|
Trap
Shooting…Have You Tried It? |
|
by gunner |
|
|
|
One of my favorite types of
shooting is trap shooting. I used to
hunt, and I started sporadically shooting trap in 1983. But in 1987 I stopped hunting all
together, so trap shooting quickly filled the void for my love of
shooting. I have loaded thousands of
shells and shot thousands of shells.
But I walked away from hunting because it was just not for me anymore…I
had gotten a little older and my taste for hunting just up and left. However, my taste for shooting was still
as strong as ever, if not more. |
|
|
|
So, trap
shooting became a normal part of my life.
I started going every other weekend instead of just a few times a
year. I bought a different loader and
went at it. My biggest problem was,
since I had only went a few times a year, I really did not practice as much
as I should have so I picked up some wrong shooting habits. |
|
|
|
I had to FORGET
everything I had done for those 4 years prior and start over again. The best way to do that is get a buddy
that has been trap shooting for years, and have them watch and evaluate you
as you shoot. Also, you can get a
video camera on a tripod and film yourself.
Later, watch the tape and SEE what you are doing wrong. Then you can practice the right way, even
in front of a full-sized mirror. SAFETY NOTE: MAKE SURE THE SHOTGUN IS UNLOADED…CHECK IT, THEN CHECK IT
AGAIN! |
|
|
|
At this point, you can get
advice from an experienced shooter and/or instructional tapes. Write down the proper ways and compare
that to what you are doing. Make
notes of the correct way, and PRACTICE it the correct way. As we all know, old habits are hard to
break, so it will not be easy…but it will improve your score better than you
ever imagined. |
|
|
|
I now have a
few ribbons and trophies where I won 1st and 2nd place
in events. But it took a while, and
you get worse before you get better.
Just don’t give up when you start to get the lower scores. It is worth the time and effort to learn
it correctly. The right way to place
the butt stock into your chest/shoulder.
The right way to grip the front of the shotgun. The right way to stand…I turn at the
waist, not with the knees. |
|
|
|
There is so much more involved
in trap shooting than just grabbing a shotgun and shooting at clay
targets. But I think that if you love
to shoot, but do not want to hunt, this is one way to feed that shooting
need. Plus, you get to meet many
people that love the sport. You could
even join a club…most have special events throughout the year. Kids camps, holiday parties, local
carnivals etc…it could open a whole new world up for you. |
|
|
|
And I
repeat…like I have said and will say in any of my articles where I talk about
handling guns, PLEASE…SAFETY
FIRST. If you are not sure about a gun you own or
want to buy, then ask questions.
Take someone with you who IS
knowledgeable about firearms. Sign up
for a safety class or two. When it
comes to firearms and your life or the life of anyone…there are no dumb
questions. NEVER point a loaded gun at anyone. NEVER
have ammo and your gun together while you are cleaning or working or
practicing with it. And ALWAYS check to see if the firearm is unloaded
before you start to do anything to it.
Safety is the best thing to be armed with when it comes to firearms,
and you can never know enough… PRACTICE SAFETY along with anything else you practice. |
|
|
|
Any type of
shooting is fun, and SAFETY is part of it…….. |
|
|
|
See you on the
range…. |
|
gunner |