Best sights for trap and skeet shooting?

[Super-Dave]

What in your opinion is the best sights to use on your shotgun for trap and skeet shooting.

[zippy13]

Two simple beads, they can be brass or ivory. Some folks like a red or glow out front. When you first mount your gun, seeing the two beads form a figure-8 verifies that it's in the right place. The rest of the time, your eyes should be focused at "target distance".

[darkgael]

I was taught that gun fit is more important than sights in the sense that, if the gun fits me properly, it will shoot where I look and I won't need to use the sights. That has been my experience.
Pete

[BigJimP]

2 beads are common on "target guns" regardless whether they are Trap or Skeet guns. A center bead and then a front bead - and like others said the idea is to stack them one on top of the other in a figure 8 - but they are only used to make sure you have the gun mounted properly - so its not canted or mounted differently than normal. After that - ignore any beads on the rib.

You can shoot both games with 1 gun - if you want. Many Trap guns are set up to shoot a pattern that is 60% high / 40% low based on the point of impact - so you can float the target above barrels / some Trap shooters even like a 70/30% split. But there is no reason why you can't shoot Trap with a gun that patterns 50% / 50% either - meaning you can't float the target over the barrels - you have to cover the target and kill it. Most Skeet, Sporting Clays and bird hunting guns are set closer to 50% / 50% - so they shoot a little flatter.

The idea on shooting Trap and Skeet - focus only on the target - feel the lead, don't measure it, pull the trigger, and follow thru to execute the shot. As you execute a shot with a shotgun ( different than deer hunting with a slug ) the idea is to put the shot column in front of the bird - then the bird flys thru the pattern - and is killed. To use a fixed "sight" would defeat that purpose. Hitting moving targets - clay or feathered - the shot starts as you see the bird, mount the gun, feel the lead, pull the trigger and follow-thru. If you don't follow thru - you are not executing the shot - you are stopping part way thru. The shot does not end when you pull the trigger - you follow thru and your eyes still stay on the target / then you shift your eyes (without moving the barrel ) and without taking your head off the comb if you can - find the next target - then move the gun and execute the 2nd shot. Same issue on Skeet pairs, Continental Trap where you can fire 2 shells, Trap Doubles, Sporting Clays - or shooting Quail, etc - see the bird, mount the gun (using beads to make sure gun is level ) / find target and focus on leading edge (not the butt ) and not the "whole target" focus on the beak ..., feel lead, pull trigger and follow thru before you fully execute the shot. To put a Red Dot on a target shooting moving targets would really be defeating all these principles - and may work on some angles / but it won't work very well on abrupt crossing angles, passing shots with birds moving from behind you - overhead - and down range / or birds heading at you and overhead / or birds flying in an eliptical pattern from right to left or left to right - where you have to create a rectangular target box in front of bird and your barrel may be pointing to lower left corner of box as bird is moving left and falling . A fixed sight, like a red dot, will probably make you "punch" at the bird and stop as you fire ( kind of like a rifle shot ) which isn't productive.

[zippy13]

Originally Posted by Fullerton Autofire

Trap and skeet shooting rules disallow "sights." What's used is a rib and beads.

I've shot competitive NSSA Skeet and ATA Trap, and their rules are considered the standard for the respective sports at the majority of U.S. gun clubs. With respect to guns, the rules are very sparse dealing more with allowable ammunition. What the rules address in common are safety items. NSSA and ATA rules allow any gun 12-gauge and smaller with the proviso that a gun may not be capable of firing more that one gauge at the same time. I'm not aware of sights being addressed by either authority.

The two gauge prohibition stems from when some folks wanted to shoot doubles with a 20-ga first shot and a 12-ga second shot. This may work well in theory, but there is a significant hazard: In the event that a 20-ga shell is mistakenly loaded in the 12-ga chamber it may become lodged in such a manner as to allow the loading of a subsequent 12-ga shell above the stuck 20-ga. Other safety rules address such things as the identification of guns with release triggers and snap caps. Most of the safety rules address safe gun handling not the gun.

If you're going to toss out obscure rules, please cite the governing body, else the good readers may think you've been shooting your Trap and Skeet under Martian rules.

[true_pair]

I use a mid bead and front fiber sight on my Winchester Select Energy Trap gun. I also shoot clays with it. It seems to work very well. I did have to train may eye not to focus on the front sight. Now it is there in my peripheral vision when focused on the target

[USA123456789]

I use the standard two beads that came on the gun and that's it just like every other ATA trapshooter does. It's plain and simple.

[remington master]

well i have to say i like the two beed sight best, but if i couldnt get that though just a regular single beed sight would do just fine

[mpclim]

depending on your vision, the fiber optic type sights that are without doubt, very easy to see and are almost required when you have lost your ability to focus up close. I still have near 20/20 distant vision and the fiber 0ptic sight is a real aid in shooting. I have a large light tube on my sporting clays gun and it is responcible for at least 3 birds per round compared to even a small tube. really makes a difference.. try one and you will agree.....

[rc]

If you are worried about the sights you aren't shooting correctly. A shotgun is really meant to be pointed and shot with your eyes on the target. The bead is just a reference for fit really.

[zippy13]

Greetings mpclim, and welcome aboard,

I concur with rc, once you've used your beads to verify your gun mount, keep your eyes on the target and the gun will take care of itself. I've competed with some shooters who, trusting their gun's fit, have actually removed their front bead because they find it a distraction. Elaborate shotgun sights are useful for those shooting aimed shots for slow or stationary targets, but are of little use in wing shooting.

Have you ever watched a trick shooter with a shotgun? Many of their shots are taken without a shoulder mounted gun (behind the back, over the head). This is possible because they have practiced (a lot) and know that their gun will hit where they are looking.

[BigJimP]

I hope you guys realize ....you're dredging up a 3 yr old thread from the "super dave" ....list of 1,000 questions ....

[oneounceload]

Holy Necro-thread, Batman!