Shot trap for the first time today....

Let's see just started learning trap a few months ago: 2nd hand Citori at $1100; new Morgan Pad at $24.95 at Brownell's (plus shipping etc); 2nd hand MEC Juniour at $100; all the free cases you can pick up; 10 bags of 250 wads at $8-$9; 10 bags 7 1/2 shot at $250 (this is really poor quality shot, but doesn't matter (I'm told) at 16 yards; I will use better stuff I bought some time ago at $25.00 per bag when thinking I might try trap sometime...not at the present extortionist rates for shot, at longer ranges); primers at $30-$40/ thou; impulse buys of cases of AA at $73/case and Wallie World Cheapies at $26 and Canadian Fire Cheapies at $26 (give or take); $3.00 per game at each match or practice (need to get more of these so it looks like fuel costs are going to go up as I will have to travel); outdoor club membership don't count; range 10 km away, so fuel isn't too bad (until I start travelling to other ranges). Right, it does mount up, but it really isn't all that bad. I just bought one barrel for my F class rifle at $500 as a comparison and most of my scopes cost $1000 giver or take. What are these Beretta 391's anyways...maybe I should get one of them too. Income tax refund should be coming in any day now...:)
 
I think you need powder as well ;) The only way to know for sure how good/bad your shot will be at the 16 yard line is to pattern it at 35-40 yds.

The 391 is a gas operated semi auto shotgun. Its self-compensating gas system has been quite a hit with the trap and sporting clays shooters because it will digest any load from 7/8 oz up to the bad ass 3" shells (not that you use them in clay shooting).

The jury is still out on mine (3 days after getting it) but I liked the balance and the low perceived recoil. 75 1 oz #8 shells digested without a glitch on Sunday.
 
What are these Beretta 391's anyways...maybe I should get one of them too.
Probably the best and most versatile clay target semi-auto on the market followed closely by the Browning Gold and the Beretta Super Sport.

If I could only have one shotgun it would mostly likely be a Beretta 391.
 
Probably the best and most versatile clay target semi-auto on the market followed closely by the Browning Gold and the Beretta Super Sport.

If I could only have one shotgun it would mostly likely be a Beretta 391.

X2 And you don't have to shell out the price of a Buick to own one.
 
I think you need powder as well ;) The only way to know for sure how good/bad your shot will be at the 16 yard line is to pattern it at 35-40 yds.

The 391 is a gas operated semi auto shotgun. Its self-compensating gas system has been quite a hit with the trap and sporting clays shooters because it will digest any load from 7/8 oz up to the bad ass 3" shells (not that you use them in clay shooting).

The jury is still out on mine (3 days after getting it) but I liked the balance and the low perceived recoil. 75 1 oz #8 shells digested without a glitch on Sunday.

Too bad about the bad ass loads comment, it was a real spoiler... Looks like another good idea of mine that wont fly... You know what they say..."speed kills". (Heard this at the last practice and was getting big ideas.:D) Forgot the powder...5 lb keg of clays and another of Titewad from Higginsons...not any more expensive than any other powder for reloading. One seems to load a lot in trap, of course. It's nothing to shoot 75 or 100 rounds in a practice. But you are only putting in a tiddly bit of powder for each round (20 or 30 grains :D). Don't know what I am going to do with the pound of Blue Dot I bought, now that I know about the bad ass thingy...don't think that purchase counts in the equation now.
The only semiauto I have seen at our club was being used in skeet. (Shot my first round about a week ago. Even made a double and was really proud (could barely walk off the line under my own steam) until they told me I had shot them out of order. Couldn't understand what all the laughing was about so I asked if it still counted. Jeez! were they ever picky, the gd things went down didn't they...!:mad:) Needless to say the guy with the semiauto was doing way better than me. Don't think it was the difference in shotguns. Mostly pumps and OU's at our club. There is a Beretta OU. I'm going to look at it a bit more closely. I think it is a little more finely crafted than my Citori (mine's still nice though) and a little lighter.
People mention that Beretta 391 on this site all the time. It really sounds like a terrific shotgun. I have a thousand year old Auto 5 with a 28 inch barrel on it(the ugly duckling of the shotgun world, nasty square back on it looks like someone chopped the buttstock off, but you gotta love em just the same). It has very low perceived recoil, as mentioned, and will cycle light loads too. I take it if I ever want to shoot grouse.
I still don't think trap is all that expensive really. The volume of shooting is high for the expense, which is a good thing. It's a great sport too and lots of fun. It kind of reminds me of shooting handgun in a way. I mean it feels like I am learning to take a shot as soon as I have the site picture I want. Not a lot of refinement in aiming like with target rifles. OOOPs...I'm running on, time to run away...sorry, fred
 
I have only shot two shots at skeet. While visiting a friend we went to the Montreal Skeet club. A friend of his had a new beautiful Baretta 20 SXS and ask if we wanted to try it. I watched my friend take a few shots and then I tried it. Not sure which station or combo but one came from the left and another from the right. I hit both and decided to retire. Baseball fans would say my lifetime average for skeet is batting a thousand.
 
Hey, they are BADASS on the ducks and geese where you are stuck using steel or other non-toxic shot. But unless you use your trap gun for waterfowl hunting, it will never see a 3" shell ;)
 
I haven't dont it before, but I really want to.

I am going to go watch the Canadian Champs on june 29th at the hamilton gun club. Its actually 5 min drive from my work and 15min from my house. So I'll get to see what its all about from ppl who know what they are doing, and if I can get into it at least there is a place really close that I could shoot at!

And yea I guess it would SEEM cheap when you use a buddy's gun, but a good o/u doesnt seem cheap... I don't own one but I know they get up there in the digits pretty fast.
 
I just shot skeet for the first time today!!!

Way more fun that target rifle shooting!!!

EB


I think many people prefer the instant feed back of clays. My first interest in shooting sports was hunting so I find the shotgun games closer to the "real" thing than paper punching.
For rifle shooters I would recommend silhouettes. I have not done this with centre fires but used to play the black powder version. There is instant feed back, well, okay I agree at long range there is a delay of a few seconds as you wait for the bullet to arrive.
Also many black powder shoots have several events which mirror hunting situations. Formal paper shooting, while lacking the instant feed back is good to work at developing basic and necessary skills. The paper record can show results that we are able to study and analyse to a degree not possible with other target forms.
 
Trap? Addictive!? :D I went to my first trap range with a 20 gauge Auto-5 ten years ago. A few months later I had a Browning BT-99. A few years later I was in the Perazzi factory in Brescia, Italy being custom fitted for an MX-8 by the founder's son, Mauro Perazzi!:redface:

The big $$$ guns aren't necessary to have a good time, in fact, I'd have to say that the people I've met through the sport have been the highlight! And yes, I've been handed my butt many a time by guys with Rem 1100s and Winny M12s (well, not so much anymore ;)). The nice thing about shooting ATA trap is that it's relatively painless to get the paperwork to shoot in the US and throughout Canada (can't say that about IPSC). And I do like skeet and sporting clays, but compared to trap, there's way too much waiting time between turns at the plate. I can routinely blast 125 targets in an hour at my club (more if we're doing doubles), my skeeter pals can't claim the same!

Have fun out there, hope to meet y'all on a squad someday!
 
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