Shotgun shoots

Hi folks I'm starting to get into shooting BP shotgun and was looking for shotgun shoot ideas for our rendezvous, I've only been to a few rendezvous's but have never seen any shotgun shoots. Thanks

Two roo-voo's that I go to have a shotgun/smoothbore trail walk, shoot about 15 targets then at the end shoot 6 flying clay birds.

I'm kind of with Juice Jaws on this. 15 knock down targets at smooth bore range, 5 clay birds on the fly and 1 X target tie breaker at 25 yards. Tie resolved by closest to the X center.

One other option is five shots offhand at an X target. Misses are measured at 6" and shortest string wins.

I assume you're talking wing shooting clays vice a trade gun type trail walk.

The ones I've been to have been based on a 5-stand type setup. Lets people stay in the same location so they can set up a small loading table to keep their supplies on. The score keeper(s)/trappers have to stay on their toes to make sure they've got the right shooter and target presentation as there is a lot of coming and going as people shoot and reload.

Usually 15-25 targets thrown with a limit on the number of hammer falls allowed before calling a miss. If you don't place a limit you will have folks taking all day and burning thru a lot of targets due to misfires (lets face it, we've all been out there with "that guy".)

Targets should be a good mix of presentations. Easy incomers and out goers, harder crossing shots, springing teal, etc.. Obviously the location and trap availability will play a big roll in that. You do need to be able to separate out the really good shooters, either with some difficult shots on the course of fire or with a shoot off later. No doubles presentations as some people like to use their trade guns for this.

biliff said:

I assume you're talking wing shooting clays vice a trade gun type trail walk.

The ones I've been to have been based on a 5-stand type setup. Lets people stay in the same location so they can set up a small loading table to keep their supplies on. The score keeper(s)/trappers have to stay on their toes to make sure they've got the right shooter and target presentation as there is a lot of coming and going as people shoot and reload.

Usually 15-25 targets thrown with a limit on the number of hammer falls allowed before calling a miss. If you don't place a limit you will have folks taking all day and burning thru a lot of targets due to misfires (lets face it, we've all been out there with "that guy".)

Targets should be a good mix of presentations. Easy incomers and out goers, harder crossing shots, springing teal, etc.. Obviously the location and trap availability will play a big roll in that. You do need to be able to separate out the really good shooters, either with some difficult shots on the course of fire or with a shoot off later. No doubles presentations as some people like to use their trade guns for this.

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No, its a trade gun trail walk with about 15 targets(plus tie breaker) then at the end you shoot 6 flying clay birds. All loading is from your pouch.

Juice Jaws said:

No, its a trade gun trail walk with about 15 targets(plus tie breaker) then at the end you shoot 6 flying clay birds. All loading is from your pouch.

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Sorry, I was replying to the OP, not your post.

OK, understand your post now.

So my next question is for the x targets how are you suppose to score it? Your shooting shotgun, pigeons sound good but you'd have to have a bunch of throwers.... Maybe something as simple as just doing 15 clays and just score it that way

Dakotablood said:

So my next question is for the x targets how are you suppose to score it? Your shooting shotgun, pigeons sound good but you'd have to have a bunch of throwers.... Maybe something as simple as just doing 15 clays and just score it that way

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Blasting away at the same target presentation over and over gets pretty boring or frustrating, depending on whether you're hitting or missing. It can also slow things down as every competitor has to wait for that one station.

You don't need a lot of traps to create a variety of presentations. Changing the shooting station relative to the trap changes the presentations. For example a single fixed trap can be viewed as a straight outgoer if the the station is directly behind the trap, a right to left outgoer if the station is 5 yards to the left of the trap and a left to right outgoer if the station is 5 yards to the right of the trap. If you shoot skeet, roughly the equivalent of station 7 low house, station 6 low house and station 2 high house respectively.

5 shots at each station gets you to 15.

Add a second trap and the potential variety goes way up. Maybe a high incomer from behind a downrange berm.

Two traps, three shooting stations and six different target presentations. Guaranteed to provide everyone with something to gripe about.

You have to use some imagination in the set up and work with the equipment/manpower you have and the terrain available while keeping things safe.

The rondys I have attended did not have a "shotgun" competition. There is usually a trade gun competition which includes a woods walk shooting at clangers with round ball, and then 4 birds using shot. Shooters are allowed one fall of the hammer, ignition or not, for each bird. The rondys usually have too many events scheduled for the weekend to be able to schedule a shotgun match. Shotgun matches usually move pretty slow.
At my clubs spring and fall shoots we have shotgun matches. We have a separate trap shooting range that is dedicated to shotgun. We have loading benches behind trap shooting spots. Each match consists of 25 birds, caplock shooters are allowed 2 falls of the hammer and flint shooters are allowed 3 falls before it is declared a miss.

There are several types of clay-bird clips that will hold a bird and may be shot with shot. You only need a person at the station to "reload" the holder when the shooter is done and moves off, before the next woodswalk shooter arrives.

You can mix flour and water and bright food coloring, and make "ship's biscuit" targets. You can put a hole in them before baking, near the edge to hang them when done. You can make various shapes, they are bio-degradable, and you can have all sorts of colors. Nice and brittle, they will shatter when hit, and probably less expensive than biodegradable clay birds. These are better on the wildlife than using balloons, too.

A nice hanging piece of steel at 25 yards will ring pretty well when hit by shot. Much less chance of splatter ricochet with shot than with a round ball.

Variation..., put a large falling steel target up, with a small breakable target, supported a few inches behind. Have the "shotgunner" shoot the steel with a single shot pistol, knocking the steel target off the stand and thus uncovering the breakable target behind. Then shoot the breakable target with shot. At a proper distance this defeats the guys who are "gaming" the walk by using super light loads of shot and powder, as the pattern may be too open for such a light load at a good distance to reliably break the bird.

Lots of variations of static breakable targets out there...

LD

The X targets can be a sheet of paper. A wide line can be drawn from corner to corner. The shot gun or trade gun or fowling piece is loaded with a round ball. One shot at the target. The target is scored by measuring from the crossing of the X to the center of the hole. If the entire target is missed the score is the distance from the center to the longest edge of the target. Shortest distance to the X is the winner.

If you are shooting shot only and not round balls then some ideas are swinging targets like clay birds on a string. flying birds. I have a chucker that tosses birds straight up, and no shotgun contest would be complete without the long shot.

Lots of ideas going through my head.

Dakotablood said:

...have never seen any shotgun shoots.

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Many smoothbore shoots, not many shotguns. Smoothbores are in most respects, the same as shotguns.

I like smoothbore candle shoots - shoot at lit candles in the dark and try to put them out. Loaded with ball, not shot - all loading is done by feel from bag & horn.

biliff said:

Sorry, I was replying to the OP, not your post.

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We do ten clangers, 4 birds, hawk and knife and firestarting all in a tradegun match