Decent trap gun for $600 or less

Some clubs might call the game Continental Trap vs International trap ..../ or maybe its a west coast vs east coast thing...not really sure. But in Continental ( the term I'm used to ) ....machines wobbles up and down as well as cycle from right to left....and its a little smaller bird ...than conventional Trap singles from the 16 yd line ...and speed is quite a bit faster than a typical Trap single bird.

And I'm not trying to correct my friend zippy ...vs just saying, in my area of the US, we refer to that game as Continental Trap ...and I'm not a big Trap shooter ...but to my knowledge, they are the same game ...shot from the 17 yd line...where you get one bird ...but you can load 2 shells.../ and like zippy said, its a dead bird whether its killed with the first or 2nd shell.

I find standard Trap singles ...or Doubles ...pretty boring .../ if I'm going to shoot Trap, I'd much rather shoot Continental Trap - but shooting it with a pump gun, would be a distinct dis-advantage vs an O/U or Semi-Auto.
 
Bunker, aka International trap has 15 machines, 3 per station set to a specific trajectory to make sure everyone gets the exact same targets from each station - the chore becomes trying to remember which one you had at each station as you only shoot one target before changing - which is why a bunker squad is 6 folks, one standing behind station one to keep the squad moving, and yes you do take two shots at the targets as they are moving 50% faster and further than standard American trap targets
 
Jim, my friend, I was talking about International aka Bunker aka Olympic Trap. It requires a bunker/trench with 15 trap machines. They are expensive to build and fairly rare in the US. Sometimes wobble traps are used as an alternative.
 
Sounds like I need to find out if he only plans on shooting single birds.

He mentioned/really likes single shots, but then would be limited if he shot doubles or sporting clays/skeet.
 
The wife and I got into shooting trap a few years ago. I bought us both an 870 TB on Gunbroker at a very reasonable cost. Most shooters at the range seem to prefer semiautomatics and over unders. The 870 will still stay up with any of them. For whatever reason my old fixed choke 870TB seems to have more range than the more modern screw in choke guns. Shooting an Aunty Oaklie I can break birds almost in the grass.

I also like the way the 870 TB functions. Drop a shell in the open chamber, and shut the slide when ready to shoot. After firing jack the shell out in your hand and put it in your shell bag.

The wifes is a 28" with a Montecarlo butt stock. Mine is a 30" with a field butt stock. I have no desire for anything else, the 870 works fine for me.

Bob
 
I've only seen a couple of clubs with a bunker trap setup ...forgot all about that side of the game ...thanks zippy...
 
Trap

they are moving 50% faster and further than standard American trap targets
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and they are smaller and made of a harder compound.
I was told (there is a bunker facility at my club in PA) that in ATA trap singles the shooter cusses when he misses one; in Bunker, the shooter is happy when he hits one.
Haven't tried it yet.
Guns - a used Mossberg and a 30" FC barrel bought from Numrich Arms. Works just fine for singles for not a big outlay of cash.
Pete
 
Baikal MP153 with a 28" barrel...

But... I've only shot clays a few times and suck at it. Also, I'm a cheapskate. At any rate, mine seems to do just fine with no hiccups so far.:D
 
When I use my Rem 1100 (semi auto) I have a little clip that I put on the ejection port that stops shells from hitting the person to my right.
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FYI: Typically, the clips are used by Skeet shooters who reload. The main reason for the clip is to catch your hulls -- it saves you from ground harvesting (prohibited at some clubs). However, the clips essentially turn your semi-auto into a single shot and they are removed when shooting doubles.

The Remington 1100 Trap models have a special feature (a small stud) in the back of the barrel's tang that interrupts the ejector (trap models are designed for shooting singles). One of my trap barrels has been a cut down for Skeet and I removed the barrel stud (so it can shoot doubles).

If you've got an autoloader, something as simple as a rubber band can be used to prevent ejection. And, it won't scratch your gun like some of the clips. Put the band just forward of the bolt handle and it will arrest your hulls (in trap, this is very useful if someone the size of BigJim is shooting to your right and you want to avoid any hard feelings). For shooting doubles, just move the band forward of the ejection port.
 
and they are smaller and made of a harder compound.
I was told (there is a bunker facility at my club in PA) that in ATA trap singles the shooter cusses when he misses one; in Bunker, the shooter is happy when he hits one.
Haven't tried it yet.
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Pretty much - we have a bunker in Gainesville that they open once per week, maybe.....only one of about 25 or so around the country - hard to get American trap shooters to do it; mostly it is us Sporting Clays folks (who are used to getting out butts kicked by hard targets) that will give it a go.....:D
 
and made of a harder compound
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When you watch promotional shooters' videos and all their targets explode in great puffs of smoke, you don't really think they are the same targets you'll get at your local T & S club, do you? Something that's often overlooked: Not all targets are created equal.

There's a lot of variety in targets and not much control. All the NSSA rules say is: Standard targets of good quality measuring no more 4-5/16 inches in diameter nor more than 1-1/8 inches in height shall be used. To the same dimensions, the ATA rules address weight: A target shall not weigh less than 95 grams or more than 105 grams with an allowable variation of plus or minus 5 grams per target lot. There's nothing in the rules about how easily the targets break, but I'm not familiar with Olympic specifications. Typically, the target manufacturers try to make targets just strong enough so they will survive transportation and reasonable handling. Obviously, shooters will prefer the targets that are the easiest to see and break.

If you've been around shooting for a while, you know about special targets. At one club I shoot at, they throw in one odd colored target for each squad. If you're lucky enough to get the odd target, and break it, you win a free round. A lot of shooters see the odd color, get excited, and miss.

There are also gag targets, they are on par with dropping a black powder load in your buddy's shell bag. With a tagboard disc bottom, you can secret all sorts of surprises in the cavity of a standard target. Confetti filled targets are an old standard. One old boy at our club used to say "just feathers" every time he had a close miss. One day, he got a target that was literally full of feathers.
 
More about bunker

I found a good link for any one reading this thread who is interested in Bunker/international/Olymoic Trap.http://www.bunkershooting.com/tyro.html

One additional idea not mentioned yet about International Trap is the load allowed. ATA trap is commonly shot with 1 1/8oz loads. Bunker is limited - at least in competition - to 7/8ths of an ounce (24 grams). I have been loading 7/8ths for my ATA shooting and haven't noticed any difference in my scores.
Pete
 
For Trap singles ( from 16 - 20 yard lines)....and 1oz of 8's as my primary load at 1225 fps ..I use a Modified choke exclusively. ( at 21 - 24 yds I'd go Improved Mod / and 25 - 27 yds I'd go to a Full choke)...and always the same shell.

If I shoot Continental Trap....I will go with the same shell ...but a Modified in the bottom barrel ( I fire it first always ) ...and an Improved Modified in the top barrel ( same shell in both barrels).

For Skeet....I shoot Skeet chokes in both barrels / same shell in a 12ga in both barrels.

For Sporting Clays...it depends on the station and the course / they're all different ...same shell in both barrels in a 12ga ( 1 oz of 8's at 1225 fps ).
 
All of my guns have changeable screw in chokes....but not all shotguns do. Browning first started putting changeable screw in chokes ..in some models in about 1983 ...and by the late 80's, I think all of their guns had them installed.

Most all of the 'tactical shotguns' - have fixed open, cyclinder chokes.

There are still quite a few guns made in the 70's and early 80's out there ...with fixed chokes...where shooters only use them for one game.

I can't think of a gun made today - by companies like
Browning or Beretta - that do not have changeable screw in chokes...but if you buy used, I'd make it a criteria that they have screw in chokes. They can be put in / aftermarket / but I think its better if you buy a gun with them as factory OEM equipment.

Screw in changeable chokes ...really make it possible to have one gun ....shoot all the clay games from Skeet to sporting clays ...and hunt upland birds with it ...and waterfowl with it... and with a 28" or 30" barrel do most everything really well. They are not universal in all guns either...each mfg has their own thread pattern and design ...so a choke from a Browning will not fit into a Beretta as an example. There are also choke systems in older guns ..like Browning ...where they had the Invector screw in chokes ...and they are not compatible with the newer Invector Plus choke system that came out when Browning started back boring barrels in the late 80's I think...

But yes, all of my 12ga, 20ga's, 28 ga's and .410's all have changeable screw in chokes...so they're more versatile.
 
One of my clubs does the odd-colored target too. If you hit it, you get a card for a free round to be used in the future, not on the same day. My wife and I have about 10 cards here to redeem.

Try knocking the center out of one and then have it thrown, tell me what you think. I had a guy do this to me one day, it as a challenge!
 
One additional idea not mentioned yet about International Trap is the load allowed. ATA trap is commonly shot with 1 1/8oz loads. Bunker is limited - at least in competition - to 7/8ths of an ounce (24 grams). I have been loading 7/8ths for my ATA shooting and haven't noticed any difference in my scores.
Pete
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The International community when the payloads were reduced from 28 to 24 grams, yet they found that the scores went UP as fatigue from recoil was less
 
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