Trap - Away and up - Where to Aim?

[trew10]

I did skeet shooting for first time yesterday had a blast.

[AAShooter]

I did skeet shooting for first time yesterday had a blast.

Sounds great.

[AAShooter]

i was under the impression a high gun above the house was better for trap. all you need to do is move the guns left or right. provided you can shoot with bothe eyes open

If that is working for you, then great. Realize that most trap guns shoot high. Consequently, their point-of-impact is anywhere between 6" and 18" above the point-of-aim. This is compared to many shotguns, especially field guns, that shoot "flat". Or, point-of-aim and point-of-impact are the same. This is because you are always shooting a rising bird unless you are shooting slowly. So beginning shooters will shoot birds that have crested and are dropping.

Although holding a high gun is has advantages, for many shooters holding on the top-front edge of the trap house or slightly higher (as BigDogatPlay mentioned) gives the shooter a better view of the shot area and they can pick up the bird faster. The down side is they have to move their gun further to get to the bird but it often works. Play around with the height and see what works. Even now, when I am having problems, I will drop the amount I hold over the trap house.

Finally, I don't think this has been mentioned, be sure you are seeing the bird before you try to shoot it. Even better, focus on the leading edge of the clay target. Once you have that, shoot it. So many beginners try to shoot the flash of color or start moving on the flash of color . . . make sure you see the target. Solid shooting technique with good follow-through usually will take care of the proper lead once you are more familiar.

One last thought--I found it very beneficial to set up the trap machine to throw a fixed target and shoot that shot at different stations. So set the machine up for hard right targets and shoot a round of trap on station 5. Or shoot 5 birds at each station so you understand how thing change as you perspective changes (different at each station). Remember foot position and your hold point change with each station.

[AAShooter]

There is good advice in the thread above, particularly (as always) AAShooter. I get best results with my students keeping the bead just at the front roof line of the trap house when they set up, and their vision is focused on the field beyond the house. They (and I) seem to get the best look at the bird that way. The Remington brochure linked above is about the best advice around on paper and the techniques it describes can improve scores and understanding greatly.

Part of the answer goes around the gun you are shooting. Different guns shoot to different points of aim. For instance, my go to 1100 shoots pretty flat so on the straightaways, when the bead gets to the bottom of the bird the trigger gets pulled. Proper follow through and keeping a solid cheek weld should result in a puff of dust where the bird used to be and typically does. OTOH, I shot a new BT-99 on Saturday which is set up to shoot somewhat high. Once I had it figured out I found that I needed a good finger width of air between the bottom of the bird and the bead on straightaways, otherwise I was shooting well over the top of them.

This is why it's important to pattern your gun with a few different loads and find where it shoots relative to your point of aim.

Good points. Thanks for the compliment.

[BigDogatPlay]

i was under the impression a high gun above the house was better for trap. all you need to do is move the guns left or right. provided you can shoot with bothe eyes open

If holding above the house works for you then there's nothing wrong with that for you. We each have to find the way that works best for us. But, when I get people holding the bead at the front edge of the house roof, they often say they get a better look at the bird and their scores usually go up. One lady I've been working with the past couple of months has gone from single digits to 20 or better pretty consistently.

If you hold above the house you are taking away from the time you have to get on the target and break it. If you anticipate the target even slightly you'll quite often be jerking the gun back to the target because you guessed wrong.

To echo AAShooter many game specific trap guns are regulated to shoot somewhat high to start with. Bear in mind also that the really good shooters are shooting very tight chokes even at short distances so they have to get the gun to the bird to score. The more time you have to see the bird right from the house, the sooner you'll get to it and shoot it.

[sargenv]

Trap is traditionally away and up.. I try to wait for the target to apex and hit it while the target is on the way down. Othwerwise I try to lead it just a bit and ambush it on the way up.

Depending on where you are on the stations the target appears to either go straight away or at an angle leftward or rightward.

Skeet is a different animal.. open chokes, and I'm certain you can find a chart that tells you the approximate leads to ensure good hits.

The key to both versions of clays is to keep the gun moving.. don't stop or else you will wind up being behind the target.. too many people try to aim a scattergun.. it doesn't work that way.

[mjsweims]

For those targets I think the slight rise is messing me up... assuming cheek weld is good would you suggest aiming directly on the target or slightly above it?

I need to get back out there and see waht I'm doing wrong...missing easy shots is frustrating!!!

Have you patterned your gun? If you have you should know where the shot is going based on where you point. Often trap guns will have the shot mostly above your point at 35 yards.

[TempleKnight]

Have you patterned your gun? If you have you should know where the shot is going based on where you point. Often trap guns will have the shot mostly above your point at 35 yards.

I'm gonna second this suggestion. If the shot isn't going where you it's think it's going it will drive you crazy. If your shotgun came with a set chokes, try them all on the pattern board. I think you will be surprised to see the dispersion at different distances as well as the shot density.