Doublebarrels OK for informal clay pigeons?

[eastbank]

we have a young man who is a very good shot and he uses a mossberg with great speed. i saw him shoot a 42-50 at sporting clays,in fact he was high score that day. and at the club resterant later every one was very happy with him and shaking his hand. there are some shooters who can run a pump gun like a auto loader, but i,m not one of them and as i,m 71 i,ve slowed down a bit. i do think if you have the skill set and a shotgun that fits you the better scores will come quicker than with a shotgun that does not. eastbank.

[Mike Irwin]

And I will say that I was shooting some months ago and I had an older gentleman who was very complimentary of my 5200.

It is in nice shape, with good (but plain) wood and much of the case hardening still visible. It had been well taken care of by the original owner, and equally well cared for by Sluggo (member here), from whom I bought it several years ago.

It was nice to hear from someone who was shooting an early 1900s LC Smith with some of the most gorgeous wood I've ever seen.

[Brutus]

Recently purchased a CZ Ringneck 20ga. with 26" barrels. Had some trouble with it out of the starting gate, which was fixed on warranty. Bought the gun because I wanted a short fast handling gun for grouse hunting. Since it's warranty work I have fallen in love with it, everything I was hoping for.
Last week shooting trap with friends I shot a 23/25 and the two I missed I nailed with the second barrel. That was a first for me (usually shoot somewhere between 15/20 out of 25 ) All my friends enjoyed trying her out and had nothing but good to say about it. I'm even thinking of trying it out on pheasants next time out. Always wanted a SxS but could never afford one.

[Cheapshooter]

Stover Uplander 20 guage------$450
Box of 20 ga. field loads---------$7.00
Fee for a round of trap-----------$8.00
Out shooting a gun snob with his expensive trap gun---PRICELESS!!!

If they look down their nose at you for your Uplander you don't want them as shooting pals anyway!

[Ricklin]

Brutus,
What kind of trap are you shooting? Load two shells at most any trap club I can think of and the RO will be having a chat with you.

[Dreaming100Straight]

I shot with a guy who still carries shot in one leg, because a squad member with whom he was shooting forgot that he was loading both barrels singles trap.

[Brutus]

We were shooting at a private club but we also shoot at a state run range where it is also acceptable, both places are throw your own and usually one guy shoots and two guys throw. There is no trap house or five station arrangement available and we bring our own throwers.
I have also shot at trap clubs where one round is standard but they also allowed two for a round of doubles, never three.

[Husqvarna]

there is atleast one guy on the world/olympic circuit who shoots with a sbs, a middle eastern guy

it has got one of those obnoxious high ribs to. IIRC it was Holland and Holland

[Dreaming100Straight]

Brutus, Loading two round is standard for trap doubles. Whatever you are shooting when throwing singles without a house and with your own machine, it doesn't sound as though it is American Trap. There may be poor supervision where you shoot, but try asking a range officer if it is alright to load more than one shell when shooting singles trap.

[B.L.E.]

In International Trap, also known as Olympic or bunker trap, you may take a second shot at the bird.

[BerdanSS]

At our range, you may load two shells only when a double comes up and the range officer (who also controls the throwers) calls for the shooter to be "on report"

[Brutus]

Don't wish to start an argument but I view a second shot at a clay as beneficial to my field experience. When hunting pheasant or grouse I always have both barrels loaded and when shooting trap I mount my gun after shouting pull as this better emulates field conditions. After all isn't the purpose of practice to enhance your field skills?

[Blindstitch]

Brutus,
Your two ranges that you throw your own is an exception. Here we call that novice trap. And yes when I do it at my local novice trap range two shells are ready to go. But if you go into a real trap or skeet type tournament not at those ranges it will be a 1 shell maximum.

I'm not all familiar with how it works since i've only shot a few rounds with my friend but if 5 guys line up at the stage with a score guy and someone in the box throwing clays i'm sure they won't be happy when you shoot off your second shot at a clay.

[Brutus]

Agree hole heartedly about the regulation game of trap, with five people on the firing line and with station to station movement occurring the rules make a great deal of common sense and while I enjoy the competition of regulation trap it fails to emulate real world hunting conditions which is why I also enjoy what you refer to as novice trap. Hey come on, I have a Springer that gives me disappointing glances when I miss a bird he's worked so hard to flush out.

[B.L.E.]

Emulating real world hunting is what gave rise to the game of sporting clays, where you call for the birds with a low gun.
Some clubs have "wobble trap" where the trap oscillates vertically as well as horizontally using traps that throw the birds farther and faster than regulation trap, it's the closest you can get to international trap without having to invest in a international trap range setup with its 15 separate traps.

[ZVP]

Agreed, real world birding often takes 2 shots so why not choot clays the same way?
I guess rules differ club to club.
I am a member of our club so it only costs me $4 range fees! Ammo is the same for everyone.
I guess my question of being "Proper" using my little Uplander lit a fuse on a Big debate!
Sorry, I didn't want to cause troubles.
ZVP

[Dreaming100Straight]

Don't wish to start an argument but I view a second shot at a clay as beneficial to my field experience. When hunting pheasant or grouse I always have both barrels loaded and when shooting trap I mount my gun after shouting pull as this better emulates field conditions. After all isn't the purpose of practice to enhance your field skills?

That is one of the purposes, another being for love of the games themselves, but to do so safely. Someone determined that the games are safer when one round per target is loaded. Note that I am talking about what is considered to be safe during certain clay games and not what is sometimes done during lessons under the scrutiny of an instructor.

[B.L.E.]

I think that if they really want to make it like hunting, the trapper, not the shooter needs to decide when to pull the trap and there needs to be a random poison bird, a target you are forbidden to shoot.

[Buzzard Bait]

Years ago I took a friend from out of town skeet shooting at my range that was populated with over&under snobs of the highest order. My friend was a very accomplished shooter and showed up with a 410 remington 870 part of a matched set of 870s. We put our guns in the rack and sat down to wait our turn. While we were waiting two of the over under snobs walk buy the gun rack,,,,, one of them asked the other to look at my friends gun and said something like the kmart crowd is here to which the other said a gun like that is only good for shooting rats in a barn. Well,,,,,,, they called out the names for a squad and those two were on our squad. Remember I said he was an accomplished shooter. Now he is a ****** off accomplish shooter he shot like 24or 25 out of twenty five the over under snobs were in the 17 or 18 or so range! So my friend turned and asked me in a voice they were shure to hear "Do you think those guys will be at kmart in the morning to get them a rat shooting gun of their own"every hog has his day.
bb

[Cheapshooter]

I guess my question of being "Proper" using my little Uplander lit a fuse on a Big debate!
Sorry, I didn't want to cause troubles.

I think this one word, "informal" in your thread title says a lot, and has for the most part been overlooked.
You're not talking about formally competing in an event. Just having some fun checking out your shotgun.

Doublebarrels OK for informal clay pigeons?

Anybody who has a problem with that, what gun you use, or how many shells you load is too full of themselves to worry about it. As long as you are being safe it's your time, your gun, your shells, your money, and your fun!

[Dreaming100Straight]

Anybody who has a problem with that, what gun you use, or how many shells you load is too full of themselves to worry about it. As long as you are being safe it's your time, your gun, your shells, your money, and your fun!

You are missing the point, which is that the powers that be have determined at most all clubs and organizations responsible for managing national clays sports that loading more than a shell per target is unsafe.

You don't think it is anybody else's business how many shells you load. Fine, just don't do it at a shoot or club abiding by the one shell rule, because you are endangering others including myself. That you think you have a right to put others at risk says something about who is too full of themselves.

[B.L.E.]

I have seen a lot of "old pros" load two for two consecutive singles at skeet, in fact, I started doing that myself. It made the squad go faster.
In trap though, it's one shell only, you only get one target and one shot at it and then it's the next guy's turn to shoot. Unless you are shooting trap doubles or International trap where you are allowed to take a second shot at the same bird.
Very few shotgun clubs offer International or bunker trap due to the cost of building a bunker trap field. Even the clay birds used are different.

[Virginian]

A lot of the above is why I don't like trap. The last time I shot regulation trap I showed up after duck hunting with my camo on and my 1100 Magnum. I only went because a friend of my buddy had opened the range and he had been begging me to go with him. There was one guy there with his scare jacket with patches, and his small posse, and he was spouting lots of misinformation. First round I shot a 24, and walking from the line I think I mumbled something like "24, not too bad." He promptly says in a pompous voice "You aren't supposed to count!" "I only count the misses", I replied. Next round he said something about my damned Remington not cycling. I said if you want me to bounce shells off you I'll be glad to get my other gun out of the truck. I shot a 25. "I didn't count that time" I said as I walked off the line.

[Cheapshooter]

I guess my question of being "Proper" using my little Uplander lit a fuse on a Big debate!
Sorry, I didn't want to cause troubles.
I think this one word, "informal" in your thread title says a lot, and has for the most part been overlooked.
You're not talking about formally competing in an event. Just having some fun checking out your shotgun.

You don't think it is anybody else's business how many shells you load. Fine, just don't do it at a shoot

So every use of the range is an official match?

because you are endangering others including myself. That you think you have a right to put others at risk says something about who is too full of themselves.

How so? If safe handling is followed it doesn't matter if there is one shell in the gun or two, or three, four, five, or six.
Where the rules of an official competition says one, why not two if the guy is just trying out his field gun?
But I don't think the OP was necessarily talking about loading both barrels. Just wondering if the very presence of a side by side would offend the nose in the air country club types that obviously frequent shotgun ranges.

There was one guy there with his scare jacket with patches, and his small posse, and he was spouting lots of misinformation. First round I shot a 24, and walking from the line I think I mumbled something like "24, not too bad." He promptly says in a pompous voice "You aren't supposed to count!" "I only count the misses", I replied. Next round he said something about my damned Remington not cycling. I said if you want me to bounce shells off you I'll be glad to get my other gun out of the truck. I shot a 25. "I didn't count that time" I said as I walked off the line.

[B.L.E.]

A lot of ranges will allow you to bend the rules a little if you are practicing by yourself and not with a squad of shooters.

For example, when shooting by myself, I asked the trapper if it was okay to shoot three from the 16 yard line and then back up and shoot two from the 20 yard line at each station and he said "sure". Since I was the only one shooting, it doesn't matter if I load two and then shoot two targets in a row. Just as long as I break the gun open before moving to the next station.