skeet shooting with single shotguns?
April 8th, 2010 by eranio
I usually mess around with my buds and shoot frisbees with my 12 ga pump sometimes I have to slam fire 2 rounds really quick to hit the target. I figured tough since I have 3 single shots shotguns [12 ga, 16 ga, and .410] I might go to the skeet/trap range and try my luck so what would be the better shotgun to use the 12 has a cylinder choke, the 16 gauge an IC and the .410 has either a full or modified. I was also thinking of buying a pigeon thrower, the Wal-mart has two different machines one for 19.99 and another for 50 something then the have a hand thrower I was thinking of buying one those so all my buds can shoot with out everybody for the use of a range.
your thoughts?
Posted in used shotguns
April 8th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Sounds fun (:
I have one of the hand throwers and you’ll waste a good bit of clays just getting used to throwing it if you don’t have any experience with it prior (tried to teach my lil bro how to use it, and he broke half a box of clays just trying to throw one).
I prefer one of the machines/traps. Haven’t tried the one that is released with your foot, but I have used the ones that you have to sit on and manually c0ck and release. It’s fun, especially if it has a mobile head to it because you can set the angle at which it throws (I personally find the ones that are about straight up really fun) and you can also work with in a 45 degree angle (horizontally).
I’d go with either a 16 ga or even a .410 ga. Smaller pattern means more of a challenge. A single shot of any of those ga’s would give the shooter a challenge.
Just a thought, if your planning on getting into that big time- DoAll traps work amazinly (only traps that I’ve shot from and used).
I honestly don’t see what the big deal is about using a ga smaller than a 12. In my opinion, the smaller the ga, the more the shooter has to concentrate on their shot, swing, flow, stance, etc instead of relying on a larger ga that has a larger pattern, but that’s just my own opinion.
When I was on the shotgun team, most of the folks on the team would shoot awfully if they had to go down from a 12 ga to a 20 ga, even if it was the exact same gun, just a different caliber.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Id go with the 12 ga, mostly for more pellets and the open choke. As for the throwers, the hand ones, well, suck. The Do-All brand is a decent cheap thrower, here at cabelas they go for about $40.00. It comes with a rod that lets you mount it on a old tire rim, which is a good idea because they tend to jump out of the ground after a few launches. That, and pounding it in hard ground over and over bends the legs.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Last time I used a hand thrower, my arm hurt for 3 days lol.
The cheap Chinese made trap at walmart works pretty good. but I also have a Trius One Step, and a Do-All trap too. Lol, I can get about 6 birds in the air at one time with a little help.
As far as shotguns go, if you are going to actually shoot skeet, you are going to need a repeating shotgun because there are "doubles" on stations 1,2,6 and 7. I guess you could have them pulled as singles, but shooting doubles are really fun. So if your 12 gauge is a pump with a cyl bore, that may be your best bet.
Have fun.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Either the 12 or 16 Gauge or both of them is your Best Choice because both have a Improved Cylinder Choke, and a Cylinder Choke which is what you want, and need for Shooting Skeet.* Buying a clay pigeon thrower is a Great idea.* Use number 7-1/2, or number 8 bird shot.*… Modified, Improved Modified or Full is used to Shoot Trap.*
April 8th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Reb, I am going to give you the absolute best advice when it comes to a clay target thrower. Read carefully!
What you really want to do is spend about $100 and buy yourself a Trius One Step thrower. They are amazing! I saw a couple of guys using one at a place that I target shoot and checked it out…then went out and bought one myself. It was the best gift I ever gave myself. When I take mine to the shooting range and use it…others see mine and go out and buy one too! No kidding, but Trius should pay me a commission because I have literally "sold" hundreds of these machines for them by simply demonstrating them to other shooters.
What makes the Trius One Step so great is that…
1) You can shoot by yourself. You don’t have to have someone else loading and pulling a cord to send the clay bird off flying.
2) It is easier to "set" than other target throwers, as it just relies on your body weight to cock the spring and release the bird. You simply place a bird on the arm and put it into place…load your shotgun and get ready, then shift your weight from your back foot to your front foot and it cocks the throwing spring and releases the clay bird in a perfect flight. The tension on the spring can be changed to throw longer or shorter distances and you can also throw stacked doubles.
Here’s a video of some guy using one on YouTube…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lkcpha_hlk
The only thing is…I have absolutely no idea why he puts his gun down every single time he goes to load another clay target onto the thrower. It makes far more sense to simply place the box of clay pegeons next to the thrower and simply open the action of your shotgun (safety first), reach and put another bird on the thrower, load-up and shoot. This guy is taking about 5 times as long to shoot as is necessary.
Follow the link below to learn more about these great clay target throwers.