7 minute read
NEW TO CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING?
By: Sarah Kalell
Which shotgun should I buy? Which cartridge should I use? Which discipline should I shoot? What chokes should I use?! These are all questions that arise when we start shooting Clay Targets for the first time. And very important questions they are too!
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Don't get bogged down in the detail
It's very easy to get "paralysis from analysis" and to confuse oneself with too many variables. There are many different styles of shotguns, different loads of cartridges, different tightness of chokes - not to mention the different styles of shooting. You can ask a dozen different people about where to start and you may end up with a dozen different pieces of advice.
Let's simplify the whole process The first step is to choose the discipline that you enjoy the most and to take it from there. My advice to the new shooter is to look at either the ATA or DTL Trap disciplines or NSSA Skeet. The reason for this is that ATA and DTL are the foundation disciplines for the more difficult disciplines of Olympic Trap/Olympic Double-Trap and Universal Trench, and NSSA Skeet is the foundation discipline for Olympic Skeet and the Sporting disciplines.
you will learn to shoot a wider vari ety of targets compared with ATA/ DTL Trap. NSSA Skeet presents targets that are crossing, going away and coming towards you. Plus you will learn to shoot 'doubles', i.e. two targets thrown together.
Choosing a shotgun
One of the wonderful things about Clay Target Shooting is that it is NOT an equipment race!! Yes, you can spend lots of hard-earned cash on very fancy shotguns with beautiful engraving - but they won't make you shoot that much better. You might get a psychological advantage because you will be able to look adoringly at the gorgeous wood and intricate hand-engraving and take pride in your possession, but this is not necessary in the beginning.
Depending upon your budget, you might even want to buy a second hand shotgun. This is a very good idea in the beginning because - as is often the case - many people change their minds about which discipline they will end up pursuing or they simply take it more seriously and want to invest in a new shotgun. Second hand shotguns that are in good condition tend to hold their value well and therefore allow for relatively easy future upgrades.
Clay Target Shooting is best shot with a 12 gauge over-and-under. The reason for this is because the clay itself is so small, a side-by-side would be too wide for optimum accuracy. This is not to say that you can't use a side-by-side because you can definitely have a lot of fun with one! But in order to really get the best out of the sport, either an over-and-under is the best shotgun or a semi-automatic. A semiautomatic shotgun is great for those who are very young, very old or for someone who doesn't like too much recoil. There is virtually zero recoil with a semi-automatic so it's a very comfortable shotgun with which to shoot. Just bear in mind that the firearms legislation requires you to be a Dedicated Sportshooter in order to get a licence for a semiautomatic shotgun.
Trap Doubles. The type of shotgun required here is generally a longer barrelled shotgun (30” to 32” or even 34”) with tight chokes (half through to full).
The reason for the longer barrels is to give "pointability" and to prevent over-swinging on a target. Targets are thrown to a maximum of approximately 45 metres/50 yards so most Trap shooters tend to go for tighter chokes (this means that the pattern of lead shot stays together for a further distance).
The stock is generally of a higher shooting nature than that of the other disciplines. This is because the shooter will stand with the shotgun in his/her shoulder as he/she calls “pull!” and needs to see the target more clearly over the barrel. A trap shotgun would tend to also have a high rib. A useful - but not vital - type of stock is one that has an adjustable comb (the top part of the stock that touches the face/cheek). This can be a blessing or a curse as some shooters tend to fiddle with the height of the comb depending upon the last score shot as opposed to a change in the physical dimensions of the shooter.
NSSA Skeet
The targets in NSSA Skeet are set much closer than in Trap. The targets are set to travel a maximum of 60 yards (54m) but the crossing point on the actual skeet range is 21 yards (19m). Generally speaking, one shoots NSSA Skeet targets at roughly 20 to 30m. Therefore, the type of shotgun requires less choke constriction and shorter barrels (to allow for a quicker swing). Having said that, there is a trend in Europe to opt for tight chokes! But it really is not necessary and unless you shoot thousands upon thousands of rounds a year, I would not recommend opting for anything tighter than ¼/¼. A Skeet choke is slightly tighter than true cylinder and is a great start to any budding Skeet shooter's career. A Skeet "specialist" shooter would often choose a shotgun with 26" barrels, as opposed to either 30" or 32" barrels. This allows for quicker gun mounting and improved swing. A Good "All-Rounder" Instead of opting for a specific trap shotgun or a specific skeet shotgun, a really good "all-rounder" shotgun is to get a 28" barrel length for a lady and a 30" barrel length for a gentleman. The stock should come with an adjustable comb and the barrels should be multi-choked. In this way, this type of shotgun can cover both Trap and Skeet targets. The bonus with this type of shotgun is that it can also work for Sporting targets!
The Shooting Stance As with all sports, the positioning of the body in preparation for the task in hand is absolutely crucial to optimum performance. Different disciplines require different stances but with common principles.
Whether you are a left-handed person or a right-handed person, you will need to adopt a stance that favours your leading foot. If you are right handed, then your left foot becomes your leading foot; if you are left handed, then your right foot becomes your leading foot.
Once you have established your leading foot, then you will naturally begin to have good balance. Your leading foot should be just about one half step in front of you and your weight should be slightly forward by bending at the waist. The leading leg should be slightly bent at the knee. The non-leading leg can also be slightly bent although some favour keeping this leg straight so that it acts as an 'anchor'. This is just a guide and will vary from shooter to shooter BUT it is crucial that your feet are not too wide apart nor too close together as both these positions will cause various problems including rolling of shoulders, toppling over and loss of swing.
For Trap, the position of the shooter will vary slightly from stands 1 to 3 and stands 4 to 5 because the target trajectory varies and one needs to take into account this variation. Barrel hold position can also vary depending upon the weather conditions and on personal preference. target. If you have brilliant eyesight and you can see the target clearly as it leaves the trap machine, you are a rarity!! For all other mortal creatures, look to see where you can see the target clearly and then look slightly beyond that - that is your eyesight hold position. For Skeet, there is a lot more to the shooting position than Trap because of the variation in target angles. In essence, a very good guide is to face your belly button to the low house on stands 1 through to 6. You should work around tweaking that position as you learn more about shooting Skeet targets.
Another principle that remains true for Skeet and Sporting targets is that your barrel hold position should always be just below the flight line of a target. Whether you are shooting 'gun-up' or 'gun-down', this principle remains true. The reason for this is that if you start with your barrels above a target, the tendency is to 'chop down' through the target. Once you do that, you lose sight of the target as the barrels pass through the target and once THAT happens, you've lost your natural hand-toeye co-ordination and the target is invariably LOST.
Reach your full potential - take some lessons from a qualified coach As with all new sports, the advice has to be to get some coaching under your belt so that you can learn to shoot with the correct methods right from the word 'go'. Otherwise you will learn very bad habits which will be very hard to break and you won't reach your full potential.
The CTSASA has a list of accredited coaches which is available on our website.
Most of our coaches are also experienced in advising on correct gun fit. This is extremely important because unless the gun fits you properly you are not going to extract the maximum scores for your efforts!
