Trap vs Skeet vs informal, sight picture

[BobBarker]

I've been doing some reading and I get that a trap gun throws the shot higher, so that you can see the bird as you shoot, and a skeet gun you more cover up the bird as they are coming more at you, fast and furious. But what about informal shooting, where your buddy is handthrowing them or you are using spring loaded thrower? The birds are coming from the side of where you are and flying away from you. Also, my shotguns are just field guns, not dedicated clay games guns. Do I cover up the bird, shoot under it, cover with some lead, what? My "scores" have plummetted recently, and I know I'm over-thinking things, ie aiming.

 

[doctorjj]

Have you ever patterned your shotgun? That's the first place to start and it will tell you if you shoot cover the target or shoot under.

 

[dlbleak]

Have you ever patterned your shotgun? That's the first place to start and it will tell you if you shoot cover the target or shoot under.

+1,i've been surprised a few times by patterning two of the same model gun.Did you recently change guns? or like me and need to have my eyes checked!

 

[ldp4570]

Well I'm just an old Quail hunter. You really need to pattern your gun at 30yds to see where the holes are, and your POA/POI. This way you'll know how and where to point to get the best possibility of hits. If your using someone to throw, or using a springloaded thrower this is more like what your going to get in the field hunting quail. Skeet and Trap don't really simulate the hunting field, and even alot of the Sporting clay matches have gotten away from this as well.

 

[BobBarker]

I keep buying and trading guns. Once I get semi-comfortable with a gun, I sell it/trade it off and "upgrade". I have to stop. Where can I get some patterning paper? Thanks guys for your help.

 

[THE JOKER]

Any large piece of paper or cardboard will work.

 

[Spooln-Rex]

When i was shooting a lot of trap back in my teenager years using a remington 870 express 28ga and 12ga and my citori i always put the front bead just over the center of the clays. maybe a little under but thats what worked for me now i havent ever patterned them since i was taught by my dad/ and grandparents. they were hand me downs already set up for trap shooting though.

 

[ProBusiness]

TRAP GUN - a true trap gun is built to place the shot 6" (or so) high at 36 yards. This is because the bird is climbing when you shoot at it. On a trap gun, you can see the bird above the barrel as you shoot at it.

SHOOTING TRAP WITH A "FIELD" GUN - a field gun is not set up to shoot high unless it has been altered. So, if you are shooting trap and see the bird above your barrel when you shoot, by the time the shot gets to the spot where the bird was, the bird has climbed/risen enough that your shot will be placed below the bird. With a field gun shooting trap - you cover up the bird (don't see it) as you shoot and place your shot higher.

SKEET - has established leads for each bird at each station. The lead is duplicated each time.

All other types of shooting, hunting, birds thrown by hand, birds thrown by a personal thrower, you have to learn to calculate direction, speed, lead for each and every bird. Different each time.

I can teach you how to do this.

By the way, you can shoot trap and or skeet with a "field gun", you just have to learn how.

Also, myself personally, when get a gun fitted to me, and i am hitting with it. I hang onto it.

Some guns have to be fitted to you. If they are not, you can be aiming what you think is correctly, and be 1/2 of a pattern off at 30 yards. This means that if your choke and gun are producing a 30" pattern at 30 yards, you are only using 15" of it. That is not much. Think about it. This can cause you to miss a lot.

Also, there are different ways to shoot: pass through, pull away, substained lead. It is good to know what these are and how to use them. By gaining this info you have a lot more tools to use.

 

[S&W 10]

This link may be of some assistance in making a pattern board. Pretty much anything will work, but sometimes you can improve on other persons design.
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=119854
Shotgun World is a very friendly forum that has a tremendous amount of information and knowledgeable members that are always willing to help a person with any shotgun related issue or anything else for that matter (kind-a like this place).

As previously stated; knowing how your shotgun patterns with a given load/choke combination is invaluable when it comes to locating the "bird on the bead". I, myself like shooting "pasture clays" with my buddies because it's unpredictable much like a hunting situation. So after patterning get a few cases of clays and shells and have fun.

 

[1eye]

The gun certainly needs to fit properly. Any time you change guns you sure need to pattern test it to see what the differences might be. When my scores begin to slump while using the same gun I have learned that it is due to not concentrating on the basics. When ever I compromise the basics I compromise my shots.