I went trap shooting for the first time...

[JohnnyFlake]

Originally Posted by hoax

I seriously can not believe I waited this long to go trap shooting. Two friends and I whom had also never been trap shooting all decided to hit the range and give it a try. I brought my Mossberg pump with a 20 inch barrel that we all shared. Probably not the most ideal firearm but it worked well enough for us. We all absolutely loved it and we are going back next month with a whole lot more ammo and clays.

Anyone else trap shoot? Any suggestions for someone new to the sport?

Was this an actual club, with a properly designed trap field, or was this just a make-shift fun trap shoot set up? I am asking, because I have never been to a club where you have to bring your own clays.

I have shot both skeet and trap for many years. I was a member of the Lincoln Park Skeet & Trap Club, in Chicago for about 15 years, back in the late 70s & all thru the 80s. I really love them both, IMHO trap is far more difficult than skeet. Skeet is shot from a specific distance from the houses, in a circular pattern and it never changes. The lines of flight of the clays ,from both houses never changes either. Once you understand all of that, it becomes very easy to score in the 90s. However, it is difficult to score 100! I cannot even recall how many times I scored a 99, after missing the first clay out! The first clay out, was my nemesis.

Trap is much more difficult, as you are shooting from a minimum of 16 yards behind the trap house, to a maximum of 27 yards behind the trap house, also in a circular pattern, and the clay can come out of the trap house, from any angle of between 110 degrees to 170 degrees.

I always used a Remington 1100, one with a trap stock and a 30" full choke barrel (for trap), and the other, with a skeet stock and a 26" open-modified barrel.

If you were using a 20" barrel, as you stated, and were shooting from the proper positions, a minimum of 16 yards behind the trap house or release, I am very surprised that you guys hit anything. If and when you did, it must have been exciting!