I'll ask you experts, I am itching to buy a nice o/u to play with at a range. Trap I prefer, but don't want to buy more than one. If I buy a skeet gun with detachable chokes tubes and get a modified or full tube would the gun work well for trap and maybe sporting clays?
Trap gun vs skeet gun
- Thread starter martinbns
- Start date
IMO sporting clays is best done with a hunting gun, but I do see many skeet guns on the field.
I am no expert by any means but my thoughts would be, that you could do fine shooting trap with a skeet gun, but skeet with a trap gun maybe a little tougher.
I am no expert by any means but my thoughts would be, that you could do fine shooting trap with a skeet gun, but skeet with a trap gun maybe a little tougher.
The short answer is to get a sporting clays gun with choke tubes and use it for all the games.
The longer answer is American trap guns are set up to shoot rising birds which means they shoot high to provide some built in lead. This way your barrels never occlude your view of the target. They are often heavier with more weight forward and longer barrels to prevent over swinging a target. They are purpose built to one specific style of targets.
Skeet guns are generally shorter, flat shooting and more neutrally balanced to manage the quicker closer crossing targets of skeet. Often they come with fixed skeet chokes.
Sporting clays guns are like skeet guns although often longer to manage targets of all directions, behaviors and descriptions. Flat shooting, neutral balance and choke tubes.
Years ago I shot two very different guns. One for skeet/sporting and a dedicated trap gun. When the trap gun had to go away for a rebuild I shot my sporting gun for everything. My trap scores initially dropped but eventually came back but in the meantime my sporting and skeet scores went up.
Pick up a few different guns and find out what feels best to you. Borrow a few guns at the club if you can. I'd suggest starting with a 32" o/u in a sporting configuration with choke tubes as the best compromise between a skeet and trap gun.
The longer answer is American trap guns are set up to shoot rising birds which means they shoot high to provide some built in lead. This way your barrels never occlude your view of the target. They are often heavier with more weight forward and longer barrels to prevent over swinging a target. They are purpose built to one specific style of targets.
Skeet guns are generally shorter, flat shooting and more neutrally balanced to manage the quicker closer crossing targets of skeet. Often they come with fixed skeet chokes.
Sporting clays guns are like skeet guns although often longer to manage targets of all directions, behaviors and descriptions. Flat shooting, neutral balance and choke tubes.
Years ago I shot two very different guns. One for skeet/sporting and a dedicated trap gun. When the trap gun had to go away for a rebuild I shot my sporting gun for everything. My trap scores initially dropped but eventually came back but in the meantime my sporting and skeet scores went up.
Pick up a few different guns and find out what feels best to you. Borrow a few guns at the club if you can. I'd suggest starting with a 32" o/u in a sporting configuration with choke tubes as the best compromise between a skeet and trap gun.
NorthernPF
Regular
- Location
- Ramore, Ontario
I've never tried skeet shooting but I use my Synthetic 870 to shoot trap. I'd rather shoot trap with the same gun that I'll be using in the field.
I'm probably even less of an expert than anyone else here. But I'm shooting skeet with my trap gun (Citori with 28 inch barrel.). The gun shoots high for trap as has been previously mentioned about trap guns. All I've done is put my improved cylinder chokes in and used 1 oz loads and a spreader wad until my skeet tubes come. (Probably don't need the spreader wad.) So far I haven't felt bad using it, maybe some trouble getting the lead on stations 3 and 4, but it is too early in the game to be really sure about this and I do get my share. I am starting to get some good scores (anything above 20). Next gun I want to get is a 20 ga o/u and dedicate it for skeet. When I get better I might even get a sleeve for 410. Whatever happens it looks like I want a flatter shooting gun for skeet, judging from what is described here. I wonder if the 20 is used much for sporting clays? The idea of getting a sporting gun for shooting both is starting to make real sense now the idea has been brought it up.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
I use a 20 gauge for trapm and skeet these days, and a 28 as well, simply because they are so much fun and I am not competing, but practicing for bird season.
I don't shoot a 12 gauge anymore because my shoulder won't take the pounding...
Cat
I don't shoot a 12 gauge anymore because my shoulder won't take the pounding...
Cat
Yes, that is one reason I have been thinking about the 20. It would be nice to reduce recoil. My shoulder is holding up so far, but we are only shooting 75 to 100 rounds in practice. I can still load down a bit, but there are tales of 300 and 400 rounds being shot in matches held close to here. I also have the belief, based on little experience, that the 20 should have a decent pattern for skeet. What is one shooting at, 20 to 24 yards? I have had some trouble, however, in finding a pattern without some clay sized holes at 36 yards using 1 ounce with my 12 ga, even with #8. Interesting about the 28 ga. I had forgotten about that particular gun, probably because I have no experience with it. So many guns, so little time...
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Both my buddy and I can let the low house 7 get almost on the ground with our 20's before we shoot them, Fred!
They really do carry a lot farther than most people realize.
Cat
They really do carry a lot farther than most people realize.
Cat
If you're getting clay sized holes in your pattern at 36 yards tighten your choke.
If the 12 hurts your shoulder start reloading 7/8 ounce. I shot 400 over two days this weekend and my shoulder is just fine.
If your shoulder is still hurting skip the 20 gauge and go directly to the 28 gauge.
If the 12 hurts your shoulder start reloading 7/8 ounce. I shot 400 over two days this weekend and my shoulder is just fine.
If your shoulder is still hurting skip the 20 gauge and go directly to the 28 gauge.
I think it might be a good idea to move to 1 oz loads using full choke, especially for practice and the 16 yard line. They do pattern well at 36 yards in my shotgun. Have to shoot off my 3DE 1 1/8 oz stuff first though. Kind of a case of "waste not want not" type of thing. Then there is the 27 yard line. Right now I probably (OK, I do...) belong on the 16. Fair is fair, however, and I still have to go back and shoot with the big dogs at 27. It seems impossible to hit anything from back there without 1 1/8 ounce and 7 1/2 moving pretty good. So far, it is where the full choke and heavier loads really come into play with my shotgun. One thing that occurs to me about the 1 oz or lighter loads is that it might help refine my aiming a bit. Right now in trap I am still learning which part of the bird to look at after I see it leave the house. I'm trying to take them early and trying to teach myself to look at the bird on the side it is heading toward while doing so. For example, if it comes out to the right I am trying to look at the right side of the bird. I think the 1 1/8 oz loads pick up the odd bird when my visualizing fails. Having a lighter load will probably force me to work a bit harder at it.
) belong on the 16. Fair is fair, however, and I still have to go back and shoot with the big dogs at 27. It seems impossible to hit anything from back there without 1 1/8 ounce and 7 1/2 moving pretty good. So far, it is where the full choke and heavier loads really come into play with my shotgun. One thing that occurs to me about the 1 oz or lighter loads is that it might help refine my aiming a bit. Right now in trap I am still learning which part of the bird to look at after I see it leave the house. I'm trying to take them early and trying to teach myself to look at the bird on the side it is heading toward while doing so. For example, if it comes out to the right I am trying to look at the right side of the bird. I think the 1 1/8 oz loads pick up the odd bird when my visualizing fails. Having a lighter load will probably force me to work a bit harder at it.
