The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - First Time Shooting Trap Today! (with some questions?)

BigJimP · June 11, 2013, 11:55 AM

1oz of 8's.....is a good all around 12ga load.....for Skeet, Sporting clays and Trap .../ old school was you needed 1 1/8oz of 7.5's for Trap ...and for the most part that's a dead issue - unless you get back beyond the 20 yard line.

Most of us just keep it simple and stay with one 12ga shell.
-----------
In Trap in general ...a longer and heavier gun is an advantage ...because the longer and heavier gun helps on follow-thru. There is less left to right movement on Trap singles ...than there is, in general, on Skeet and Sporting clays...so my preferred Trap gun is a Browning XT Trap, 32" barrels, adj comb, at around 10 lbs.

My all around guns - where I will use one gun for Skeet, Sporting Clays, 5 Stand, and field hunting ..is an O/U with 30" barrels and a gun at around 8 lbs....like a Browning Citori XS Skeet model with an adj comb. For me, that spec on a gun works really well...its quick, nimble, balanced and versatile. I happen to have that gun in a 12ga, a 20ga ....and a 28ga and a .410 ...and I shoot them a lot.

If for some reason my shoulder hurts (rebuilt - and rebuilt bicep) - or my hands hurt ( especially in bad weather ) ....then for an all around gun I'll turn to a semi-auto. The semi-auto I prefer is a Benelli Super Sport model, synthetic stock, comfort tech system built into it, in a 12ga I like the 30" barrel...its a light gun at 7.2 lbs....and easy to shoot, and carry, all day long. But I stick with the same 1oz of 8's as a shell. I have their 20ga version as well...and the longest barrel they have in that gun is a 28"...and its really light at 6.2 lbs or so .../ I really bought it as a training gun for my grandkids and young or new shooters...but I shoot it once in a while.

But all of this varies from shooter to shooter...my buddy still prefers 26" barrel O/U's for Skeet...and for Trap he'll either go to a single break open 32" or a 30" O/U. He likes his skeet gun a little heavier than I do ...his with 26" barrels is at about 9.5 lbs.../ he thinks my 32" XT Trap gun feels like a big ole sewer pipe ...and is heavy and clumsy ....
-----------
So you have to figure out what works for you. I'm in my 60's, and 6'5" and 290 lbs.../ one of my grandkids is 6'5" and 200 lbs.../ so what works for me, may not work for him as well.

Get some help on a proper gun mount .....and whether your current gun fits you or not / take it to the pattern board, with a full choke, and check the point of impact ...to see if it hits where you look ( it may or may not ) ....and then figure the adjustments you need to make in the stock, or the comb - maybe a pad ...etc....so it hits where you look.

Adjust the gun - and leave it alone --- for at least 250 targets...and work on your gun mount and swing fundamentals...not worrying about score so much. Don't be too eager to make all kinds of adjustments after every 25 targets....walk, before you start running !! --- and enjoy the journey !

Set goals ...like an 18 average on Trap singles....( for every 100 targets ) so a 72 out of 100 .../ but no single score below a 15 and no one station with more than 2 misses. So no 5's, 4's, 4's, 2's, 0's .../ that's not ok, even though its a 15. 3's, 3's, 3's, 3's, 3's ....would be better...( then try to get to all 4's, etc.....) and averages of 20, 21, 22, etc out of 100.../ maybe eventually a goal of a 92 with no one score below a 22 out of 100 - and some days when you start to string some 25's together.

It takes time ...and committment...and calmness...and focus....( and money) ....its not a cheap pasttime..

June 11, 2013, 11:55 AM	#24
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	1oz of 8's.....is a good all around 12ga load.....for Skeet, Sporting clays and Trap .../ old school was you needed 1 1/8oz of 7.5's for Trap ...and for the most part that's a dead issue - unless you get back beyond the 20 yard line. Most of us just keep it simple and stay with one 12ga shell. ----------- In Trap in general ...a longer and heavier gun is an advantage ...because the longer and heavier gun helps on follow-thru. There is less left to right movement on Trap singles ...than there is, in general, on Skeet and Sporting clays...so my preferred Trap gun is a Browning XT Trap, 32" barrels, adj comb, at around 10 lbs. My all around guns - where I will use one gun for Skeet, Sporting Clays, 5 Stand, and field hunting ..is an O/U with 30" barrels and a gun at around 8 lbs....like a Browning Citori XS Skeet model with an adj comb. For me, that spec on a gun works really well...its quick, nimble, balanced and versatile. I happen to have that gun in a 12ga, a 20ga ....and a 28ga and a .410 ...and I shoot them a lot. If for some reason my shoulder hurts (rebuilt - and rebuilt bicep) - or my hands hurt ( especially in bad weather ) ....then for an all around gun I'll turn to a semi-auto. The semi-auto I prefer is a Benelli Super Sport model, synthetic stock, comfort tech system built into it, in a 12ga I like the 30" barrel...its a light gun at 7.2 lbs....and easy to shoot, and carry, all day long. But I stick with the same 1oz of 8's as a shell. I have their 20ga version as well...and the longest barrel they have in that gun is a 28"...and its really light at 6.2 lbs or so .../ I really bought it as a training gun for my grandkids and young or new shooters...but I shoot it once in a while. But all of this varies from shooter to shooter...my buddy still prefers 26" barrel O/U's for Skeet...and for Trap he'll either go to a single break open 32" or a 30" O/U. He likes his skeet gun a little heavier than I do ...his with 26" barrels is at about 9.5 lbs.../ he thinks my 32" XT Trap gun feels like a big ole sewer pipe ...and is heavy and clumsy .... ----------- So you have to figure out what works for you. I'm in my 60's, and 6'5" and 290 lbs.../ one of my grandkids is 6'5" and 200 lbs.../ so what works for me, may not work for him as well. Get some help on a proper gun mount .....and whether your current gun fits you or not / take it to the pattern board, with a full choke, and check the point of impact ...to see if it hits where you look ( it may or may not ) ....and then figure the adjustments you need to make in the stock, or the comb - maybe a pad ...etc....so it hits where you look. Adjust the gun - and leave it alone --- for at least 250 targets...and work on your gun mount and swing fundamentals...not worrying about score so much. Don't be too eager to make all kinds of adjustments after every 25 targets....walk, before you start running !! --- and enjoy the journey ! Set goals ...like an 18 average on Trap singles....( for every 100 targets ) so a 72 out of 100 .../ but no single score below a 15 and no one station with more than 2 misses. So no 5's, 4's, 4's, 2's, 0's .../ that's not ok, even though its a 15. 3's, 3's, 3's, 3's, 3's ....would be better...( then try to get to all 4's, etc.....) and averages of 20, 21, 22, etc out of 100.../ maybe eventually a goal of a 92 with no one score below a 22 out of 100 - and some days when you start to string some 25's together. It takes time ...and committment...and calmness...and focus....( and money) ....its not a cheap pasttime.. Last edited by BigJimP; June 11, 2013 at 12:00 PM.