Any trap shooting tips?

skookumchuck

skookumchuck

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Location
Hope B.C.
Hi all,
I'm new to trap shooting and need some help, well, honestly, a LOT of help. I've been out three times and I seem to be getting progressively worse. First shoot, two squads 7 then 14, next shoot, three squads, 6, 6, 11 and last time out I managed 4, 4, and a 7. If this keeps up I should be scoring perfect goose eggs very soon. Is there anything I can do to improve, or should I trade my 12 gauge for another fly rod?
Thanks in advance for any advise.
 
Is your gun fitting well. Or your head on te stock properly. Think of it like this. There are two points to your "scope" on your shotgun. The first is your front sight. And the second is your eye. If your heads not on your stock properly or ou take it off the stock before shooting you have now changed your accuracy. Just a small timbit there. As the more experienced shooters a your club to help see if your gun is fitted right for you
 
There are numerous aspects to work on when training toward improved trap scores. Obviously, if you try to address too many of them at once, you aren't likely to be successful. Gun fit is a fundamental, but most people want to see that they can compete before they start talking about upgrading equipment. So, my advice is to concentrate on one thing and one thing only for now. Make it your mount/stance. Practice mounting the gun the exact same way for every shot. Why? Because anybody can hit a clay target. The only difference between someone who hits 2 and someone who hits 25 is consistency. Consistency comes from many factors and this is where coaching is a good idea. A good coach will work with you on a solid foundation and then add improvement from there.

But, again, before spending money on coaching, you want to know you have potential. Well, you do. 14/25 on a first outing is decent. Your other scores kinda prove my point about consistency. Try my mount/stance suggestion. Make sure your shoulders are always oriented the same way toward the trap, no matter what station you're shooting from. Break your mount down into steps that you repeat every time. For example:

  • set feet
  • square up shoulders
  • set baseball cap at correct angle
  • jiggle to "loosen up"
  • point gun into the sky at 45 degree angle and position butt pad on shoulder
  • look straight down the rib and pull gun down until sighted below top of trap
  • freeze and move only eyes up slightly to focus 10 feet past the trap
  • ready?
  • PULL!


You see what I mean about breaking it down (without getting ridiculous about it). Doing this gives you a routine to go through before every shot. Then the key becomes doing it the same all the time. That consistent foundation is what you build on until you're dusting them all. I've already made a simple process sound complicated, so I want to emphasize concentrating only on the stance/mount for a while.

At the highest levels of the sport, it's all about mental consistency. Everybody at that level has the talent to be a champion. Only their heads can let them down on any particular day. I'm telling you that tidbit because you're psyching yourself out with that "race to the goose egg" talk. Believe in yourself, or you'll get your butt kicked by someone who does. Believe in yourself especially when things aren't going well (and be humble when they do). Above all, have fun.
 
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Georgetown Shooter said:
If you're in the Hamilton, Ontario area try learntrapshooting.ca
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+1 on that.
Florin Marinache. Great coach.

Three lessons and you'll be hitting 15 / 25 consistently. Think of all the money you'll waste trying to achieve that by yourself, and all the bad habits you'll pick up.
 
straightshooter said:
At the highest levels of the sport, it's all about mental consistency. Everybody at that level has the talent to be a champion. Only their heads can let them down on any particular day. I'm telling you that tidbit because you're psyching yourself out with that "race to the goose egg" talk. Believe in yourself, or you'll get your butt kicked by someone who does. Believe in yourself especially when things aren't going well (and be humble when they do). Above all, have fun.
Click to expand...
So true - trap is quite mental. If you start to dwell on a miss, you're distracted, you lose concentration and you won't be ready for the next shot. A few early errors can quickly snowball into total confidence erosion. You have to learn to let the misses go, clear you mind and do what you know breaks the birds.

"If you think you can't, you're right."
 
I knew I could count on my fellow CGNs. I live in B.C. Beretta687EELL but I'll see if anyone at my club would be interested in coaching me. I'm eager to try all this advise and will start with your recommendations straightshooter.
Two questions, can I determine if my gun fits me well without help, and how do I pattern my gun?
 
skookumchuck said:
Two questions, can I determine if my gun fits me well without help, and how do I pattern my gun?
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Checking gun fit is best done with another person - preferably someone who knows gun fit. A common method is to mount the gun as if you are about to take a shot (before beginning this process, proof the gun and make absolutely certain it's not loaded. Then, get the other person to check it, too. This is important, because you'll be pointing the gun at his/her head.) As you stand there with the gun mounted, the other person looks at your head, neck, arm, and shoulder positioning to make sure you aren't twisting yourself to accommodate the gun dimensions. If all looks good, he/she then stands directly in front of the muzzle of the barrel and eyeballs straight down the top rib. Looking flat down the rib, they should see about half of your pupil. In other words, your eye should be in the same position as theirs, only at the opposite end of the barrel.

Another indicator of gun fit is to mount the gun with your eyes closed. After mounting the gun, open your eyes. If the gun fits you well, you should be looking right down the rib.

Patterning a shotgun is simple. Buy and bring with you a good selection of different brands of shells. If your range has a patterning board you can use that. If not, you'll need to set up a backboard roughly 3 feet square. Some folks use metal backboards and spread a thin layer of grease on it. After each shot they look at the results and then re-spread the grease for the next shot.

I prefer a wooden backboard with large sheets of paper fixed in front (Flip chart paper works well. One at a time - not the whole pad at once). I use a black marker to put a 1" dot in the center of the page. Start 16 to 20 yards back, aim at the dot like you are trying to hit it dead center with a rifle. Fire the shot, confirm the gun is safe, and go to the board to see the results. You want to observe:

  • how much of the pattern is above center and how much below center?
  • how much is left of center and how much right?
  • how evenly spread out are the pellets. Are there any gaps large enough for a target to pass through?
  • which shells generate the best results?


Make sure you're using the choke that you would use at the distance being tested. It's not unusual for a field gun to shoot 60/40 (60% of the pellets above center and 40% below). This is because wild birds tend to rise quickly when they bust cover and more misses occur because people are shooting below the bird, not above. Competition guns should shoot flat.

Once you've tested all the various brands and loads that you brought with you. Back up another 5 yards and do it all again. You will find that certain shells are best in certain guns. Also, different loads and shot sizes will produce better results at various distances.
 
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