Trap shooting gun choice

B

bailey bud

New member
I used to trap shoot weekly - just for fun - a little more than a decade ago.

I usually hit 18-20 out of 25.

Those days, my only gun was a very old Winchester 1912.

Since moving to Colorado, I mostly shoot rifles - but have since acquired two (2) additional shotguns --- a Wingmaster and a Beretta A302.

The Beretta simply doesn't fit me well - but fits my son great, so I let him shoot it.

The Wingmaster fits okay - but when I went to a turkey shoot this past weekend for the first time in about a decade - I didn't hit many targets.. I switched over to my non-padded 30 inch full-choke (and no vented rib) 1912 --- and hit 8 out of 10 targets.

Aesthetically, the Wingmaster is a great shotgun. I simply can't hit much with it. Any suggestions? (it does fine pheasant hunting - and my friends have no problems hitting targets with it).
 
I'm no trap expert by any means, but do know that fit of the gun is most important, much more than in rifle shooting. Also, having a gun that shoots a bit high can help in trap because the targets are broken when they are rising. If you're semi-serious ( (or even serious) you might look at a Rem 870 or 1100 in a trap config. Trap guns can get very expensive. But no matter which you get, fit is all important to becoming consistent.

You can occasionally find trap stocks for your 870 on-line which have a higher comb helping to get POI a little higher. Much depends on how much you want to spend in trap.
 
What's your budget range ?

Do you want a dedicated "Trap gun" ...or a general purpose gun for "sporting clays, Skeet, etc " ...?
 
I'm not buying --- already own 3 decent shotguns.

Just trying to figure out why I hit more with my ancient Winchester 1912 (plain barrel - no rib - just a small bead on the end) - than my Wingmaster - or the Beretta A302 Special Trap (which is designed for shooting trap).

I suppose it all comes down to fit --- the Winchester fits!
 
yes, it comes down to fit...

Take the gun to a pattern board....so you can see where it hits vs where you are looking / your eye is the rear sight. The pattern board will tell you what is up ...
 
You already have the basis for a great trap gun in your W-12. You might consider sending it to Simmons for a makeover into a serious trap shooting machine. Of course, the Model 12 was "the gun" before the popularity of trap doubles. You might want to consider a trap combo: a single barrel for regular trap and O/U, on the same frame, for doubles. I've been happy with my Beretta, but some of the really serious shooters tend to favor Perazzis.
 
BB, Just out of curiosity what distance you shooting? Is the 870 a two bead gun? What shot size and choke you using? Whats the barrel length of the 870?
 
26" vented rib twin beads.

(it shoots pheasant fairly well). Remchoke has a modified in it.

My 1912 has a single bead (the only part on the shotgun I've ever replaced) and no vent rib. It's a 30" full choke.

Sure - I'd expect some improvement with the 30" full choke --- but we're talking about more than double my score by switching.

I don't think the barrel did it as much as the fit. The kid next to me (who beat me) had a shortie stoeger coach gun, for goodness sake.
 
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Pattern the two guns and see where they're shooting. Also, practice with one gun at a time. Shoot your 870 for about a 2 months or 1000rnds, then do the same for your beretta to really get the feel for how to point them in relation to your model 12.
 
If this is not a trap 870 (stupid me, 26 inch barrel) and your shooting distance, 25 yardline or greater, you may want to cover the clay completely. If your shooting smaller than a 7 shot at distance you may want to tighten the choke a little also. Pattern board at the distance your shooting was an excellent thought also.
 
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