Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns #9 shot for trap ?

grandsons are going to start 4H trapshooting soon.......youngest one wants to shoot his 28 guage

I see Cabelas has AA 28 guage on sale , but they are 9 shot, I used to shoot alot of trap myself , but never used anything smaller than 8

will 9s reliably break trap clays ?

I think your better off with #8 for trap.
#9 will break them but loose energy fast.

I had a class B-A shooter neighbor who would use #9 on calm days, but heavier shot when the wind was blowing.

From the 16 yard line #9's will break birds, just watch the clays for dusting without breaking. The Win AA 28 gauge factory shells has hard shot which is always a plus.

Doc

Checked with the people running the 4-H trap program? We bought a year's supply for the price break which was passed on to the kids and included 28 ga. for a club gun. A portion of our grant money went to shells so the kids got a really good deal, and free shells for the state shoot if they went. Would've included a couple more flats of 28 ga. if we knew they'd be used. (Promo loads work fine for this, spendy shells don't add anything until you get to serious competition.)

It should work fine..

I've shot my 28 at 16 yard trap, with #9's and skeet chokes. (That's what happens when you forget your trap gun...) Worked fine. I wouldn't want to try it at handicap yardage though.

Most will say that 9s work for still days, and are better in high and dry climates. It makes sense to me, but I've shot 8's from way back of the trap, like 50 plus yards back of the traphouse. Possibly, the extra pellets might be better in a 28 ga than 8

At the 16 yard line----no problem. Get him started to shoot trap & he'll be hooked for life. I know I can't get enough. I'm addicted to that "puff of black smoke"

thanks for the replies........nighthawk......I guess the local pheasants forever chapter will supply shells for the kids , but only 12 and 20

and I would assume the kids will do all their shooting at 16 yards , but dont know for sure


so if the boy wants to shoot his 28 , we will have to pony up for our own ammo


and he is a little shaver for his age , so the 28 is a good fit.......

Odd they won't kick in a couple flats of 28 ga... It' been a few years since I was involved with the 4-H program. PF was very accommodating and generous. Gave us a Franchi youth model and the lighter aluminum alloy receiver really helped some of the little guys.

Oh yeah, nines should be fine, be happy if he's good enough that it makes a difference. Beginners want to aim so the birds can get way out there. We would count to three with the goal of them firing by the time we got to three. Besides form the birds stay close enough for #9.

I've shot a lot of #9 for trap, as mentioned they work well enough at the 16 yard line and for the first shot in doubles providing you don't ride the birds too far out. I found a tight choke(Improved Modified or Full) helped as it puts more pellets on the target which can be important with such small shot size.

I often shot #9 with 7/8 oz of shot whether in a 12 ga or a 20 ga so I wasn't using much more than you will find with a 28 ga. When I didn't use one of the larger bores I sometimes used a 28 ga but usually used a 410 which has even less shot. I don't ride the birds much and tend to take the birds pretty close to the house so the pellets tend to have enough energy to cleanly break birds. If he tends to let the birds get out a bit the odds of not breaking a bird go up and it can be an incentive to take the birds a bit quicker. Learning proper hold points is very important as it allows one to see and intercept the target much quicker.

A friend of mine was a champion trap shooter....saw him shoot a round of trap whth a contender 410 barrel and skeet loads...9 shot...
He broke quite a few....sure didn't smoke me but he always said if you are on them they break no matter the load..
It won't be ideal but it will work...

Only if the shooter's really fast on the shot... Besides that, I didn't think 9s were legal for competition... 8s are minimum IIRC.

This

9's pound the hell out of 16 yd and 1 st shot doubles targets. Powders the birds when you are on them tight. 7/8 oz of 9's have a higher pellet count than 1 1/8 oz of 8's run them at 1200 fps.

From the ATA rule book: - and I was wrong about shot size.. I thought 8s were legal..


G. GUNS AND AMMUNITION
Any shooter violating any of these Rules shall be disqualified from
competition in accordance with these Rules. Any such violator shall be
referred to the Executive Committee for possible further disciplinary action.
A contestant cannot use:
1. A gun with a chamber larger than 12 gauge. Guns of smaller gauges are
permissible in registered and tournament shooting, but no competitive
consideration shall be given in recognition of that fact for handicap
and classification purposes. A contestant may not use a gun capable
of chambering more than one gauge of shells at the same time. For
example, chambering 12 gauge and 20 gauge shells in the same gun
at the same time is prohibited.
2. Loads that contain nickel or copper coated shot or tracer loads.
However, the use of lead, steel, bismuth, or other composite non- toxic
shot materials shall be allowed. Any gun club allowing shot materials
described in this Rule, other than lead, shall be required to cover or shield
all hard surfaces on trap fields which are known, or reasonably believed,
to cause pellet ricochet with material which will prevent the shot pellets
from rebounding and/or ricocheting.
3. Any load with a velocity greater than 1290 FPS (Feet Per Second) with
maximum shot charge of 1 1/8 ounces, or 1325 FPS with a maximum
shot charge of 1 ounce, or 1350 FPS with a maximum shot charge of 7/8
ounces or less, as measured in any individual shotshell. These velocities
are maximum and no individual shotshell shall exceed these limits for
the designated shot charge. In addition, no load containing more than
1 1/8 ounces or any shot larger than Number 7 1/2 can be used. Shot
charges are maximum and no charge may exceed the charge amount
by more than 3%. Steel shot in Number 7 will be acceptable as long as
velocity criteria are the same as for lead shot shells.

It looks to me like 8s are legal. 8 shot is smaller than 7 1/2. Rules prohibit shot larger than 7 1/2.

Double-checked again.. you're right - no shot larger than 7 1/2 can be used.. Ergo, 8s are legal..

i just bought a case of 28"s at Cabelas. Herters brand, One ounce #8"s

I would probably prefer 8's to 9's in a 28-gauge, but they will be fine. The 1-oz. 28-gauge load that the previous poster mentioned should smoke targets, I've used that load with 6's to kill a lot of pheasants and chukars, they are impressive!

The only downside to 28's are the cost of the shells, but if you shop around- you can find them reasonably enough. I think the 28 is my favorite shotgun to shoot! Good luck to the young fella with his!