New to Shotgun Sports?
Be prepared before you shoot at a Range. Know the rules and equipment requirements in order to enjoy your experience. Refer to FAQs below.
Clay target sports
Trapshooting
- Trapshooting is a specific clay target shooting game to break a 4- 1/4 inch clay target disc which is hurled through the air at a speed of 42 mph, simulating the flight path of a bird fleeing a hunter.
- Trapshooting's popularity is due to the fact that people of all ages (youngsters to grandparents), incomes and abilities can compete.
- A Tra
- Trapshooting is a specific clay target shooting game to break a 4- 1/4 inch clay target disc which is hurled through the air at a speed of 42 mph, simulating the flight path of a bird fleeing a hunter.
- Trapshooting's popularity is due to the fact that people of all ages (youngsters to grandparents), incomes and abilities can compete.
- A Trap Shooter is required to shoot at a target after he/she calls "pull." It does not matter in scoring if the shooter hits only a small piece of the target or whether he shatters the target. The target is considered a "dead" or "lost" bird. If the target is hit, it is "dead." It is the shooter's responsibility to check his own score.
- Registered trapshooting competition is regulated by the Amateur Trapshooting Association. Gun clubs hold shoots in accordance with ATA rules, but they must apply and register for each shoot. All participants of these shoots must be both ATA members and members of their state association. The shooters' scores are recorded in the ATA office where all records are kept and yearly averages computed. The records are used for handicaps and classifying shooters.
- In registered trapshooting, the rules specify that targets must be thrown no less than 48 yards,no more than 52 yards, should be between 8 and 12 feet high and 10 yards from the trap. Shooters stand a minimum of 16 yards from the trap houses.
Skeet
- A squad of up to 5 people shoot 8 stations, which are arranged in a semi circle. between 2 skeet trap houses. Seven of the stations are arranged in a half moon between the 2 trap houses, and 1 station is directly between them.
- The high house, on the left side of the field, throws its targets from a trap 10 feet above the ground. The ta
- A squad of up to 5 people shoot 8 stations, which are arranged in a semi circle. between 2 skeet trap houses. Seven of the stations are arranged in a half moon between the 2 trap houses, and 1 station is directly between them.
- The high house, on the left side of the field, throws its targets from a trap 10 feet above the ground. The target rises to a height of 15 feet by the time it travels to the center of the field. The low house target, on the right side, leaves the trap house just 3-1/2 feet from the ground. It also rises to a height of 15 feet by the time it reaches the center of the field.
- A round of skeet consists of 25 targets, with 17 shot as singles and 8 as doubles. The first miss is repeated immediately and is called an option. If no targets are missed during the round, the last or 25th target is shot at the last station, low house 8. The shooting sequence is follows:
- Stations 1 and 2: High house single; Low house single; High house/Low house pair
- Stations 3, 4, and 5: High house single; Low house single
- Stations 6 and 7: High house single; Low house single; Low house/High house pair
- Station 8: High house single; Low house single
- Skeet is shot in squads of up to five shooters. They move from station to station around the half moon, ending up in the center, at the end of the round.
- Any gauge shotgun may be used, of any type, as long as it can fire at least two shots. The preferred shot size is #9, but nothing larger than 7-1/2 should ever be used.
- Skeet competitions are conducted within accordands of the National Skeet Shooting Association.
Sporting Clays
Sporting Clays
- Sporting clays is the closest clay target sport to actual field shooting of all the shotgun sports. Rather than hurling standardized distances, target angles and target sizes, sporting clays courses are designed to simulate the hunting of wild birds and even rabbits. Because these may be six different size clay target sizes, shooters ex
- Sporting clays is the closest clay target sport to actual field shooting of all the shotgun sports. Rather than hurling standardized distances, target angles and target sizes, sporting clays courses are designed to simulate the hunting of wild birds and even rabbits. Because these may be six different size clay target sizes, shooters experience not only hunting conditions, but some very technical challenges.
- Ben Avery Clay Target Center has four main courses. The Quail course has 6 stations, while the Rattlesnake, Roadrunner and Coyote Courses have 15 stations each.
- Because of these various individual target presentations, sporting clays has been likened to "golf with a shotgun." Shooters move from one station to the next, as on a golf course.
- Each station offers two targets with varying degrees of difficulty, and each has a menu for the shooting style, e.g. report pairs, true pairs or following pairs.
- Sporting clays competitions are conducted in accordance with the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA), and you do not have to be a member of the NSCA to participate in a registered competition.
- Other variations of the sport include 5-Stand, Super Sporting, and F.I.T.A.S.C. The descriptions and rules for these sports may be found at the NSCA website.