Shell catchers - Opinions? Options?

Suther

Suther

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Looking to get into some trap and skeet this year, planning to use my semi auto 12ga which has gotten me wondering about shell catchers.

First, would it be considered a faux pas to show up without one? Would people be upset that my shells are getting tossed from the gun? I guess this one might all depend on the specific guys I'm sharing the trap field with?

Second, what are the options for shell catchers in Canada? I see the Birchwood Casey ones with the wire arm that grabs the shell, and few other brands of the same design (Kapow and Carlesons), but reviews on this style seems mixed? In addition, I can't find any local, and the gun stores want as much to ship the product as the product costs, so the cost ($50-60) is making me hesitate.

I also see some plastic clip-on options exist although I haven't seen any for sale in Canada, and those seem to be more gun-specific and it would probably be a hassle to find one that fits my gun (turkish semi but not a super-common brand/model, its an Asena ZR7.)

I have also heard about using a rubber band around the receiver. Has anyone tried this method? I feel like having the band on top of my receiver would bug me because right now the top of the receiver lines up nicely with the rib on the barrel, and thus the band would be a visible obstruction.

If there are any other factors I haven't considered, please chime in!

Thanks!
 
You asked a very good question. I was in the same dilemma when I first shooting trap with my semi-auto. Most of the guys I shoot with have O/Us and I was the odd man out. Some guys didn’t care while some will purposely choose a position further away to avoid having shell casings flying around them. I shot handicap ammo which also didn’t help. Second problem, empties will land all over the stations which some people may find discourteous.

I ended up buying a Carlson shell catcher that I purchased from Reliable (site sponsor). It’s a bit unsightly but it does the trick. It’s worth pointing out that the wire blocks part of the receiver so loading might be a pain. The wire does flip out of the way but it can get old fast having to flip it back and forth. My semi has an auto load feature from the magazine tube so it didn’t present an issue for me. Secondly, It’s a simple wire so it will bend eventually bend so you may have to adjust it every now again if shells get through.

Just my two cents
 
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For the few times a year that I use a semi I use a rubber band. It takes a few shots to figure out the correct placement but works great. As a left handed shooter I have been hit in the face a few times by right handed shooters who don't use a catcher. It is very annoying
 
I have this Birchwood on my semi for about 3 years now. It works but the cleaning solvents weakness the glue that it comes with and fall off . When I reinstalled I used automotive two sided tape and it works better.
 
It's not a problem until the casings bounce off the person or their gun. I often shoot trap with a semi maxus for which no shell catcher is made unless I use one of those glue on birchwood casey types(no thank you) so I made a deflector instead of a catcher from a rubber calf ear tag. Works like a charm and attaches and removes in a second without needing adhesives of any kind. Best of all I can shoot doubles with it too. It deflects the hulls forward of the line and about half way between me and the shooter to my right with 3 dram loads. I'll try to find a photo...
 
The rubber band method is a good one and remember you should be looking at the clay target no your barrel or even the beads.
I have a gun that I need to add a higher rib and used tape, wire bailing twine and a c clamp and didnt even notice it.
Okay that a bit far fetched but I did tape on a painted piece of slightly bent balsa wood and if you looked down the rib your eyes would see the wave. But not when shooting.
Long answer for use of a rubber band.
 
When you go to uncase your rifle, open the action if it isnt already before you start handling it, dont want to get wacked on the head by some old fellas perrazi barrel.
Dont load up your magazine....If applicable. If its singles, its 1 shot, load the action when its your turn to shoot, same if its doubles or skeet, load 2 only.
Try the rubber band thing, it might just work for you. If you dont have a vest with pockets, bring a dump pouch or pouch hung on your belt. Dont want to be moving your box of 25 around during a round and ....a place to put your spent shells as you move to next station.
It looks better if you buy some target loads from the club :)
 
Good question. I can't recall the make of it, but it just snaps in place. Easy to remove. A little tricky to load/unload the first couple times but once you get onto it, it is no problem at all.

Works very well catching shells.
 
I think that most of the shell catchers that clip on the side of the receiver are very specific to the make and model of shotgun that they were designed for, in other words there is no such thing as one size fits all. The Carlson shell catcher, because it just sticks to the outside of the receiver, will work on a wide range of guns. When you want to shoot doubles you simply rotate the wire out of the way and the gun ejects normally.
 
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