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Trap shooting ?
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
Frank Ettin
Administrator
Do you mean casual, recreational clay target breaking or serious competition?
I know a lot of folks who'll come out to our club's trap field and shoot sub-gauge guns for fun. I've done so myself. And some folks use a 20 gauge for our club matches.
But I also used to shoot a good deal of serious, ATA and PITA competition, and I don't know anyone who used anything other than a 12 gauge for that.
I know a lot of folks who'll come out to our club's trap field and shoot sub-gauge guns for fun. I've done so myself. And some folks use a 20 gauge for our club matches.
But I also used to shoot a good deal of serious, ATA and PITA competition, and I don't know anyone who used anything other than a 12 gauge for that.
g.willikers
New member
Trap is quite a different game than the other clay bird competitions.
In Trap, the birds are rapidly going away, down range.
It's often called rifle shooting with a shotgun.
Tight chokes and lots of pellets are needed.
20 gauge, and even smaller, works ok for Skeet and Sporting Clays.
But for Trap, 12 gauge rules.
In Trap, the birds are rapidly going away, down range.
It's often called rifle shooting with a shotgun.
Tight chokes and lots of pellets are needed.
20 gauge, and even smaller, works ok for Skeet and Sporting Clays.
But for Trap, 12 gauge rules.
This is for club recreational shooting. Just a fun time. The only shotgun I have is a Winchester model 12 with a 28" modified choke barrel that I have had since I was 14 years old. I have taken a lot of pheasants and rabbits with it. But is it well suited for fun trap shooting ?
For fun I take everything from Browning Citori trap 12 gauge to .410 bore to the trap field. I even made myself a 16 gauge 870 trap. But when trying to shoot a serious score 12 Gauge all the way. People shoot the sub-gauges on skeet and SC but the compete in their own classes.
All that said, if you shoot a 25 with a 20 gauge who cares. 20 gauge from the 16 yard line is not that much of a disadvantage. From the longer handicap distances.....
All that said, if you shoot a 25 with a 20 gauge who cares. 20 gauge from the 16 yard line is not that much of a disadvantage. From the longer handicap distances.....
g.willikers
New member
It's not just the weight of the load that is a consideration.
Both 20 and 12 gauge loads can be about the same.
It's also the amount of powder available for getting the pellets out there fast enough to reach the going away birds.
And 12 gauge holds more powder.
Most 20 gauge guns are lighter than 12 gauges, so there's not all that much difference in recoil.
If a 20 is what you have, use it.
Like most competitions, the skill of the shooter is more important than the equipment.
There's a guy at one of the local clubs that scores pretty good in Skeet with his young son's pump .410, when he gets bored with his 12 gauge.
Both 20 and 12 gauge loads can be about the same.
It's also the amount of powder available for getting the pellets out there fast enough to reach the going away birds.
And 12 gauge holds more powder.
Most 20 gauge guns are lighter than 12 gauges, so there's not all that much difference in recoil.
If a 20 is what you have, use it.
Like most competitions, the skill of the shooter is more important than the equipment.
There's a guy at one of the local clubs that scores pretty good in Skeet with his young son's pump .410, when he gets bored with his 12 gauge.
Frank Ettin
Administrator
This is for club recreational shooting. Just a fun time. The only shotgun I have is a Winchester model 12 with a 28" modified choke barrel that I have had since I was 14 years old. I have taken a lot of pheasants and rabbits with it. But is it well suited for fun trap shooting ?
For your purposes it will be just fine.
For practice / or just casual shooting .....a lot of guys will shoot 7/8 oz or even 3/4 oz of shot ( usually 8's ) ...for Trap singles from the 16 yard line....in their 12ga shotguns these days.
A 7/8 oz load ( 1200 fps ) is plenty of shot to break a Trap target....or even 3/4 oz loads ( 1200 fps )....is plenty as well..../ that 3/4 oz load at 1200 fps hits just as hard as a 1 1/8 oz load at 1200 fps ....the energy is the same in each # 8 pellet.... ( 3/4 oz of 8's you have about 307 pellets / 7/8 oz of 8's you have about 358 pellets -- and 1 oz loads you have about 409 pellets ) ...and a Modified choke out of a 12ga gun with these loads - or a 20ga gun - or a 28ga gun....will give you the same effective pattern ....
If it takes an average of 3 pellets ( # 8's ) to break a clay at 35yds ...and a Modified choke.....you can shoot what is effectively a 20ga load ( 7/8 oz ) or a 28ga load ( 3/4 oz of shot ) ...and your scores should really not change...
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The reason a lot of us use 12ga guns for Trap ...is we prefer longer and heavier guns for Trap specifically ( in my case a 32" O/U at about 10 lbs )...so rather than shoot a 20ga general purpose gun ( where it might be a 30" barrel O/U at 8 lbs....I'll stick with my Trap gun - and just change my loads...to something with less shot - to save some money / and reduce recoil...
but if all you have is a general purpose gun in a 20ga or a 28ga ...go ahead and shoot it for Trap ....and I'd recommend a Modified choke.
A 7/8 oz load ( 1200 fps ) is plenty of shot to break a Trap target....or even 3/4 oz loads ( 1200 fps )....is plenty as well..../ that 3/4 oz load at 1200 fps hits just as hard as a 1 1/8 oz load at 1200 fps ....the energy is the same in each # 8 pellet.... ( 3/4 oz of 8's you have about 307 pellets / 7/8 oz of 8's you have about 358 pellets -- and 1 oz loads you have about 409 pellets ) ...and a Modified choke out of a 12ga gun with these loads - or a 20ga gun - or a 28ga gun....will give you the same effective pattern ....
If it takes an average of 3 pellets ( # 8's ) to break a clay at 35yds ...and a Modified choke.....you can shoot what is effectively a 20ga load ( 7/8 oz ) or a 28ga load ( 3/4 oz of shot ) ...and your scores should really not change...
----------
The reason a lot of us use 12ga guns for Trap ...is we prefer longer and heavier guns for Trap specifically ( in my case a 32" O/U at about 10 lbs )...so rather than shoot a 20ga general purpose gun ( where it might be a 30" barrel O/U at 8 lbs....I'll stick with my Trap gun - and just change my loads...to something with less shot - to save some money / and reduce recoil...
but if all you have is a general purpose gun in a 20ga or a 28ga ...go ahead and shoot it for Trap ....and I'd recommend a Modified choke.
I played the ATA game as well as bunker trap (international) for many years and got pretty good at it. The most helpful thing I did was sub gage practice.
I stepped down to lighter, faster loads, in 12 ga. Standardizing on a 1300 FPS speed with various shot weights (very much like the mandated international trap loads back then) For all my ATA and live bird shoots, most using 7 1/2's. To furthur tighten up my game, I installed choke tubes in my favorite 20 ga dove gun, added a lace on comb, adjusted the pattern, and kept right on grinding birds. The practice helped my wingshooting a bunch, too.
I worked up loads, in each ga., to the 1300 FPS stadard. Magically, all my leads looked the same, no matter what gun I had in hand.
A friendly bet with a shooting buddy showed me that a 3 inch .410 was every bit as deadly on hand tossed live birds, as my 12 ga boomer. (closer and slower targets) I started shooting the .410 from the 16 yd line, just for fun. I got pretty good at it, and was once protested out of a win in a club match, for unfair advatage... (I won the "step back" shoot off from the 23 yd line)
I still shoot the mouse guns at fun trap, mostly 'cause it's fun and CHEAP. Shoot what ya got, have fun, be happy.
I taught both my daughters, as well as the grandsons to shoot trap with the 20 and they all still shoot. When they come to visit we always drag out the mouse guns and the hand trap for a family shoot off. My hair is gone, so is my jump shot. Them durn kids are getting better every year...
Paul
I stepped down to lighter, faster loads, in 12 ga. Standardizing on a 1300 FPS speed with various shot weights (very much like the mandated international trap loads back then) For all my ATA and live bird shoots, most using 7 1/2's. To furthur tighten up my game, I installed choke tubes in my favorite 20 ga dove gun, added a lace on comb, adjusted the pattern, and kept right on grinding birds. The practice helped my wingshooting a bunch, too.
I worked up loads, in each ga., to the 1300 FPS stadard. Magically, all my leads looked the same, no matter what gun I had in hand.
A friendly bet with a shooting buddy showed me that a 3 inch .410 was every bit as deadly on hand tossed live birds, as my 12 ga boomer. (closer and slower targets) I started shooting the .410 from the 16 yd line, just for fun. I got pretty good at it, and was once protested out of a win in a club match, for unfair advatage... (I won the "step back" shoot off from the 23 yd line)
I still shoot the mouse guns at fun trap, mostly 'cause it's fun and CHEAP. Shoot what ya got, have fun, be happy.
I taught both my daughters, as well as the grandsons to shoot trap with the 20 and they all still shoot. When they come to visit we always drag out the mouse guns and the hand trap for a family shoot off. My hair is gone, so is my jump shot. Them durn kids are getting better every year...
Paul
BigD_in_FL
Moderator
This is for club recreational shooting. Just a fun time. The only shotgun I have is a Winchester model 12 with a 28" modified choke barrel that I have had since I was 14 years old. I have taken a lot of pheasants and rabbits with it. But is it well suited for fun trap shooting ?
If you are proficient with it, then "run whatcha brung" and go have some fun
Bunker loads, while close in weight are typically running a lot faster - but then so are their targets, usually 50% faster and further - for funsies, go have fun. I am NOT a trap shooter - I shoot sporting and FITASC, but my best round ever (of the 20 or so I have ever shot, was with my 1100 in 28 gauge and a skeet choke from the 16