Trap and Skeet

Give TruLock or Briely a call for chokes, they have chokes for every mfgr.​
I suspect Briley doesn't trust American Arms' screw-in choke consistency. For American Arms replacement screw-ins, they recommend: Chokes for your gun will have to be custom made by using one of your factory chokes as a sample. We can duplicate that choke to any constriction you want flush or extended.
 
Mr. Zippy,...

I have been shootiing trap since 1970, Skeet since 1980 and I used the orignal low mount position not the shoulder mount as I am an upland hunter.

I was adding in the action length of the OP 870, did that occur to you?

The longer barrel for trap give longer sighing radius, that increase accuracy.

the shorter barrel for Skeet allow a more consistent swing as the clay is tracked and pulled thru.
 
I was adding in the action length of the OP 870, did that occur to you?​
Yes I did, but the OP just got an O/U, and nobody seriously shoots Skeet with a R-870. The OP's 28" O/U is fine as an introductory Skeet gun provided it fits and has reasonably correct chokes. Recommending that an 870 be fitted with a barrel shorter than 24" will result in a gun that has a sloppy/choppy swing.

If you've been shooting Skeet since 1970, then you should know that the center stake is at 21-yards, not 25. For competitive shooters, Skeet is a game of inches and 4-yards is significant. Check your NSSA rule book, there is a diagram of the standard field layout.

...as the clay is tracked and pulled thru. ​
Perhaps you should try a sustained lead.
 
Trap

The longer barrel for trap give longer sighing radius, that increase accuracy.
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I suppose that, if a shooter is "sighting/aiming" the shotgun, then radius may be a factor. In point of fact, though, following the oft stated "You aim a rifle; you point a shotgun", there are some of us who don't use the bead(s) as a sight but more as a reference point (I certainly don't use it when a grouse has boiled up in front of the dog). The whole concept of having a gun that "fits" is so the gun will shoot where I am looking. It is "aimed" by being properly mounted.
Whenever I have heard barrel length discussed, the focus has always been on balance and swing dynamics.

School me on chokes .
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About chokes, patterning and shotgunning in general, try Bob Brister's "Shotgunning: the Art and the Science."
Pete
 
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Whenever I have heard barrel length discussed, the focus has always been on balance and swing dynamics.​
Pete, my friend, you've hit the nail squarely on the head. Except, you forgot mention one thing, a longer barrel puts your muzzle a little closer to the target. ;)
 
816-421-1400
Give that number a call, they might be able to assit you. Some American arms I believe used the same choke as Tristar and also possibly Fausti chokes. The above number is Tristars and they have some sharp cookies there that might be of assistance.
Z, My friend, you going into the sandwich business with all that Baloney.
Charlie
 
Z, My friend, you going into the sandwich business with all that Baloney.​
Hi Charlie, old pal, I hope you're doing well. I probably overacted, but some of the same bunk seems to keep going around, and the Baloney remark seemed appropriate. What jrothWA was telling was the same stuff I heard back in the 60s and early 70s -- he probably heard it then, too.

Back then there was the belief that you needed a quick light gun to get on Skeet targets. It made sense to me, too. To a new shooter it seemed logical because those targets looked pretty fast. The thing was, we were hearing that advice from skeeters with just a little more experience than us. The fallacy is that a "quick" light gun will get off the bird just as quickly as it gets on.

If you know what to look for, you can see it happen at almost any skeet field: The shooter holds close to the house, he see the bird, swings like lightning, gets his lead, pulls the trigger and the target keeps going unscathed. He looks around to his squad mates with a mystified expression on his face -- what happened? Very simply, he blocked out the target and lost sight of his prize. His hold point had been well below the path of the bird. As he jerked his gun towards the target, it came up at an angle and went right above the path of the target. This resulted in the shooter involuntarily raising his head to reacquire the target. What he didn't realize, with his head raised, he's gonna shoot high. To him, the lead looked perfect, but the bird didn't break -- no wonder he has an amazed look on his face. To add to his lost targets, at the end of the day his cheek was tender because he got whacked every time he raised his face. Hopefully he'll eventually learn the Golden Rule of Skeet: Head down and follow through.

Over time, the Skeet community learned that we could get higher scores with a gun with a little longer barrel. The heavier gun had a smoother swing and, as a bonus, it ate up a pinch of recoil. With a lot of Skeet trigger time, you'll learn that the bird isn't really that fast and don't you need to get on it as quick as lightning. A smooth swing is more important than a quick swing.

Cheers, Pete
 
I learn it porperly ..

for enjoyment not trying to be a "Champion. There is a difference.

I don't spend money uselessly.

You use "pull thru" on SKEET from the mounted position, I use the "below belt" as originally designate and allow the puller scorer to have fun with a three second delay, (if other shooter will allow).


So enjoy you sandwiches! I___T!
 
I learn it porperly ..
for enjoyment not trying to be a "Champion. There is a difference.​
That's like saying: I go bowling to have fun, not to knock down pins. For me, the enjoyment comes from trying to shoot the best I can and succeeding. Most of us go after clays to break as many as possible, there's not a whole lot of enjoyment just shooting holes in the sky.
You use "pull thru" on SKEET from the mounted position...​
"Swing through" and "pull ahead" are two different lead techniques, are you trying to combine them? Most experienced Skeet shooters eventually learn to use another type of lead: "sustained"
I use the "below belt" as originally designate and allow the puller scorer to have fun with a three second delay, (if other shooter will allow).​
I've seen a few shooters do the same thing. They use the low gun as an excuse for their dismal mounted-gun scores. It may impress the newbies; but, to regular shooters, a low gunner on the squad is just a nuisance. International (low gun) Skeet uses a different sequence and faster targets -- it's a different game from what's commonly called Skeet. Real low gun shooters avoid a standard set field because it's too slow and messes up their timing.

Giving new shooters advice that hinders their progress is a disservice. I've seen too many promising new shooters turned away in frustration because of the baloney they were fed.
 
I use the "below belt" as originally designate and allow the puller scorer to have fun with a three second delay, (if other shooter will allow).
Click to expand...

IF you shoot International skeet, that is fine - but for new American skeet shooters, it does not give them the best chance at success.

The "deli-meister's" advice is well wroth heeding to be successful in skeet...;)
 
Z, my friend, I apologize for stirring up so much discontent over the mention of sandwichs. As always, excellent and well informed observations.
 
Quite a bit of misinformation here regarding skeet. Skeet guns are normally 28" in barrel length. The center stake is 63 ft from every station. There is no specific speed at which the targets have to travel but 45mph would be a good average. Using a load producing 1200 fps, the lead is approx 3.8 ft regardless of which station you are shooting from. Most shooters will use a wide open choke to maximize spread and really at that distance there would be no need for a tighter choke unless it was used for training purposes.
 
Apologize for being uninformed and new at this skeet business, wondering how far from station eight is the Center Stake (Crossing point)?
 
Charlie, the center of Station 8 is 18-feet behind the center stake (the target crossing point). It's from the center stake that the arc of the shooting stations is based.
 
Congrats

Mitchntx,grats on new gun.If it fits you done good as that's the most imp thing .Doesn't fit,you won't hit much whether you shoot trap or skeet ,28.3' or 12' from stakes,shoot high,low, or inbetween.Now go and have fun!Kill some clay pidgeons.Remember,If you hit 12 out of 25 you've done the same as limiting out in a dove field.
 
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