Let's start with a real short history of the game of trap. It began in the 1800's and got it's name from how it was originally played. Live birds were put under boxes, sometimes tophats were used, then the boxes or "traps" were tipped over by pulling a rope that was attached to them and thus releasing the bird to be shot at by the shooter. Now you know where the term "trap" came from and why we call "pull" when we are ready for the target to be released. Over the years, live birds were replaced by targets made of glass, clay, and now a limestone and pitch mixture. The evolution of the target material and the machines to launch these targets is almost as interesting as the game's history.
LEADING THE TARGET
First, let's get ourselves oriented to the trap field. If you stand on Station 3 of the firing line, the target thrown to your far right is "angle #1" or "target #1" and the target thrown to your far left is "angle #5" or "target #5." Each shooting station has a target that will be a straightaway shot and the others will be flying away at an angle. The straightaway shot requires no horizontal lead but you'll need to lead it vertically; this target should be shot as it is rising.
Station 1 Targets:
- 0" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 19" horizontal lead; 8" vertical lead
- 27" horizontal lead; 10" vertical lead
- 35" horizontal lead; 12" vertical lead
Station 2 Targets:
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 0" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 19" horizontal lead; 8" vertical lead
- 27" horizontal lead; 10" vertical lead
Station 3 Targets:
- 19" horizontal lead; 8" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 0" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 19" horizontal lead; 8" vertical lead
Station 4 Targets:
- 27" horizontal lead; 10" vertical lead
- 19" horizontal lead; 8" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 0" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
Station 5 Targets:
- 35" horizontal lead; 12" vertical lead
- 27" horizontal lead; 10" vertical
- 19" horizontal lead; 8" vertical lead
- 10" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
- 0" horizontal lead; 7" vertical lead
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Good Trap Guns
What's a good trap gun? Well, I've got my ideas, but it all depends on what you want to do. If you're only going to shoot 16 yard line singles or handicap singles, then any pump or single barrel trap gun will work just fine. Now, if you plan on shooting doubles, then you'd better think about a gun that will give you two quick shots. For this I'd recommend an Over/Under or a semi-automatic. The trap gun you choose also depends on whether you want one gun to "do it all" or one for each event. My personal preference is an Over/Under, 30" barrels, and interchangeable chokes. The screw-in chokes allow you to change from a modified at 16 yards to a full or extra-full for handicap events. For more on what's available on the market for trap guns, go to my homepage and check out the section on Target Guns and the manufacturers I've made links to.
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