Type of shotgun for clay

rayzorloo

rayzorloo

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Hi folks, new at and want to try my hand at clay shooting. So I guess there is trap and skeet, I have read up the difference on both. My question here is actually about the shotgun I own. It's a pump, one of guys at range mentioned to me that a pump isn't the best for trap/skeet. But didn't have a chance to explain, can someone offer any insight as to why?

Thanks
 
A lot of guys at my club shoot skeet with pump guns. Some even use 20, 28 and .410 pump guns. Pumps may not be "the best" for trap or skeet but they do work. Go out and shoot what you have and decide after that.
 
Pump guns are not ideal for trap doubles and skeet pairs because they add an additional dimension to the second shot. If you are in a competitive situation they act as a handicap, because to be a champion at a major event you have to be capable of breaking them all. For the rest of us non-champion shooters, we just try to break the best score we can and the handicap of trying to stay in the gun and pump the second shot ... ugh. If you are new at the game, just shoot what you have and learn and enjoy the games. A different gun will come later.
 
There is also sporting clays, as well as trap and skeet. Pump guns actually work well for single trap, and an experienced shooter can do well at skeet and sporting clays with a pump, but they aren't the best choice to learn skeet or sporting clays. A new shooter to skeet or sporting clays has enough to try and concentrate on , without having to cycle the action quickly while shooting doubles. I would try trap with your gun and then try skeet as well. If you find skeet to be difficult with a pump, one of the regulars will usually loan you a semi auto or O/U to try, and for a new shooter, it can make the difference between fun and frustration.
 
maynard said:
Go out and shoot what you have and decide after that.
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:agree:

Run what ya brung for now. Don't be in a hurry to buy a new shotgun. See what other people are shooting. Try as many different ones as you can.

If you get serious about the games you might think about finding an instructor.
 
I shot both and trap and skeet years ago when I started out with an 870 Remington. For singles trap there is no disadvantage to shooting a pump and to be honest with you I have seen some good shooters shooting pumps on the skeet range. I shot with a fellow up until a few years ago who has never shot anything else. He owns an 870 TB with a skeet barrel and a trap barrel and has shot the same gun week in and week out for the 32 years I have known him. He is not a competitive shooter in that he shoots registered targets but he participates in every club event and he does very well, especially on skeet. I have never seen him lose a second target in a pair to the pumping of the gun. I have shot my Model 12's on both over the years as well including doubles trap. Yes it has a slight disadvantage in MY hands on doubles trap but for just going out and enjoying a day it is great. I enjoy the challenge of pumping them. For registered I shoot my O/U of course because it's quicker for the second shot and offers me a two choke option for the two targets being at varying distance. In short......go shoot your gun, ignore the "that's not the gun you should be using" guys. Most times they do more harm than good by discouraging newcomers. The idea is to have you coming back and enjoying yourself.
 
Ok thanks for all the posts/help. I'll shoot what I have for now, so just want to make sure if I am a newbie and don't want to be discouraged right off the bat, is trap the best way to go at first? Trap is the one where only one comes out and goes in one direction only right? And at what distance are you shooting from usually?

Thanks
 
rayzorloo said:
Ok thanks for all the posts/help. I'll shoot what I have for now, so just want to make sure if I am a newbie and don't want to be discouraged right off the bat, is trap the best way to go at first? Trap is the one where only one comes out and goes in one direction only right? And at what distance are you shooting from usually?

Thanks
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Yes. I believe trap is the best game to start with. It will be easier to shoot with a pump and there is less going on during the typical round. You will be 16 yards behind the trap house and the targets are going away. Most often targets are shot in the 35-40 yard range.

If you've never shot it before then ask someone to walk you through the process. It's not difficult but there is a set routine shooting trap that you will need to learn.
 
One other thing to add- I'd avoid starting with handicap target loads. I see a few new people at the club come in with the full 1 1/8oz 3dr loads (or more!?!) for the clays and you just don't need it. Shoot a regular or even light target load (1 1/8 and 2 3/4 dr or 1oz 2 3/4dr) and an IM choke on the 16 yard line and you should have more than enough to dust anything in front of you. The big target loads just beat you up more than you need to and you can develop bad habits like flinching.

Shoot a few flats of shells and you will start gaining an understanding of what works for you and you will have a much better idea of what to "upgrade" to in the future- if you even need to. IMHO you are much better off spending money on clays and shells than a new gun.
 
Ok thanks cartwheel, I have some 2&3/4, 1oz, 7 shot on hand so when my range opens the stand in spring I'll try my target loads. Thanks again!
 
cartwheel said:
One other thing to add- I'd avoid starting with handicap target loads. I see a few new people at the club come in with the full 1 1/8oz 3dr loads (or more!?!) for the clays and you just don't need it. Shoot a regular or even light target load (1 1/8 and 2 3/4 dr or 1oz 2 3/4dr) and an IM choke on the 16 yard line and you should have more than enough to dust anything in front of you. The big target loads just beat you up more than you need to and you can develop bad habits like flinching.

Shoot a few flats of shells and you will start gaining an understanding of what works for you and you will have a much better idea of what to "upgrade" to in the future- if you even need to. IMHO you are much better off spending money on clays and shells than a new gun.
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Also very good advice.

For your first outing you will need ear and eye protection. It's also helpful to have a belt pouch or pockets to carry the shells in. Most clubs limit the shells to 2-3/4" 1-1/8 ounce 7.5 shot so don't bring larger shot or heavier shells. While a trap round is 25 shots make sure you have a few extra shells with you in case a target needs to be reshot or you drop a shell (if you do drop one leave it and pick it up after the round is over.)

Another thing to remember is that while you might be nervous or uncertain the first time every single one of our first day too. Don't worry about the misses. Enjoy the ones you hit.
 
I shot a pump for my first year of trap and it was no disadvantage except for doubles. There's some really good advise on this thread, try your hand at the clay game of your choice with your gun, be safe, have fun.
 
MD853 said:
I shot a pump for my first year of trap and it was no disadvantage except for doubles. There's some really good advise on this thread, try your hand at the clay game of your choice with your gun, be safe, have fun.
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Thanks MD853 and all that have shared some great advice.
 
Claybuster said:
:agree:

Run what ya brung for now. Don't be in a hurry to buy a new shotgun. See what other people are shooting. Try as many different ones as you can.

If you get serious about the games you might think about finding an instructor.
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Solid advice here..you'd expect as much from a guy with the handle Claybuster. If I could add..perhaps in the beginning go after skeet singles..and when shooting doubles get the puller to launch individually..the pause can be helpful particularly with a pump and will build confidence.

Don't do it for too long however!
 
smally21 said:
Solid advice here..you'd expect as much from a guy with the handle Claybuster. If I could add..perhaps in the beginning go after skeet singles..and when shooting doubles get the puller to launch individually..the pause can be helpful particularly with a pump and will build confidence.

Don't do it for too long however!
Click to expand...
Thanks Smally
 
Once one has got used to shooting a pump action, then the proclaimed disadvantage is a mute point. Back in 1994 when I first picked up shooting Skeet & Trap, I had a Remington 870 Wingmaster combo, 28" Round barrel fixed modifid choke/20" smoothbore slug barrel. I took up shooting Skeet with the 28" barrel, my mistake was listening to those who told I "needed" a better gun. After a couple of years of this I walked away from it. I shot the Wingmaster well. Over the years, I had a number of guns, a year ago I decided to get back into the game, what did I get, a new Benelli Nova 28" Black. I shouldered a number of guns, the Benelli fit me best, I shot that gun until October when I purchased a new O/U, my scores are just getting back to where they were before the switch. Is an O/U easier to shoot Skeet with, yes. Do you need to have one to shoot the game? Absolutely not, I miss shucking the Benelli and foresee another heading for the vault. In the 10 months I shot the Benelli, I short shucked it twice.
 
Hey, Maritime, maybe we can modify your forend on the O/U so you can shuck it! HA. OP... shoot what ya got, and shoot a lot. If you want to try skeet, it's a great idea to get the puller to give you the second bird "on report" as someone already mentioned. I find that newbees have the most trouble figuring the lead. It's longer than you think, especially from 3,4 and 5. That darned stn. 8 is probably the last one you'll figure out. Get all the players to stand behind you and stand off the pad so that you have more time for the shot.(between the pad and low house for the high bird and opposite for the low bird) Don't be afraid to experiment. A miss is a miss... you might as well miss in front of it. Shoot where the bird is gonna be... not where it was! Don't get upset if you miss most of them at first (or for a long while). You WILL figure it out. Be careful, pretty soon you'll be eyeing those O\U's!!... Good luck... C.
 
Skeeter, it really depends on the new shooter, a couple of weeks ago we hosted a new shooter at our club, the kid showed up with a full choke 20ga single shot. He was offered to try a number of different guns by the end of the day, however he came to shoot his gun and did so. His second round me managed 16/25 shooting singles, when he did try an O/U and Semi, the simutaneous doubles were of little issue. Not bad far as I was concerned for his second visit to a clay field in his life. Like most clubs, the seasoned shooters all offered him advice, at minimum I hoped he takes the advice I gave, come back and shoot some more. One of our policies at our club this year was made to seperate new & veteran shooters. The reason being, a new shooter is already fighting to figure the game, the veterans have shot for so long that it's second nature for them. What then happens is the veteran shooters, while trying to help and have good intentions, end up confusing the new shooters and intimidating them, and what thens ends up happening is the new shooter instead of taking up the sport, gives up on it. The policy goes that new shooters are not to shoot with the veterans for the first visit, and shouldn't shoot with them unless they request so, for the second in order to allow them to find their rhythm and comfort zone.
 
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