H.S trap league.

It’s really not that complicated, just takes a bit of study. Choke tubes are nothing but a constriction. Some have fancy colors or are drilled out to look like swiss cheese. None of that matters. They are a very basic piece of equipment. If going out to buy a new one for standard trap at the 16 yard line I’d pick an improved modified, but really anything from modified to full will work. Anything more open than a modified would be recommended never. If the gun comes with a factory tube in modified or tighter screw it in and forget it. The gun needs to fit reasonably well. Most auto-loaders these days have shims to adjust this. Go to a pattern board and get your point of impact close to your point of aim. On ammo in a high volume game such as trap I tend to think it best to avoid excess recoil. You want to be comfortable shooting the gun, and if it’s kicking the hell out of you scores and shooting will suffer. 1 ounce is fine, or 1 1/8 ounce I always look for the shells with slower velocity. A gas gun has less felt recoil than others. Olympic trap is a much more difficult game than American trap, and it is shot with standardized shells that weigh just under an ounce. Chokes and shells are fun to talk about, but in the end don’t mean much when compared with stance/form and most important of all what you do with your eyes. Don’t think you have to hold high over the house to do well. Some of the best shooters of all time hold tight right on the house, and did so from the get go. Just find what works for you.

Bearcat89 wrote:

They told him to have it shouldered and then say pull. He did it like you which is how we do it at the farm. They told him he was at a disadvantage but he shot the best of the 8 kids. He’s used to grouse and duck where it’s always surprise shots. I told him to work on being in the ready, but if what he does works then it’s tough to argue.

I know it’s hard to go against “what works for him”, but listen to the coach.

Trap is a game of hyper-consistency and a quick draw field mount will never be as consistent as a slow, deliberate gun mount before the target flies. Also if you’re relying on a field mount it can’t be redone after the target is called for. It’s routine to see kids pause and remount their gun when they feel things aren’t right but you’re giving away that opportunity if you’re not pre mounting.

Relatively speaking, most young shooters progress to shooting in the teens fairly quickly. The journey to the 20+ range is where fundamentals like ultra consistent gun mount really begin to matter.

Trap isn’t hunting. There’s no reason to use a safety while shooting and most trap guns don’t even have a mechanical safety. In trap, safety is in following the rules and process. Fiddling with the safety is another mental distraction that kids don’t need on the line.

I have been coaching for 7 yrs and we teach the traditional trap shooting fundamentals. Safety’s are to be OFF, a shell is to be in the gun with the action OPEN until you are ready to shoulder the gun. Getting a consistently proper mount and stance is crucial before calling for the bird. Getting from the teens to the 20’s is usually pretty simple and fundamental. Progressing towards 25’s, the little things become more important. The sport is a balance of simple muscle memory and mental focus – with the physical part being what we can teach, and the mental part being what we can only try to foster – it cant be forced.