First time trap shooting in decades

4

4V50 Gary

Staff
I'm enrolled in a NRA Instructor class next week that requires all prospective instructors to shoot a score of twelve out of twenty-five. Anyway, I haven't shot trap for decades and didn't remember anything except that you have to lead the bird.

Being bright, I brought along a Win 101 that was never shot. Didn't know if it fired the upper or lower barrel first. I shouldered it and realized that I can't look down the rib because of the high comb. The front bead can be seen, but not the rear bead. First bird and it was on safe. Guffaws in the background. Couldn't see the markings since aged eyes need reading glasses. OK, disengaged the safety and called, "Pull!" Another bird comes out and click! Guess the first shot is from the lower barrel and not the upper. Unintelligible mumblings are heard from the spectators. OK, let's try a third time but with the shell in the lower chamber. Boom! Unmolested by any shot, the bird sailed safely through the air. I can't find a foxhole to jump into to hide myself. Furthermore, I found the recoil jarring the shoulder. What's going on? Even my center fire rifles doesn't kick that much. In the old days I used a Rem 870 and had no problems with it. The other unsatisfactory thing is the recoil on the cheekpiece from leaning my head down (like a rifle). It's the only way I can see the bead with that comb. The embarrassment continues for the remainder of round and every now and then one of my birds break. By the end of the round, yours truly has the lowest score in the group with a marginal fourteen. Our rangemaster and former classmate congratulates me anyway for qualifying. While embarrassing, what a relief that was.

I paid for a second round. It was with a different group of shooters this time. The recoil and jar to the cheek were still there but by the end, twenty-two out of twenty-five were hit. Not sure why there was a twenty-eight percent improvement in score but I was happy. Anyway, it was time to let other folks shoot and I spent the rest of the evening talking with our repair instructor.

I need to make a new stock for it.
 
you went from 56 pecent hits to 88 percent hits in two rounds, thats not to shabby. i know men who would like to shoot 88 pecent at trap and don,t be to quick to change your shotguns stock on till you can talk to a pro trap shooter and see what needs to be done so the shotgun fits you, a morgen adjustable pad may be all thats needed. a high comb should help a gun used for trap. eastbank.
 
Win 101

Gary,
Is your 101 an oldie, or one of the new production guns?

The old 101's have a well deserved reputation for felt recoil. I owned one for a few months before I moved on to something else.

Did a lot of reading as to why they kick, I found the most consensus being the pitch of the stock.

The old 101's are great guns, just thought I would post this as you plan your restocking.
 
Gary, going from a 14 to a 22 in two rounds, you should be congratulated. The old Japanese 101's were good guns, but also pretty light for using as a target gun. With the dramatic improvement, you stock can't be that far off. And when it gets right down to it, 12 gauge shotguns kick pretty good compared to a rifle. Look for some one ounce trap loads and do some more shooting. It takes awhile for your shoulder to toughen up a little. It's good to see somebody getting back into the game.
 
Ricklin - my 101 is from Japan and is at least twenty years old.

340 Weatherby - Concerning the kick, I was trained to shoot 00 Buck and slugs and never had a problem. That's why the kick with #8 surprised me. It has to be the stock and I need to make one that will fit me.
 
I did the same thing a few years ago. Showed up with my duck gun and shot a 23 and a 24. I'm not wild about trap. I find it the easiest discipline to get a decent score - even a 25. But serious trap requires a huge amount of mental discipline. You have to be able to maintain the concentration over very long runs to do really well. One 25 is literally a drop in the bucket. It's too much like work to me. Like when I played golf, I would shoot in the 80s okay, and people would say "you need to work on such and such". Ain't gonna happen, because I am not going to work on it.
Skeet, Sporting, and pipeline clays with my electric thrower are just fun to shoot for me. Not as much fun when it's 99 degrees and 98% humidity, so I don't shoot as much.
 
Most of the Win 101's have a lot of drop at the comb and the heel...and it sounds like the gun doesn't "fit" you as its currently configured.

If the gun is beating up your face...then its probably the angled comb that is pushing the meat in your face against your cheek bone...vs recoiling back and sliding under the cheek bone. If the stock dimensions are causing the gun to recoil directly into the cheek bone...it gets painful in a hurry !

If the gun is jarring your shoulder ....its an indication the length of pull is too short - and as you're making your move to a bird ...you're pushing the gun away from your shoulder and then its smacking you as it recoils. The gun needs to stay firm on your shoulder as you execute the shot and follow thru. It can also mean you need some work on the "mount"...and getting back into shooting on a more regular basis, may clean some of that up for you.

So what's causing this ....hard to tell unless one of us was really watching you shoot in person.

Scores of 14 to 22 ...is one thing / so maybe its just the mount and the mechanics of your fundamentals.../ but guns with short length of pulls or a lot of drop at comb and heel ...beat the daylights out of me as well. "Fit" is critical on a shotgun ...to shoot consistent scores.
 
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Reviewing all of the suggestions others have made, you may wish to consider:

1. An inexpensive way to lengthen your stock would be a butt stock spacer of up to 1". http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...rs/hard-rubber-buttstock-spacer-prod9650.aspx

2. If you believe the pitch needs to be changed, you might want to try a pitch spacer before cutting your stock. http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...-spacers/buttstock-pitch-spacer-prod7398.aspx

3. To experiment with raising your comb, try a cheek-eeze (or moleskin from WalMart). http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...ieces-amp-palm-swells/cheek-eez-prod7404.aspx

4. This may not directly cause kicking your cheek, but you say the gun is over 20 years old. How old and thick is your butt pad?
 
I have shot trap, skeet, and sporting clays with both a rented expensive over/under, and with my Rem 1100. I am an amateur at these sports, but still shot fairly well, to my gratification. However, the experiences have convinced me that I find the recoil of the gas-operated semiauto to be much more tolerable than with the O/U. So, you might want to try one; you will like it, if recoil is an issue for you.
 
You might try the lower recoil ammo that a lot of shotgun competitors are using with excellent effect, these days.
Some are about the same as a 20 gauge load and there are some that simulate even the 28 gauge.
All out of a regular ole' 12 gauge.
The "powerfactorshow", with links right here in the competition section, has had a lot of discussion on shotgunning and ammo lately.
If you haven't, check it out.
 
3/4 oz of shot .... 8's or 9's ....at 1200 fps...is plenty for Trap singles in a 12ga at the 16 yard line ( although I shoot more 7/8 oz or 1 oz loads in the 12ga most of the time just to keep my reloads consistent - and I don't have to worry about what the shells are when I have 6 or 8 shells left in my vest, I just drop them in the box with the rest).

Some find that the less recoil ...the more they are able to concentrate and keep their mental game sharp...and their score averages actually go up.

I'm not a big time Trap shooter.../ but averages between 22 and 24 ( 88 - 96 out of 100 ) are decent scores for casual shooters / just going out and having some fun. Even if you set a goal of 90 / but no one score below a 22...is not a bad day, in my view ....
 
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