Thread: Tips for beginners in trap and skeet

I've only been using a shotgun for the last year or so (despite having been a rifle shooter/hunter for the last 35 years), and I've decided to give skeet and trap a go (after attending a couple of sports clay events).

I'm using a semi-auto (I know, it's a clumsy substitute for a UO) but I really want to get better with it for the benefit of field hunting, and I really like the fit, feel and balance of it. I've got two of the same gun - M2 Benelli.

So I started DTL with CL choke (because I'd been led to believe you shoot clays with a CL) and of the 100 birds, got 10, 8, 2 and 10.

Someone suggested that because it's a straight shooting gun, to put lead on the rising birds, I'm covering the birds with the barrel. I shimmed one to shoot a little higher, and changed to a M choke, and on the second outing, improved to 20, 22, 23 & 23.

My question(s): As a newbie, what else don't I know?
How much rib should I see (I saw the 50c trick in another post, so will try that).
Is M the best "all round" choke for DTL with a semi? Most of my hits on the second outing were first shots. I got a few seconds and obviously missed some too.
What's the best choke for skeet?
I'm presuming the "shooting high" adjustment I made for DTL isn't necessary for skeet. True?
How much lead do you need for the skeet birds given they're quite close, but quite fast?

Any other useful tips?

Any and all advice gratefully accepted.

PS, biggest downside for me using a semi, is that everyone else expects me to pick up all the spent casings, including those that spit out the back of their UOs when they don't catch them. LOL.

The good improvement in score by changing to tighter mod choke should tell you something. With scores of 23/25 your sight picture and gun fit are probably fine.
There are heaps of vids on clay shooting on youtube.

My father used to be a competitive skeet shooter back when i was a kid, he's 80 now, but back in the day was right up there with the very best in the country, but was always limited by funds at the time bringing up two kids on one wage, paying the mortgage, particularly in the era of 21% interest. He obviously got me into it and I shot for a Boys high school team for a couple of years.

Anyway I digress, one of the things I always remember (aside from the gun fitment and actually shooting ability) was him talking about the mental game of skeet shooting. The ability to have control over emotion, if you missed a target, you're ability to forget about it completely, not dwell on it, as if you dwell on it and get yourself all worked up still thinking about the miss, it will affect the rest of your round.

This was huge, and if you were able to control this emotion, it made a huge difference. Sometimes easier said than done.

As above but with some extras.
For dtl choose either a imp mod or full choke that's 3/4 or full in old money. Reason your 15 m behind the trap and by the time you have clocked the target it's travelled another 15 to 20 metres so it's 35 plus metres away when you pull the trigger a bit too far for cylinder.
Also it's probably still rising so you are most likely shooting behind especially with a field gun.
Pattern it. Shoot at a patterning board at 15 to 20 metres. Aim normally at the centre spot and look at your shot distribution you want it to be 2/3 to 3/4 above your aim point that way the clay will rise into the shot pattern.
A field gun with solid cheek weld will probably pattern 50/50 to raise the pattern raise your cheek slightly on the stock and reshoot you will find the spot within a few rounds. Once you have it a small bit of tape can be used as a guide placed somewhere on the forend where if your heads too low it isn't visible.
Another way of assessing the sight picture is to hold your first finger on the top of the reciever about 8 inches on front of your face with the gun shouldered and if you can see the front bead then that's about right.
Sheets a different beast and cylinder is the right choke for that, but start with this and see how it helps.

My 2c.

DTL.
Buy a proper DTL trap gun, they are DTL trap guns for a reason, you will struggle to shoot consistent perfect scores with a field gun.

Skeet and DTL.
Get lessons from a recognised coach.

Find someone at the club who is a good competitive shot and wins competitions .
Ask them to show you how to set up from each position ( feet and where to hold the gun etc ) , don’t overload yourself with every aspect of the sport which is the problem every new shooter encounters .
Keep it simple and work on the base fundamentals - feet & hold point .
George Digweed who is probably the greatest living Shotgun shooter says that most targets are missed by two feet , not two feet out at the target but the two feet your standing on . If your not set up properly you are hindering yourself even before you call pull .
As you get better add new things to try but only after each step is ingrained.
Ask for help from knowledgeable people that have proven results, the problem with many clubs is that the most helpful people are often not very good shots . Even if the top shot won’t help you , watch what they do you can learn alot from watching the shooter not the clay .

Youtube. Clay coach online (free on youtube) Takes you through all stations in the skeet field. Shotcam (again youtube) shows you skeet station 1, 2 , 4, 6, 7. Just search skeet and I think it comes up. All clays you work on hold point, pick up point, and break point. The shooting channel, and anything with Ben Husthwaite all produce good informative clips. Skeet you have it all. incomers , aways, 3/4 and crosses.
I am also new to clay busting Christmas) I find it addictive, frustrating, fun and frustrating. Just got a u/o and haven't shot it yet. Club closed until next month and too wet at home.

I hear what you're saying, and I probably will in time, but the reason I wanted to shoot clays in the first place was to get good with a field gun, and so I'll persevere for now with the Benellis.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

If your main purpose of trap shooting is to improve your field shooting skills, I would suggest shooting gun down.

You're right, it is. And I will progress to that once I satisfy myself I can consistently smash clays. I'm not really happy with the way they break for me, and I suspect I'm clipping them with the shot stream rather than pulverising them as some other shooters do.

Originally Posted by schwen

You're right, it is. And I will progress to that once I satisfy myself I can consistently smash clays. I'm not really happy with the way they break for me, and I suspect I'm clipping them with the shot stream rather than pulverising them as some other shooters do.

You maybe able to take note of what your target does after it has been hit, if it stops dead you have probably shot it in the front of it, if it takes off probably behind.. but get a coach.

What Ground Control says about where you are standing [feet position] is of massive importance esp in skeet shooting. Think where you are going to shoot the target, place your feet to that position, then coil your body back to the tower, your target will come out of, you will feel your self getting a bit "uncoiled" and that should enable you to either keep a lead on the target [sustained lead] or enable you to push thru the target. Imagine if you have stood comfortably looking at the trap house where the target is coming out of... the target comes out you will now be getting coiled up to where you are going to shoot the target... making it harder to get in front of the target..

Sorry to say you can't shoot dtl with the gun off the shoulder, it's against the rules,
I should add that's if you are shooting on a nzcta registered club grounds, if it's an informal shoot on private ground of course you can do what you like.
As far as skeet goes calling for the target with the gun of the shoulder is fine.

DLT Try this see if it works for you, advise I was given,
Your hold point is just above the trap house 5 different positions depending which station. Mount the gun on the hold point and focus way beyond the trap house and call for the bird. I was told if you are focusing into the distance your eyes are quicker to focus from far to near than they are going from near to far as if from trap house to flying clay. Seems to work for me but I could be talking complete shit. PULL BANG BANG miss.

Originally Posted by sore head stoat

You maybe able to take note of what your target does after it has been hit, if it stops dead you have probably shot it in the front of it, if it takes off probably behind.. but get a coach.

What Ground Control says about where you are standing [feet position] is of massive importance esp in skeet shooting. Think where you are going to shoot the target, place your feet to that position, then coil your body back to the tower, your target will come out of, you will feel your self getting a bit "uncoiled" and that should enable you to either keep a lead on the target [sustained lead] or enable you to push thru the target. Imagine if you have stood comfortably looking at the trap house where the target is coming out of... the target comes out you will now be getting coiled up to where you are going to shoot the target... making it harder to get in front of the target..

Foot position for a right hand shooter is easy, walk on the station and point your belly button at the low house, this is for stations 2,3,4,5,6.
Stations 1,7,8 are self explanatory.
Hold point for those stations is 1/3 rd from the house to the crossing point,approx 7 yards.
Most new shooters take around 6 months of shooting most weekends to start shooting consistently in the 20's,
I've been shooting skeet for 50 yrs, have seen a lot come and go.

Originally Posted by Peteforskeet

Foot position for a right hand shooter is easy, walk on the station and point your belly button at the low house, this is for stations 2,3,4,5,6.
Stations 1,7,8 are self explanatory.
Hold point for those stations is 1/3 rd from the house to the crossing point,approx 7 yards.
Most new shooters take around 6 months of shooting most weekends to start shooting consistently in the 20's,
I've been shooting skeet for 50 yrs, have seen a lot come and go.

I take your point about needing 6 months of regular shooting. I've shot skeet once, and found it both exhilarating and a bit baffling. One guy on my squad got a second crack at one of his missed birds, but I didn't follow why. I'm sure the sequence of birds on each station will become familiar in time. I think I'll improve on my 17/25 with a bit more practice, which is why I'm planning to travel to several different clubs around the region to shoot most weekends,

Originally Posted by chindit

DLT Try this see if it works for you, advise I was given,
Your hold point is just above the trap house 5 different positions depending which station. Mount the gun on the hold point and focus way beyond the trap house and call for the bird. I was told if you are focusing into the distance your eyes are quicker to focus from far to near than they are going from near to far as if from trap house to flying clay. Seems to work for me but I could be talking complete shit. PULL BANG BANG miss.

Thanks, I saw this on one of the YT vids I watched last night, so keen to give it a try.