Seeking advice on initial Trapshooting shotgun ...

tiratore

tiratore

Member
Rating - 100%
26   0   0
Location
Vancouver, Canada
Thank you in advance for your help, CGN friends!

Am pretty much new to trapshooting although I've tried it a few times in the past.
I noticed that here in BC, it would be better to use a traditionally accepted Trapshooting shotgun instead of just any shotgun.

Did experience trapshooting in the mid-80's in Central California and they pretty much didn't care which shotgun we shot with.
But in Richmond, about 10 years ago, I dropped in using a tactical-looking shotgun (pump) and felt it was frowned-upon.

Anyway, setting those aside, what would be a good starting Trapshooting shotgun which is not too basic but won't break the bank either.
12-gauge for sure and maybe, please advise best ranges to visit (and learn from the experienced ones) ... welcoming newbies.

Thanks.
 
The fact is that for the game of trap you can use pretty much any kind of shotgun you want to and unless your planning to dedicate a lot of time and effort specifically into the trap game then I'd go with a break action sporting clays over and under rather than a trap gun. A lot of dedicated trap shooters use a single barrel gun but it does limit you to singles whereas the double barrel gun will allow you to shoot doubles as well. With a sporting clays gun you can do all of the trap games plus you could use it for the other shotgun disciplines such as sporting, 5 stand and skeet as well. There are over and under guns that are dedicated trap guns and they often shoot a high pattern to hit the rising targets they are designed to hit but this makes these guns unsuited for the other shotgun sports.
 
Best advise is go hang out at a trap range and talk to shooters. Most will let you hold shoulder and even try their guns.
Every person is different so recommending a factory gun blindly isn't going to help you

You will hear buy a B gun alot. Browning or Beretta as they dominate the over under market. Browning will have nicer wood the Beretta will have a shallower receiver.
There are also semi autos built for trap just be sure to buy a shell catcher with it.
For generations pump guns ruled the trap range so don't ever think a pump can't be used for trap
If going with a over under as mentioned you have the choice of a true trap gun or a sporting gun or a game gun. All can be used well. Options will be from browning and many Italian offerings and Turkish at the lower end of the price scale. Some Turkish guns are very good but most are built to a price point not to a reliability level.
Very few companies make a dedicated sxs trap gun as I can only think of one of the top of my head
 
Great advice above on gun selection. The other thing to consider is training and practice. Set aside a healthy budget for actually shooting, and lessons if you can find an instructor. Getting the basics down early is a much smoother path to success than undoing bad habits later on.
 
Gun fit is priority number one, not just length of pull, but drop at comb and cast as well. As has been mentioned, visit a trap club, and see what fits, and you will get advice from the club members.
 
Although you can certainly use any shotgun to shoot trap targets, if you plan to learn to shoot well you will need a gun that will optimize your efforts. Over/unders offer the most advantages, usually accompanied by solid reliability. Beretta and Browning make very good trap guns at moderate cost, both have nurtured countless trap shooters and won thousands of matches, big and small. If one of their models is a good fit for you it will be a great place to start. Some far more expensive German, Austrian and Italian trap guns are available, as well as more basic less expensive guns from Turkey but the B guns in their various models are an ideal place to start, many shooters never change. As mentioned, for success good gun fit is vital, these makers offer different models to fit different shooters. You can spend enormous amounts of money for a Perazzi or Kreighoff that you still need to learn to shoot or cut expense to the bone by buying an inexpensive but reliability risky Turkish gun but the ‘B’ guns will give you the most satisfaction for your money and hold their value if you decide this isn’t for you. While pumps can work and autoloaders look attractive to some newcomers I generally don’t recommend either for beginning trap shooters.
 
Lots of good advice on shotgun selection. I started out with a cheaper black synthetic pump action hunting shotgun until I was ready to commit to taking the sport seriously. At our range most of the other members were very helpful with advices on shotguns and let me shoot a round or two with theirs. Eventually I worked my way into an O/U based on what I learned from this experience. I bought used one that didn’t break the bank and am still shooting it five years later. I’m a member of a small interior B.C. club and the members were welcoming and helpful from the start. I have shot at some of the older established clubs and there seems to be more attention to the traditions of the sport.
 
A 30 barrelled Remington 870 with a full stock can be a fun way yo get into the game Other alternatives are 30 inch O/U's by Beretta, Browning etc Jut be sure to get good shot shells and begin with a modified choke.
 
Get a used Remington 1100 with vent rib 30" barrel either full or modified choke. Recoil is minimal compared to a pump action and initial cost is modest. You can also readily get a skeet or other barrels for it and parts, if it ever breaks are available and relatively cheap. You were correct that "tactical style" guns are frowned upon at trap and skeet ranges.
 
As stubblejumper said your first consideration should be fit. Ask around and find a qualified instructor fitter to set up whatever you decide to purchase. Decide too what trap discipline you think you'll shoot most. I've been shooting trap since I was 19, I am now 60 and I have probably not shot more than 4000 doubles targets in all those years of which 3200 are registered. Doubles trap never held much appeal to me but singles and handicap did. For that reason alone I shoot a single shot as my primary trap gun. There is a world of difference in holding, handling and moving a set of doubles barrels compared with a single barrel gun and you will really notice the difference on a windy day when holding over a trap house and a wind gust is doing its best to move your gun around on you. The single barrel cuts alot less profile and imo points, swings and is much less fatiguing to use over an extended period, especially on a 200-300 target event day. The P & K guns as mentioned are alot more money, my personal gun is a P gun and again in my opinion a Browning is the best value for the $ in a trap gun today, especially in a single shot. The BT-99 has a proven track record and a basic BT-99 brand new can be had for the price of many new auto-loaders today and would serve you well for a lifetime. I don't know of any other company that produces a quality single that doesn't fetch a premium price besides Browning except for some questionable Turkish guns. If you have someone to assist you who knows guns well you can pick up a used P or K gun at a decent price and have a premium single should you decide to go that route. Just thought I'd add the single shot consideration to the above already great advice posted and if you think you'll shoot both singles and doubles don't rule out a good B gun in a combo. Good used ones can be had and in very good prices often in an older model. I often see some nice older combos that saw little use for very good prices.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of Vancouver, What are the thoughts on the Vancouver Gun Club? Good, Bad, ??? It seems to offer more venues than Pitt Meadows?
 
I too am looking into a trap gun. Started shooting trap with a Smith and Wesson 1000 autoloader, Was the first shotgun I bought and I was fairly good with it, but sold it off... stupid me... and ended up with a 35 year break. Started again this summer, and am trying to decide what to get. I like the autoloaders and have been using a 1100 for the last couple trips out, did manage to get a 24 round with it. Still think I might get out and hunt with my choice, since clays are tough to eat, but realistically, given opportunity and time, probably just shoot at the club.
 
I started with a Win Ranger 120 pump full choke. Then I bought a Churchill Monarch O/U fixed full/mod chokes back in 89. I still use it today. I tried an old single shot 16 gauge a few weeks ago and did OK with it. Virtually any O/U will be OK. I've seen guys break 25 straight using Baikal O/U 12g.
 
FallingKen said:
Used a rubber band on my Smith. Stopped the shell in the breach and was easy to pick it out. Ghetto, but it worked
Click to expand...
Necessity is the mother of invention. Due to the bolt design a shell catcher is not made nor will work on a Maxus nor will a rubber band(bolt handle is too far forward and mounted low in the bolt not allowing enough space for a shell catcher to clip to the receiver so...a homemade deflector it is! Made this from a calf ear tag. Removed the clip to snap through the cows ear, made a small slit the bolt handle slides through for a tight fit. After a few trial runs got the right amount trimmed off the tag that it sends hullls forward about 6-8 feet and about halfway between me and the shooter to my right and I cannot see it in my peripheral vision. I started using my Maxus SC for trap doubles and had to find a way to stop hitting the shooter to my right with hulls. 400 rounds to date and working perfectly. Now to get a few spares ready for when or if one fails.
IMG_4833.jpeg
 
FallingKen said:
Used a rubber band on my Smith. Stopped the shell in the breach and was easy to pick it out. Ghetto, but it worked
Click to expand...
Necessity is the mother of invention. Due to the bolt design a shell catcher is not made nor will work on a Maxus nor will a rubber band(bolt handle is too far forward and mounted low in the bolt not allowing enough space for a shell catcher to clip to the receiver so...a homemade deflector it is! Made this from a calf ear tag. Removed the clip to snap through the cows ear, made a small slit the bolt handle slides through for a tight fit. After a few trial runs got the right amount trimmed off the tag that it sends hullls forward about 6-8 feet and about halfway between me and the shooter to my right. I started using my Maxus SC for trap doubles and had to find a way to stop hitting the shooter to my right with hulls. 400 rounds to date and working perfectly. IMG_4833.jpeg
 
If you are just interested in shooting recreational Trap, most any shotgun will do. Bring whatever you have when you are just starting out.
Short barrel self defense shotguns are scrutinized, not because they are ugly, but because they are a concern for muzzle control. Once a new shooter demonstrates reliable safe handling, there won't be objections on our range.
There's lots of good advice on this thread.
Buying a gun that fits you well increases the odds of success tremendously.
Buying a good condition used Browning or Beretta is a good investment. If or when you decide to upgrade, you will get most of your money back. The same cannot be said for cheap imports that sort of look like a Trap gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom