Trap gun for Sporting....limited success.

[PAV331]

Hi all,

I've been using an old 682X trap for sporting that I originally brought for trap. I just tried it one day as it just felt all round a better built gun than my later 686 sporter. As soon as I learnt how high the gun shoots I started to shoot well with it and have been using it for sporting now for about 4 months. I like that I can see the target easier without the barrels getting in the way and knowing that all of the pattern is shooting above the bead where I can

I'm a B class shot, and took the long drive to EJ Churchills a couple of days ago and a couple of targets really presented me with problems. Stuff at range, a fast left to right quartering bird which was also dropping slightly from a high trap set on a cherry picker, and a left to right long range battue.. These two stands crippled my score.

I understand that these targets were not easy and are there to split the top AA class shots. But the thing thats been playing on my mind is how high my trap gun actually shoots at range? when leading the battue for example which I was trying to take just after the apex, I'm trying to calculate the lead (which I know is almost double what you would give a standard) and the drop, but factor into that how high the POI will be at that range!

I'm wondering if I can only go so far with this gun when it comes to rangey hard to read birds, and allowing for an ever increasingly high POI the further away they are is just to much for my brain to calculate! I know I probably sound like a workman blaming his tools, and I'm not one to change guns, but was wondering if it's worth having an adjustable comb fitted, and if I do, will the gunsmith be able to keep the Monte Carlo but some how be able to lower it more than just the thickness of the saw blade?

 

[Jeremy Baker]

Hi what was your overall score on that layout?

 

[PAV331]

A disappointing 67 :-(

 

[Jeremy Baker]

That's not so bad.
The cherry picker stand dropped the first target and hit the rest. Second bird was quartering so transition to hold point important to me as not to shoot in front of it.
The battue stand I only hit one white R to L and three of the battue.

I shoot a CG summit assent which can be classified as a trap gun.

So I would say preserve if your gun fits?

 

[Macc Ladd]

if you had someone half decent around you that day they could of helped!! persevere with the gun. "jem0911 got it in b4 me" :hunter:   most probably came down to technique for these targets. :hunter:

 

[PAV331]

Yes I had a lesson with Ben Husthwaite a few weeks ago, he made a small change to the comb with tape to shift my head over slightly, but said it fitted ok (but seeing a lot of rib). maybe I'll stick with it a bit longer, it's possibly more in my mind than anything and I just need to build more sight pictures of those types of target.

 

[SoR]

Pav I shoot a dt10x high rib trap gun and to be honest once I stopped thinking about the gun the lead etc...and more about hold point and planning my shot I've started to progress a bit with it. If Ben h has had a look at the fit of your gun I guess it must be ok. Persevere if your hitting 60+% it's not your gun fit....IMHO

Steve







www.proshock.co.uk

 

[Hamster]

James,

Have a read of this as it may give you some useful info :

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Did BenH get you to pattern the gun ? Are you really certain it throws high ? I say this because the fact it's a Trap gun or has a high rib does not mean the Point Of Impact is much different compared to a standard sporter. 

In my view you'll get more and more used to the gun and of course get better and better as you progress; what you find hard today will be bread and butter in two years if not less. IF someone has a gun that throws a very high pattern I would personally think it unsuitable for sporting.

If I had to guess I'd say your technique, pre hold, and where/when you fired is what caused the misses not the gun.

 

[SP Clay]

I shoot a Perazzi SC3 32" trap gun, I bought it secondhand and was told it had been used succesful as a DTL gun but my head up style meant this gun was a good fit for me, Adjustable comb 10 mm raised rib and Monte Carlo stock.

I have a had some success with the gun winning plenty of cash and even a gun! Personally I think its great and 40 + yards battues and long crossers and rollers are my favorites! I have only been shooting a couple of years and have limited experience, but I haven't shot many guns so can't say if a sporter would be better.

I will be sticking with this one until somebody proves to me another gun will get me 5 extra shots!

 

[PAV331]

Ok, I need to be aware that it shoots high, and find it hard when I need to pull away from a bird a lot and also keep below its line of flight. But I ll stick with it and hopefully it will start to come together.

 

[Hamster]

Ok, I need to be aware that it shoots high, and find it hard when I need to pull away from a bird a lot and also keep below its line of flight. But I ll stick with it and hopefully it will start to come together.

James,

Have you patterned this gun to KNOW it's POI is high ? Shooting needs simplification so constant adjustments for genuinely high POI is perhaps a bit much.

 

[PAV331]

James,

Have you patterned this gun to KNOW it's POI is high ? Shooting needs simplification so constant adjustments for genuinely high POI is perhaps a bit much.

No I haven't patterned it and would be interested to do so. But as a rough guide, if I was shooting skeet with it (which I don't) on H4 I would need to be about a foot underneath to hit, the more the distance increases, the more I need to be under.

 

[Hamster]

No I haven't patterned it and would be interested to do so. But as a rough guide, if I was shooting skeet with it (which I don't) on H4 I would need to be about a foot underneath to hit, the more the distance increases, the more I need to be under.

This could so be to do with your fit, head positioning, flow and tempo, a foot under is way too much daylight. The trouble with Trap guns is that they make you think they'll shoot high which leads to some very weird problems.

 

[PAV331]

This could so be to do with your fit, head positioning, flow and tempo, a foot under is way too much daylight. The trouble with Trap guns is that they make you think they'll shoot high which leads to some very weird problems.

Yes I think it's partly that I have it in my head that it shoots high. I use a 686 which shoots flat for skeet, and I shoot skeet a fair bit, I had a round with the trap gun when I first got it out of interest and couldn't hit a thing! Then realised that I was over the top of everything.

 

[shootinguru]

:fie:  Pav, I had exactly the same experiences as you when I shot a Browning A1 trap gun years ago!   It cost me targets on droppers, rabbits and long flat looping chandelles, I had to change to a sporter to kill these targets but I still lift my head and loose some 2nd barrel shots on very low stuff. :fie:  

 

[chubby]

Take it to a pattern plate before you do anything.

 

[Will Hewland]

Take it to a pattern plate before you do anything.

And when you get there, don't aim the thing like a rifle when you see that cross. Imagine it is a clay and move the gun gently upwards towards it, focusing on the cross.

 

[ips]

Then realised that I was over the top of everything.

are you sure, unless its very high as in 100% then if you shoot at it you will hit it as some of the pattern is below, way to much emphasis is put on mm accuracy of poi imo. Over the top miss (in trap anyway) imo is usually due to too fast a gun swing and pulling trigger to late.

 

[PAV331]

are you sure, unless its very high as in 100% then if you shoot at it you will hit it as some of the pattern is below, way to much emphasis is put on mm accuracy of poi imo. Over the top miss (in trap anyway) imo is usually due to too fast a gun swing and pulling trigger to late.