Slow Trap, anyone?

Chilly807

Chilly807

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
24   0   0
Location
Nova Scotia
I usually shoot with the same bunch of great guys, ages ranging from 30 to over 80, at our local club. Often the game is skeet, occasionally a round of trap.
This spring, a casual conversation turned to the topic of "Why we don't shoot more trap?".
It turned out to be that we couldn't be social enough, and we wanted a break from the constant pace of the game. I should add that while we're all friends, no one is safe from being verbally tormented during a round of skeet. Talking while someone is shooting is frowned upon as poor manners, but after the shot you're generally fair game.
So, we made a few changes.
This is how it works. One shooter is on the line at a time, starting at station 1. He or she shoots their five shots for that station, while the other 4 or more shooters are free to watch, score, pull, and generally comment on the shooter's success or lack thereof, style, dress, parentage, only fear of reprisal or good taste is the limiting factor. After each shooter has fired 5 shots at station 1, the first shooter takes their turn at station 2, and so on.
It won't work for your stuffy, score-focused, heavy-concentration crowd. It may in fact drive a serious shooter around the bend, never to return. Sensitive souls may want to avoid it too.
Nothing raises hackles like turning a clay to dust only to hear a rousing chorus of "Lost!" from the peanut gallery behind you. You get the point on paper, of course, but it's still disconcerting.
I wouldn't recommend it if you're at a busy club, as it takes a bit longer to shoot a round of Slow Trap. If a field is idle, however, it can make for a lighter atmosphere and an enjoyable afternoon with friends.
 
That sounds like a way to make trap more attractive to my previous group of skeet shooters. If I was on a good run, it was normal to hear two or three people chanting miss as the target was thrown. And if someone missed a chorus of quacking often broke out. If you missed low 7, "beer" was the usual chant. Of course it was all in fun, and some good scores were recorded..
 
Skrap is usually trap targets shot from the skeet stations on a combined field, as such you start 27 yrds behind the trap, then move back in 5yrd increments. You are allowed 1 box of shells, 5 attempts per station and it is a last man standing game. we have 3 shooters at our club that usually will end back 50yrds from the trap.
 
We use Skrap to break up the monotony of shooting the Skeet & Trap. It takes out of the rigid displine, from Station #1 a hard left target requires about 9' of lead to hit. Keeps life interesting around the club.
 
The usual suspects at our club, as I said, usually finish off somewhere around 50yrds behind the trap. After we shoot the 7 stations, we move back 5yrds and work our way back to station #4, at that point, due to field layout, we move up a road behind station#4 in 5 yrd increments until the last shot is fired. The parking lot is 55 yrds behing the trap house on that road, the odd game has ended in the parking lot. I shoot 1oz loads of #8, typically they leave me around the 35 or 40yrd mark. if you look at the second photo of the club, you see the road and field I'm refering to.

h ttp://www.monctongunclub.com/photo_gallery/photo_gallery.htm
 
Sadly it sounds like this game you are describing violates your CFO range template and would get you in trouble if the CFO knew about it.
 
Not without seeing their range template, no. I really don't know much about them, but I think they describe the range layout, firing positions, firing directions, backstop / shot fall, and firearms / calibers permitted. I'm not saying don't do it, but as a general rule it's a good idea to check your range template before you do anything outside the norm that the CFO would have been briefed on and approved.
 
adamg said:
Not without seeing their range template, no. I really don't know much about them, but I think they describe the range layout, firing positions, firing directions, backstop / shot fall, and firearms / calibers permitted. I'm not saying don't do it, but as a general rule it's a good idea to check your range template before you do anything outside the norm that the CFO would have been briefed on and approved.
Click to expand...

I don't see how it would fall outside the template when it is shot from the same stations, the guns and loads remain the same but the only difference lies in the order of shooting? Target angles do not change, shot fallout doesn't change nor does the gun/load combination. It would be no different than having one person shooting practice. Step onto the station, take their five shots and rotate right to the next station. The only difference they are describing here instead of the other 4 shooters being on the other 4 stations each taking a shot in turn until their 5 shots are completed before rotating right to the next station the other 4 shooters are awaiting their turn behind the first shooter with empty guns as they do on the skeet field. I don't see a template issue whatsoever? When I was on the exectutive of a club years back and dealing with the CFO order of shooters was never discussed. Only shot fallout distances from station to station and field placement & alignment were the template.
 
the spank said:
I don't see how it would fall outside the template when it is shot from the same stations, the guns and loads remain the same but the only difference lies in the order of shooting? Target angles do not change, shot fallout doesn't change nor does the gun/load combination. It would be no different than having one person shooting practice. Step onto the station, take their five shots and rotate right to the next station. The only difference they are describing here instead of the other 4 shooters being on the other 4 stations each taking a shot in turn until their 5 shots are completed before rotating right to the next station the other 4 shooters are awaiting their turn behind the first shooter with empty guns as they do on the skeet field. I don't see a template issue whatsoever? When I was on the exectutive of a club years back and dealing with the CFO order of shooters was never discussed. Only shot fallout distances from station to station and field placement & alignment were the template.
Click to expand...


One person did imply that they were shooting from a road and even the parking lot, both of which would likely not be part of the actual fields. In that case, if there was an incident, and someone involved was shooting from outside of the actual field, the CFO could raise a stink.
 
The road is an access path to that particular field, the edge of the parking lot is 35 yards behind station#4, we set-up our Make-a-Break on the same spot and this is the only field we can use for this purpose. So far as calibers go, none are permitted, non-registered shotguns with shot size smaller than #7.5 only.

Yesterday, I ended at 35yrd behind the trap, the game was won at 40yrds.
 
Last edited:
stubblejumper said:
One person did imply that they were shooting from a road and even the parking lot, both of which would likely not be part of the actual fields. In that case, if there was an incident, and someone involved was shooting from outside of the actual field, the CFO could raise a stink.
Click to expand...

Yes I missed that and absolutely I can tell you from my dealings with CFO's you could have a real #### storm on your hands by shooting from positions off the actual field layout if you were ever seen or especially had an incident. Doing so is putting the clubs range approval at risk and setting your executive and club up to possibly not have insurance coverage if ever you had an accident. Adamg raises a valid point now that I see what he was referring to by the template, no social engineering there IMO, just common sense and a valid concern. Chilly's version would not be an issue being shot from the approved stations.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom