what type of shot for skeet?

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mattman29

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I just bought my first shotgun and was intimidated by all the different types of ammo. I'm looking at something for clay and I know its 2.75 but nothing else, help?
 
Lead. Pick your shot number for level of difficulty, although skeet clubs usually require #7 (I think) and up.
 
Congrats on your first shotgun mattman. Mind if I ask what you picked up?
Target loads is what you're after for clay games, with Federal and Winchester being the biggest players. Like said above, it's lead shot. If the game of 'Skeet' is what you're shooting, the majority shoot #9 shot. You can purchase and use loads of 7 1/2 and 8 as well which are more popular for Trap and Sporting Clays.
Good luck and good shooting to you!
 
Thanks sledman, after a lot of searching around and talking to guys on cgn, I managed to find a used browning bps, it was between that and a wingmaster but the browning had adjustable chokes. I'm excited to get out hopefuly in the next couple weeks!
 
7/8 oz of number 9 for skeet coming out around 1200 ft/sec. Not punishing. Good economical use of shot, i.e. more loads per bag. 7/8 oz of #8 works for me too, but I have more confidence with #9.
 
The Op is not likely to find 7/8 loads to purchase nor very likely to be set up to load being a newbie.
The most common target loads he is going to encounter on the shelves are going to be 1 1/8 ounce or on the outside chance 1 ouncers.
To be honest I don't know a single skeet shooter including myself that uses #9's in any
Gauge other than the .410. That may be a local thing but I see no reason to be using that small of a pellet size in a 12 gauge.
Grab # 7 1/2, 8 or 8 1/2,s whatever is available to you in Federal Top Gun, Winchester Super Target or Remington Gun Clubs.
 
We start all new skeet shooters with no.9 1 1/8 oz in 12ga.
Once you get familiar with your gun , your form and the course and start averaging 20 plus birds a round you will probally be ready to reload at that time and can drop back to 1 oz loads.
When starting out you want every pellet you are allowed out there to build your confidence. A chipped piece falling from a extra pellet or two in a 1 1/8oz load counts and may not happen with a 1 oz.
Just one old farts opinion who has been shooting sheet 38 years but all 28ga for the last 12 years, including the 12ga events. No more expensive tubes, or barrel sets for me I'm back to a 870 rem pump as I used in the early 70's and gun down. Just picked up the matching 410 70's vintage 870 also so I am having fun again.
That is the most important part is to have fun, the scores will happen with time.
 
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"the most important part is to have fun, the scores will happen with time. "
Absolutely !
My reasoning on not using #9 shot except for the 410 is that it is so small that though one may hit the target, it may not have enough retained energy to break or chip a visible piece from the target. I'm sure we all have seen while searching for pickups to reuse many unbroken targets with holes thru them. I don't think an extra amount of #9 shot in the shell is going to get me too many targets I may fringe hit compared to #8 or #7 1/2's. An opinion, results may vary.

Only reason I use #9 in .410 is it bridges / clogs the filler tubes on the reloader less.
 
I was really surprised about people not using #9 shot. After all, in skeet you are shooting at targets less than 25 yards away. As for 7/8 oz loads, it is true that one probably wont find them to buy all that easily. So, I guess you have to reload to be sure of getting them, as has been said. But, if you are reloading, or you get lucky when you are shopping, there are a lot of reasons to use them. Less recoil and more efficient, for example, and I haven't felt that I have lost a bird because of #9 yet. Actually, I have many other ways of missing and 7/8 oz of #9 patterns very well at the ranges involved. Really, anything over an ounce of shot has to be overkill in skeet, at least it sure feels that way to me. As for 7/8 oz of 7 1/2 shot, you're right CR it works, but I just felt funny using it;)...go figure.
 
BCFred said:
I was really surprised about people not using #9 shot. After all, in skeet you are shooting at targets less than 25 yards away. As for 7/8 oz loads, it is true that one probably wont find them to buy all that easily. So, I guess you have to reload to be sure of getting them, as has been said. But, if you are reloading, or you get lucky when you are shopping, there are a lot of reasons to use them. Less recoil and more efficient, for example, and I haven't felt that I have lost a bird because of #9 yet. Actually, I have many other ways of missing and 7/8 oz of #9 patterns very well at the ranges involved. Really, anything over an ounce of shot has to be overkill in skeet, at least it sure feels that way to me. As for 7/8 oz of 7 1/2 shot, you're right CR it works, but I just felt funny using it;)...go figure.
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You are right in what you are saying but remember this is a brand new shooter to our game using a pump action. I shoot pump now so am aware of the extra challenge. I have seen so many new shooters show up over the years with a 410 since they were concerned with recoil. I don't think I have to tell you how many would come back the next week or last a month.
You go out with a squad of vets normally who are running them and it kills a new shooters confinence real quick so we encourage 1 1/8 12 ga at least until you are averaging 20.
 
3macs1 said:
You are right in what you are saying but remember this is a brand new shooter to our game using a pump action. I shoot pump now so am aware of the extra challenge. I have seen so many new shooters show up over the years with a 410 since they were concerned with recoil. I don't think I have to tell you how many would come back the next week or last a month.
You go out with a squad of vets normally who are running them and it kills a new shooters confinence real quick so we encourage 1 1/8 12 ga at least until you are averaging 20.
Click to expand...

The pump is probably more of a challenge all right, though I have seen guys that were very good with a pump. The 410 is a challenge I hope to evolve to one day. Personally I wouldn't be afraid to start with one using 3 inch shells because I hunted with one for years and am not afraid to miss, which I'm sure I would quite a bit. Probably just a case of different strokes though, and if I had to choose a start gun it would be a 12 or possibly a 20 depending...
If hits during the early stages is a problem it is a good idea to start the person off shooting 7 low house until confidence builds then try 7 high house and move on to the double to see how he/she does with the pump. It would be interesting. Then on to 1 high house and low house and double etc. (These are just my ideas pirated from more experienced shooters with some embellishments added.) Most shooters I have seen can hit 7 low house quite easily once they know where to hold their gun and learning to take the first bird before moving on to try the double is an important skill too. Bottom line I guess is that I think instruction is more important than 1 1/8 of shot, though I'm not particularly against the idea of someone starting with that load.
Most vets I have seen don't want newbies to quit and usually someone will take them under their wing and ensure they hit some.
There is another aspect to guys running straights. It can be intimidating as you say, but it can also be encouraging. It might help the beginner to see this once in awhile to keep him/her going. It shows that shooting straights can be done and gives them something to aim for. This is the way I feel. I like practicing with guys that are good because I always pick something up from them and it keeps me striving to do better while feeling it isn't impossible. Admittedly I am a half full guy on this one rather than a half empty though...;)
 
In an ideal or perfect world, I would start a newbie with an instructor and a 28 gauge gun. I do not think that a 28 is much of a handicap over at 20 or 12 on a skeet range. I think the 28's low recoil is a plus and more than makes up for lack of shot. As far as shot size, I think that any target size shot is O.K. For the newbie, I would forget about optimum pellets size and the golden pellet concept. That is for competition shooters who want to stack the odds and will go to any measures to get one more target in a hundred. Help the newbie to center more targets and that will build confidence more than using 8s instead of 9s or whatever to get an extra chip here and there. Catnthehatt is correct. Most skeet shooters use #9. There must be a reason? Fred gives good advice in starting from the easy stations and graduating to more difficult stations. He must have got that from Barney Hartman? That brings me to another point or one I blew over at the start. Seek out the best instruction you can find. The OP has a gun suitable for skeet, although the pump may be a bit of a challenge. Since it happens to be a 12 gauge, I would advise him to get the lightest loads he can find. Given the choice between 1 1/8 and 1 oz. I would choose 1 oz. Given the choice between 3 dram 1200 fps and 2 ¾ dram 1145 fps. I would choose the 2 ¾. Etc. Fred mentioned the short range nature of skeet targets. They just do not require heavy pay loads with large shot
 
Hi CR. It's possible Barney Hartmann put the thoughts in my head like you say. He's definitely in there somewhere. One of the chaps at the Kamloops club also mentioned some of these things in a conversation we were having about training new people awhile back. I was telling him about our annual club open house, which happens in August, where the public can come and shoot trap and we have to supervise a surprising number of people of all ages and builds who haven't shot before. It's a fascinating and enjoyable time and their experiencing some success really matters - as the person mentioning using 1 1/8 oz loads with novices said.
The 28 guage idea is kind of interesting. Brister mentioned in his book that he felt it was a guage that performed better than one would expect. I have to shoot one someday. It's all fun...
 
Dam Barney Hartman I have not heard that name since probally the early 70's.
28ga to start?? We only do that for ladies that are nervous of recoil and most of them switch to 12ga semi later on.
This new shooter doesn't reload, he can get wally mart 12ga for 23.99 /100
vs 63.99/100 for 28ga AAHS.
Cost to shoot is a huge factor also.
 
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