[the blur]

I attempted to trap shoot for the first time. I used my Mossberg 500. I hit 1 out of 25. The guy started to educate me about getting a trap gun, and leave my deer gun at home. But I couldn;t hear much as the range was busy, and ear protection, etc.

Can someone educated me on what shotgun I need to shoot trap.

I'll probably buy an auto due to my bad shoulder, but I really know nothing about shotguns....

 

[MikeG]

There is nothing wrong with your Mossberg. Learn to shoot it, and rub it in the guy's face

Seriously, you would not believe the arrogance and attitude of many upscale clay target shooters. I have shot many rounds of skeet with a near-stock 870 and lots of trap with an 1100. One memorable day, I badly outshot a guy with a new $4,000 Beretta with my $200, pitted, drag-through-the-woods 1100 (I wasn't responsible for how it came to look like it did, bought it used and evidently someone put it in the case wet).

OK..... what you DO need for trap: First of all, at least a modified choke. Full is probably more common but modified will work on the 16 yard line, at least if you shoot quick. Short barrels make it more difficult, but it can be done. A 30" barrel with a full choke swings pretty well. Having said that, I have seen guys shoot 27 yard line with .410s, so it can be done with anything you can shoot.

Second, you have rising birds. Need to shoot HIGH. Most trap guns are set up that way so let's assume that's why you were advised to get a new gun. But, you can get buy without one. With a vent rib barrel, have a mid-bead installed (if you don't already have one). Then, instead of looking straight down the barrel, set your chin a little higher on the stock so that the beads "stack" in a figure 8 or so. Set the bird on top of the front bead, your gun will shoot high. Keep swinging after you shoot.

The last part is foot position, but won't be able to cover that in a post. Do a little searching and see what you can find. Mainly, get your weight more on the front foot, and feet open enough that you can swing the barrel either way.

A semi-auto will reduce recoil a bit, but annoy the guy to your right that you are flinging shells onto. There are little sheet-metal do-dads that attach to an 1100 to hang onto the hull. Not sure about other brands.

Good luck.

 

[Marshal Kane]

About a year ago, I was where you are now. Since then, I've bought a Remington model 1100 12 gauge trap gun with a 30" trap barrel. IME, it's true that a real trap gun does help but I've also seen others shoot trap with a tactical shotgun. Most good auto trap guns emphasize soft recoil as trap shooters shoot a lot. Stick with target loads as they are loaded for this game and easy on the shoulder. I shoot 2 3/4" 3 dram loads with 1 1/8 oz. of #8 shot. I'm far from being a competitive shooter but from what I learned, try to shoot regularly and you will start to learn how to lead the bird from experience. Research the net for trap shooting tips and stick with it. To be good at trap takes a lot of shooting. Busting a bird is a great feeling of accomplishment!

 

[30-30remchester]

Any field gun will break @ 20 birds out of 25. To get that final 5 birds you will need a gun designed for trap shooting. These have higher combs on the buttstock, special ribs ect. The buttstock is the key to trapshooting. The buttstock needs to be sighted in as silly as that sounds. If the stock is to thick you will hit to the left of the bird, if too thin you will hit to the right of the bird. Too high you will shoot over, and too low a comb you will hit under a rising bird. I have seen a few guys show up with a new $25,000 trap or skeet gun and a wood rasp in their rear pocket. After a few shot ,even though they hit the bird, they will start rasping off the wood till the bird doesnt just break, it disentagrates, meaning a center hit. With a special rib you dont have to aim above the bird to hit it like you do with the standard field gun, the rib is designed to allow the bird to stay in view when your trigger breaks. Dont get discouraged, EVERY sucsessful trap shooter started out just like you. We simply kept trying and experementing.

 

[hillestadj]

These guys have you on the right track. The sky is the limit as far as $$$ and modifications go in the world of trap guns. Not knowing your budget I would recommend a new or used BT-99. They were designed with only one purpose, Trap. You wont need to deal with trying to turn a field gun into a trap gun or a sporting clays gun into a trap gun, etc...If you look around you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a used one for $750 and new w/o an adjustable comb you can get into one for $1100, add $200 for an adjustable comb.

If you're serious I'd do some looking around on trapshooters.com and shotgunworld.com as they are purely geared towards trap and shotgun sports.

 

[the blur]

I'm certainly learning a lot !
I'd like to get 1 gun to shoot clay birds. trap, skeet, sporting, whatever....
Just to have fun with, not to be competetive.

My son actually learned quite a bit in the boy scouts. Now it's time to take it to the next level.




Thanks.

 

[MikeG]

If you want to have fun then there is no handicap in using field guns. I shoot skeet and sporting clays all the time with my 1100 and an old Stevens 311. The mid bead on a longer barrel surely helps with trap, though.

Might break a few more birds in sporting clays with a dedicated gun, but shooting it once or twice a year doesn't really motivate me to spend the extra money. I will admit to getting flubbed up by the double triggers on the Stevens once in a while but hey that's how it goes....

 

[tacklebury]

My 500 is super accurate, just make sure you are using a suitable choke. Mossberg sells skeet chokes for the 500 on their website. I just use an improved Modified cylinder choke without issue for casual skeet. 8)

 

[hillestadj]

If you want something you can shoot all clay games with I would recommend an autoloader set up for clays, not a field gun. Some you could look at are the Browning Gold and Silver Sporting lines, Berreta 391's, Remington 1100 Traps or 1187's, Winchester SX-1 trap, etc...

Better yet, but more of an investment would be a quality O/U, Browning XT, XS, 525, 625 series, Berreta 682's or Silver Pigeons, etc...Those are what I would consider quality guns that a beginner to AA shooters could use and be very successful with.

If you got the big bucks take a gander at some of the stuff Kolar, Krieghoff, Perazzi, and Seitz offer.

 

[Pete D.]

I wish that I could tell you that I run 25s all of the time. I don't. I did, though, shoot 23/25 twice yesterday and it is only a matter of time before I get those other two birds.
I started Trap shooting a few months ago. I am shooting a Mossberg 500 with a 30 inch ribbed barrel full choked. I expect to be using this gun for a while as my feeling is that getting the last two targets is much more a matter of the shooter than it is of the gun.
(My first time at Trap, I hit 1 of 25. Practice has helped, as I ain't no prodigy)

So the Mossberg works....but....it is very important, VERY, that the gun fit you. I have had to do a few things to my Mossy to make it fit me. The LOP was way too short; I added an inch to the stock by cutting and forming a piece of walnut that I had. It is a hack job appearance wise so needing even more length, I cover it with a slip on recoil pad. I raised the comb so that the gun would shoot higher. Used a Brauer Brothers Lace-on pad to do that (Brownell's). The gun shoots where I am looking annd doesn't look too bad.
About the high priced guns - say what you want about how well we do with our Mossbergs and 870s and 1100s, there are good reasons that the top shooters spend the money that they do on the high end guns. One is custom fitting. Another is durability.....it is not uncommon for a serious Trap shooter to put 20,000 shells a year through a shotgun. The better guns stand up to that; lesser guns tend to fall apart.
If I had the $, I be shooting a Perazzi, a Ljutic, or a Krieghoff. I don't, so I have my Mossberg and it's working just fine.
Pete

 

[SmithDeanJ]

Here's my two cents, and I think it's already been stated. The best thing you can do is get a partner who knows what they are doing when it comes to trap shooting. Then have them instruct you on proper stance, being placement of the feet, how to position your shoulders over your feet, and the biggest thing, what my grandfather called "lean and swing" where you lean into the gun, and follow through as though swinging a baseball bat, though not as dramatic. Once you've got that down and have a good technique, do what I did, find the guy that ragged on you and bet him a dollar a clay that you can shoot better than he, and let him have it. It's always fun to come back better than "that guy" God Bless.

 

[mattsbox99]

Lots of good advice here. I'm new to Trap as well, started this April and I've shot about 100 rounds since then. Personally, I'm at the point where I need to move on to a dedicated Trap gun. A field gun just won't cut it anymore for me.

While you can certainly go spend $5500 on a KX5, or $27k on a Perazzi combo gun - the lowly 870 Wingmaster Trap has showed up and done very well at all levels of shooting, the 1100 Trap is a good step if you want the autoloader. A good friend of mine is an incredible shooter and does so with the 1100.

Good luck, Trap is dangerously addictive!

 

[Pete D.]

"Trap is dangerously addictive!"

Ain't that the truth.

Pete

 

[oletymer]

You mentioned leaving your deer gun at home. You weren't using a rifled barrel were you? If you were that is your problem.

 

[Bill Mannatt]

Lots of good advice here. I'm new to Trap as well, started this April and I've shot about 100 rounds since then. Personally, I'm at the point where I need to move on to a dedicated Trap gun. A field gun just won't cut it anymore for me.

While you can certainly go spend $5500 on a KX5, or $27k on a Perazzi combo gun - the lowly 870 Wingmaster Trap has showed up and done very well at all levels of shooting, the 1100 Trap is a good step if you want the autoloader. A good friend of mine is an incredible shooter and does so with the 1100.

Good luck, Trap is dangerously addictive!

If all you've shot is 100 rounds,you don't need a dedicated trap gun,you need to shoot more. Trap has three separate disciplines,singles,handicap,and doubles. Each has different choke requirements,and point of impact settings for some guys.Doubles requires the capability of two QUICK shots. Forget about a trap gun unless you are going to compete. An adjustable comb is easily installed on any gun and gives one the ablility to vary the point of impact. Can be done for about 125 bucks. Unless you are willing to shoot the 300 + rounds a week to get good,then just resign yourself to being a casual duffer and have fun. Very few have the money or discipline to become accomplished in any clay target sport,time and money dictate all. I've competed in every clay target sport in existence,plus live pigeons,for 50 years. It ain't easy,or cheap.

 

[zb338]

If you are going to buy a trap gun. Buy the Browning single shot trap gun.
They are always around trap ranges and there are always some around. If
you can; get the one with the adjustable stock. Then go out there and break
100 straight.

Zeke

 

[Sandman1]

I'm certainly learning a lot !
I'd like to get 1 gun to shoot clay birds. trap, skeet, sporting, whatever....
Just to have fun with, not to be competetive.

My son actually learned quite a bit in the boy scouts. Now it's time to take it to the next level.




Thanks.

You already have that one gun. If you want to upgrade that is fine, but don't let the guy at the range convince you that you can't be a respective trap shooter with what you have.

 

[tacklebury]

+1 Sandman1.

 

[dokraul]

trap guns.... hmmmm... your wish list would fill up this entire page for sure. but lest be practical. You said you are shootin your mossberg 500? thats not an issue at all. a field gun has a deeper drop at comb as what our previous shooter hat discussed. In order to elevate that drop, without purchasing a stock which might be very expensive for the bank, simply look for a mouse pad trim it to fit the comb and you, tape it. it wont win your gun beauty pagents, but with a lotta practice, who knows, those expensive ones could be humbled.....