Skeet gun setup

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 as follows:. 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.

Skeet involves practicing your shooting skills on targets moving side-to-side. Trap, on the other hand, allows you to practice hitting targets moving away from you. Where skeet has seven stations, trap only has five. With skeet, a group of shooters or squad if you want to get technical will move together as a group through all seven stations. With trap, one shooter stands at each station.

Each shooter individually takes their shot and they rotate through until everyone has shot five shots at that station and then they move right to the next station. The game ends after everyone has taken a total of 25 shots by cycling through the stations five times. While skeet shooting hones your skills for flying birds, trap hones your skills for birds like grouse and pheasant. The most important thing is that you find a shotgun that you feel comfortable with — everything else will come naturally as you develop your form.

Side-by-sides are generally a good choice for trap. Still not sure? Or maybe our list made your decision even harder? Even the experts are torn on which shotgun is just the right choice for skeet. The main concern is that you use a shotgun rather than a rifle because it sprays shot instead of single bullets. Good luck hitting a clay bird moving 45 mph through the air with a single bullet from a rifle.

Safety is another big concern. Both skeet and trap are completed in groups. Which brings us to another point: always walk around the range with your shotgun open and the barrel pointed down. Image by dsjones via Pixabay. Their website provides a nice search feature for finding clubs in your area — and most states have several. Keep in mind that many clubs might require private membership fees to join and shoot on a regular basis. The trap house launches clays away from the shooters, while the skeet houses launch targets perpendicularly to the field of play.

The skeet house on the left — called the high house — should launch targets from a window whose center point is 10 feet high, while the low house — situated to the right of the field — launches clays from a window with a center point 3 feet 6 inches above the ground. The height of the trap house and the trajectory of the clays vary, depending upon the rule book in use.

It is important that your range allow shooters to see clay targets well. You must install sufficient lighting if you intend to shoot after dark. The backdrop of the range should not contain buildings or other discrete objects; rather, try to ensure that the backdrop is an uninterrupted field or skyline, which will not distract shooters or make it hard to discern the clay target.

Always orient the field so that it faces to the north or northeast, as this will alleviate most problems associated with sun glare.

Safety should be your No.