Thread: Tips for beginners in trap and skeet

What an excellent helpful thread this has been, thanks to all who have participated.
Carry on.

As a rough rule of thumb; point your leading foot at where you expect to break the target and refine from there. Also if you are a right handed shooter you will find you can swing / pivot further to the left than to the right so adjust your feet accordingly. If you run out of pivot you will shoot low.

Lessons from the weekend at Waitemata:

You can use 9 1/2 shot for skeet rather than the 7 1/2 loads used for DTL. That's the benefit of a larger club I guess, they offer a larger range of ammunition for sale to their members.

The Universal Trench seems like a really good way to burn money out the barrel of a shotgun. Not recommended as a beginners discipline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j7V6qK4NPs

Best advice ever seen.

Originally Posted by schwen

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,

In skeet you repeat your 1st miss. That’s why he got a “2nd crack” it’s your repeat or 25th target.

go to youtube and search oposumss1. Watch the spelling but it comes up with several films. look for one with 1 hour 44mins and its Tod Benders winning with the fundamentals of skeet. This is a sunrise productions DVD that I was considering purchasing but at $70 US I was thinking is it worth it. Then bugger me sideways this Russian oposumss1 pops up on you tube, and there it is. Bloody good info covering every station, feet, hold points, where to look. Cant wait to try what I picked up especially the turning using the leg, as before I turned at the waist which he talks about at the beginning.

First time I've scored 25 in a skeet comp today. Pretty happy with that. Might've got HOA too, but choked in the shoot off. Too much adrenaline for a C grader shooting off against A grader. Next time.

@schwen
Saw that in the latest Gunshot mate.
Well done.

Watched some skeet being shot before Christmas.
Might have a go next time they have it at the club.

Originally Posted by WallyR

@schwen
Saw that in the latest Gunshot mate.
Well done.

Watched some skeet being shot before Christmas.
Might have a go next time they have it at the club.

@WallyR

Nah, that was the Northland Provincials in Gunshot.
My first 25 was at Kaikohe on the weekend.
Skeet comp at Whangarei March 5 I think. Check out the latest club schedule in the new yellow booklet.

@schwen
G'day Grant
Got 05/03 marked in my diary.

My last skeet shoot was a tad disappointing, 15/25, then I realized I had 3/4 and full chokes in and cheered up a bit.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

My last skeet shoot was a tad disappointing, 15/25, then I realized I had 3/4 and full chokes in and cheered up a bit.

Grew up with a father that was in a National skeet squad and this was often a training tool used. Get the accuracy up with tight chokes and open up when in competition. The lucky breaks from a couple of pellets make all the difference once the smaller pattern has improved accuracy

I first had a go at clay shooting a few years ago at a friends and nailed it first go, but when I thought I would give it a try now I havent had much luck getting hits, especially clean ones that turn them to dust.
Not sure what im doing wrong, but Im using a different gun, ive got a 12G remington 1100 with an open cylinder, so no choke.
Im trying to source an interchoke barrel for it.

I have no idea what choke my friends gun had at the time, but it was only a 20 gauge and I was hitting most targets with no effort.

Originally Posted by Old_School

I first had a go at clay shooting a few years ago at a friends and nailed it first go, but when I thought I would give it a try now I havent had much luck getting hits, especially clean ones that turn them to dust.
Not sure what im doing wrong, but Im using a different gun, ive got a 12G remington 1100 with an open cylinder, so no choke.
Im trying to source an interchoke barrel for it.

I have no idea what choke my friends gun had at the time, but it was only a 20 gauge and I was hitting most targets with no effort.

Gun fit has a HUGE influence on your success. I'm not a guru, just do it casually. If you are near a club it's worth talking to experienced people about gun fit and seeing if you can shoulder a few different guns with them to see what fits best

Gun fit and test pattern to see where its shooting for you.
Different ammo and chokes can pattern to a different place even if the gun feels great