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Walther
01-28-2011, 08:34 AM
Out of the blue my kid says he wants to shoot trap. Although I've shot trap with my side-by-side 20 just to practice up before hunting, I've never really 'shot trap'.

Auto or Over/Under?
Why aren't side-by-sides considered worthy of trap?
Is a pump gun fast enough for doubles?
What's a good load? 7.5? 8? 9?
Do they use lead shot or steel?

Enquiring minds want to know! :scratch:

pkuptruck
01-28-2011, 08:38 AM
I use my "hunting" gun....

the whole idea behind trap ( before the big money posers took it over..) was to practice for birds....


so why not use your hunting gun?

usually 8 or 9 shot... lead... ( unless you like to burn money on steel! LOL)

good luck.

jcools
01-28-2011, 07:04 PM
I could'nt agree more about using your hunting gun. I use to use my great grandfathers sxs 12 gauge. It worked great cause one barrel is full the other is mod choke. But I had to retire it accept special occassions due to its age. Plus it's a family airlume.

jmanz6
01-28-2011, 09:03 PM
I use my Remington 870 20 gauge pump for trap, skeet, Grouse, Woodcock, and Pheasant. I can get enough lead into the air with the 870 to at least scare the feathers off birds. Use what you will hunt with, that way if you do go out hunting - and please do - then you will be using the same gun you practice with.

il Padrino
01-28-2011, 09:14 PM
I use an 870 pump, same gun I hunt with to shoot trap. It really helps with my pheasant hunting. Rabbits are a different story, I can't seem to get them to fly when I flush one out. :)

Jerbear1098
01-28-2011, 09:32 PM
I use my "hunting" gun....

the whole idea behind trap ( before the big money posers took it over..) was to practice for birds....


so why not use your hunting gun?

usually 8 or 9 shot... lead... ( unless you like to burn money on steel! LOL)

good luck.


Oh GOD..... not the 8's or 9 question here !!!! :shocked: :shocked:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/Jerbear1098/Captions/captioner9474906.jpg



Contrary to popular belief, you don't need an expensive Trap gun to shoot the sport.


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/Jerbear1098/Captions/captioner9642471.jpg


Just go shoot what you have, and have fun.

Skidog
01-28-2011, 10:02 PM
I used to shoot trap and skeet with my Winchester 1200 pump 28" Modified choke, and did quite well, both on clays and Phesents.

John


Out of the blue my kid says he wants to shoot trap. Although I've shot trap with my side-by-side 20 just to practice up before hunting, I've never really 'shot trap'.

Auto or Over/Under?
Why aren't side-by-sides considered worthy of trap?
Is a pump gun fast enough for doubles?
What's a good load? 7.5? 8? 9?
Do they use lead shot or steel?

Enquiring minds want to know! :scratch:

JimSig
01-28-2011, 10:07 PM
I shoot trap for fun.. I shoot 12 ga in SxS, an O/U field hunting gun and a Pump Action Moss 500.. Eventhough I have fun shooting my SxS, most seasoned shooters prefer the O/U. At the early stage of the game it really doesn't matter, shoot what you have as Jerbear said in his reply. Have fun with your son and enjoy the bonding. All shell you mentioned 7 1/2, 8 and 9 are all good. i would recommend the 8. You can buy it from Walmart for $23 for a box of 100 (4 x 25).

I am assuming you are in A2 as in Ann Arbor.. Washtenaw Sportsman Club in Ypsilanti run trap sessions from 11:00 am till 2:00pm for public shooting. Kids under 18 get to shoot a round of trap (25 clays) for $1 (nonmeber adults for $5).. It is the club vision to encourage youth..

Enjoy it, and shooting clay in the winter time is fun specially with the high contrast of the orange clay with a white background.

Walther
01-29-2011, 06:31 AM
Thanks for all the replies. Let me clarify a few things.

He doesn't have a shotgun other than the .410 I gave him when he was young, so, he needs one.

Trap would be at my club, Dundee. Probably open trap at first, then maybe the league. Since he doesn't have a gun yet and he might end up shooting a league, I don't want to put him at a disadvantage. I'm just a bit concerned that he won't be able to get a second round off in time with a pump gun just starting out. On the other hand it'd be a great way to learn.

Not looking for anything expensive. I was thinking about a nice used auto, but I'm a big side-by-side fan so maybe that's the way. You just rarely see anyone using one for trap. An O/U would be too much money to start off with anyway. I we go pump an 870 Express Combo would give him a lot of options for not a lot of money, so that's possible.

He's not a kid, really, just to me. He's 19. The only guns he has are the .410, an old Remington .22 bolt action single shot, and (the rotten little ****) a 1947DGFM Systema Colt. I hate him for that last one.....

Buzzcat
01-29-2011, 07:43 AM
Dunhams often has a Stoeger (Beretta) O/U on sale for about $379. Can't speak to its quality (obviously, it's not a Citori), but I assume that you'd be getting what you pay for... an O/U that goes bang-bang.

I agree with the others that any shotgun will work, but if league competition is in the future, you might as well start him off with the "proper" tool for the job... after all, if he really gets into the sport, he's probably going to want to quickly transition to O/U anyway.

Jerbear1098
01-29-2011, 10:55 PM
You may not know, trap guns normally shoot high. If you are just starting out, Get a Remington 1100 or Beretta 391 semiauto. The Remington will be lest expensive that the Beretta. Make sure the gun fits as well. Remingtons tend to fit most people right out of the box. Beretta's have more regonition on the Sporting Clays course.They are great guns and will last forever. I have over 30,000 rounds down my 391 trap. I wouldn't get too involved in double trap just yet.

Find a club that throws Skeet as well. Have someone take you to the #7 station and throw 25 low 7's. This get's him used to the gun and recoil. This is how I get new shooters into the sport. They have instant gratification of breaking birds and learn the gun as well.

Most important is to have fun...


Here is a video of my kids practicing for a registered shoot a few years ago....

B_yxHuzHPrA

They were 14 and 11 years old at the time, shooting with 2 ATA legends.


Enjoy and shoot often....http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/Jerbear1098/Gifs/image_333822.gif

lucky hunter
03-05-2011, 07:08 PM
When i first started out...i used an 870 that i was lended to me and it worked just fine for recreational shooting but once you get to shooting more you are going to want something mrore reliable and problem free....now that i shoot competitive and shoot 6000 rnds a year i moved up to a Browning Cynergy Classic Trap Combo. If your son really starts to enjoy it and become more of a competitive shooter...i would recomend a Browning XT trap...they run about $2K new or about $1700 used but will last him a lifetime and still have the reliability of an expensive gun.

My advise it to go to the gun shop and have him try as many differnent guns as possible. See what he likes and fits him the best. Not many people use 20 ga guns. Most are 12 ga and either pumps, autos or O/U.

If you have any other questions feel free to contact me.

Lucky

shifty_85
03-09-2011, 06:12 PM
make sure you use over a 20" barrel island lake would not let me shoot trap with my 870 20" barrel they said "its to short and its loud" but yet with slugs on the rifle range they were ok with it.

ive done hand thrown clays with my 870 and an ithica over under. ive hit 1 clay on the 2nd or 3rd pump

wildkarrde2484
03-11-2011, 10:25 PM
Dunhams often has a Stoeger (Beretta) O/U on sale for about $379. Can't speak to its quality (obviously, it's not a Citori), but I assume that you'd be getting what you pay for... an O/U that goes bang-bang.

I agree with the others that any shotgun will work, but if league competition is in the future, you might as well start him off with the "proper" tool for the job... after all, if he really gets into the sport, he's probably going to want to quickly transition to O/U anyway.

My dad used a Stoeger O/U for years. It killed many many birds, and even more clays before he upgraded to a Beretta Silver Pigeon II. It was a reliable gun and is still the spare gun we take when we pheasant hunt out west. It's built like a tank, and a tad heavy, but if money is an issue it'll kill clays. Otherwise the Beretta is a nice option ;)

holster72
03-12-2011, 07:30 AM
I started off shooting using a basic 870 express. as time went on we picked up odds and ends from guys at the club (mercury weights, some barrel work) and then ported the barrel, which made the gun a dream to shoot. eventually switched over to an 870 trap. you will find trap guys will do alot for new shooters to help them get going.

enfield
03-12-2011, 07:54 AM
1) Use your hunting shotgun, especially if it's a pump. It's fast enough for doubles if you are.

2) it's 'heirloom'.