Any Clay Target Shooters?

[5savages]

Trap? Skeet? Sporting Clays? 5-Stand?

I'm a casual trap shooter. I shoot summer and winter leagues with my two sons (we were out in 11°F temps shooting Sunday) and I also am the assistant coach for my older son's high school trap shooting team. In only the first year of existence, his team has reached the state tournament (top 24 teams out of 185 teams in the state at that point) and have won their conference. This past fall my son placed in the top 3 in the state (out of 1800 shooters) with an average above 24. It's been a blast to watch, particularly considering it wasn't all that long ago he was shooting single digits.

 

[Wullie]

Not any more. Arthritis in my shoulder took all the fun out of those games for me. Smoked a lot of 'em for a lot of years and I miss it but I don't miss the knife pain in my shoulder even more. If 410's didn't cost so much I might try it again.

Good on ya for coaching the lads. It's a damn shame that all schools don't have rifle and shotgun teams.

 

[Toothpick]

How does one get started at this? Find a local club and join up?

 

[MWS]

Started with trap, now pretty much skeet exclusively. The guys at the club joke how trap is for the "older" gentlemen. Heading out this weekend since the temps will be above freezing...

 

[Wishoot]

About 12 years ago, I started at a local club that's open to the public (for the most part). I was able to go over my lunch break and had the range to myself.

 

[5savages]

How does one get started at this? Find a local club and join up?

If I were interested in trying it and knew no one who was into it, I'd start by finding local club which offered trap, call each of them up and explain your situation, then go to the one that seemed most inviting.

Some clubs are very friendly, inviting, and will make you feel at home. Some clubs are cliquey and you'll feel like an outsider (not as common, thankfully). Some clubs are open to the public, some are members only. Some clubs are no more than a shack for the attendant and a couple of trap houses (or other clay target sport), and some have big clubhouses with excellent restaurants. Somewhere in there hopefully you'll find a match.

The good clubs will invite you down, have someone walk through the game with you (if you need it) and may even give you the first round free.

 

[5savages]

Do any of you folks live in states with a high school trap league? Ours is exploding in numbers and they tell me that this year we'll have the largest shooting event in the world. We expect 8000 high school kids involved in the trap shooting league this spring and it's estimated that 6000 will compete in the state trap shooting championship in June. Last year we had 4000. In most schools that offer it you can earn a letter for it.

I think Nebraska has a HS league, and I know Wisconsin and North Dakota are starting up this year. Any others?

 

[ZeroGravity]

I shot skeet as a teenager. There was a trap range as well but it never seemed to be open. I actually got half-decent at it but the club was a bit clique-ish and we never felt like we were very welcome even though we did spend a fair bit of time there over a the few years. I guess my $1000 Browning just wasn't up to their $8000 Berretta standards or shooting a couple or three rounds instead of ten or twenty. Club eventually closed, I think the land was sold as suburban sprawl looked like it was going to encroach. No alternatives close so I simply stopped. I should find a place at the cottage that is open enough to set up my own shooter.

 

[Mick]

I used to help run the range at the local club but now I am just an occasional shooter.

Club is open to the public on weekends (Sat and Sun) for trap, skeet, and clays.

Was nice when I was running as I could go out any time and fire up the throwers. Still needed at least 2 warm bodies (one to pull one to shoot).

How does one get started at this? Find a local club and join up?

This one looks like a nice place and open to the public http://www.nashvillegunclub.com/

Get a membership and I might just show up and shoot with you one day

 

[Toothpick]

I used to help run the range at the local club but now I am just an occasional shooter.

Club is open to the public on weekends (Sat and Sun) for trap, skeet, and clays.

Was nice when I was running as I could go out any time and fire up the throwers. Still needed at least 2 warm bodies (one to pull one to shoot).



This one looks like a nice place and open to the public http://www.nashvillegunclub.com/

Get a membership and I might just show up and shoot with you one day

I was checking that one out yesterday. Bout 45 minutes from me if traffic plays fair. It looks really nice though.

 

[Mick]

I was checking that one out yesterday. Bout 45 minutes from me if traffic plays fair. It looks really nice though.

Go out a couple times and if you find you enjoy clay shooting get yourself a turret press and reload your hulls. Once you start reloading you will shoot a lot more as you can load to your "specs"

 

[Toothpick]

Go out a couple times and if you find you enjoy clay shooting get yourself a turret press and reload your hulls. Once you start reloading you will shoot a lot more as you can load to your "specs"

Oh lord! Another rabbit hole. I need to win the lotto to fund my hobbies.

 

[5savages]

What happens when you have nearly 4000 high school kids with guns all converge on one site over 5 days?

A whole lot of fun, some intense competition, and not one safety violation or injury!

We had 4000 kids from throughout the state show up last June but are expecting 6000 this year. Our team ended up 4th in our conference (out of 72 teams I think) with our top shooter taking 2nd place individually with a 99/100. My son shot 97/100 to be tied for 4th in the conference.

 

[cottontop]

I used to shoot a lot of registered skeet. A few years back, I won the bronze medal at the Florida State Games, 55 and older division. The following year, I won the gold. A few years after that, I kind of lost interest and got into center fire rifle shooting, collecting military bolt action rifles, and reloading for all of them.
cottontop

 

[Osborn Cox]

I just started shooting trap again this fall after a 20 year hiatus. It has been fun to get back in to it, especially because it is a really social league and we have a good time afterwards at the clubhouse bar. One of the guys in the league is actually the High school trap coach and after talking with him I'm looking forward to getting my sons started in a couple of years.

 

[5savages]

One of the guys in the league is actually the High school trap coach and after talking with him I'm looking forward to getting my sons started in a couple of years.

The kids in the league amaze me. We get kids from all cliques on our team...cheerleaders, football players, theater kids, smart kids and kids that do no other school activities. Every gets along great.

The who's impressed me the most..he had never shot trap before. The first day of practice he shoots 10/50. By then end of the season, we make the state tournament (top 24 teams out of 175) and have to send our top 5 shooters to compete. This kid has improved so much he makes the tournament team and shoots a 90/100 in some horrible windy, rainy conditions.

 

[Wullie]

I started shooting trap in '67 when I was a trap boy at Alpine Range in Ft Worth. Jack Johnson owned the place and he was a heavy weight trap and live pigeon shooter along with his wife Betty. I shot up most of my wages and Jack loved it. Moved on to skeet and became the head trap boy when I was senior in high school. I had to herd all the rest of the trap brats and try to keep them on the straight and narrow.

I was on my squadron skeet team in the Navy but we didn't get to shoot much. Quit shooting for a lot years until the late 90's. Got into sporting clays and skeet with some of the guys at work. Loved beating the boss like a drum. Everybody else loved to see me spank him too. He HATED it. He was a punk and still is. He's no longer my boss.

Shoulder blew out from an old injury and I sold my Citori 4 ga tube set.

If there are any organized shooting teams around here in any of the schools, I'm unaware of it. I was on the 4-H rifle team when I was in high school and never won at the state level but I made it to state level every year for the 4 years I wa sin high school. I placed close to the top but never quite got there.

 

[Birddog]

Yes, I enjoy shooting clay targets. I make about 4 or 5 trips to the gun club every year, however, I shoot a lot with my bird hunting friends. They both have pro throwers, we set them up in the bed of the pickup, one guy takes the remote and the others shoot. I really enjoy it. I mainly shoot double guns.

 

[crackerman]

I shoot trap, sporting clays frequently and tried five stand the other day and it was fun. Living in Southern California gives you access to some great fields and my "home field" is where the 84 Olympics were held.

I I consider clays practice for bird hunting but have a lot of fun doing it.

 

[llred]

I usually do 5 stand and skeet but when I have some extra cash I spring for sporting clays.