Starting out in 5 stand, trap, sporting clays

beltfed

beltfed

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Calgary
OK, looking to start out in the world of sporting clays and a total noob in this respect.
I'm a lefty and suffer crappy firearms poorly.
I'm fairly competitive and don't like doing stuff that I suck at, so if I do this I want to be at least half-as$ed decent at it.

Who has sage words of advice for getting into this aspect of shooting sports and where to go in and around the Calgary area?
 
You can try Silverwillow out at Carstairs they have a 5 stand set up and a couple of sporting clay fields set up. They have instructors and also rent shot guns there so you can try a few different ones out before buying.
 
Look for a left-handed semi, probably the easiest way to start on the right foot (pun intended).

Then, and this is the most devious step, I want you to cheat. And by cheat, I mean get professional instruction.
 
Many of todays auto-loaders, like Beretta, Browning, Benelli & Winchester for example, come with a set of shims
to assist in gun fitting ... for drop at heel/comb and cast-off (for "righties") cast-on (for 'lefties")

A decent auto-loading target gun is generally less than half the price of an over/under. You'll see a great many
Beretta 390's, 391' and lately, A400's, at every major Sporting Clays shoot, with a smattering of other makes.
Not at all hard for lefties to shoot auto-loaders with the loading/ejection port on the right side.

And yes, by all means, get some good qualified coaching.
 
I'm a lefty. I had Beretta A400. Awesome gun. Shot it a handful of times before selling it. (Used funds toward my Beretta 686)
The A400 auto had shims to make it a lefty gun. RH eject was not a problem. My Benelli also came with shims.
I ordered a left handed Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon. As they only come in RH the gun needed to go back to the factory for a new butt stock.
(You'd think Beretta would keep a supply of lefty 686's, huh?).
DON'T settle for a cast-off RH gun. Get one that fits well. That alone will improve you greatly.

Also, practice with a tighter (full) choke. You'll be able to read your 'break' better when you hit it.

My best advise would be to pay for a lesson, or two. I've seen every YouTube video and read every book about trap shooting but nothing compares to a lesson from a certified pro. Then, buy a few flats of #7.5 and shoot as much as possible.
The better you get, the more you enjoy it..... and vice versa.

Although I am still not a great shot I enjoy it very much and improve every time.
 
Silver Willow currently has a professional gun fitter and coach available (dude is from Great Britain and highly recommended as far i have heard)
His name is Andrew something....
 
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