You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
what is a good goal for trap and skeet?
- Thread starter MJRW
- Start date
Jim Watson
New member
If you join the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) and shoot regulation trap you will be classified according to your average score. For 16 yard singles, minimum scores for the classes are:
AA - 97%
A - 94%
B - 91%
C - 88%
D - Under 88%
I seemed to hit a plateau around 94% +/-, high B, low A, and carried that average for years. There are a good number of career C shooters. Keep shooting, consider a trap gun, lessons, books, videos. They are not hard to hit, just easy to miss.
AA - 97%
A - 94%
B - 91%
C - 88%
D - Under 88%
I seemed to hit a plateau around 94% +/-, high B, low A, and carried that average for years. There are a good number of career C shooters. Keep shooting, consider a trap gun, lessons, books, videos. They are not hard to hit, just easy to miss.
When I started seriously shooting trap a couple of years ago, my scores ran from 15-19/25, IIRC. About 6 months later I ran my first 25. That's a reasonable goal for a new shotgunner.
"Average" is a slippery term here. Better to keep a rough count of your scores to measure progress, and keep tabs on the ones you miss. If they fall into a pattern, like hard left or right screamers from Posts 1 or 5, you'll know what to work on.
HTH...
"Average" is a slippery term here. Better to keep a rough count of your scores to measure progress, and keep tabs on the ones you miss. If they fall into a pattern, like hard left or right screamers from Posts 1 or 5, you'll know what to work on.
HTH...
The average of the guys I have shot with over the years is probably around 19-20. You will have a couple guys that don't miss and a couple that can't hit their own backsides with a road map, but most are high teens and low 20's.
I wanted to be a trapshooter a couple years back, so I went out and traded for a trap gun blah blah blah. I had been able for a couple years to walk out on the line and shoot a 21-24 anytime I wanted while only shooting 10-15 rounds a year. I wanted to shoot better so I went to work at it. I got up to a whole whopping 23 average from a 22.5 LOL. Never did run a 25 while I was "trying", and gave it up after about 6 months and even traded off the gun. I just do not enjoy shooting on the line with self proclaimed "serious" trap shooters, I like to talk and have fun on the line and most find that unacceptable behavior on the line.
I am able to go out now and shoot a 23-25 from any yardage, even while only shooting 6-10 rounds a year. The point of my cheesy story ^^^^^ is that you can work entirely too hard at improving. It was not until I was able to relax and put what I had learned in my practice into effect that I improved drastically. Most of my 25's are from 22 yards and farther back, it slows the hard angle shots down just a hair for me and I hit them harder. #1, you have to relax or you are going to have a hard time. #2, you HAVE to have fun while shooting. So go out and enjoy trap, try to shoot with a squad that is a little looser, the "silence or else" crowd is not a lot of fun for most of us.
The shot that was my downfall and still is really is the perfect straightaway, I expect to just crush it and get lazy. If I miss it will be 3 to 1 odds that it was a straightaway.
Go out and have fun, shoot a little skeet too, it will help quite a bit on the hard angles of trap.
I wanted to be a trapshooter a couple years back, so I went out and traded for a trap gun blah blah blah. I had been able for a couple years to walk out on the line and shoot a 21-24 anytime I wanted while only shooting 10-15 rounds a year. I wanted to shoot better so I went to work at it. I got up to a whole whopping 23 average from a 22.5 LOL. Never did run a 25 while I was "trying", and gave it up after about 6 months and even traded off the gun. I just do not enjoy shooting on the line with self proclaimed "serious" trap shooters, I like to talk and have fun on the line and most find that unacceptable behavior on the line.
I am able to go out now and shoot a 23-25 from any yardage, even while only shooting 6-10 rounds a year. The point of my cheesy story ^^^^^ is that you can work entirely too hard at improving. It was not until I was able to relax and put what I had learned in my practice into effect that I improved drastically. Most of my 25's are from 22 yards and farther back, it slows the hard angle shots down just a hair for me and I hit them harder. #1, you have to relax or you are going to have a hard time. #2, you HAVE to have fun while shooting. So go out and enjoy trap, try to shoot with a squad that is a little looser, the "silence or else" crowd is not a lot of fun for most of us.
The shot that was my downfall and still is really is the perfect straightaway, I expect to just crush it and get lazy. If I miss it will be 3 to 1 odds that it was a straightaway.
Go out and have fun, shoot a little skeet too, it will help quite a bit on the hard angles of trap.
Warren Kent
Inactive
Set a goal not to be average
To add to Jim Watson's figures about ATA averages....
percentage of shooters in class
AA 2570 8.78%
A 7413 25.33%
B 7059 24.12%
C 4653 15.90%
D 7569 25.86%
For someone just starting out you need to consider also
that very few of those shooters that have reached AA, A or
B class are new to the sport. Most have shot many tens of thousands of targets to get as good as they have.
No matter whether you are just starting or at the top of the game you net to set goals to achieve or maintain your performance. Don't set goals to high, make them realistic and when you reach it you can raise your objective higher. Getting frustrated in never achieving what you expect will slow your progress down even slower.
To add to Jim Watson's figures about ATA averages....
percentage of shooters in class
AA 2570 8.78%
A 7413 25.33%
B 7059 24.12%
C 4653 15.90%
D 7569 25.86%
For someone just starting out you need to consider also
that very few of those shooters that have reached AA, A or
B class are new to the sport. Most have shot many tens of thousands of targets to get as good as they have.
No matter whether you are just starting or at the top of the game you net to set goals to achieve or maintain your performance. Don't set goals to high, make them realistic and when you reach it you can raise your objective higher. Getting frustrated in never achieving what you expect will slow your progress down even slower.