Hello. I just shot my first round of trap and skeet at a open house at our local gun club and loved it. However all I have for a shot gun is a beneli nova pump that I use for goose hunting and was woundering what would be a good gun that would only cost me 4 to 5 hundred dollars. I also own a browning A-5 and Was woundering how this would be for shooting trap and skeet. Any suggestions would be great. Thank-you .
New To Skeet/trap any Tips.
- Thread starter Linfitt
- Start date
- Location
- North of Toronto and South Carolina
Funny that. I shot skeet for the first time, today, too.
With a Winnie Defender set up for home defence.
It was an absolute hoot and we all had a good time. I hit one out of twenty.
One thing I can tell you. I hit the bird the one time I didn't think about hitting a bird--when the shooting became almost sub-conscious. I don't know if this helps at all, but I'm really looking forward to reading the thread you started.
With a Winnie Defender set up for home defence.
It was an absolute hoot and we all had a good time. I hit one out of twenty.
One thing I can tell you. I hit the bird the one time I didn't think about hitting a bird--when the shooting became almost sub-conscious. I don't know if this helps at all, but I'm really looking forward to reading the thread you started.
I've shot my Nova extensively in Trap, Skeet and Sporting. Great practice for when you take to the field for game birds or fast shooting in the Duck blind. I much prefer an O/U for all the clay target games but generally they run $1000 and up. To start get a second hand semi with choke tubes and have at her. I like Rem. 1100/11-87's. Very simple design and quite reliable given proper mtce. Don't fret a lot about what gun to get etc. just get out there and shoot a lot. Try as many different kinds of shotgun as you can BEFORE plunking down your cash. You will find shooters at most any club a friendly bunch and they will only be too happy to let you try out their equipment. Best of luck and welcome to the wonderful sport of clay target shooting.
My best advise is to buddy-up with some of the older, experienced memebers of your local club. They seem to know everything about the sport and are more than willing to help you out. I learned more in 2 hours shooting with a group of older guys than shooting with friends my whole life.
"One thing I can tell you. I hit the bird the one time I didn't think about hitting a bird--when the shooting became almost sub-conscious. I don't know if this helps at all,"
V65
I'll just speak about Skeet since I don't shoot the other clay target games.
When first starting out there are a number of things to think about that can clutter the mind. But nevertheless they must be thought about. Foot position, gun mount, break points, hold positions, look points, focus on the target, keep head down, leads, etc, etc, etc. Eventually with enough practice the amount these things have to be thought about decreases.
Eventually you won't have to think about foot positions. Your feet will just automatically go to the right position. You won't have to think about your hold point. Your gun will automatically go to the right spot. But this only comes with lots of practice and throwing alot of lead down range. And as your confidence grows. I think you'll hear many...if not most...seasoned shooters say "thinking is a bad thing".
You may have heard golfers talk about having 1 swing thought. The same kinda thing happens with shooting. The less you dwell on things the better off you're likely to be. For me personally, my last second "swing thought" when stepping on station might be...."be aggressive" on targets like high 2 or low 6. Or "don't ride" the long slow incoming targets. A recipe for disaster for me personally.
The sooner you can reduce the number of things you HAVE TO think about, the better off you're likely to be.
Good luck and have fun shooting.
V65
I'll just speak about Skeet since I don't shoot the other clay target games.
When first starting out there are a number of things to think about that can clutter the mind. But nevertheless they must be thought about. Foot position, gun mount, break points, hold positions, look points, focus on the target, keep head down, leads, etc, etc, etc. Eventually with enough practice the amount these things have to be thought about decreases.
Eventually you won't have to think about foot positions. Your feet will just automatically go to the right position. You won't have to think about your hold point. Your gun will automatically go to the right spot. But this only comes with lots of practice and throwing alot of lead down range. And as your confidence grows. I think you'll hear many...if not most...seasoned shooters say "thinking is a bad thing".
You may have heard golfers talk about having 1 swing thought. The same kinda thing happens with shooting. The less you dwell on things the better off you're likely to be. For me personally, my last second "swing thought" when stepping on station might be...."be aggressive" on targets like high 2 or low 6. Or "don't ride" the long slow incoming targets. A recipe for disaster for me personally.
The sooner you can reduce the number of things you HAVE TO think about, the better off you're likely to be.
Good luck and have fun shooting.
Busta Capp
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Town of the Blue Mountains (ON)
When I first tried Trap, a gentleman shared the following with me, not sure if it will help or not, but here goes;
Gun hold as well as "eye hold" (where you look when calling for the target) is a very personal thing. Gun hold partially depends on whether you are a one-eyed or two-eyed shooter.
One-eyed shooters usually hold below the trap house roof to avoid the barrel's covering targets as they leave the house. Two eyed shooters, depending on how far over the house they hold, also consider the possibility of blocking their view of targets with the fore end and hand as they leave the house and hold to avoid that possibility. Blocking target's leaving the house is most likely on stations 2, 3, and 4 with 3 being the most likely.
Longer swings tend to be smoother swings. For that reason, high gun holds require more refined swings because they are shorter as well as better timing because targets must be intersected rather than overtaken. Short swings with a high hold also require better timing regarding exactly when to fire. On an "off" day, those who intersect using a high hold will have slightly more trouble because reaction times can vary as can the coordination required for short, smooth swings.
The advantage of a higher hold as was noted above, is that swings are shorter since the gun is already pointing nearer the height of targets when they are shot. There is less chance of a swing error since the gun is not moving as far. The challenge, along with needing to intersect targets, is that with a shorter swing, smooth swings can be more difficult to obtain. "Jerky" swings are on the opposite end of the scale and of course, are to be avoided.
Eye holds, regardless of the height of gun holds, are at the height where targets can first be seen clearly. It does little good to try to focus on blurred targets. The time it takes for the eyes to focus on targets is a contributing factor. For that reason, the height of an eye hold that works well for one shooter may not work for another. It takes time and experimentation to find just the right places; this is true regarding both the hight and horizontal aspects of the hold.
Practice is necessary when changing either eye or gun holds. How much time it takes to get used to a new one varies from shooter to shooter. It may take a only a squad or two or it may take a half-dozen. This is true for any change of gun or eye hold and for both one and two-eyed shooters.
Gun hold as well as "eye hold" (where you look when calling for the target) is a very personal thing. Gun hold partially depends on whether you are a one-eyed or two-eyed shooter.
One-eyed shooters usually hold below the trap house roof to avoid the barrel's covering targets as they leave the house. Two eyed shooters, depending on how far over the house they hold, also consider the possibility of blocking their view of targets with the fore end and hand as they leave the house and hold to avoid that possibility. Blocking target's leaving the house is most likely on stations 2, 3, and 4 with 3 being the most likely.
Longer swings tend to be smoother swings. For that reason, high gun holds require more refined swings because they are shorter as well as better timing because targets must be intersected rather than overtaken. Short swings with a high hold also require better timing regarding exactly when to fire. On an "off" day, those who intersect using a high hold will have slightly more trouble because reaction times can vary as can the coordination required for short, smooth swings.
The advantage of a higher hold as was noted above, is that swings are shorter since the gun is already pointing nearer the height of targets when they are shot. There is less chance of a swing error since the gun is not moving as far. The challenge, along with needing to intersect targets, is that with a shorter swing, smooth swings can be more difficult to obtain. "Jerky" swings are on the opposite end of the scale and of course, are to be avoided.
Eye holds, regardless of the height of gun holds, are at the height where targets can first be seen clearly. It does little good to try to focus on blurred targets. The time it takes for the eyes to focus on targets is a contributing factor. For that reason, the height of an eye hold that works well for one shooter may not work for another. It takes time and experimentation to find just the right places; this is true regarding both the hight and horizontal aspects of the hold.
Practice is necessary when changing either eye or gun holds. How much time it takes to get used to a new one varies from shooter to shooter. It may take a only a squad or two or it may take a half-dozen. This is true for any change of gun or eye hold and for both one and two-eyed shooters.
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
"Reader's Digest" (short) Version:
Shoot lots with a good, experianced shooter "mentoring" or coaching you
along. After 15 or 20 flats of shells, you'll be well along the way.
In the meantime, act like a real gentleman, all kinds of squad mates will
offer to let you "try" their guns. In 6 months to a year, you'll have a good background on how to shoot skeet/trap and propbably know what kind of gun you want !
In the meantime ... shoot lots of targets and enjoy !
Shoot lots with a good, experianced shooter "mentoring" or coaching you
along. After 15 or 20 flats of shells, you'll be well along the way.
In the meantime, act like a real gentleman, all kinds of squad mates will
offer to let you "try" their guns. In 6 months to a year, you'll have a good background on how to shoot skeet/trap and propbably know what kind of gun you want !
In the meantime ... shoot lots of targets and enjoy !
