Trap or Skeet

[Rauly]

What is your favorite to shoot? I like both but Skeet is my favorite. I think that it makes you a better wing shot because it duplicates so many of the angles that you get in real life hunting.

How many clays should a person be able to break out of a round of 25 to be considered adaquate to go into the field to hunt and make clean kills. Assuming they don't take to long of shots.

[Capin' Dan]

Skeet One,
Trap 20.

I suck at skeet but do fairly well at trap. Maybe I better get onto the skeet range. it really doesn't matter unless you are shooting steel at the skeet. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Zen Leecher aka Bill W]

Golly gee!! A question right up my alley.

I shoot both, but consider skeet more fun. I think that's because I shot trap competitively and skeet for tune-up for duck hunting. Now I only shoot for fun.

In theory skeet was created to simulate passing birds, trap was created to simulate flushed birds.

I'd say if a person averaged 18-21 with a gun up or say 15 with gun down he's doing real well. This is for skeet.

If you shot trap with your gun down 15-20 is good enough.

Main thing is to get consistent mounting your gun and having a smooth swing on the target.

Last night I went out and shot 5 Stand (a variation of Sporting Clays) for practice for ducks. There's about 12 different traps the birds can come out of and 5 different stations to shoot from. This was the first time I shot it and I wasn't sure all the time where that stinkin' bird was coming from. Some were "report doubles" in that a second bird was released as soon as the shot was heard.

I shot a 13 with the gun up (to my shoulder) and took a total of 28 shots out of 30 possible.

One thing I do on clay games is to shoot all my shotgun loads at 1180 fps. Then when I go hunting I have a little extra built in lead with faster loads. I think some of my steel loads are 1400 fps. Haven't calculated out how much difference this is in lead, might only be 6 inches, but it still is some.

[Dogfish]

Never shot skeet before, but it looks to be challenging.

My guess would be if you could hit 15 in trap, you should be able to do well. The thing is that in trap, you start out at 16 yards, and immediately get further shots. Hunting has birds going in every direction, so trap might be a good warm-up on pheasant, but not much for ducks.

Sporting clays looks interesting, and I think that some of those courses would be a better comparison to hunting.

Best ever in trap was a pair of 25's, same day, back to back with my little mossberg 835, 26" barrel, with a homegrown camo paint job. The jaws at the trapline dropped! I usually hit between 18 and 22.

[Zen Leecher aka Bill W]

Ok Andy, you qualify.

You should mosey up my way sometime when hunting season is over and we can do some shooting. My club has a 5 Stand and for me it's challenging. Next time I try it I won't be intimidated like last night.

The friend I was shooting with was getting a lot of coaching on where the bird(s) were coming from, how to stand, where to hold and how much lead was required.

I tried it with no coaching other than occasionally asking "where the heck is this bird coming from?". I wasn't all that comfortable with that, but kept telling myself that "swing on it, pass, follow thru and pull the trigger".

One bird was tough as we were shooting at night and the bird wouldn't show up until it was about 30 yards out. I missed all of them from that trap. It was the equivalent of the duck tower as they were released overhead. That bank of lights was burned out. Made it tough.

I shot a 25 once at skeet with my trap shotgun. I figured I was ready for ducks that year.

Got a couple of 25's at trap too, but those were in practice, club shoots and some in registered shoots. Only that first one was as enjoyable as my 25 at skeet.

I think the reason the first one was memorable was I did it with my old (lead loads) duck shotgun. The forend rattled so bad that you'd think it was falling off.

[jet]

Neither.. sporting clays, do a better job and getting you ready. The problem with all 3 types pf clay events is that you use lead shot and leads differ when you use steel. When yo switch from lead to steel you will shoot behind everything. Pheasants with no tails and ducks wit no curls are not the way to bag game.

Solutin... Use steel trap loads they are more expensive but if you are using the clay sport as a tune-up for pre hunting it will be worth its weight in shot.


Jet~~~

[Zen Leecher aka Bill W]

Jet,

5 Stand is a variation of Sporting Clays created for gun clubs with limited area. You must not be familar with that layout.

Also, not all gun clubs allow shooting steel shot at neither clay targets nor patterning boards. Mine is that way. Conversely not all clubs allow lead shot. There's one on the east coast that got temporarily shut down until it switched to steel for clay targets.

I shoot 1180 fps loads at clay targets and plan on using the same or faster for upland game.

Steel loads don't come that slow. I think the ones I shoot vary from a little over 1300 up to 1450 fps.

One doesn't get tailfeathers that way unless one underestimates the lead.

[jet]

Zen

As I remember it when I used to shoot a steady diet of trap during the summer with lead. It seemed toughter to switch to steel, that was during the early years of steel.

I do feel that lots of clay tarket shooting with lead can hadycap you during the first part of the hunting season (first day or two.

There is no exception to making the gun work as part of your body by shooting often which ever shot you can shoot.

Jet~~~

S

[Dogfish]

That is exactly why I shoot one load for just about everything. Slugs. Tough, but effective when you connect! (JK) I shoot steel for everything, same load for ducks, geese, and pheasants. I haven't shot trap in about 3 years, so using those slow loads will be a drag.

Andy

[DF]

Trap all the way.
Its so much fun
I have never shot skeet. It looks tuff

[fish forever]

I think skeet is better practice for the field. Unless your hunting pheasant over dogs - you dont see the Trap shots as much in the field. Recently, i have started mixing in a little trap though for two reasons - practice on longer shots, and practicing unknown angles.

I figure if i can consistently get 20s or better at both games with a low gun start - i'll be ready for the field.