Any SxS trap shooters out there?

Any tips for shooting trap with SxS bp. I shot 3 rounds yesterday and only hit one bird.

What choke does your gun have

R Ellis said:

What choke does your gun have

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Cyl/mod as far as my calipers tell me. I could be wrong tho it's one of those 13ga pedersolis from the 70s

Not tight enough for trap unless you are on target and shoot quick the target will be to far for your chokes .You should try using plastic wads that are made to tighten the pattern

R Ellis said:

Not tight enough for trap unless you are on target and shoot quick the target will be to far for your chokes .You should try using plastic wads that are made to tighten the pattern

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Can't get the 12ga into my pedersoli. I've heard you can tape a 12ga wad on to 16ga shotcups to shoot out of these 13ga pedersolis but I haven't tried it....

Edit: that last sentence sounds funny...

Try using mylar and wrap it the size you need and then tape it .You can make a wooden jig from a dowel rod the size you need and use a fiber wad over the powder then insert the wad . also you will need to attach the cup to the fiber wad or attach a card wad to the bottom of the cup

R Ellis said:

Try using mylar and wrap it the size you need and then tape it .You can make a wooden jig from a dowel rod the size you need and use a fiber wad over the powder then insert the wad . also you will need to attach the cup to the fiber wad or attach a card wad to the bottom of the cup

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I take back what I said with some MacGyver and I've been able to get them to fit by starting them sideways

Acohill1 said:

I take back what I said with some MacGyver and I've been able to get them to fit by starting them sideways

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Good//// if that doesn't tighten your pattern you can tape it or buy some without the slits down the sides

Maybe it's your shotgun shooting ability? Not trying to be "nasty" here but are you a fair to moderate shotgun shooter with a modern shotgun? If you can break at least 15 out of 25 using a modern shotgun then it may not be you but the gun/load. Have you "patterened" your ML on paper to see how the shot pattern is? This will tell you a lot about your load and shotgun.

ZUG said:

Maybe it's your shotgun shooting ability? Not trying to be "nasty" here but are you a fair to moderate shotgun shooter with a modern shotgun? If you can break at least 15 out of 25 using a modern shotgun then it may not be you but the gun/load. Have you "patterened" your ML on paper to see how the shot pattern is? This will tell you a lot about your load and shotgun.

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No I've never shot a SxS or much shotgun in general it probably is my shooting as much as it is my shotgun. I'm open for all tips even if they seem super basic about load or technique.

I'm not a "trapshooter" but I have shot trap with my 70's Pedersoli with Cyl/Mod choke. I also have one a few years younger with Mod/IM fixed chokes and if I were purposely shooting trap I'd use that one. I do shoot a lot of birds throughout the year. Just recently I had quite a streak going on chukar, hitting and knocking down 10 in a row, some at distances close to 40-yards. First, you can bend the stock if you need more or less drop or cast - so my guns fit me perfectly. Next, I use the same scoop of powder as shot. This whole year 2023-present I've used two "nitro" cards over powder and one "over-shot" card on top of shot. If intentionally shooting clay targets for "trap" style presentations, I use 1 1/8oz, for "skeet" type presentations I use 1-oz. On those chukar, and a few quail prior I had a 7/8-oz load just because I already had pre-measured tubes loaded up from my 24-gauge guns. For targets, I use #8 or #7.5 shot. I have done a lot of patterning, and the gun definitely patterns smaller shot better with lighter loads, while 1 1/8-oz loads are always best with #6 or #5 shot. At the 16-yard trap machine I use the Mod barrel and can sometimes hit in the 20's with a pre-mounted gun. On the skeet field I can also get into the 20's mostly using a R-L combination from low gun. I think you have to get the gun-fit right first, the load next and your own technique last to consistently hit what you're shooting at. Of course, proper practice helps, and professional level instruction and coaching can help. If the gun doesn't put the pattern where you're looking, you are only sending some of the pellets towards the "target", and if the pattern is poor, the odds of getting pellets on the target is lower than with a great, even pattern. One the gun puts a good pattern where you point it, it is up to you to move the gun to the right place for pulling the trigger.

The best thing for you to do in my opinion is to learn how to shoot a shotgun properly. You don't aim it like a rifle you point it like you would your finger - don't look at the bead - look at the target and open BOTH eyes when you are shooting. You MUST practice this to get good at hitting flying targets. Like others have already said your shotgun must fit you so when you raise it up to your shoulder your cheek comes in contact with the stock and your eyes sight down the barrel and automatically point at the target. ALWAYS look at the target not the bead of the shotgun and KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN ON THE STOCK - do not look up and lift your head away from the stock. Once you lift your head off the stock you will miss the target EVERY TIME! Get yourself a GOOD book on trap or skeet shooting from an EXPERT trap or skeet shooter - I recommend Kay Ohye's trapshooting books. He is one of the ATA's hall of fame members and a personal friend of mine for MANY years -since the early 60's. <https://traphof.org/inductees/details/1/124-ohye-kay>

Everything ZUG said. There is a saying in shotgunning, patterns are measured in inches, misses are measured in feet. You need to work on you, trap is a mental sport and relies heavily on the fundamentals of shot gunning.

A good resource for a basic introduction is the Remington trap video.

Remington also has a trap shooting guide downloadable in pdf, https://shootata.com/Portals/0/pdf/RemingtonTrapshootingFundamentalsHandbook.pdf

Are you shooting 10 yard trap?

I will take all this into consideration I have been going once or twice a week since I got it a few weeks ago. I shoot both bp and smokeless. I have a gun club 10min from my house so it's not hard to get put there. My gun fits me pretty well which is good because isn't getting a wooden gun stock fitted to you fairly expensive? "I'm not a rich man..."

For me gun fit is "number one"! I have a short stock pull length -13-1/4" and yes, I have shot guns with 14" pull length, but those fast hard right and left birds take all I have to break them. My trap shot gun is a Winchester 101 pigeon grade which I purchased a used stock for and cut it to the length to fit me. I also reduced the comb height, so my eyes see the middle bead stacked under the front bead like a figure "8". I am a "B" class shooter and break 98 out of 100 most of the time. I do win my class monies .

Shooting BP is different. The thing that gets most people is the lock time.
Traditional locks are slower than modern guns. You may want to adjust your lead to compensate.
The chokes you have are fine. You will probably need to experiment with different loads to find what works but open chokes are often seen at competition.
In fact some classes specify no choke.
If you want to try plastic wads that's up to you. I have been shooting BP shotguns for over 30 years and never needed a "shot condom" but if it helps go for it.
The upshot is that it is a different beast and you can't treat it like a modern gun. Play with it. Find out what it likes and where it shoots. That's the fun part.

Good luck
IronHand

IronHand said:

The upshot is that it is a different beast and you can't treat it like a modern gun. Play with it. Find out what it likes and where it shoots. That's the fun part.

Good luck
IronHand

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Thanks man im trying to get out there and do as much testing right now as i can. The range near me can be rented out for patterning ive only been able to get out there once and it was pricey. I plan on going out packing in a month or so so hopefully i can get some more patterning done while out there.

In trap shooting you usually shoot over the bird because it is rising if you shoot it before it peaks its path and starts falling in which case you shoot under it and by then it is a long shot. I have a Franchi o/u trap gun that by design shoots high so I can see the bird instead of having to black out the target like you do on a field grade gun

Are any of the other trap shooters able to offer you any constructive advice to help you out

When I was younger, the neighborhood would get together in a field for informal trap shooting. I’m talking at least 15 people. I used a single 12 muzzle loader. I burned cans of powder and bags of shot, it took me a long time to get good. But I didn’t know a lot, no internet back then. I was told my stock didn’t fit me, so I modified it, and started hitting. I was told stock fit was number one , I’d read up on that.