what is the difference??

predator86 · April 9, 2008, 02:22 AM

from what i have read in posts here in the shotgun forum there seems to be differences between clays, skeet and trap.......in my opinion if you are shooting at a 4'' brightly colored disc then you are shooting clay pigdeons...but what is the difference between skeet, trap and clays??

cxg231 · April 9, 2008, 10:51 AM

Check this out, it should answer most of your questions.

http://www.claytargetsonline.com/aboutthegames.php

BigJimP · April 9, 2008, 06:06 PM

Trap is a single and doubles game - but commonly shot at singles from 16 yard line. The birds are moving away from you at roughly 45 degrees off the center of the house. You shoot the birds as they are still rising for the most success. In general, there is less relative barrel movement left and right than either skeet or sporting clays.

skeet is a game of singles and doubles - but the relative angle of barrel movement left and right is significantly greater than Trap. On some stations you shoot a pair - as an example, one target moving left to right /then you kill the 2nd target moving right to left - and on those stations, the barrel movement and follow thru required - and probably the lead required is significantly more than for a typical Trap target. On stations where you shoot singles in the middle of the field - the books will tell you it will take close to a 4 foot lead to break those targets - much more than you will usually need on a Trap target.

Sporting clays is a mix - each station on a course is very different. Sometimes singles, sometimes following pairs, sometimes report pairs and sometimes true pairs - and a mix of everything. Skeet and Trap are good training grounds for sporting clays - but sporting clays is a little more like hunting. Birds may come off the ground, rise high and fall, left to right, right to left, etc - they may come inbound toward you - they may go outbound and from behind you and a mix.

Get out and try all 3 games - they use similar targets ( not all the same size, or color for that matter ) but they are flying clay discs ........and it is fun.

predator86 · April 9, 2008, 11:56 PM

i guess i have done all of them then, and i enjoy it, my shoulder doesnt enjoy it so much after 500 rounds or so, but for simplicity's sake im going to keep saying, " hey honey you wanna go shoot some clays today?"

BigJimP · April 10, 2008, 10:52 AM

500 rounds - that's 25 rounds of skeet or trap in a day - that is quite a few. Focus is a problem for me, if I overdo it - so I usually limit my practice to no more than 6 rounds a day. In a sporting clays tournament - the shoots are almost always 100 birds - but even with some singles where you might get 2 shots / some broken birds you have to shoot over 125 rounds will get it done usually for a day. I have gone thru a course twice so 250 rounds a day / but even 4 or 5 days in a row that's still only 1,000 rounds or so in 4 days......

Rotator cuff problems, etc can cause some shoulder soreness - but if your gun is beating you up at all - its a combination of fit and technique that will get you over that. You shouldn't have any bruising or soreness from the recoil - unless you have joint, rotator cuff issues etc. But 500 rounds in a day - you're an animal. I'd rather shoot 125 a day 2 or 3 days a week instead.

SDC · April 10, 2008, 11:25 AM

All three of these games were designed to simulate hunting to one degree or another, but they do it in different ways. Trap is more like pheasant hunting, because the targets basically travel directly away from you (but with some variation in angle). Skeet is more like small upland gamebird hunting, where the birds end up flying across your field of view. Sporting clays is a better overall simulation of hunting, because it gives you a bunch of different shots in different situations (shots that simulate ducks coming in to land on a pond, shots that simulate teal flying straight up before they fly off at tree-top height, shots that simulate a rabbit running across a clearing in front of you, etc.) All of them are a lot of fun.

Scattergun Bob · April 10, 2008, 05:51 PM

I agree with all,

For me Trap is practice for Ringnecks, a target that seems to always be rising and never at the angle I WANT.

Skeet is my practice for Morning Doves, I just love passing shots and they fit my shotguns just fine.

Clays I must agree the the natural progression of the sport to try and combine all the shotgun hunting disciplines into a soup of shooting angles.

Spring is here, so load them Scatterguns up and watch out for that 6 o'clock shot over your head.

olddrum1 · April 14, 2008, 01:44 AM

Shooting 500 rounds in a day will make your sholder sore if you are shooting store bought shells. What I do is reload my own. For sporting clays I will shoot 7/8 ounce of shot over a little reddot. Travels about 1250 fps with little to no recoil. You may want to test in your firearm first. Some guns will not function with this. You can shoot these loads all day with little discomfort.

April 9, 2008, 02:22 AM	#1
predator86 Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: wisconsin Posts: 549	what is the difference?? from what i have read in posts here in the shotgun forum there seems to be differences between clays, skeet and trap.......in my opinion if you are shooting at a 4'' brightly colored disc then you are shooting clay pigdeons...but what is the difference between skeet, trap and clays?? __________________ Beware the man with one gun.

April 9, 2008, 06:06 PM	#3
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Trap is a single and doubles game - but commonly shot at singles from 16 yard line. The birds are moving away from you at roughly 45 degrees off the center of the house. You shoot the birds as they are still rising for the most success. In general, there is less relative barrel movement left and right than either skeet or sporting clays. skeet is a game of singles and doubles - but the relative angle of barrel movement left and right is significantly greater than Trap. On some stations you shoot a pair - as an example, one target moving left to right /then you kill the 2nd target moving right to left - and on those stations, the barrel movement and follow thru required - and probably the lead required is significantly more than for a typical Trap target. On stations where you shoot singles in the middle of the field - the books will tell you it will take close to a 4 foot lead to break those targets - much more than you will usually need on a Trap target. Sporting clays is a mix - each station on a course is very different. Sometimes singles, sometimes following pairs, sometimes report pairs and sometimes true pairs - and a mix of everything. Skeet and Trap are good training grounds for sporting clays - but sporting clays is a little more like hunting. Birds may come off the ground, rise high and fall, left to right, right to left, etc - they may come inbound toward you - they may go outbound and from behind you and a mix. Get out and try all 3 games - they use similar targets ( not all the same size, or color for that matter ) but they are flying clay discs ........and it is fun. Last edited by BigJimP; April 9, 2008 at 06:20 PM. Reason: spelling

April 9, 2008, 11:56 PM	#4
predator86 Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: wisconsin Posts: 549	okey-dokey i guess i have done all of them then, and i enjoy it, my shoulder doesnt enjoy it so much after 500 rounds or so, but for simplicity's sake im going to keep saying, " hey honey you wanna go shoot some clays today?" __________________ Beware the man with one gun.

April 10, 2008, 11:25 AM	#6
SDC Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2001 Location: People's Republic of Kanada Posts: 1,652	All three of these games were designed to simulate hunting to one degree or another, but they do it in different ways. Trap is more like pheasant hunting, because the targets basically travel directly away from you (but with some variation in angle). Skeet is more like small upland gamebird hunting, where the birds end up flying across your field of view. Sporting clays is a better overall simulation of hunting, because it gives you a bunch of different shots in different situations (shots that simulate ducks coming in to land on a pond, shots that simulate teal flying straight up before they fly off at tree-top height, shots that simulate a rabbit running across a clearing in front of you, etc.) All of them are a lot of fun. __________________ Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.

April 10, 2008, 05:51 PM	#7
Scattergun Bob Senior Member Join Date: February 29, 2008 Location: Nine Mile Falls, Washington Posts: 1,186	Follow the little birdy I agree with all, For me Trap is practice for Ringnecks, a target that seems to always be rising and never at the angle I WANT. Skeet is my practice for Morning Doves, I just love passing shots and they fit my shotguns just fine. Clays I must agree the the natural progression of the sport to try and combine all the shotgun hunting disciplines into a soup of shooting angles. Spring is here, so load them Scatterguns up and watch out for that 6 o'clock shot over your head. __________________ First, with the most, WINS! Regards, Scattergun Bob

April 9, 2008, 10:51 AM	#2
cxg231 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2008 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 203	Check this out, it should answer most of your questions. http://www.claytargetsonline.com/aboutthegames.php

April 10, 2008, 10:52 AM	#5
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	500 rounds - that's 25 rounds of skeet or trap in a day - that is quite a few. Focus is a problem for me, if I overdo it - so I usually limit my practice to no more than 6 rounds a day. In a sporting clays tournament - the shoots are almost always 100 birds - but even with some singles where you might get 2 shots / some broken birds you have to shoot over 125 rounds will get it done usually for a day. I have gone thru a course twice so 250 rounds a day / but even 4 or 5 days in a row that's still only 1,000 rounds or so in 4 days...... Rotator cuff problems, etc can cause some shoulder soreness - but if your gun is beating you up at all - its a combination of fit and technique that will get you over that. You shouldn't have any bruising or soreness from the recoil - unless you have joint, rotator cuff issues etc. But 500 rounds in a day - you're an animal. I'd rather shoot 125 a day 2 or 3 days a week instead.

April 14, 2008, 01:44 AM	#8
olddrum1 Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Mid Missouri Posts: 807	Shooting 500 rounds in a day will make your sholder sore if you are shooting store bought shells. What I do is reload my own. For sporting clays I will shoot 7/8 ounce of shot over a little reddot. Travels about 1250 fps with little to no recoil. You may want to test in your firearm first. Some guns will not function with this. You can shoot these loads all day with little discomfort.