Anyone trap shoot?

[Tiha]

I joined my first league. Shot thousands of clays, rounds of skeet and sporting clays. This trap thing is nothing like that. Not like hunting either.

So I am learning, slowly, but learning things I probably should have learned 30 years ago. Been a journey so far.

My son was supposed to be joining me but he ended up having classes on the same night so I got thrown in with a people I don't know. because of attrition they are still a little disorganized and the team seems to change every week. Too bad when you are ranked on a team score. But this is supposed to be fun right?

I am a pretty confident shooter. Probably too confident. This trap crap has totally ruined that. I can sit in a duck boat, shooting slow ass steel shot and still drop a bird at 60 yards, but busting a clay at 60 yards. No way. I suck.

First night I get to the range, thrown in with guys I don't know. I always assume they are better than me. I open my case and I brought the wrong gun. omg. My duck gun, pump action, wrong choke. I shot but not great. It had a IC choke for shooting steel and I think I could hear the clays laughing at me on the second round when we were handicapped back to the 18.

Second night, I am all set, no more mistakes. first round I shot a 24. I am good with that. Second round we were handicapped from the 16 back to the 22 yard line I shot 13. WTF?
Went home re examined everything. Originally thinking it was my loads I was shooting but dial caliper showed a worn out or just poor quality full choke. So purchased one of those fancy extended chokes.

Third night. I am confident, ready. by the second or 3rd station I am noticing an occasional failure to cycle correctly. I am shooting an remington 1100 (auto loader) with 30" barrel. I love shooting it. fits me so well. But is also 40 years old with unknown round count. We got to the 5th station and I had a spent round stuck in the chamber. Carrier will not travel back far enough to get the shell out. Score keeper tells me I already have 20 if I want to sit the last station out. So I did. But I am done for the night. Could not get the gun apart with the tools I had.

I find a broken pin in the trigger group, ordered new trigger group. Now what? Won't be here in time to make up or start next week. Could have went back to the 870 pump which has been an awesome gun for the last 32 years I have owned it. But I have to make up 2 rounds on tuesday, then league again wednesday, that is 4 rounds (more if I can get practice in) so I would like to be shooting something at least as good as comfortable and consistent as my 1100, plus would like it to be the gun I will use moving forward.

Last weekend went out and bought an 11-87 (very similar to my 1100) Used of course. Cleaned it up and took it to the range and feels and shoots just like my 1100 as expected. Barrel appears to be straight for being a used gun. But I have this fear in the back of my mind of mechanical failure again. Now I am gun shy LOL.

Went and bought a weatherby over under. I have had some pretty decent over unders. Hated them all but they were also all 26" barrels. Finding an O/U with 30" barrels local to me is a hard thing to do. Anyway I bought one, took it to the range. It is different. Even though it is 30" barrels it is still at least 4" shorter than my 1100. Of course it is at least a pound lighter. Shot come clays with it, but not actual trap.
Shot with 3 different rounds, some light trap loads, then normal loads, then some handicapped loads. With all 3 I had no problem reaching the farthest clays. So that shows the problem is not the rounds, it is me.

Was feeling pretty confident leaving the range with the weatherby but as time passes I am getting nervous. Taking both guns to the trap shoot tonight. If I suck with the O/U first round out comes the 11-87.

I am over reacting right? I mean the best shooters are shooting double guns, so the problem is me right? I need to figure this out.

Finding that I am over correcting when pulling up on the target. Shorter, lighter gun. Not sure how to over come that yet. I loved pulling the trigger on the 1100, so smooth, hearing the chamber cycle. The balance. I just don't get that same joy pulling the trigger on the weatherby.
Will that ever change?

Anyone else have similar experiences?

I don't have any desire to be the best, but I do want two perfect rounds in one night.

 

[Runningquarters]

I shoot a bit of trap and coach the local 4h and SCTP teams. You are right trap is a different animal compared to the other clay games. Gun fit and knowing your POI on the gun you are shooting is a big deal. Most of the serious old guys I shoot with have dedicated trap guns for a reason. But my daughter ran a 99/100 to win the state SCTP trap competition with an 11/87 flat rib. So it is possible. How old are you and where are you at? Remember a trap bird is always a rising bird so if you have to cover it up to break it you are going to miss a few of the slightly quartering birds do to loosing sight of the target. You have to be in a different mind set for trap, focus is for me so much more important on trap than the other games.

 

[Tiha]

I am 51 in Iowa. This last Tuesday was my make up. A team mate came and shot with me during open night. I shot 4 rounds, 2 for make up and 2 for practice. 17,17,19,19 from the 16.
I wanted to swap guns after the first round and my team mate talked me into figuring this out.
During the 4th round I notice my cheek was sore. Apparently the gun doesn't fit me right or I am mounting it wrong. I tried on dozens and dozens of double guns over a period of 3 days and this one just fit the best out of the box.

Before league yesterday I went at lunch and actually patterned my gun. Hadn't done that, shame on me. I bought extended chokes when I bought the gun. Just expected it to be all good.
pattern at 40 yards, just ok. pattern at 50 yards, huge holes in the pattern.
Put the factory full choke back in and ran with it.
Spent a bunch of time adjusting and mounting the gun properly. All my remingtons are the same, feel the same, mount the same, shoot the same. Pump, auto loaders, they just work but when I shoot them I feel old and outdated. LOL
I had also read the gun shoots flat 50/50 but after mounting it correctly and patterning it, actually it shoots 70/30. Good to know.

League night I shot 15 or 18 and then I don't even remember 17 or 19 from the 20 line for handicap my mind was elsewhere, but no pain so I am mounting the gun correctly I believe. Now working on everything else. We were shooting directly at the big bright moon, it was a little distracting, but I was more focused on correcting my stance and mount.

Maybe I want it to be a better gun that it really is, but I also know it is shorter and lighter and I catch myself swinging past the bird, then coming back and trying to catch up to it again. By that time I am rushed to take the shot because it has to be at 60 yards by then.

I noticed I am having trouble with Left to right crossing birds. I am not picking my head up, but I do have to lead them a lot more than right to lefts. so I think I am moving my shoulder, or assume I am. That is developing. I have always had that problem even with my remingtons but I am struggling for every shot now and trying to improve what I can this gun doesn't seem nearly as forgiving.

My league scores are shot anyway now so I will keep working with this to see if I can get back into consistent 20s with it.

Next Tuesday is open night again. Going to try and shoot another 4 rounds or so. Going to try sporting clays this weekend if we don't rain out. I am still learning. Finding different problems. Maybe I will get it down eventually.

Pisses me off, kid on my team, 25, never shot a gun before this summer, shoots as well as i am, mossberg pump, has no idea what his choke is, what his ammo is, never patterned his gun, but then when I was that age it seemed like I just couldn't miss either.
Wife asked me if maybe I need glasses. Never hit a woman before but she was pushing it. LOL I would never admit it if my eyes were bad. they are fine, really. I'm good. I don't need glasses.

at the end of each league night they try to do something fun. Last night was annie oakley shoot. I had never done it but gave it a try. I swapped guns though, the 11-87 with 30" barrel and the turkey choke that has been rolling around on the floor of the truck for 6 months now. LOL.
It was a blast. We did it different than normal. We all started with 25 shells. When you got knocked out you went to the right end of the line or semi circle. In theory the guys on the right end shoot more so they run out of rounds first. But then it was just for fun, there was probably 14 of us and we were allowing do overs and such. Kids got special treatment, we were shooting from like the 24-25 line.
I never once hit when I was the first shot. Pulled off a bunch of #2 hits and a couple #3s that are of course pretty much luck at that point anyway.
But in that group I was the only auto loader. Saw pumps, singles and O/U guns. I felt old and out of place.

I should have parts for my 1100 early next week. If I am steady and not improving at all with the weatherby in the next couple weeks I will go back to my auto loader and again say never again.

 

[Archer]

Consistency is huge in trap. Also, where you aim the gun before you yell "pull" is big. If noone has told you, you want to start your aim on station 1 about 3' left of the trap house before you yell "pull", at the top left corner of the traphouse for station 2, center of traphouse for station 3, top right corner of traphouse for station 4, and 3' right of traphouse for station 5. I know it's basic info but sometimes the basics is what messes you up.

 

[jeeptj19992001]

yep
got my own thrower
dont like leagues, have a total of 7 guys we shoot weekly

 

[Tiha]

you want to start your aim on station 1 about 3' left of the trap house before you yell "pull", at the top left corner of the traphouse for station 2, center of traphouse for station 3, top right corner of traphouse for station 4, and 3' right of traphouse for station 5. I know it's basic info but sometimes the basics is what messes you up.

I am probably not setting up that far off the to the left or right of the trap house but I am setting up each station differently like I am supposed to.

That is what I am doing, trying to go back to the basics and start over. I can shoot pretty consistently in the 20s with my 1100 Remington but failing miserably with this over under. This league for me has been a series of comical errors so far, most of them my fault.

In theory learning to shoot this weatherby should improve me, but I have some fear it will make me worse in other aspects of shooting.

 

[Squamch]

Trap is boring. Sporting clays is fun. I've never heard of someone being good at shooting sporting clays and bad at trap. Our sporting clays league is full of guys who are open class trap shooters, who struggle to maintain a 90% average in sporting clays.

The Annie Oakley is fun, try a bushwacker shoot. Shooter 1 shoots, shooter 2 has to break a piece of #1's clay, and takes the point from #1. First one to 10 wins.

I'll start a thread later on the different clay games we play.

 

[Tiha]

Trap is boring. Sporting clays is fun. I've never heard of someone being good at shooting sporting clays and bad at trap.

Maybe it is not normal but yeah I am better at sporting clays, by far.

As I keep learning and trying to dial in my current set up seems like I find something new everyday to change.

I think my biggest battle is switching from a auto loader with 30 barrel to a over under. But I am learning other things along the way trying to shoot this stupid short ass gun. I think it will help me when (not if) I swap back to the auto loader. But I have always not gotten along with over unders.

Talking to my son about my adventures in trap shooting he says I have been spoiled. Shooting more off of spring loaded throwers the last few years, then not hunting as much, but then when hunting using 3 or 3 1/2" shells. That does make it a lot easier. Probably ruined me.

Having to go back to the basics I keep looking to make every shot that perfect shot. Not just break the clay but powder it. In doing so I am taking more time and shooting at much farther distances. Besides I am old and slow now so longer distances is the norm.

I see it in my patterns when I go out and test it on paper with different chokes and different loads. I am having a hard time finding a choke or load to give me a decent pattern at 50 yards. Haven't even checked it any farther out. My remingtons still look great full choked at 50 and 60 yards. My 1100 and 11-87, even my 870 with 28' barrel, at 50 yards will hit most of the shot in a 30" circle. This weatherby leaves huge holes a clay could fly through. Pellets are out past 45 inches. I have tried 2 carlson extended chokes, the factory choke and a carlson flush choke. All measure and marked full. Today I am going to order a turkey choke online. I am pretty much at the point of calling Weatherby and saying hey, what's up?

We shot some sporting clays this weekend in between rain drops. Never got to finish before they called it. Inside 40-45 yards I am doing great. I over correct, swing past often, but I hit them great when I don't.
At least in my neck of the woods, sporting clays facilities never have an opportunity to get much past 40 yards before your shot would be blocked by trees, and they are moving fast.

I feel like trap is so much different than hunting. If you are a pheasant hunting, unless you have a dog that is not obedient then you are flushing them at pretty close range, and often can even predict where they will flush. Plus they take off slow.
Duck hunting you have the distances of trap, but you usually can see them coming from a long way off. Have plenty of time to setup analyze the flight pattern, or maybe they are slowing up feet out ready to land and you are able to use to pretty hot loads.

 

[Squamch]

Weird that your trap ranges are so long. Ours are 16-27 yards, I always thought that was normal.

 

[dnsfailure]

There's a nice clay range close by me, I love that all of the stations are completely different! I just go shooting for fun, not in any club or anything.

 

[Tiha]

Weird that your trap ranges are so long. Ours are 16-27 yards, I always thought that was normal.

The trap range isn't any different, it is me. I am not taking the shot fast enough in the normal 32-37 yard range. We have the same 16 standard and handicapped stepped back all the way to 27.

Left to right passers or vice versa no problem. (depending on station) Just my lead and swing. Straight away is where I am getting into those long shots. Taking too long.

With my remington I was hitting great on the 16 but fell apart on the 22 with pretty much a mod choke. (worn out or poor quality marked full) Haven't got to shoot the remington that far back with a real full choke.

With this new double I am struggling on the 16.

I get into this head game that if I don't take the shot with a certain time frame, why bother because the gun is not capable anyway.
Then I take even longer to line it up. Where as my old remingtons I have total confidence the gun will still make a 50 yard shot I can relax and pull the trigger whenever.
I am pretty sure this weatherby would be just pure luck hitting at that range.
Make sense?

Actually, shooting the annie oakely shoot and hitting as many #2 shots as I did from the 23-24 yard line enforces in my mind that my weatherby is not capable of the same distance. hmmm interesting, just thought of that.

cliff notes: I am old and slow now.

 

[dnsfailure]

I honestly didn't know the difference between trap and skeet, and whatever else (probably still don't). I just call it "shooting clays". Sometimes they go away from you, sometimes towards you, sometimes across, sometimes damn near straight upwrds, and sometimes bounce on the ground. Sometimes out in the open, and sometimes through trees with just a narrow window to see them. I like the variety at my local clay range.

I use a side by side 12 gauge hammer cock CZ, with whatever "light clay load" they sell me. I use the chokes that are inbetween tight and wide, I have a full set, but never have tried switching them out, I seem fine with the middle. I can't reach the real far clays, so I usually skip those stations, rather than change out to tighter chokes.

I think alot of folks use this for hunting practice. I don't hunt, I just like breaking the clays

 

[Tiha]

I honestly didn't know the difference between trap and skeet, and whatever else

There are 3 distinct different disciplines to clay shooting and variations inside each type.

Shooting clays in any form is fun. Spring loaded throwers are slow, close range and the easiest to hit from. Most of the cheap electric throwers are not really much better. Great for shooting at home or with friends. Just warming up and learning the basics.

Skeet you shoot from fixed stations. Birds are thrown from 2 fixed towers. The birds usually move fast but close range. Every round of skeet is predictable in the birds fly pretty much the same way. You are shooting from the same position. It is a game you can predict and learn for the most part. I liken it to nascar. You know you can take a certain turn on a certain track at a certain mph. You know you need to start into the turn at a certain time and it is repetitive so you can keep improving because things for the most part are constant.
You use little or no choke because all your shots are up close and personal. It is a single play sport as in the range is yours alone until you are done. People normally shoot shorter barrel guns because they swing faster. You really need a double or an auto loader. But anything can be used. I don't liken it to hunting at all, because when do you ever have 2 birds flying towards each other in real life? It is just a game. Like darts. LOL

Trap is similar in the respect that you are shooting from predetermined stations every time, and every time the bird is coming from the exact same place, but you are lined up in a semi circle with 4 other people, you don't know what direction the bird is going until it is launched. You don't know if it is going left or right or straight away. You are also starting a minimum of 16 yards from the thrower. So if you are not quick at picking up the target and taking the shot they get quite a distance on you in a hurry. You shoot 5 times at each station, take turns with the other players then you moved to the next station.
Usually use a full choke. Longer barrel guns dominate the sport because longer guns are easier for long distance targets. But you can shoot it with anything and do ok.
This is probably most like pheasant or duck hunting in that a bird my jump up in front of you and fly off any given direction. Or in duck hunting that the bird is passing at a greater distance than other prey.
These are one shot at a time, so single barrel guns, auto loaders, or double guns and pumps are used.

Trap and skeet are fixed ranges, meaning they are like a football field and always there and can be shot year round.

Sporting clays is different in that typically you have 10 stations set up. With 2 throwers at each station. You usually walk through the woods to get to the station. You have no idea where the throwers will throw until you get there and they tend to change it up every week or two. You shoot 5 times at each station so you learn the station, but the station will be different next week. Most of these shots are also upclose and personal. Usually not long distance shots. At least around me. You may get low ground rollers, High fliers, going away from you, coming towards you. Lately a common station is low across the ground than ricochet off a trampoline up into the air.
Sporting clays around here is usually only in the fall for a month or two. Because of the weather they don't want to leave their high dollar throwers out in the rain or snow un protected.
Around here we liken sporting clays to most realistic small game hunting in that it is the best at sharpening your hunting skills across the board. We typically shoot with the same setups you would hunt with. Auto loaders and double barrels are nice. If you are a competitive shooter you would lean towards a shorter gun for the swing but anything can be used. Pumps can be used as well.


That is a pretty generic overview but I hope I am close to describing it ok.

 

[Tin Roof]

I skimmed through some of this kind of quickly since I'm at work. Have you tried just starting back at the basics and shooting off a thrower set to one position until you feel a little more comfortable with the Weatherby? I don't shoot any leagues but do have an electric thrower with a wobble kit so there's some variation in where the birds go. We shoot 3-4 times a year, usually 4-5 hours of shooting a version of annie oakley. I have a 1100, 1187, 870, Benelli Nova, and a Mossberg O/U that I've used. All of them shoot well, the O/U is by far my most consistent. I typically shoot very well at clays, but do get in a slump now and then. When I do it's usually because I start to over-think everything and just need to do a "reset".

 

[Tiha]

Have you tried just starting back at the basics

Yes that is exactly what all of this is about. I have not only started over with the basics, which I am improving in areas were I have been sloppy my whole life.

Also practicing a bunch. Last week I shot 6 rounds of trap. like 5 rounds of sporting clays on saturday and some misc practice with spring loaded throwers in between.

I will shoot another 2-4 rounds of trap tonight during open night and hope to practice all of the new things I am learning.

Then 2 rounds at league tomorrow.

There are areas I really did need to improve on no matter what I am shooting and I am working on those.

The rest of it is all just the head game. I thought I was better than this. I know I am better than this, but the numbers don't lie. I am not better than this. I have the same 1100, 11-87 and 870 that I can pick up any of them and they feel the same, they mount the same and shoot the same. In the past I would swap chokes and choose the 870 over the auto loaders for sporting clays because that is what I was most comfortable with but it also has the shortest barrel of anything I own at 28" and I frequently shoot in the mid 90's on sporting clays.

I am already calmer, got the parts for my 1100 so it will at least be in the back seat from now on. Kind of calming to know it is there if I choose to grab it. I have already this year hit a 24 of 25 with it and was well on my way to another before it broke.

League numbers came out again today, even with all of my problems I am upper middle in averages and total hits. So I should be happy about that, but I am not.

The weatherby is a well balanced, nice shooting gun as nice as any at twice the price. Can't fault it for that. But for me it has not been a very good trap gun.

After shooting some doubles off a spring thrower and sporting clays I would have no problem taking this gun hunting, I think I would do just fine but it is too pretty for a field gun so these events are all it is good for and I need to figure this out or give up on yet another decent over under.

 

[non-OP]

I used to shoot trap often. Was averaging 23.8 at age 17 with an 870 Wingmaster 30" fixed full choke. Had not shot trap in 20 years and took my Mossberg 500 synthetic with 28" modified and ran 22 first time out at 16yd without having ever patterned it or really shot it (it was mainly my HD gun with pistol grip and 18" bbl)

For me its about keeping my head down and elbow up to get that consistent mount. Then just being smart on the leads. Guess its a bit like riding a bike.

I took my Remington Versamax Competition Tactical to sporting clays (22" with IC choke), did mediocre there. Took a 32" Citori O/U another time and did a little better. But its a different animal knowing what barrel to shoot based on the station. But this thread is about trap shooting.

 

[Tiha]

Shot 19 and 22 last night with this over under. Both from the 16 yard line.
Much more confident in my shots, focusing on the basics, get my L-R and R-L leads down, hitting the straight aways faster before they get out of range. The shots started to feel right, I knew when I pulled the trigger if I would hit or not.

On the second round I totally flinched on the last 3 shots and missed them. They were doable. I have been shooting with a bruised shoulder for a week and a half since I bought this gun since it doesn't fit me correctly I am having to make it work. I finally pushed too hard last night since you can't really take a break in the middle of a round. So today I am so sore I can't even mount a gun. I might have to bow out tonight.

Since I feel like I can do it with a double gun now that I have corrected some of MY problems, the question becomes do I spend the money to custom fit this gun? probably $300-$500. Or sell it and take a loss of a couple hundred and start over with something else? again.
It takes me a long time to mount this gun adequately.
This weatherby Orion is a relatively new gun, only been out a couple years. The specs are great, match higher end guns. The quality, fit and finish seems to be there, but there is nobody out there saying I have put 50,000 rounds through it and it is the best gun ever, like you find with many others. I have no other use for this gun. Can't imagine ever being my first choice for hunting. It could become my first choice for clay sports if I get it to fit like my Remingtons. Just not sure if it is good platform worth spending the money on. Still on the fence over this.

Either way something has to happen. I can't stand having a gun in my cabinet that I can't grab and shoot comfortably and proficiently.

 

[Ransil]

Shot 19 and 22 last night with this over under. Both from the 16 yard line.
Much more confident in my shots, focusing on the basics, get my L-R and R-L leads down, hitting the straight aways faster before they get out of range. The shots started to feel right, I knew when I pulled the trigger if I would hit or not.

On the second round I totally flinched on the last 3 shots and missed them. They were doable. I have been shooting with a bruised shoulder for a week and a half since I bought this gun since it doesn't fit me correctly I am having to make it work. I finally pushed too hard last night since you can't really take a break in the middle of a round. So today I am so sore I can't even mount a gun. I might have to bow out tonight.

Since I feel like I can do it with a double gun now that I have corrected some of MY problems, the question becomes do I spend the money to custom fit this gun? probably $300-$500. Or sell it and take a loss of a couple hundred and start over with something else? again.
It takes me a long time to mount this gun adequately.
This weatherby Orion is a relatively new gun, only been out a couple years. The specs are great, match higher end guns. The quality, fit and finish seems to be there, but there is nobody out there saying I have put 50,000 rounds through it and it is the best gun ever, like you find with many others. I have no other use for this gun. Can't imagine ever being my first choice for hunting. It could become my first choice for clay sports if I get it to fit like my Remingtons. Just not sure if it is good platform worth spending the money on. Still on the fence over this.

Either way something has to happen. I can't stand having a gun in my cabinet that I can't grab and shoot comfortably and proficiently.

get a trap gun, single barrel or a over & under is shooting doubles.
don't dick around with an auto or pump just too much dicking around on the line.

My favorite was a browning BT99 32" barrel, single shot no safety, close and shoot.
I have not shot in years so I might be out of touch, started setting / scoring ATA about 10 years old shot occasionally never joined the club or shot in the league, i have seen lots of dicking around.

when calling for the bird be loud for consistent pulls, the puller needs to hear you with muffs on.
nothing dicks up a line rhythm more than the slow guy, be ready and consistent.

 

[Tiha]

don't dick around with an auto or pump just too much dicking around on the line.

I totally get it. I took a lot longer setting up with this over under than I ever have with my auto loader.

I gave up on the over under. I either need to raise the rib and the comb, and/or add an adjustable butt plate to move the recoil pad down. Either way not going to screw with it anymore this year.

Went back to my 1100. First round after a few weeks off with it was 16, it was open night and 3 people on our stand were dicking around had never shot trap before let alone 2 of them never shot their gun before. Longest round of trap EVER lol.

After that I am instantly back into the 20s and thinking why did I ever screw around with a double again. League night last week was extremely windy. Making the birds do goofy things. Second round was doubles. So hard to compare to previous weeks.

tonight is open night I am gonna go and shoot with a team member for his make up night and of course I need the practice.

tomorrow night is league again. Would still like to knock out a 25 or two this year, but I will be happy just to be able to stay in the 20s again.

I have always patterned my guns at 40 or 50 yards so I know what I am putting out there. This whole custom fitting a gun really got me looking into POI or point of impact at 16 yards. It is kind of fun actually. You do it from 16 yards so the pattern is still very small. We used paper targets. Set up about 10 of them using pistol stands.
Running through there, I can grab any of my remingtons, 870, 1100 or 11-87 throw them on my shoulder without thought or hesitation and they all hit in the same place, repeatedly. I would take 4 shots at each target with the same gun and they would go through the same holes relatively speaking.
This over under If I don't take my time and mount it properly I have no idea where it will hit but usually it is really high.

Seeing the ease of moving from gun to gun and the consistency of it made me realize how stupid it is for me to try and learn something new at this point in my life.
Whatever I choose to shoot in the future needs to fit me like that before I ever take it hunting or any competition.
Makes me want to check the rest of the guns in my cabinet now.

Fitting like that is not something you can check in the store. You can get close but You need to get on the range and pull the trigger. Not going to start throwing thousands at guns just to try and find one that fits right.

 

[Squamch]

Good call going back to what you know.
One of the guys I shoot with sold his 1100 competition, and bought a citori 725. Then sold the 725 and bought a blaser f3. His scores fell off the bottom of the chart. Borrowed another 725 and got back to where he should be.

For trap, if you can ever get a look at the machine while it's pivoting, it's pretty easy to time it so you can call and get the bird you want on the station you're at.

 

[Ransil]

Good call going back to what you know.

For trap, if you can ever get a look at the machine while it's pivoting, it's pretty easy to time it so you can call and get the bird you want on the station you're at.

all the machines i seen oscillate so no idea how you would time that, but i have been out of the game for long time.
we had 6 manual and 1 automatic trap the auto sucked bigtime, they never did dial it in to throw birds consistently.
my summers were setting birds in a 8x8 concrete house about 4ft high baking in the summer heat.

 

[Squamch]

all the machines i seen oscillate so no idea how you would time that, but i have been out of the game for long time.
we had 6 manual and 1 automatic trap the auto sucked bigtime, they never did dial it in to throw birds consistently.
my summers were setting birds in a 8x8 concrete house about 4ft high baking in the summer heat.

Oscillate as in vertical axis as well as horizontal?

I was a trap kid for years too.
So I never take the first shooter position. I like 3rd or 4th whenever possible, so I can see the time from, for example, a left hand target to a right hand target. Then i can start the metronome ticking in my head. "Left...center....right....center....left...." and I can fairly accurately time the machine and call for targets.