Any Clay Target Shooters?

[camjr]

I was a competitive skeet shooter in a league for about 5-6 years on a 3 person team. Great fun. I could be having a terrible day at work, and after firing a 12ga and breaking 47-50 clays I was in a great mood. Still home by 8:30pm on those evenings to help get the kids to bed, etc. I grew bored of skeet and transitioned to a 5-Stand league for another couple of years, but then life started getting in the way. I will return to the leagues at some point. In Texas, it's a year 'round option, although the skeet league under the lights at 25 degrees can get a bit chilly in the Winter!

My gun of choice was/is a Beretta AL390 semiauto with a set of Briley extended choke tubes. I added a Beretta Gel-Tek recoil pad and had Briley lengthen the forcing cone in the barrel as well. It's my shoot everything gun. I use it for dove, ducks, pheasant, clays, and quail. never a hiccup after what I would think is around 15k rounds

 

[llred]

I was a competitive skeet shooter in a league for about 5-6 years on a 3 person team. Great fun. I could be having a terrible day at work, and after firing a 12ga and breaking 47-50 clays I was in a great mood. Still home by 8:30pm on those evenings to help get the kids to bed, etc. I grew bored of skeet and transitioned to a 5-Stand league for another couple of years, but then life started getting in the way. I will return to the leagues at some point. In Texas, it's a year 'round option, although the skeet league under the lights at 25 degrees can get a bit chilly in the Winter!

My gun of choice was/is a Beretta AL390 semiauto with a set of Briley extended choke tubes. I added a Beretta Gel-Tek recoil pad and had Briley lengthen the forcing cone in the barrel as well. It's my shoot everything gun. I use it for dove, ducks, pheasant, clays, and quail. never a hiccup after what I would think is around 15k rounds

I shoot a 3901, its the American built version of the 390. Its just basic black on black but a very soft shooter. I replaced my recoil pad with a limbsaver and sporting clay to heavy dove loads the recoil is almost nothing.

I also shoot sometimes with a Citori O/U 20ga if I want an extra challenge.

 

[5savages]

My boys and I had a great day Sunday. My younger son, 13, started shooting trap last fall and has been really struggling figuring it out. While I've coached him for many years in other sports successfully, for some reason he did not take well to me coaching him in trap shooting. It could be he felt the pressure because his older brother is one of the top high school shooters in the state, but I'm just guessing.

I had a shotgun coach work with him a couple of times late last fall, and also had this guy check the mount and gun fit for my son, which led to me getting him a new shotgun, a Beretta A300 Outlander (great gun!). Until then, he was shooting single digits, often 3 or 4 and never above 7, and getting very frustrated.

We hadn't been able to get out much until two weekends ago when we started the winter trap league and he started out with a 3. He came off the line with quite a dejected look and I felt like he was looking interest quick, though I keep reminding him that his old brother started out the same way. I also try to make trap shooting about more than just a score. We hang out at the club and get some keg root beer for the boys, and a beer for me, and some burgers or hot dogs.

Last Sunday something changed. He started out the first round hitting 5 of the first 6. After the first switch I looked at him and he was grinning ear to ear. He ended up with a 12 and was thrilled to score his first double digit score.

We shot a second round and I'll be danged if he didn't do even better. He finished with an 18! At one station he hit all 5 targets. What REALLY had him stoked, is that he beat me! After a first round 22, I just couldn't get comfortable in the second round and only hit 17. It took my older son 3 years to score that high (my fault...poor gun choice, poor instruction) and here he did it in just a few months. I He said he remembered something the instructor had told him and he changed his head position and it worked. He says he can't wait to get back out on the range this weekend!

My older boy, the hot shot, has been frustrated. He's *only* shot three rounds of 24 so far. He was hoping to get 25's in at least half his rounds.

 

[5savages]

In Texas, it's a year 'round option, although the skeet league under the lights at 25 degrees can get a bit chilly in the Winter!

My gun of choice was/is a Beretta AL390 semiauto with a set of Briley extended choke tubes. I added a Beretta Gel-Tek recoil pad and had Briley lengthen the forcing cone in the barrel as well. It's my shoot everything gun. I use it for dove, ducks, pheasant, clays, and quail. never a hiccup after what I would think is around 15k rounds

Hey, it's a year 'round option here in Minnesota as well! We were freezing our butts off a couple of weeks ago, with temps around 10F, light snow and a steady breeze in our face. Last weekend was a downright balmy 28F.

My younger son shoots a new Beretta A300 Outlander. I love the way that gun feels and may get one for myself.
My older son, the hot shot, shoots a old, rusty Remington 870 Wingmaster with a fixed Full choke and a Monte Carlos stock, which he paid all of $50 for. He shot 24.1 average last fall with that in the high school league,

 

[Mick]

I shoot trap with either a Mauser single barrel trap or a Winchester 101 single barrel with a release trigger. Have a LARGE red tag I hang on the barrel of the Winchester that says "WARNING, Release Trigger DO NOT Touch"

Clays I shoot a Browning Superposed over under with a Morgan adjustable pad. It is a multi barrel set so I use it for skeet and sometimes trap if I am lazy and only want to carry 1 gun to the range.

28 gauge Winchester diamond grade is my favorite skeet gun though. 28 gauge makes skeet a LOT more interesting.

 

[llred]

My boys and I had a great day Sunday. My younger son, 13, started shooting trap last fall and has been really struggling figuring it out. While I've coached him for many years in other sports successfully, for some reason he did not take well to me coaching him in trap shooting. It could be he felt the pressure because his older brother is one of the top high school shooters in the state, but I'm just guessing.

I had a shotgun coach work with him a couple of times late last fall, and also had this guy check the mount and gun fit for my son, which led to me getting him a new shotgun, a Beretta A300 Outlander (great gun!). Until then, he was shooting single digits, often 3 or 4 and never above 7, and getting very frustrated.

We hadn't been able to get out much until two weekends ago when we started the winter trap league and he started out with a 3. He came off the line with quite a dejected look and I felt like he was looking interest quick, though I keep reminding him that his old brother started out the same way. I also try to make trap shooting about more than just a score. We hang out at the club and get some keg root beer for the boys, and a beer for me, and some burgers or hot dogs.

Last Sunday something changed. He started out the first round hitting 5 of the first 6. After the first switch I looked at him and he was grinning ear to ear. He ended up with a 12 and was thrilled to score his first double digit score.

We shot a second round and I'll be danged if he didn't do even better. He finished with an 18! At one station he hit all 5 targets. What REALLY had him stoked, is that he beat me! After a first round 22, I just couldn't get comfortable in the second round and only hit 17. It took my older son 3 years to score that high (my fault...poor gun choice, poor instruction) and here he did it in just a few months. I He said he remembered something the instructor had told him and he changed his head position and it worked. He says he can't wait to get back out on the range this weekend!

My older boy, the hot shot, has been frustrated. He's *only* shot three rounds of 24 so far. He was hoping to get 25's in at least half his rounds.

The outlander 300 is nice. I tried to hold out for one but I had to get another semi 12 after my browning gold was stolen. I was also in a money crunch at the time due to starting a new job. I got the 3901 just have a good base gun for ducks/dove/clays.


As for your son getting him started young and letting him practice will help him be a great shooter.

 

[5savages]

As for your son getting him started young and letting him practice will help him be a great shooter.

I made a lot of mistakes with my older son. To start I bought him a Mossberg Super Bantam 500 - 20ga pump because I wanted a light gun he could carry in the field all day, one that was cheap since he'd outgrow it quickly, and a 20 gauge thinking it would have a lighter recoil. Oh, and it came with a slug barrel so he could use it for deer hunting. The other problem is that I didn't know enough to help him learn to shoot and instead just told him all he needed was more practice.

What I eventually found out was that the shotgun was the absolute worst choice I could have made. The fact that it was a 20 ga was offset by the weight and it kicked as much as my 12 ga. pump. The there was the geometry. The Mossberg Super Bantam 500 is designed to punch you in the face every time you'd shoot it. He'd come off the line with his cheek and his ego bruised up pretty good. I thought it was because he wasn't getting a firm cheek weld until I tried to shoot it and felt what he felt. I should sell that damn thing.

Both problems were solved when, by chance, I met a man who was a competitive trap shooter who agreed to work with him. He suggest getting a pad for the comb to lift up his head, and reduce the blow. That, along with a couple of hours with him and soon he went from single digits to upper teens. After the second session, this fellow told me to bring him by his house. He was moving to Denver and had something he though my son would want to buy. That was the 870 mentioned above. It was this guy's first trap gun but had been sitting in a case (rusting) for a long time. $50 later it was coming home with us.

He doing so well in the league that I offered to buy him a new O/U, but he's decided he just wants to keep shooting this rusty old $50 Remington. He says he loves using the old pump gun and beating other who are using beautiful, engraved O/U's that cost thousands of dollars.

Anyway, learning from my past mistakes, I'm doing it right with my younger son. Get a good gun that fits him right away and get him some good instruction.

 

[the_ogre25]

I shot sporting clays about once a month. I enjoy trap but the few ranges near me are very cliquey and have even gotten rude comments about my 870 not being a "trap gun".

I reload 12 and 20 gauge but it would take a lot of shooting to beat the 100 round boxes from most places.

 

[5savages]

I shot sporting clays about once a month. I enjoy trap but the few ranges near me are very cliquey and have even gotten rude comments about my 870 not being a "trap gun".

They'd go nuts if they ever saw what I've been shooting trap with lately. An ugly Mossberg 835 Ultimag pump with a dull green synthetic stock and ported barrel. I inherited this gun from my brother and I believe he used it for turkey hunting. It's an ugly gun and I'm NOT a fan of Mossberg (see above), but I found I actually shot fairly well with it.

 

[mroe21877]

They'd go nuts if they ever saw what I've been shooting trap with lately. An ugly Mossberg 835 Ultimag pump with a dull green synthetic stock and ported barrel. I inherited this gun from my brother and I believe he used it for turkey hunting. It's an ugly gun and I'm NOT a fan of Mossberg (see above), but I found I actually shot fairly well with it.

my public range near me has two "clay station." its a public place so really its just a little deck next to the rifle range. I shoot my UTS-15 and thats really weird looking when shooting clays. they still blow apart so i dont care. I only do it for familiarization.

 

[llred]

I shot sporting clays about once a month. I enjoy trap but the few ranges near me are very cliquey and have even gotten rude comments about my 870 not being a "trap gun".

I reload 12 and 20 gauge but it would take a lot of shooting to beat the 100 round boxes from most places.

Hmmm...... someone needs to do their homework.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-wingmaster-classic-trap.aspx

 

[aperna]

I love skeet shooting and so does my Perrazzi MX8

 

[the_ogre25]

That Wingmaster is a beautiful shotgun! Mine is a plain 870 Express super mag. Although it does have the wood stock set.

 

[Gator]

+1 on the Beretta autos.
I've owned a Beretta A391 extrema 2 for over 6 years and I love it! What kick? I can shoot a case of shells and not feel a thing later, that gun is awesome. I've never really considered acquiring another shotgun, it's the jack of all trades gun that can do anything and cycle everything I feed it, from shooting magnum 3 1/2in. shells to my light 7/8oz reloads it will spit em out and ask for more.

I've been shooting clays for a little over 9 years now. When I first started me and my father would go out nearly every weekend and shoot trap. After we moved the local range had a sorry excuse for a trap range, but had a regulation skeet range so we transitioned to skeet for a while. We have been shooting sporting clays almost exclusively for the last few years since the range refurbished their trail. I love shooting sporting clays more than trap or skeet because our range changes the angles and thrower locations every couple of weeks so your never shoot the same course all the time like with trap or skeet. It challenges me more and I am forced to hone my instinctive shooting instead of memorizing a skeet or trap course.

I'm sorry that some of your ranges are cliquey. It shouldn't matter what your shoot, it should matter how well you shoot. I shoot alongside Perazzis and Krieghoffs and nobody bats and eye or makes a fuss about my (inexpensive in comparison) Beretta. One of the best shooters out there uses a cheap browning auto and outshoots all the wealthy guys with their fancy O/U guns.