Tried Trap yesterday for the first time

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jonas111

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I didn't really keep track of how many hits I made because I was more interested in learning the technique. I can tell you this, I missed more then I hit and the gun I was shooting didn't fit me properly. Either that or my jacket wouldn't allow the gun to sit properly in my shoulder. I can barely move my arm today. My bicep took most of the recoil somehow.

I will be wearing a different jacket next time I go and hopefully that helps a bit.

Any tips on how to shoot better?

I think the recoil was getting to me the second round. I started off really well then I could feel my bicep starting to ache so I started to flinch a bit and lifted my head.

Looking forward to second try.
 
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jonas111 said:
I didn't really keep track of how many hits I made because I was more interested in learning the technique. I can tell you this, I missed more then I hit and the gun I was shooting didn't fit me properly. Either that or my jacket wouldn't allow the gun to sit properly in my shoulder. I can barely move my arm today. My bicep took most of the recoil somehow.

I will be wearing a different jacket next time I go and hopefully that helps a bit.

Any tips on how to shoot better?

I think the recoil was getting to me the second round. I started off really well then I could feel my bicep starting to ache so I started to flinch a bit and lifted my head.

Looking forward to second try.
Click to expand...

From my experience(4-5 months worth), your technique is more important than the "fit" of the gun. Learn to mount the gun properly and practice as often as possible(at home); IMO, the most important thing is a proper cheek weld. Also try not to use the bead(s) on the barrel; get a good cheek weld on the stock and keep your eyes on the bird. Swing where you feel the bird should be and pull the trigger.

What gun/ammo are you using?
 
I have two O/U guns but they are not trap guns. One has a 28" barrel and the other has a 26" barrel. One is a Winchester and the other is a Beretta BL-4. I have a Benelli Supersport on its way to me right now but haven't received it yet. I will most likely be shooting the Benelli once it arrives.

How do you practice at home?
 
jonas111 said:
I have two O/U guns but they are not trap guns. One has a 28" barrel and the other has a 26" barrel. One is a Winchester and the other is a Beretta BL-4. I have a Benelli Supersport on its way to me right now but haven't received it yet. I will most likely be shooting the Benelli once it arrives.

How do you practice at home?
Click to expand...

Don't be under the impression you need a "clay sports gun" to shoot well. I learned to shoot trap with a H&R single shot 12ga; it weighed 5lbs and kicked like a SOB. I was able to shoot 17-19s with it before moving to a better gun. Proper technique will take you much farther than any gun will.

My practice routine consists of mounting the gun(unloaded of course) and swinging to random points on the ceiling/wall(lightswitch/door hinge/lamps/etc). You should be learning to mount the gun properly, maintain a proper/consistent cheek weld, swing the gun smoothly with proper follow-through at home. You're just wasting time/ammo and frustrating yourself by practicing these things at the range.
 
The gun mounted good and my cheek was tight to the butt and it was perfect looking down the barrel. I think the problem was my jacket was too tight. It was quite cold yesterday out and I didn't notice until it was too late.

Good advice. Thanks
 
If your bicep is sore, I suspect the gun was not in your shoulder pocket, but rather out on your arm. Some of us don't really have a shoulder pocket as there is too much meat in the way (LOL). I tend to move the gun closer to my neck as opposed to out onto my shoulder. Pull the butt in nice and snug and push your chin slightly forward. The idea of this is to keep your eyes level. You don't want to be looking out of the tops of your eyes.

It is also extremely important that you place your cheek in the same place each time on the stock. You need to do a quick check to make sure that the same sight picture is achieved each time. If you move your face forward or backward on the stock then the gun will shoot in a different place, especially at trap.

As stated above, any gun will work, pick the one that feels the most comfortable in your hands and on your shoulder. You will probably shoot it best regardless of barrel length.
 
Jonas111 Google trap shooting instruction.There is a wealth of information regarding hold points etc. and this may help you.Take whatever shotgun you feel most comfortable with and a wack of ammunition and have fun.Ask at your club if there are any members that might be able to instruct/help you. Most shooters are more than willing to help out a new shooter. Welcome to the madness !! Cheers Bac4
 
It is madness, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop buying guns either.

My wife is going to kill me over this sport. With any luck I can get her to shoot a few.
 
One of the older trap shooters let me shoot his Trap gun today and I got my first 25 for 25. I was pretty happy with that. Made a significant difference using his gun over mine.

After all the excitement I ended up buying his gun. I now have Beretta 682 E Gold with a 34" single and 32" double. I get it Wednesday.
 
digitalblue said:
From my experience(4-5 months worth), your technique is more important than the "fit" of the gun. Learn to mount the gun properly and practice as often as possible(at home); IMO, the most important thing is a proper cheek weld. Also try not to use the bead(s) on the barrel; get a good cheek weld on the stock and keep your eyes on the bird. Swing where you feel the bird should be and pull the trigger.

What gun/ammo are you using?
Click to expand...

Your "technique" means nothing if the gun doesn't fit you properly. How do you get "proper cheek weld" if the gun doesn't fit you properly. Gun fit is everything. Find a gun that fits you properly then worry about your "technique".
 
jonas111 said:
One of the older trap shooters let me shoot his Trap gun today and I got my first 25 for 25. I was pretty happy with that. Made a significant difference using his gun over mine.

After all the excitement I ended up buying his gun. I now have Beretta 682 E Gold with a 34" single and 32" double. I get it Wednesday.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the 25. You got there really fast.

Reading this post made me laugh. It's a running joke when someone tries out a gun and shoots it well that "the gun is now sold".

You have a pretty solid gun there. I hope you got a good price on it considering the excitement at the time.

Brad.
 
A wise old Trap shooter once said to me " never buy a gun that you first try and break 25 with because you will never do any better with it".
 
He liked one of my guns so we made a fair trade. I won't lose any money if I was to sell it.

I have been eye Balling his gun for a while before I asked him if he would sell. Just like any sport I know there will be good and bad days. One thing I know is I can trust my gun, the rest is up to me.
 
Read A Book

When I first got into trap, alot of people offered me advise on "Their" technique, which may or may not work fine. So I did some research on the internet and ordered a book by a trap shooter called Trap Shooting Secrets by James Russell. You can buy it direct off his website or through Chapters.

Anyway, 1st rate book, great technique, set the foundation for my trap shooting development.

My 2 cents.
 
Mount the gun to the pocket of the shoulder, if you are getting hit by recoil on the bicep you have the gun mounted in the wrong spot. I have observed newbies doing this so many times over the years at the club it always astounds me. Gun fit is in a word CRITICAL but everything else must come into play as well. I think much of what I have observed over they years just goes to having been taught how to shoot by people who don't know how to shoot. The basic fundamentals of gun mount, head position, foot and body stance are what is needed to get the game on track. Take the time and a few $$ and get your gun made to fit you by a competent gunsmith. The cost is not that much. Then go out and practice, but practice properly. Mount the gun in the correct position each and every time. Make sure your stance is proper and don't change it by moving around between shots. Make yourself a tree, stay rooted in the spot you are shooting from until you are finished all 5 on that station , if you must move for some reason then do not start shooting again until you have resumed a proper stance once again, then do the same at the next station and so on and so on. Watch the good shooters, watch the guys who win tournaments over and over and you will see a pattern emerge. They follow the same routine of basics and movements each and every time. It is that attention to basics that develops good scores and consistency. Good shooters are made....not born.
 
I learned to shoot sheet first, and it kinda buggered me up to shoot trap afterward. For skeet, i had to learn to pick my head up and sit the butt of the gun lower in my shoulder. For trap, i had to learn to get back down on it :) Also, the leads in trap are SMALL. like most of the time, you're shooting at the leading edge of the bird, unless it's going hard left from station 1 or hard right from 5.
 
the spank said:
Mount the gun to the pocket of the shoulder, if you are getting hit by recoil on the bicep you have the gun mounted in the wrong spot. I have observed newbies doing this so many times over the years at the club it always astounds me. Gun fit is in a word CRITICAL but everything else must come into play as well. I think much of what I have observed over they years just goes to having been taught how to shoot by people who don't know how to shoot. The basic fundamentals of gun mount, head position, foot and body stance are what is needed to get the game on track. Take the time and a few $$ and get your gun made to fit you by a competent gunsmith. The cost is not that much. Then go out and practice, but practice properly. Mount the gun in the correct position each and every time. Make sure your stance is proper and don't change it by moving around between shots. Make yourself a tree, stay rooted in the spot you are shooting from until you are finished all 5 on that station , if you must move for some reason then do not start shooting again until you have resumed a proper stance once again, then do the same at the next station and so on and so on. Watch the good shooters, watch the guys who win tournaments over and over and you will see a pattern emerge. They follow the same routine of basics and movements each and every time. It is that attention to basics that develops good scores and consistency. Good shooters are made....not born.
Click to expand...

I am a very technical person and purchased a sporting gun and tried to shoot trap with it. It was a very nice gun to start with but I soon realized the difference between a sporting gun and a trap gun. The sporting gun was much harder to get set before each shot. The trap gun I have shot a couple times was much easier to shoulder and get set the exact same place each time. It felt very comfortable right away.

I agree 100% on gunfit. I bought a book on gun fitting and I understand the importance of it now. I've also been lucky at my club to find some great instruction from some older guys that have shot nationally and represented Canada. My form still needs work but I am doing the right things.

Thanks for sharing
 
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