms on and around the range will be carried with the bolts (pump and autoloaders) or break actions in the open position and un-loaded of any ammunition, this includes when shooters are changing stations during a round of trap and 5-Stand. Anything that man makes - will break; this includes safeties on a firearm, so if the firearm is not loaded (no shotshells in the firearm) it will be impossible for an accidental discharge of the firearm. The only time a firearm will be loaded is when the shooter is on a shooting station and it’s their turn to shoot, at all other times the firearm will remain empty, and the muzzle of the firearm will always be pointed in a safe direction away from other shooters and participants, generally keep the muzzle straight up for pump and autoloaders (bolt open) and muzzle down for break action shotguns in the open position. Don’t handle other shooters firearms unless you have permission, ensure its unloaded and handle it safely. Treat others property with respect: rough handling of others firearms is disrespectful (Allowing the bolts, slides slam forward on an empty chamber - snapping break open actions to the closed position, etc….). The use of alcohol will not be tolerated on/around the range handling firearms. The range master runs all aspects of the range and has the authority to remove anyone from the range and/or range grounds who violate or continue to violate range rules. Its everyone’s responsibility to shoot safely. DO NOT MIX SHOTSHELLS: HUNTING vs. LIGHT TARGET, OR DIFFERENT GAUGES OF SHOTSHELLS TOGETHER. ONLY FOLLOW PROPER—RELIABLE—MANUFACTURE TESTED RELOADING DATA WHEN FOR RELOADED SHOTSHELLS ADDITIONALLY CHECK ALL AMMUNITION THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU WHETHER IT BE LOADE/BOXED, OR RELOADED !!!
Safety is absolutely paramount when handling firearms. Buncombe County Wildlife Club Safety & Range Conduct Rules
1. Be familiar with and learn the characteristics of the firearm you are using.
2. All guns are to be unloaded when not on the firing line.
3. Guns must be unloaded when moving between stations on the firing line.
4. Actions are to be open and be obvious that they are not loaded when off the firing line.
5. Target Loads only. Shot size cannot exceed 7 1/2 Velocity load = 3 dram equiv.
6. Load only 1 shell at a time on Trap when shooting singles and handicap. 2 shells are allowed for doubles in Trap and for singles and doubles on Five Stand. Never load more than 2 shells at a time.
7. Keep gun muzzle pointed downrange and in a safe direction.
8. Eye and ear protection are required at all times on the shooting fields. Eye protection is required at all times outdoors on club property.
9. All visitors are required to shoot with a club member on the field.
10. If in doubt - ASK - when it comes to guns and shooting there are no stupid questions.
All firearms on and around the range will be carried with the bolts (pump and autoloaders) or break actions in the open position and un-loaded of any ammunition, this includes when shooters are changing stations during a round of trap and 5-Stand. Anything that man makes - will break; this includes safeties on a firearm, so if the firearm is not loaded (no shotshells in the firearm) it will be impossible for an accidental discharge of the firearm. The only time a firearm will be loaded is when the shooter is on a shooting station and it’s their turn to shoot, at all other times the firearm will remain empty, and the muzzle of the firearm will always be pointed in a safe direction away from other shooters and participants, generally keep the muzzle straight up for pump and autoloaders (bolt open) and muzzle down for break action shotguns in the open position. Don’t handle other shooters firearms unless you have permission, ensure its unloaded and handle it safely. Treat others property with respect: rough handling of others firearms is disrespectful (Allowing the bolts, slides slam forward on an empty chamber - snapping break open actions to the closed position, etc….). The use of alcohol will not be tolerated on/around the range handling firearms. The range master runs all aspects of the range and has the authority to remove anyone from the range and/or range grounds who violate or continue to violate range rules. Its everyone’s responsibility to shoot safely. DO NOT MIX SHOTSHELLS: HUNTING vs. LIGHT TARGET, OR DIFFERENT GAUGES OF SHOTSHELLS TOGETHER. ONLY FOLLOW PROPER—RELIABLE—MANUFACTURE TESTED RELOADING DATA WHEN FOR RELOADED SHOTSHELLS ADDITIONALLY CHECK ALL AMMUNITION THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU WHETHER IT BE LOADE/BOXED, OR RELOADED !!!
The info absolute basic building blocks the new shooter starts with - then changes as they gain experience and discover what works best for them. The info has been reviewed by a number of competion shooters ranging from a former member if the the Air Force Skeet and Trap Team as well as NC State Champion trap shooters.
The info is not for experienced shooters, it is for people who have a shotgun in the closet that is only used for upland game hunting or they aquired for some reason. Basically we crawl before we walk - the same goes for shotgun shooting. Marksmanship (rifle and pistol) fundamentals do not work in shotgun shooting. Many new shooters are discouraged from the game due to not hitting a target that is moving 50+ miles an hour opposed to hitting the X ring at 100yd targes that are not moving.
There are many books out there on the subject but assume that the reader knows something about shotgun shooting.
Authorized ammunition a shooter may use on the range is established by A.T.A. (Amateur Trap Association) trap rules and local range conditions/restrictions. Basically boils down to; forget your favorite duck, grouse or quail hunting load: this range requires shot size no larger than 1-1/8oz load of #71/2 shot, with an powder equivalent of 3 drams. 10ga. Or larger shotguns are not allowed to be used on the range. You will have to check with the local range for the specific restriction and allowances for that range. Shooting rules are available on the web Trap - A.T.A., Skeet - National Skeet Shooting Assocation. Sporting clays is availabe on the web but I'm not sure what the site name is.
Shooting trap requires a minimum of two people unless you shoot on a range equipped with a voice activated trap machine ; for the manually operated trap machine you need someone release and score (optional) targets while one to five shooters call for and shoot their targets. With more than one shooter, the shooter on the far left (Station #1) always starts the first and subsequent rounds, this individual is generally referred to as the Squad Captain. Each shooter takes a turn shooting a target until everyone has shot a total of five targets on their station. At that point everyone moves right to the next station, and the shooter that is on station five moves behind the other participants to station one (shotgun bolt/action open, and gun empty). When everyone indicates to the Squad Captain that they in position and are ready, the Squad Captain starts the shooting again. The rotations will continue until everyone has fired five rounds on each of the stations and has expended twenty-five shells.
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The 16 yard positions are the closest point from which shooters can call for and shoot at targets. With the leading edge of each shooting position (side closest to the trap house) approximately 16 yards from the trap machine. This causes the shooting positions to be on a segment of a circle rather than on a straight line. Look at the image of a trap range directly above, the 16 yard shooting positions (red painted squares) appear to in a straight line across from each other. This is more or less an optical illusion, but when you stand on one of the positions you're better able to see a slight arc of a circle upon which the shooting positions are situated. Directly behind the 16 yard positions there is a side walk leading up to each shooting position. It is a sidewalk but then there are also handicap shooting stations marked on this cement path. The handicap shooting positions are spaced every yard behind each of the 16 yard stations out to the 27 yard station. According to the Amateur Trapshooting Association (A.T.A.) “the handicap system is the method whereby shooters ability to win has been demonstrated and shooters whose ability is unknown are handicapped by shooting a greater distance from the trap house”. The handicap stations are meant for A.T.A. registered handicap shooters, however that doesn’t stop the recreational shooter from shooting from these positions. Always check with the range master on the local requirements for moving back and shooting from the handicap stations; especially when there are other shooters on the squad who are limited to the 16 yard line. As a courtesy to your fellow squad members advise them of your intentions to shoot from the handicap stations, Moving further onto the trap range is the trap house, machine and target flight path.
Hold points are places where the shooter aims the shotgun and calls for the target. Trap shooters shoot from either the low-gun or high-gun position. "Low" and "High" gun positions in trap refers more to the location the shooter points the muzzle of their shotgun, just before calling for the target. Low-gun hold points are on the top of the trap house, where the high-gun hold point is about four feet above the center of the trap house/trap machine above the far edge of the trap house roof. Four feet above the trap house would be somewhere around where the number three is located. The photograph at the top right marks the general area a shooter on positions one to five will use, when calling for their target. The low-gun hold points marked on the trap house may be adjusted by the individual shooter; the main idea behind using these locations for hold points is to allow the shooter by use of peripheral vision to see the target emerge from the trap house and over the top of the shotgun muzzle. The use of peripheral vision will also allow the shooter to determine the angle the target is traveling, before the shooter even begins to move the shotgun barrel
As the target emerges from the trap house, the shooters eyes will pick up the direction of travel of the target through peripheral vision as it passes over the barrels muzzle The shooter then moves the barrel (moving left or right -only at the waist) again locates the target by peripheral vision and begins to track it. Moving the barrel to the target; its at this point the eyes switch to and focus on the target. By concentrating and focusing on the target; the shooter will see the steps of the target and can actually see in which direction the target is spinning. Once you see the target, pull the trigger and , continue to concentrate on keeping the barrel moving as you pull the trigger (AKA: "Follow Through") and your cheek against the stock. If you take your face off the gun stock as you pull the trigger- the follow through with the barrel is stopped and you will miss the target.
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View attachment 9924
As the target emerges from the trap house, the shooters eyes will pick up the direction of travel of the target through peripheral vision as it passes over the barrels muzzle The shooter then moves the barrel (moving left or right -only at the waist) again locates the target by peripheral vision and begins to track it. Moving the barrel to the target; its at this point the eyes switch to and focus on the target. By concentrating and focusing on the target; the shooter will see the steps of the target and can actually see in which direction the target is spinning. Once you see the target, pull the trigger and , continue to concentrate on keeping the barrel moving as you pull the trigger (AKA: "Follow Through") and your cheek against the stock. If you take your face off the gun stock as you pull the trigger- the follow through with the barrel is stopped and you will miss the target.
View attachment 9923
View attachment 9924
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1,520 Posts
Yep, #1 with a hard left bird for a right hander like me is killer!!! I never really shot serious though. I was on our local trap team and I was fair but could never hit 499/500!!!!!! Even it was from the 16 yard line. We use to just play a lot of games and had tons of fun.
I've moved and the trap range isn't very close to me now. Plus with young kids it's not something they can join in and have fun.
But I've still got my MEC reloader bolted down on the shop table ready just in case I need to fill a few shells....
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