Range Report - Flintlock Trap Targets

[roundball]

19 x 25 trap targets with the GM .54cal big octagon Flint smoothbore barrel this morning.
70grns Goex 3F
Two Oxyoke prelubed wads
1+1/4oz #8s
Circle Fly over shot card

I used the roof of the trap house as a table so instead of shooting from the 16yard line and breaking targets at 40+ yards, I was in effect standing on a 5 yard line and breaking them at about 25-30 yards...absolutely smoked them at that distance”¦so next trip I’ll drop back to 1 oz and try that along with only 60grns Goex 3F.

The biggest boost in confidence came when I stepped 10 yards off to the side for the last dozen shots and took them angling away at 45 degrees”¦ignored the sights and shot instinctive, swung through the birds like I was swinging my Remington 1187 and smoked them all but 1.

And just like with the 1187, it was easier to dust them angling away from the side than it was shooting straight away shots which is where I dropped 5 birds.

The lesson I took away was that the Flintlock is zero handicap for trap type shooting compared to a modern shotgun”¦and I didn’t have to change my shooting style at all...just forgot it was a Flintlock and shot it like an 1187.

The crows are in serious trouble.
:thumbsup:

 

[KHickam]

congrats - makes me wish my gun was here already - oh well, another month or so and I will be posting about my trips to the range.

So Cool :applause: :bow: :grin:

 

[Leonredbeard]

roundball,

"forgot it was a flintlock, shot it like it was my 1187." :grin: :bow:

Told you so! :hatsoff: :thumbsup:
volatpluvia

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Nice Job! Last Sunday one of the clubs I belong to had a clay bird shoot. Some of the guys were so good that it required a shoot-off to determine the winner in 2 places. One of the things that I noticed was that the guys with the shortest locktime for the flinters seemed to break more clays. This would seem to back-up what you were able to accomplish. At a regulation Trap Range, straight-aways are hardest for me to hit as well. I'm a natural at position #5, and have the most trouble at #1. I guess that I have to watch my foot position a little bit better :redface: .

Again, thanks for the story. I'll be sure to mention it at the next meeting/shoot that the BP Club has! Have a happy Memorial Day weekend!

Dave

 

[torn moc]

ROUNDBALL.... FUN HUH? :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Congratulations, Round Ball. I can't wait to hear how you do on the crows. I wonder, did you remove the rear sight from you T/C, or were you using the fowler that you had made last year?

 

[roundball]

Nice Job! Last Sunday one of the clubs I belong to had a clay bird shoot. Some of the guys were so good that it required a shoot-off to determine the winner in 2 places. One of the things that I noticed was that the guys with the shortest locktime for the flinters seemed to break more clays. This would seem to back-up what you were able to accomplish. At a regulation Trap Range, straight-aways are hardest for me to hit as well. I'm a natural at position #5, and have the most trouble at #1. I guess that I have to watch my foot position a little bit better :redface: .

Again, thanks for the story. I'll be sure to mention it at the next meeting/shoot that the BP Club has! Have a happy Memorial Day weekend!

Dave

I always do my best at station #5 too...I'm right handed and the hard right screamers are fun.
(modern trap...haven't shot regulation trap with a Flintlock yet)

 

[KHickam]

Hmmm - Interesting I find I do the best at station #5 and my worst at station #1 - I have always attributed it to the fact that as a lefty on station #5 I am swinging the gun into my body on the hard right angle - and away from my body and therefore my cheek on the hard left targets at station #1.

Results obviously vary. But it is still great to shoot clays with a flintlock, :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Adjust your feet at Station one to point to where you have to shoot the hard left target. The hard right targets look like straight aways. This strategy allows the stock to remain against your face as you swing to your left to get ahead of the target. Remember to keep your weight on your right hip, your feet together with the balls of each foot under the shoulder, just as if you were going to dribble a basketball, and at least your right knee bent, if not both knees. That will allow you to rotate from your feet, and not just from the waist, where you are more likely to let the stock come off your face.

 

[KHickam]

Thanks. Appreciate the advice.
:thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[mckutzy]

hey roundball, soundlike great fun u had, what kind of flint are you using cut or knapped? im going of for a trap shoot tommoro but now i wish the gun store was open so i could get some shot. :cursing: ... :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Hmmm - Interesting I find I do the best at station #5 and my worst at station #1 - I have always attributed it to the fact that as a lefty on station #5 I am swinging the gun into my body on the hard right angle - and away from my body and therefore my cheek on the hard left targets at station #1.

Results obviously vary. But it is still great to shoot clays with a flintlock, :thumbsup:

For me, on station #5, instead of squarely facing the whole field, I stand so my left shoulder is pointing across the mouth of the trap house and a hard left is just raising the gun and sighting straight across my chest.

Leaves my body significantly turned open to the right so I can handle the right hand screamers...when I first started trap & skeet I immediately noticed a problem on the hard right screamers and the problem was not one of pushing the gun away from my face.

I found that my stance was blocking myself off from being to fully turn to the right...when I tried to get around far enough to the right I couldn't and would end up bending slightly at the waist, pulling down off the birds track...shifted the stance around to open up the access to the right and started smokin'em.

Hard right screamers are my favorites...straight away shots from station #3 used to be my worst and if I dropped a bird or two it was almost always right there...was letting them get out too far and they had begun sinking without me realizing it and shot over[url] them...made[/url] myself get more aggressive and jumped them on the rise coming out of the house.

Stance is an important factor in all shooting of course, but it's huge in trap, skeet, and clays going after fast close targets.

I'm going again tomorrow morning and experiment with a couple lighter loads...it's a lot of fun and while I knew my locks were fast, I was glad to see that they are fast enough not to have to change my shotgunning style at all.

I used the set trigger and that powerful spring smacks the sear out so fast I can pull (slap) the trigger as if it was a regular shotgun without disturbing anything.

This Flint trap shooting could become habit forming!! :grin:
And what timing...price of lead has gone through the roof

 

[xxgrampa]

greetings khickman,

you answered your own question, if the gun moves toward you or away from you, you have a pblm. it should be a fixed part of your body as your body swings.

..ttfn..grampa..

 

[KHickam]

Of course - just so you don't think I am a total dunce - I shot 2 rds of trap last week - I shot a 24 and 22.

So, I was pretty happy considering I only shoot trap once in a great while now. That is the 2nd time I have shot trap since 1999. Course the last time before that was continental about a month ago - I missed 8 targets - in 2 rounds.

Mostly, I shoot wobble skeet and 5 stand now. Which, I will be trying with a flintlock fowler in the not to distant future I hope.

 

[Shelby Skinner]

The REAL challange, of course, will come when you try coubles! :thumbsup:

 

[KHickam]

Yep, I already addressed that with the range manager (a friend of mine) he will throw all singles for me. :thumbsup: