Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Some bead questions....

Perhaps from a backyard thrower, but regulation trap will see the birds thrown randomly inside of a 90� arc, albeit at the same trajectory and speed (excepting wobble trap of course). Factor in also the changing viewpoints between the five stations. That makes for an interesting variation in targets over the course of a round.

Don't forget International or Bunker Trap. If you must shoot trap this is the game worth shooting.

Oh man, you think we don't have wind?

We teach to shoot within 2 seconds of picking up the bird mainly so they don't have a chance to slow the swing and aim.

....or that ingenious common device known as a patterning board which can be use to determine POI and how well we line up our mount.

Good shooting Ring! I just started trap this year after not picking up a shotgun in over 10 years. I have a Beretta 682 Gold E and it has a mid bead I check every mount. It's just part of the mount before the bird and it doesn't exist after that.

Does Beretta make a RL in the 391? I got the wife a 3901 RL that she is using. Had to look long and hard to find one - also put the Briley bolt handle and bolt release lever on it and makes it very easy to use.

Come down to Silver Dollar to the Southern Grand next year we will probably be there for a day or two.

Thanks!

Jim

Low hold, about 18 inches above the house, following Brister's advice. We're looking for a smooth, consistent swing to develop lead and follow through (No, follow the bird to the ground, or the biggest piece left - our mantra with beginners). It's easier to learn and we don't put competition at the top of the list. Encourage it, but fun and proficiency come after safety. Still we always do well at the state shoot.

Funny how even that is an individual thing. Calvin has enough to do teaching beginners so I get to do that when he sends them over to my line. Dead giveaway is when they jerk to catch up when they pick up the bird well past the muzzle. Some do ok pointing at the house and some need two feet or so to pick up the bird. 18 inches works well on average.

Gotta brag on the kids a little, can't help myself. Last year at the state meet in beginner division we took second place. First and second in junior division. In team the two junior teams took first and second and the seniors took third. The seniors did better when they were juniors, funny how that happens when the boy-girl socializing starts.

It's fun. We end up with a couple kids with developmental problems to some degree or another, withdrawn and no accomplishments/self confidence. They learn a skill, that they can set goals and accomplish something if they work at it, socialize with the other kids and they just blossom before your eyes. That right there makes it worth all the time and effort. See it particularly in archery which we do over the winter, has been running about 60 kids the last few years.

A couple of the old(er) guys at the club who were heavily into competitive shooting were telling me about high hold, as in hint, hint. Haven't tried it yet. The 4-H instructor certification instructor showed us a good one, mount per usual and lift your head off the stock a little before calling for the bird. If the stock fits it pops to where it's supposed to be and you pick up the bird a couple tenths sooner. Darned if it doesn't work but feels weird as hell.

I'm back to basics this season, eye dominance shifted right in the middle of a round last season. You know the eye dominance test where you point at an object in the distance? For me my finger doesn't black out the object any more, I still see a ghost image of it. Man, will that mess you up. Took a while to figure out, it doesn't register since you're focused on the target but you miss a lot, and randomly. high, low, all over. Think a little piece of frosted tape on the left lens will fix it, we'll see.

Managed to win class championship in singles and handicap at the WV Hall of Fame Shoot. Class runner-up at the Cardinal Center Ohio "Buckeye Classic". My only 2 tournements so far. Not much cash winning but 3 trophies I'm pretty proud of earning. Shot around 5000 registered targets this year averaging just under 95 in singles and 91 in handicaps. My first full year shooting registered trap, about 2 years at trap shooting overall. Ran a few 100 lately in practice just can't get past 99 in registered.
I don't presume to know as much as the more experienced shooters here. I can only speak to what I've had success doing. If I find that my scores have hit a wall sure I might try eliminating the beads. For now though they will remain and provide me a reference point before I call for a target. I've been we're the OP is and recommend trying different approaches while persueing more "dead" targets. For me that's been half the fun (reloading has been the other half).