Looking for Trap shooting advice...

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ScottyintheSky

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Just bought a Remington 870 Express. I realize it's not the ideal piece for the job, but I'm new to it and needed something not too expensive yet reliable enough to learn. I didn't want to show up with a 2500 dollar engraved over-under, then stand around like I don't know what I'm doing. So I decided to start off slow.
A few things became clear very fast - fit is everything. And so far I have a terribly bruised cheek, and noticed my hands are a little awkward. I was shooting an average of 17-20 a round. I am thinking about replacing the factory stock with a Monte Carlo, or the Remington Sure-Shot stock. If anyone has used either, I'd love to hear about it.
Next, I noticed I did better when I "didn't aim", meaning just keeping my eye on the bird, and not between the bird and the bead. This is the first Shotgun I have bought, all my other firearms are a CZ858 and a Mosin Nagant M38. I've noticed there is a very new technique that I have yet to acquire. I've been out to shoot Trap twice now and I'm hooked.

Any advice on how to modify my 870 / shooting techniques are greatly appreciated!
 
Sounds like you're off to a great start with the gun fit and the look where you want to hit info you picked up.

A friend of mine uses a Houge on his 870 with good results, but you're still going to have to hold them all to know. Shoulder your gun with you eyes closed and then look and see where it aiming, usually if it fits you'll be looking in the right place.

Also trap is a great stepping stone to the great world of sporting clays, try it if you get the chance.
 
The following is advice from a 30 year trap shooter. If you want to shoot trap go buy a TRAP gun. You'll be happier in the long run and shoot better scores. Ask lots of questions at your range you may find the odd jerk but most guys will help you out. You don't need to spend thousands in the beginning. My first trap gun cost me $350 . Some may laugh but a Daiwa Shadow over and under got me to AA in singles and the back of the bus in handicap
 
well I use a mossberg maverick 88 field, and I have been shooting trap with it for about 6 months, once a week. I have been having alot of fun doing it and am able to hit at least 20 everytime. I have hit a couple 25s and just cant justify goin out and buyin a new shotgun for this purpose. I don't compete or spend alot of time at the trap field, so who cares. Use what you have and have fun. Until you want to actually compete and shoot 5 rounds a week just have fun with what you got.
 
Thanks for the replies so far, and please excuse this next question....I know the difference between Trap and Skeet, but i'm not sure what sporting clays is...

Sorry 'bout that, but hey, I have to ask sometime, at least it's just once.
 
Scotty the first thing you might do is make sure you have a consistent and appropriate shooting form. Either get a good instructor to look at what you are doing or get someone built like you who is very good at the game to shoot the gun and see how they shoot and whether they have the same problem. Once you are sure your form is good, then you might consider patterning your gun at 16 yards to see how it is shooting for you. Do this often enough using the same form you use for clays until you are confident of your results. You might try a few from a bench too. Once you are at this point and you are convinced the stock needs modification then on you go. Working on the stock is fun and you can learn a lot, but it is quite complex. When you change one aspect of a stock it can lead to the need to change others.
 
i have found that the 870 stock is a bit short ie thumb hitting the face
So you could try adding a 1/2 thick pc if wood / plastic under the factory recoil pad

cost you a bit of time and 2 longer screws, and you can go back to stock in about 2 min if you don't like it -- you could also try 1/4 - 3/8 - 1/2- 5/8 what ever fits you
 
I've been shooting trap competitively for 10 years and use to have a problem with a bruised cheek. I shot a Beretta 682 Gold X Trap combo for years and it was notorious for slamming into my face. I spent hours and hours trying to work on fit in order to remedy the problem, but the only cure I ever found was vaseline!

As far as where your eyes are when shooting. I personally, and know many others, who only have a bead or beads on the bbl for a reference point. Once you start the swing it's all just sustained lead and "the force". I also know some people who rely on the "bird-bead" technique. The key is finding what works for you.
 
just having some fun said:
i have found that the 870 stock is a bit short ie thumb hitting the face
So you could try adding a 1/2 thick pc if wood / plastic under the factory recoil pad

cost you a bit of time and 2 longer screws, and you can go back to stock in about 2 min if you don't like it -- you could also try 1/4 - 3/8 - 1/2- 5/8 what ever fits you
Click to expand...

This brings up another good idea which is to vary stock dimensions by making temporary changes, e.g. inserting washers behind the butt plate and taping on cheek rests and so on. Doing this can help and it might prevent ruining a good stock. I kind of like Barney Hartman's description of working with gun fit in his book "Hartman on Skeet" for this aspect. One can find a lot of information in Rollin Oswald's book "Stock Fitter's Bible" too and it is easier to find, though harder to read. Hartman's book might be hard to find.
 
ALWAYS concentrate on the bird!
"Use the force" is not hokey lingo , either- rely on it once you aquire the bird.
You will see the beads as you line up the gun, then fogeddaboudit!:D
Your sight line from the eye to the bird is much longer than from the eye to the front bead, do it's easier to look at the bird , that is what you want to concentrate on hitting.
Oh, and look at the leading edge of the bird only, not the whole bird.
Your 870 will be fine for occasional shooting, but they tend to cycle rough, and sometimes do not swing as smoothly as other guns.
The best way to find out is to try a few for yourself.
Most shooters are more than welcome to loan you their gun to try....
Cat
 
Scotty - unlike pistol shooting where you "look" at your sights, (or rifle) in Trap you align the gun to your face when you mount it then you "look" at the bird, not the sights - and your eye will follow the bird and your hands will swing the gun where it needs to go - with practice. You should not notice the sights at all.

Also important - trap stocks are straighter than field stocks because in trap the bird is slightly climbing as it goes away from you whereas in the field the real bird can be directly overhead - lie a trap gun on a table next to a field gun and put a yardstick along the top of the barrel extending over the stock - note the difference in gap on the field stock whereas the trap stock is in a straight line with the barrel.

Also trap guns are made to handle many more rounds, usually handle recoil better, and some -like the BT99 - dont even have a safety (because it is not needed - you dont load until it is your turn to shoot and then you shoot, you dont carry it around loaded)

Buy a trap gun - or borrow one if you can. If you look you can usually get a used one. You will never wear out a good BT99 or similar trap gun. You are handicapping yourself and beating yourself up by using a field gun.
 
Bigbubba said:
Buy a trap gun - or borrow one if you can. If you look you can usually get a used one. You will never wear out a good BT99 or similar trap gun. You are handicapping yourself and beating yourself up by using a field gun.
Click to expand...

This seems like pretty good advice to me. In fact, it is what I did, but only after I bought my Citori second hand. The potential disadvantages to buying something like a BT-99 though, is that it will only shoot singles and handicap. If one gets interested in doubles, skeet or sporting clays, one will almost certainly need another gun. So, a field gun, or one suitable for other kinds of shooting, is more flexible in the beginning. You can try a number of different kinds of shooting that way and, if you are bitten by the trap bug, you can buy a dedicated trap gun later. One thing that I would like to add, is that it is best to get as long a barrel as you can for a dedicated trap gun like the BT-99. Mine has a 34 inch barrel and I absolutely love the bl**dy thing. It seems much easier to point. I wouldn't buy one with less than a 32 inch barrel, regardless of how nice it was. (My biases, I guess. My $0.02 too.)
 
Keep your head on the stock and your cheek problem will disappear. Try putting a $20 between your face and your stock. If you lift your head... you'll be chasing your $20.


Find a Coach.
 
i have the exact same issue as the OP. same gun and everything. i worked out the cheek issue after my 2nd time out, but im holding my head all crooked when i put my face down to it. im a tall guy and the stock seems kinda short, so i end up right at the front of it.

last time i was out (thursday) someone showed me the difference in fit by placing the stock in the inside of my elbow and measuring out where my finger was, then i tried the same thing with a BPS trap. with my 870, the trigger guard ends close to the bottom of my trigger finger, where with the BPS it's up by the top knuckle.

the pro told me to get a recoil pad to compensate for the difference but i may try that spacer idea that was mentioned above.

also, ive been out about 4 times, 2 rds each time and im embarrassingly inconsistent. thurs, i shot a 15 and a 12 :(
 
agreed, OP who has been out twice shooting an average of 17-20 makes me blush a little..

i found, at the end of my last round, that i was shooting much better by being a lot more relaxed when i mounted (snicker) the gun. i spent less time getting it in the right spot and just pulled it up, put my face down and called for the bird, i found that reduced the amount of little mistakes i was making by 'over prepping'
 
bch said:
i found, at the end of my last round, that i was shooting much better by being a lot more relaxed when i mounted (snicker) the gun. i spent less time getting it in the right spot and just pulled it up, put my face down and called for the bird, i found that reduced the amount of little mistakes i was making by 'over prepping'
Click to expand...

Maybe it is a case of different strokes for different folks, and if one is experiencing success there is a good chance the direction is right. That being said, my approach has been almost completely different. There may be something to the relaxation part, but I began by learning correct approach and then making sure things like my stance, foot position, point of aim, gun hold and gaze direction were correct before calling for the bird on each shot. After awhile having the correct aiming point, foot position etc. became fairly automatic. Now all I have to do is check things once in awhile to make sure I am not getting into bad habits, and change things sometimes if the birds are flying funny. I'm the first to admit that I have a long way to go in this sport, but learning and repeating the basics has really helped my confidence at the line.
 
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