[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

First off, forget the inexpensive ammo you can buy in Walmart in four packs. They are usually 3 dram loads and kick much more than you want. A good way to generate a flinch.

I only shoot 2 3/4 dram loads in Trap, usually 1 ounce of #8. I used to shoot 2 3/4 dram 1 1/8 ounces loads, but the extra 1/8 ounce really did not make any significant difference in my scores. Lighter recoil will make you a better shot. If you want to know what a dram is I will explain it below.

Size of shot does not matter a whole lot, you will get about 350 #7 1/2 pellets in a one ounce load, you will get about 410 #8 pellets in a one ounce load. Sixty pellets may sound like a lot, and you may break a few birds with that one lucky 'magic BB', but in order to smash targets consistently, getting your pattern centered on the target is more important than how many pellets are in the load.

Choke? The amount of constriction of the choke determines how large the pattern will be at a specific distance. What choke are you using? I learned to shoot Trap with a full choke, which is a bit tight. Most shooters I know are using Improved Modified, which is one step less tight than full choke. I know a few guys who are using Modified, but most use Improved Modified.

Yes, the gun needs to fit you. One size does not fit all. Seek an experienced Trap Shooter to help you see if your gun fits you.

How to stand: Develop a stance that is comfortable. Where you put your weight is up to you. However most beginners stand as if they are shooting a rifle. They stand too straight up. You probably want to put a bit more weight on your front foot than your rear foot. You will probably want to lean forward a little bit. The recoil should not knock you back on your heels, your stance should absorb it. You must be flexible. Think of yourself as a gun turret, swinging the gun from the hips.

Cheek Weld: The most important thing. Develop the habit of keeping your cheek on the stock. If you pick up your head to see the target you are almost guaranteed to miss. Picking your head up will usually result in shooting over the target. This is one of the hardest things to learn, I still pick my head up sometimes and almost always miss when I do. The straight away shots are the most tempting to pick your head up. Keep that cheek welded to the stock.

Where to point the gun before you shoot. Divide the front edge of the Trap house into three points, left, middle and right. Before calling for a bird from the first (left) station, train the gun on the left top corner of the house. At the third (middle) station train the gun at the center of the top edge. At the fifth (right) station, train the gun on the upper right corner. For stations two and four, divide the distance between the appropriate corner and the middle.

Find a good stance and stick to it. Learn not to move your feet between shots. Moving your feet adds another variable. If your stance is not working for you, try a new one, but once you have a good stance, keep your feet planted between shots.

How to hold: Generally speaking, you want to hold just under the target. A Trap gun will usually have two beads on the rib. One in front and one in the middle. The idea is before you call for the bird, hold the gun so the front bead is positioned directly over the rear bead, forming a figure 8. The gun will then be pointing slightly up, and when you fire the shot will be traveling up and will intersect the target as it travels up. If you are using a field gun with a field stock you will probably need to hold a bit higher, so the muzzle of the gun covers the target as it flies.

When to shoot: Most beginners wait too long before they fire the shot. The target is just like a Frisbee. It describes an arc as it flies. It travels up for a while, then gravity takes over and it starts to come down. If you wait until the target is coming down, it is probably too far away, your pattern will be spread out too much, and you will be playing catch up as you try to track it down. Watch experienced shooters and you will see they fire fairly quickly, while the target is still traveling up.

Don't anticipate where the target will go. You will probably guess wrong and then you will be playing catch up. Look for the target to emerge and follow it.

How much to lead: That is the hard part. Only experience will teach you that. For straight away shots you hardly have to lead at all. For hard rights or lefts you have to lead more. Think of your shot gun as a paint brush. Paint the target with it. Track the target, swing through it, fire, AND KEEP SWINGING! Failure to follow through will usually result in stopping the swing before you pull the trigger. Don't concentrate on seeing the barrel or the sights. Watch the target. The barrel will become an extension of your hands in time.

Think of the shot as a bullet three feet wide and ten feet long. Ideally, with the shots where you have to swing the most, if the target runs into the middle of that three foot wide and ten foot long bullet you will smash it. If the target runs into the front or the back, or off center of the big bullet, less pellets will hit it.



Dram Equivalent: You don't see this much anymore, but it means a load that delivers the same velocity as X number of drams of Black Powder. Just as there are 16 ounces to a pound, there are 16 drams to an ounce. So a 2 3/4 dram equivalent load delivers the same velocity as 2 3/4 drams of Black Powder. These days shotgun shells are often labelled by velocity, not dram equivalent. Standard velocity for a 2 3/4 dram 1 ounce load is 1200 fps. Standard velocity for a 2 3/4 dram 1 1/8 ounce load is 1145 fps. That's all you need for Trap.