Skeet shooting

[A1C Lickey]

Good Morning Everyone-

I got to go skeet shooting with a buddy from work for the first time Saturday. He knew I was into guns, but asked how much experience I had with shotguns. And laughed when I said my only experience with shotguns was being on the recieving end. Anyways, we headed out to the middle of the desert, her showed me how to use his shotgun, a Mossberg 12 ga pump, and how to toss the clay targets. Had a blast (pun intended) and now I can't wait to both go again and to pick up a shotgun of my own.

Now come my questions, first off what's the difference between shooting skeet and trap, and second what is a choke, and what does it do? From what I've seen it almost seems like it's a small part of the barrel that you can change out depending on your load. Is that right? And if so, why would you want to do that?

Oh yeah, so I was stuck in Walmart Sunday getting my tires fixed when I wandered over to Sporting Goods, took a good look at the shotguns. Remington 870 vs. a Mossberg Maverick, any thoughts, recommendations, gripes?

A1C Lickey

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Rob72]

"Choke" compresses the shot, as it leaves the barrel, with the intent of compressing or expanding the amount of shot spread. The only caveat: 1) NEVER use a choke with slugs (until you're familiar enough with them to know the couple of kinds you can use, effectively).

All of my shottys have been 18" tubes, which has made my (rare!) trips with my skeet shooting friends a bit of a challenge! My preference would be for the Remington, as the actions are typically a bit smoother than Mossy. Both are decent shotguns.

[Scott]

Here we go...

Skeet is a clay game played on a semi-circular field with 8 shooting stations and to "houses". Trap has one house and it is in the center of the field. There are shooting stations lined up behind the house and the birds typically fly away from the shooters. The challenge in trap becomes the distance to the clay and the fact that the longer you take to get on the bird the further away it is. There are variations to trap that make it harder, see wobble trap.

A choke constricts the end of the barrel to tighten the pattern for longer range shots. Skeet guns tend to be shorter barreled because you aren't shooting more than about 20 yards. Also skeet choke tend towards an "open" choke which allows the shot to spread more. Trap guns will have longer barrels and different chokes because you are shooting a greater distances. As noted by Rob72 don't shoot slugs in a choked barrel unless you know they are designed for that.

If you really want to have some fun shoot sporting clays. I love it but can rarely find a place or the time to shoot much. Multiple different presentations and you will want different chokes if you use a double gun, which I would recommend.

Anyway, hope this helps. Here's a link where you can explore more about shotgun sports. http://www.nssa-nsca.com/

-Scott-

[havegunjoe]

One thing to keep in mind is that throwing clay targets is much slower than the mechanical throwers used at a real trap or skeet range. If there is one near you try that. It's an eye opener if you are not use to it.

[P95Carry]

Lickey - you pretty much now have the info - but yeah - great fun it is!

With skeet in particular where you have to deal with crossing birds - typically hardest on station 4, where a lead of some four feet or so is needed. Much more ''instinctive'' shooting than about anything else.

Trap can seem easier but oh my - how many times do I miss a ''straight-away'' LOL.

Shotgunning is very much third place for me in order of precidence but I do enjoy it now and again. Still load for 12G - saves a bit.

[JT]

Oh yeah, so I was stuck in Walmart Sunday getting my tires fixed when I wandered over to Sporting Goods, took a good look at the shotguns. Remington 870 vs. a Mossberg Maverick, any thoughts, recommendations, gripes?

The Maverick is Mossberg’s budget gun. I would go with the standard Mossberg line or the Remington.

[Rob72]

One thing to keep in mind is that throwing clay targets is much slower than the mechanical throwers used at a real trap or skeet range. If there is one near you try that. It's an eye opener if you are not use to it.

As mentioned with the 18" barrels, skeet can be "exciting", with a defensive arm on the range: I had to stand at the extreme forward edge of the pit, to hope of having a chance to hit anything. My problem then was that if I racked my slide, the sound was close enough to the sensors that it would trigger the next bird!

Made it fun! I had to tag them almost as soon as they popped into view, or they were gone. My buddy and I came up with a game of "doubles": he'd stand beside me (with his 26" barrel), and take the bird triggered when I racked a new round, and vice-versa. I've never seen a round of skeet go so fast!!

[Shotgun Willie]

I have a 870 Express SuperMag 28" and love it. I don't like the steel bead and would suggest taking it to a gunshop to have a HiViz(or similar) put on. The disadvantage of the Remington is that the sight bead is pressed in not threaded like some other manufacturers, meaning that a gunsmith has to do it but it shouldn't cost more than $40-50 to get it done. The 870 is a relible gun and has great value. I am a little biased(only a little) in my opinion but for a low-cost shotgun I think the 870 is the way to go. For about the same price you cound also go with the Benelli Nova Pump. Also a excellent gun. I like Benelli better than Remington but both are good guns. I have never liked the feel of the Mossbergs I have shot therefore I don't own one. Just my two cents.

[rocky]

Tried a little clay shootin' with my S&W 18" barrelled shotgun. Much more challenging and ya gotta hit em right off the thrower or they are gone. So much for bird hunting thick swamps with a short barrel.

[CombatEffective]

I love busting clay targets. I enjoy trap more than skeet, but the folks at my club like to shoot skeet; so, that it most often the game of choice on the shotgun field.

The 870 is a great buy and can serve double duty. You can get an 1100 sythetic stocked shotty for a good price. It isn't as pretty as wood, but it shoots the same.

If you want to go pure sporting as in an O/U but not spend a lot of money, check out www.dhshotguns.com I have the U1 model. I had to return it to them when I first got it due to it doubling, but they paid shipping all ways and it works great now.

[Shotgun Willie]

Love the gun Combat! After seeing yours I had to go to their site. I now have another gun bookmarked and on my wishlist. See what you made me do! Its hard not to consider a custom at those prices. It's still a lot of money, but that is why its on the wishlist. I fancy the U5E English Sporter after a good long look on the site.

Thanks for the pics and the link. I'm jealous! I restained and finished the stock and fore end on my 870 and it looks much better now that you can see the grain and character of the wood, but it is nowhere as nice as your gun.

[Sigh]Too many guns, not enough money.

[tanksoldier]

Don't forget that with most pump shotuns you can buy another barrel for $100-$200 and use it for hunting or skeet/ trap.

[CombatEffective]

Love the gun Combat! After seeing yours I had to go to their site. I now have another gun bookmarked and on my wishlist. See what you made me do! Its hard not to consider a custom at those prices. It's still a lot of money, but that is why its on the wishlist. I fancy the U5E English Sporter after a good long look on the site.

Thanks for the pics and the link. I'm jealous! I restained and finished the stock and fore end on my 870 and it looks much better now that you can see the grain and character of the wood, but it is nowhere as nice as your gun.

[Sigh]Too many guns, not enough money.

Thank you sir. The U1 is a copy of the Beretta 686. It's a nice shooter.

[AirForceShooter]

want real fun?
Try sporting clays with a pistol.
If you get 10% it will be amazing.
Find out how bad you really are.
It's a humbling experience

AFS

[mswestfall]

I’m a Trap shooter. I shot about 350 rounds in the past 12 months verses 10 of Skeet and 10 of 5-Stand. I shoot an over-and-under with changeable chokes. Chokes (which are different than tubes or choke tubes) come in different sizes. They are (from largest diameter to smallest); Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified and Full. There are several more like extra Full 2X-Full, Skeet I, Skeet II, but the five listed are the basic ones. The larger the opening the larger the pattern at a given distance from the gun barrel. For example, a Skeet choke throws about a four-foot (diameter) pattern at 30 yards where a Full choke throws about 2.5 feet. Also a Skeet choke has a shorter Shot String (length from front to back of the shoot pattern) than does a Full choke. So the shot string at 30 yards from a Full choke is narrower (diameter) and longer (front-to-back) than the wider and shorter Skeet choke. Skeet and IC’s are generally used when shooting Skeet. A Modified, Improved Cylinder or Full are used for shooting Trap. I shoot a Full choke in Trap for everything (from the 16 yard line to the 27 yard line) except Doubles Trap.

Look on www.remington.com for a description of Trap and Skeet.

Basically Trap is thrown from one house 16 to 27 yards in front of you and all birds go from 44° to the left and right of a centerline. The birds are thrown at a constant height but are random in their pattern from left to right. It simulates flushing bird hunting, like pheasant or quail.

Skeet is thrown from a high house (on your left) and a low house (on your right). There are eight stations in Skeet. Station 1 is under the high house. Station 7 is under the low house. Stations 2-6 are evenly spaced in a half circle between stations 1 and 7. Station 8 is in the center of the circle. Skeet simulates crossing bird hunting, like dove.

You can shoot either sport with almost any shotgun. I would recommend that you purchase a gun that does have interchangeable chokes. Be aware that the comb (top) on the stock of a hunting (field) gun is lower that that of a Skeet gun and that is lower that that on a Trip gun. With Field guns you aim at (cover) the bird. With a Skeet and Trap gun you see the bird over the barrel. I would go to a shop that sells really expensive guns and ask them to fit you. Then you can buy from anyone you want. I would also recommend a double barrel or a semi-automatic verses a pump. A pump gun is hard to shoot doubles in either sport so it would be less versatile.

I hope this helps!?