Sporting Clays & the Right Chokes

B

Boomer44

New member
I live in New York and I have been shooting Trap and Skeet for almost a year now... This spring I want to start shooting at some sporting Clay courses... I heard Dove Furnace and Mid Hudson Sporting Clays are two great places.

My question is what are the chokes of choice when shooting sporting clay ?
 
Depends on the course. But IC, Lite Modified, and Modified will get you thru most of them. You may run across a cylinder woods shot or an improved modified long pass, but they are pretty unusual anymore.
 
Most sporting courses allow you to see the birds and make choke changes for that station before shooting - take em all with you and a speed wrench.
 
On a sporting course...I always carry a pair of Skeet, pair of IC, pair of Mod and one Imp Mod and one Full choke.

The rules on sporting clays ...allow you to change your chokes before you step into the shooting station / but not between shots when you're in the station.

I usually start a course with an IC and Mod in my gun ....and 90% of the time, in a 12ga, with 1 oz of 8's ---- I will leave those chokes in the gun / but I may switch the barrel selector to choose the Mod first over the IC depending on the presentation.

You should pick your chokes...based on the kill range of the target...as well as whether you can see the belly or top of the target or just an edge. Size of target will make a difference too...or like a Rabbit target or whatever. I tighten up on a Rabbit target...they're a little tougher...so I go a little tighter on a Rabbit.
 
I follow your lead identically (BigJim). The only decision is which barrel first depending on the course. I tried switching chokes but it became too complex to keep up with.
 
Thanks guys for all the good info...In the spring I think I will start with a IC and LIM and just be ready to make any changes up or down as needed...:)
 
If its a tournament ...where a target or two really matters...I'm going to consider changing chokes on every station.

When I'm just out with the grandkids or my buddies having fun ....it doesn't matter that much.
 
When I first started shooting sporting clays many years ago, I made sure I had one of every choke available for the gun. For my Berettas I had seven chokes. I'd change them so much it's lucky I didn't get carpal tunnel syndrom. As I became a better shooter I found I changed them much less and carried fewer chokes out on the course with me. Much later in my shooting career I took some lessons from some top international shooters and found that several of them shot fixed choke guns. They changed ammo for different presentations rather than changing tubes. I didn't get a fixed choke gun but I did start using the same two chokes for 95% of my shots and used different shells for different birds. I ended up in Master Class and did pretty well at it. I don't shoot as much shotgun anymore since I got into single shot rifles and I don't shoot Team Challenge anymore so I don't need to maintain that skill set. I don't think changing chokes for every station does anything to advance your shooting. Your technique is 99% of the secret to success. Spend the money on a qualified coach and you'll get the biggest bang for the buck. When I say qualified, I mean someone who's trained average shooters who went on to be very good shooters. Being a good shooter doesn't always translate to being a good teacher. I've never met a good teacher who wasn't a good shooter.
 
Master Class shooters - that can attain / and even better, retain that registered target shooter classification -- are all very accomplished shooters...with a lot of talent !

NoSecondBest deserves a lot of credit for his accomplishments..and certainly has earned the right to his opinion / and sharing what works for him.

The highest class I ever obtained was class B.../ and on the way up to that middle of the road level, when I really learned how to read targets, and to make adjustments in my hold or break points - after a miss / was when I really learned the game and understood shotgunning techniques.

I will say - at that point - changing chokes made less of a difference than I originally thought / but for many of us - working up thru the classes - D, C, B, A....are a little different than the shooters that make it to Master or AA classes.../ and as long as you don't let changing chokes consume you and divert your attention from reading targets, watching the other shooters on your squad...then I still think its ok.

On my primary squad ...we had one Master Class shooter...and in practice, letting him talk about how he was reading the targets...and what his "shot plan" was for this station ....then watching him shoot ...and then shooting behind him in a rotation with the other 3 guys / made a bigger impact on my limited ability ....than anything else I was trying to do.

Make friends with an accomplished shooter at your local club - especially one who is willing to share a little bit of their time ...it'll pay off big time in your success and enjoyment...in sporting clays, or even Skeet and Trap as well.

And if there is a Master Class shooter around /that is willing to let a new shooter into their squad when they have room...take the opportunity !
 
BigJimP, believe it or not but B class is the hardest one to get out of. It's the biggest at most shoots and it's just plain hard to beat that many shooters and get a leg up. Once you get past that class it gets a little easier to move up. The next wall is getting into Master. Nothing wrong with being in B class, you've got a lot of good company and good shooters there. I don't think you're all that much of a better shooter if you're in A class or AA class. The difference is that you're more consistent in your shooting. You simply have fewer bad days.
 
I appreciate that .....but at 63 yrs old now.../ and off and on again blurry vision in my dominant eye...and a bad back, and rebuilt shooting shoulder ( and any other excuse I can think of )...my registered target competition days are behind me / I'm content to shoot in Hunter class 4 or 5 times a year now.

I had my successes ...limited....but I had a few class wins, in the 28ga, in back to back state tournaments.../ and a few in the .410 .../ it was all fun ! ....(and a class win once in a while along the way in a tournament in the 12ga...)....but you're right, Class C and B were both pretty brutal...it was always the same 5 or 6 of us, beating up on each other every weekend...and none of us really ever got ahead ...and then once in a while a hot dog would jump in and whip all of us on his - or her - way up as well.

But those guys getting dumped out of Master class...and getting put back in AA or A...make those classes pretty brutal too...

Training the grandkids to shoot these days...is more fun now.../ but I still love it...
 
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