Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Competitive Shooting Any advice on joining a competitive organization?

Hi there, long time lurker who finally decided to join the conversation here. I have a pretty straight forward question for you guys. I recently shot trap at a local club here in MD and LOVED it. I got bored of stationary paper targets, but don't have the time or money for something like 3-gun or IDPA, so after enjoying sporting clays on vacation a few years back, I figured trap would be a decent game to start playing.

I seem to have a natural affinity for it. All the years of playing paintball when I was younger have trained me to point and shoot rather well. My first time for trap was last weekend and I scored 25/25 the first round from the 16s, and 22/25 for the second round with an old Riverside Arms 215 also from the 16s.

I think competition is something I'd enjoy, but I'm not sure of how to go about testing the waters to make sure I'm not getting in over my head. I don't want to get absolutely trounced if the base-level groups in ATA are full of dedicated trap guns, I just don't have the money to spend on that kind of thing at the moment. So, in your experience, how are the amateur levels of these kinds of things? Should I sit tight, and practice, practice, practice and save up for a real trap gun? Or should I jump right in and sink or swim?

Thoughts and personal experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

If you worry about winning/losing or even about score at this point, you will NEVER be any good. In fact, plan on coming in near last and hope that you beat the guys who's guns broke.

Just jump in and do it and understand that you will never be as good as the guys who practice daily unless you do the same.

In shooting sports, talent is trumped by work.

I don't know of any shooting sport thats affordable....

They tell me shotgun is higher than highpower rifle cost wise.. highpower spent lots of my wife and my retirement money... but dang we had fun and we don't live forever.

If you're really in it for the fun [enjoyment] just shoot what you have & try to improve your score over time. You'll beat many who think high dollar equipment is all it takes.

tallen702. I shot NRA silhouette as well as sporting clays against shooters with far better equipment than I off and on for quite awhile and had a wonderful time doing so. Even won a few club shoots and took home some medals and trophies along the way. Not once did I encounter any snobbery or disdain from the guys shooting the high end equipment.

Simply put, shoot the best equipment you budget will allow and follow the basics and your scores will represent your hard work and time.

BTW, when it came time to pull the trigger I don't ever recall looking at the guys equipment next to me.

I've never seen any of this to be true, when I shot competitively I could beat any one that I choose to.

I quit because I got bored, after ten years of not shooting The first round I shot with my hunting gun, a 20 gauge O/U with imp/mod barrels I shot ran 25, after a bunch of grief from the guys I was shooting with that it was luck, the next round I didn't take a gun and just shot with any gun the other guys handed me, I shot 23/25, that was years ago and I just don't feel the need to shoot any more.
Either you got it, or you don't!

There are some rare individuals who have great talent, but nobody should depend upon being that guy.

BTW, what Olympics did you shoot in?

Did you at least shoot in the Grand American? Where did you place?

I shot Skeet, sporting clays and live bird shoots, the being mentally prepared is the whole key to winning at just about every thing, and its the place where most people fail when it comes to being competitive, the same people that shoot round after round of practice missing 2-3 birds per round never get any better because they don't practice shooting the birds that they miss, high house #2 & #3 give people fits, but have you ever seen anyone stand on # 2 and shoot 100 rounds at the high house, no, because people don't practice shooting the birds they need to get right.

Live bird shooting is what separates the men from the boys, and many a man from his cash, there is no predicting or practicing the unpredictable, you either have it or you don't.

[/quote] when I shot competitively I could beat any one that I choose to. I quit because I got bored[/quote]

Maybe if it wasn't you who chose who to shoot against you wouldn't have fared so well.

Legend in your own mind?

Yea pretty much...

When I want to challenge myself shooting now days I take my daisy BB gun and shoot the flying boring bees that chew in to the trim boards of my shop, its great fun and great practice, and its cheap to boot.

Shooting trap with a 22 rifle is another way to sharpen your shooting eye.

Hold on, I thought you didn't practice and didn't believe it's necessary.

I never said I had any problems with high house #2, but I sure watched a pile of people miss it and miss their option too, round after round and time after time .

Shooting 23's is like betting queens........

I gotta know - how did you do at the 2015 Skeet Nationals? Did you even shoot in a State?

Shooting straight 23s would have put you in about the 80th percentile of the Nationals. Good, but not a winner.

I'll bet with practice you could pick that score up a little.

I see you play cards much like you shoot a shotgun.

I have no idea who you are, except that apparently you've never gone beyond a club level. Shooting against 5 guys maybe? At 80th percentile you could pick up those matches, possibly on a consistent basis depending on the competition.

I'm just saying I see a lot of people with talent and they go nowhere.

On the other hand, I see more guys with no talent that win matches because they work hard (and smart).

Go out and blast away to your hearts content. It's FUN!
But if you want to compete.... and I mean be competitive... you have to train.

You missed my point, shooting 23's or betting queens are both losers, I haven't shoot any competition since the late 90's.

Now I have other interests, things that I enjoy, shooting and shooting competition are two very different things, I highly recommend that most people should just go shoot and have some fun, and be happy with the birds they break and laugh about the ones that got away.