# New at trapshooting, any help???



## mayor (Dec 30, 2006)

I recently joined a local trap league. Ive always hunted pheasants and ducks with fairly good success. But these clay pigeons are kicking my butt. I am shooting my Benelli Nova with an improved cyl., thinking about trying the modified next week. Shooting #8 shot. Does any body have any thoughts or ideas that my came in handy. any help would be greatly appreciated. :sniper:


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

The one thing that is all important to recording consistant scores is gun fit. I have only a passing acquaintence with the Nova. If you are able to use shims to change the stock angles, as with some other Benelli's, this could be a great way to enhance the fit of your shotgun. Unload your gun, and stand about six feet from a full size mirror. Close your eyes, and mount your gun, while you imagine sighting on a target. Now open your eyes. If you are looking straight down the barrel, and can see nothing but the bead and your eye, you have a great fit. If not, the fit of your shotgun, and probably your gun mount, could use some work. One other standard for shooting trap; never stop your swing. Swing through the target, fire and follow through. Good shooting, Burl


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

My best advice is to take your time and concentrate on the shot.

Starting out, I got nervous and was concentrating too much on the mechanics of the trap line (when to load, when to mount, how many are left at this station etc) that the shot would an after thought that I would rush.

Take your time, get your feet right, get a good mount, look at the trap house and then call for the bird. This all only takes couple of seconds. Much less time than you think when you are on the line. After you shoot for a while it will speed up like all things.

Modified choke is pretty common.


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Get rid of the Nova. It is a kicking machine. Every person I have ever seen come to the trap with a Nova develops a flinch about midway through their station.

If you aren't willing to do that, put a "limb saver" on and change the choke to a modified choke.

I would also print this out and read through it.
http://www.remington.com/pdfs/trap_fund ... s_2004.pdf

It is a great resource and shows you where you should be setting yourself up prior to calling for the target.


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## driggy (Apr 26, 2005)

Modified is as open as I would go. I usually shoot IM or full. The trap target is a rising bird so you need to make sure you are covering the bird good or even be slightly above it. That is why most trap guns have high ribs and shoot 60/40 patterns. 60% of the shot pattern is above the point of impact. If you are a little slower at the shot, the tigher pattern will definately help.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Best advice I got from some old-timers....JUST SHOOT THE THING. Don't think when you're up there...just react.

Sounds simple, but I like to keep that in mind.


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## pheasantslayer (May 13, 2004)

I have to agree with chris on this one. Practice, Practice, Practice. The best thing to do is shoot as much as you can with friends and just have fun out there. Usually if you watch a few people shoot you can pick up quite a few tips. I shoot quite a bit of trap and if I see someone better than me, I will ask them to see how i am shooting and see if they can give me some pointers. Usually they do.

If I were you and I know quite a few of you won't agree with me, start out with a full choke. Just keep shooting until you can get persistent with this choke. Once you start hitting hard rights and hard lefts consistently with a full choke and start getting into the 20's switch to an improved modifed and watch the birds get grinded.

Just remember you are out there for fun and don't beat yourself up when you miss. Trapshooting is 110 percent mental. Just get your mindset straight and I know you'll make the most of what you pay for your birds by grinding them up.


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## Springerguy (Sep 10, 2003)

I would agree with Chris - many good marksman in the field are humbled when trapshooting because they're trying to hard to "aim" the shotgun. Here's something that might help - when on post 1 put the bead on the left side of the trap house, just below the top of the house and the focus you eyes over the house and pick up the target coming out of the house and let yourself swing naturally. On post 2, put your bead just below the house, slightly left of center, post 3, just below the house, over center....and gradually move the bead to the right as you rotate to stations 4 and 5. The key is keeping your eyes focused on the target coming out of the house.....and not sighting down the bead and trying to "aim" at the target.


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## TexIndian (May 8, 2007)

The rising bird seems to give a lot of folks problems with standard guns, but it is not insurmountable by any means. Lots of winning scores have come from old 870 pumps or 1100s. If you think this might be it, scoot over and try a round of skeet to get this out of your head.

It does get easier when you aren't concentrating on the mechanics. One other thing is to get out in front of the bird. Most learners I've worked with are shooting behind the bird. That slight angle may not look like it needs a lead, but it surely does. And keep that head welded to the stock. That's another biggie. It's just natural to try and get the head up to see better, but you won't hit anything that way.

You'll get a lot of opinions on chokes. I never used anything but Improved Cylinder and #8 shot for singles and I was AA in ATA rankings. I used to use an extra full to practice handicap from the 27, but that was just for my mental confidence. I switched to IM for competition. That splintered bird looks just like a smoke ball on the score sheet. Also, I never used anything but 2 3/4 dram shells for singles. That reminds me, if you're using those Dove & Quail specials to save a few bucks, stop it. Tear one of those things down. They are made of the cheapest possible components - no shot cup or cushioning and the shot is the softest, most irregular stuff you've ever seen. By the time it leaves the barrel, it's gonna fly like a bunch of frisbees. You'd have a hard time committing suicide with those things.

Springerguy has it right about holding technique, or at least that worked for me. The best general advice I could give for any shotgun game is to keep your eyes focused on the bird at all times. Never, ever even think about where your barrel is, not consciously anyway. Obviously, you will see the barrel in your peripheral vision, but that doesn't mean you have to shift attention or focus to it - even mental focus. Your brain will take care of that a lot better if you just get out of its way. After the shot, you will still know whether you were leading the bird, etc. Think of it this way - when you're playing baseball, do you focus your mind on where the bat or glove is, or do you focus on where the ball is? Your brain sees the bat or the glove just like it sees the barrel, and it knows what to do. And you've been training that brain for trap since the first time you went hunting.


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## rollin Oswald (Sep 1, 2007)

If you want to shoot trap correctly, I would suggest you not ask for local instruction. These shooters, even the ones who shoot very well, do not necessarily do it using the correct shooting form (stance, gun mount, body posture.)

They may be shooting well because of years of practice along with excellent eye/hand coordination, eyesight and reaction time. Unless you want to take the chance of also requiring years to shoot well, I suggest you follow the advice of a recognized shooting instructor, either a published author or one of the fine, professional, traveling instructors.

If you are interested in a very good book for new and intermediate shooters, may I suggest Dick Bennett's Trapshooting _is a Game of Opposites_, published and sold by http://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com in their "books" section. In my opinion, it is one of if not the best instructional trapshooting book ever written.

As far as the Nova being a "kicking machine", no doubt it is for shooters who are not well fitted by its stock dimensions or who, for whatever reason, use an incorrect shooting form (stance, gun mount and/or body posture). However, the same can be said for nearly any gun that fails to fit its user.

"Fit" describes how well the five basic stock dimensions (drops at the comb and heel, length, cast and pitch) match or fit the size and shape of the person shooting the gun and whether the stock dimensions allow that person to use the correct shooting form.

Guns that do not fit shooters do more to hamper good scores and steep learning curves than any nearly any other thing assuming the shooter has normal coordination and vision.

Determining whether or how well a gun fits is difficult if not impossible for new shooters. Almost anyone can mount a gun and look down the rib. What will not be recognized by many shooters, new ones in particular, is the correctness of the shooting form necessary to do so, i.e. is the head or neck tilted forward or to the side, is the gun mount at the correct height, are the feet placed correctly (stance) and is the body posture anywhere near correct. All have an effect on how well the gun fits and how well the gun will ever be able to be shot by the person shooting it.

I agree that it is a good idea to begin trap shooting with a choke no more open than an improved modified. Personally, I like to see adults start with a full choke and learn to break targets with it. A full choke requires slightly more accurate shooting and disallows sloppy shooting slightly more than a more open choke. That is a personal preference, however and not a rule.

_Shooting naturally_ is a catchy phrase as is the description of a gun that _shoots where you look_. Both are meaningless to a new shooter, however. Guns can fit very poorly and require a badly flawed shooting form to shoot and with enough practice, can be shot naturally and with enough corruption of the form, shoot where the user looks.

That does not mean all is well. Given a shooter who shoots very well using a corrupted form due to a poorly fitting gun, the question must be asked, how much better could he/she be shooting if the gun was well fitting and the shooting form was correct?

Again, I recommend Dick Bennett's book if you are interested is learning how to shoot trap. It is well worth its $20 selling price. I believe in Dick's book to the extent that I quote him in my book, _Stock Fitting Secrets_. He writes clearly and concisely and is very easy to understand.

Dick also talks about trap's rising targets and recommends a gun that shoots high, i.e. a gun that when aimed like a rifle (never to be done when shooting a shotgun), the pattern impacts above the point where the gun is aimed. (Again, a shotgun should never be aimed. Rather a shotgun is pointed with the eye always focusing on the target and never glancing back at the rib or front bead.

This is running long so it's time to end it before you drift off.


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## WIdawg22 (Sep 18, 2008)

just practice, practice, practice, its the best way to learn and try not to think about it too much b/c then your not gonna be as quick and as natural. 
I've been shooting league since i was about 14 and now I'm 22, they all wonder why im so good but just ask my dad b/c i think i almost ran him broke buying shells when i was younger, shooting 2 boxes at black birds almost every summer day.
-good shootin


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## snow (Dec 7, 2007)

Well said rollin,every gun range has someone with all the answer's most are average shooters at best when compared to tornament (ATA)rated shooters,for the newby that really likes the sport and wants to excel whether a league shooter or competition spend the money now with a pro before you develope bad habits,these guys have the secrets of the sport and will give you the tools you need to win,if you practice,practice and have bad habits and don't know it you will never make it to the top,gun fit is a must and you need to know where your gun shoots otherwise why waste the ammo?

Most local gun ranges will have clincs through out the summer and depending on what discipline you want to shoot or maybe all all three prices will very from $100 to $300 for a two day session.Money well spent if you can afford to shoot these days.

Of course this only applies to the folks that want to get serious about target shooting :roll:


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## WIdawg22 (Sep 18, 2008)

snow said:


> if you practice,practice and have bad habits and don't know it you will never make it to the top
> Of course this only applies to the folks that want to get serious about target shooting :roll:


 I agree w/ u, i kind of came across really vague in my first response. It seems like I've been doing this 4ever, but still could always be better. Remember what works for some guys doesnt really work for everyone, shooting w/ one eye vs two open (reminds me a guy once told me he closed both eyes once he shot, thats a no no, esp doubles!lol), holding a high gun ect. But having somone assit a new shooter is always a good. I also found that thinking about the last one you missed is never good, it comes with being almost too competitive, but always a habit of mine. So go out and fun with it and dont expect to start and be the best right away. This sport is truly a major mental game. Shooting trap is a great sport that kept me out of a lot of trouble in my younger days and still does keep me out of trouble. When i refer to practice, practice i think of guys like a younger guy from wi that lives by me who i heard gets pallets of shells from his sponsers, of course a good chance u r going to be good, we all dont have that oppourtunity, so every little pointer helps a new guy out so he doesn't have to shoot a pallet of shells and still not have it down, and yes its really hard for a guy to break bad habits even if you know what that bad habit is!! To be consistant, dont go switching guns all the time and shells for the same range conditions (once you estrablish what you are going to be using), if you do it takes a little adjustment on the shooters part and usually takes a little time 2 get use to it
Good shootin to all


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## snow (Dec 7, 2007)

Don't let the guys fool ya about sponsors (ammo) there is only one competition shooter that get his ammo from a sponsor and thats Leo Harrison and his sponsor is "Challenger",they give him (or did) 100 flats a year but with the major increase in materials this might have changed,this info comes from other All American shooters including the captain of the team Harlan Campbell,infact Harlan and alot of top shooters shoot federal gold metal paper,shoots about 30k rounds a year at his expense  He does sell the once used empties in bulk to Cablea's to soften the investment blow.For practice rounds or even leauge rounds during the summer months when the temps are above 40degrees the less expensive loads work just fine from the 16yd line no matter what the make from Rio's,estate to Topgun they all break short yardage targets just fine.

BTW,these guys shoot 23/4dr 11/8thoz loads 8's for 16yd & doubles~


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## WIdawg22 (Sep 18, 2008)

snow said:


> Don't let the guys fool ya about sponsors (ammo) there is only one competition shooter that get his ammo from a sponsor and thats Leo Harrison and his sponsor is "Challenger",
> 
> ya i wouldn't imagine anyone really gets there ammo free anymore w/ the somewhat"rediculous" price of ammo these days. Im not even sure that the guy im thinking of does anymore, but thats what i heard a few years back. It is a shame that the prices had to go up so much and the avg kid that really wants to get into it can't b/c of cost.


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