Equipment
It can be overwhelming to take in so much information at once for those who are brand new to the sport of clay target shooting. This page tries to slim down the amount of material in order to cover the very basics of the equipment used in clay target shooting.
Firearms
The beautiful thing about basic singles trap is that you can use most any shotgun. You will want a 12 or 20 gauge so there’s enough shot downrange to break a target moving away from you, but other than that, you only need a gun that’s capable of firing one shot at a time.
Using a semi-auto will certainly be easier on your shoulder when you shoot a lot of targets in one outing. Like the pump action, you need to think about noise of the action setting off the microphones. You can take a half step back, keeping your muzzle downrange, to help prevent target launches from the noise. A semi-auto takes a little more effort to unload and show your gun is clear, but if you’re familiar with the operation of your specific gun, go for it!
Keep the gun action open until you are ready to shoot. When the person to your left shoots, drop a shell in the barrel, close your action, and go get ‘em! Just be sure you have your barrel selector set correctly so you know which barrel will fire when you pull the trigger. As soon as you fire, open the action and keep it that way until your next turn.
- When your turn is coming up, be aware of the shooter to your left. Avoid making noises with your gun action when that person is about to shoot.
- Whenever you’re not at a shooting position, you want your gun to be visibly clear and unloaded. With a break open like an over / under, keep your action opened so others can see the gun is not able to fire. If you have a semi-auto, lock the action open, so the chamber is visible. With any gun, keep your muzzle pointed at the ground or up into the air.
- When you step up to the shooting line to start a round, be sure you have a full box of shells and a couple of spares, along with eye an ear protection.
- When you move from position five to position one (they’re called posts) be very aware of your gun muzzle, so it doesn’t ever point at the other shooters or scorekeeper.
- Never load your gun until it’s your turn to shoot.
In trap shooting, the targets are launched from a single "house" or machine, generally away from the shooter.
Ammunition
There are several bits of important information on every box of target shooting ammunition.
- Gauge: We use 12 or 20 gauge ammunition, and the type of gun you use will dictate which one you need. 20 gauge is the smaller of the two, and tends to be better for younger shooters who are not quite strong enough yet to hold the larger 12 gauge firearms, or they are sensitive to the 'kick' a firearm gives when shot.
- Shot: This number represents the size of the shot (the small pellets inside the shell). The bigger the number, the smaller the shot size. The most commonly accepted sizes at the ranges we go to are 7.5 through 9. Some smaller ranges (like our Leonard Range) do not allow the 7.5, because the larger shot travels farther than then smaller shot size. Because of that, the 7.5 size is viewed as being better for longer distance shots, and the 9 is seen as better for shorter shots because the smaller shot size spreads faster. With all that said, some of our athletes use only the 8 shot size for all disciplines just to keep things simple and consistent.
- Ounce: This is how much shot is in the shell. The three most common amounts are 7/8 oz, 1 oz, and 1 -1/8 oz. The more shot you have in the shell theoretically means more chances to hit the target, but it also means more kick, which could hinder your chances of hitting the second target in a situation where you are shooting two clays. This is truly a personal preference. We have had state and national champions shoot all different sizes.
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Velocity: This is how fast the shot fires from the gun measured in Feet Per Second. The most common ranges we use are from the low 1100s up to the mid 1300s. There are two main things to keep in mind when it comes to Velocity:
- A low velocity shell may not work well in semi-automatic firearms, because the recoil isn't strong enough to engage the reloading mechanism of the semi-automatic system.
- Number one tells us that the faster the shot travels, the harder the firearm will 'kick', so you may want to avoid the really high velocities if your are sensitive to heavy recoil.
There is more information on every box of ammo, but the the four listed here, are the most important to understand in order to avoid confusion about what you should be using. If you really want to dive in deeper, there is a mountain of information out there. Here's some more detailed and broader explanations.
https://www.letsgoshooting.org/articles/shotgun-shells-explained-the-new-shooters-dictionary/
https://www.wideners.com/blog/shotgun-load-types/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FZgUC0F6XY
Look for "Light Target Load" and not "Game Load".
TIPS
Safety first
It is important that you wear the appropriate hearing and eye protection AT ALL TIMES. Handle all guns as though they are loaded; however, it is important to keep your gun unloaded until you are ready to shoot. You also want to keep the muzzle always pointed down until you are ready to shoot, and do not ever point your gun at anything that you do not want to shoot.
Find the ideal gun fit
In order for your gun to shoot where you are looking, you need to make sure you have a correct gun fit. See a coach at practice to review if you gun fits correctly.
Determine which eye is your dominant eye
A mistake many shooters make is the assumption that because they are right-handed, they have a dominant right eye, or vice versa with their left. This is not always the case. In order to check for eye dominance, stand tall and point to an object on the other side of the room. Close your left eye, and if you can still see the object at the end of your finger, you are right-eye dominant. If the object has moved, open your left eye and close your right. If the object is still at the end of your finger, you are left-eye dominant.
Practice your mounts with the gun unloaded
As with anything, practice makes perfect. This is true for even the best shots. Try to make 10 practice swings/mounts part of your daily routine. Practice in front of a mirror to see that you mount the gun from the same position on your face every time, careful to avoid mounting it to your shoulder. Stand with your feet narrow and focus on creating a smooth swing and follow through.
Focus on the target
While it may seem like common sense, training yourself to focus on the target rather than looking down the gun barrel or bead, takes practice. You do not want to aim, as aiming takes longer and you will find yourself shooting behind. Get in the habit of pointing.
Do not stop moving the barrel until you pull the trigger
You want to make sure you have consistent follow through and the best way to get this is to keep your barrel moving. Keep your dominant eye on the target and follow with the barrel.
Choose your target ahead of time during simultaneous shooting
Typically, you are going to want to shoot the lower target first. When the gun recoils, it will instinctively bring you to the higher target, unless you feel one is a more difficult shot or will disappear quickly.
Analyze misses and adjust accordingly
If you find yourself going through a missing streak, take a break and adjust. First, see if there is anything you need to change with your posture. Next, you want to look at your lead and increase or decrease as needed.
Use low recoil target loads
Practice makes perfect. Using low recoil loads for target practice won’t only help you save your shoulder, it will also help you improve your marksmanship. It is a lot easier to focus on the target when you aren’t anxiously anticipating the stock slamming into your shoulder. Low recoil shells also contain less shot, so your shots will have higher velocity as well. Not only are low recoil shells usually cheaper, but they also break apart clays all the same.
Use the correct stance
You want to get in the habit of pointing your gun instead of aiming. To do this, you need to make sure that your body is in the right position. Stand with your front leg slightly bent and your back leg straight. You should also bend a little at the waist and slightly lean forward into your gun
Use proper form
Hold the butt of gun tightly up against your shoulder between your arm and collarbone and make sure that the elbow of your shooting arm is parallel with the ground. Place your cheek firmly against the top of the stock so you’re sight plane is level with the rib of the gun and bead at the end of the barrel.
MORE MISC. TIPS FOR CLAY SHOOTING SPORTS
- Although almost anyone can have a great time participating in these shotgun shooting sports, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a great shooter.
- One of the most important steps to becoming a better clay-target shooter involves choosing the right gun to fit you. This is essential to your comfort and accuracy on the range. Once you’ve found a gun that fits, practice mounting the shotgun when it is unloaded. Focus on making the movement of mounting as smooth as possible and on placing the shotgun in the same position every time.
- Go out to the range for some practice and, while it may seem obvious, work on your target focus. Some beginners struggle with focusing on the gun bead or barrel instead of the target, a big mistake that will make you miss many shots in the future. As the experts say, “don’t aim, point.”
- Each time you miss a few clays, take a break and think about your shots. Are you doing something different with your posture? Are you stopping the movement of your barrel too suddenly? There are many small details that can cause “lost” clays on the range.
- Whether you are a hunter looking for a way to practice your shot or want to focus on target shooting only, sports like these offer a unique way to enjoy shooting in general. They can be a great starting point for youth to practice safety and technique, and at the same time, serve as the perfect setting for a meeting of old friends.
(Information Courtesy of Allen ISD Shooting Club)