[bobski]

put a thick rubber band over you ejection port to catch hulls. save yourself 20.00.

 

[LoFlyer]

Never thought about ejecting shells. Its always been the hazard of the "game". Never been much of an issue with me, I will admit hot-brass running down the back hurts. I don't hold that against the shooter. In my opinion brass catchers are a waste of money and add weight and bulk to the weapon. Talking on the range. I am a five stand guy, last Saturday I was shooting against Cal, and some guys shooting skeet/trap decided to drop in and see what were doing. They were talking a lot and initially diverted our attention, for about one second. We were in the groove and ignored their comments, but it gave me an idea of how distracting onlookers and conversation can be for a shooter.
On the five-stand it is important that the shooter and puller communicate verbally. (we don't have voice activation) I call the sequence of each shot to the puller and he/she acknowledges. I then call "pull" and we do "business". I tend to yell when I make some great shots. No one minds this as long as you are shooting. They do want you to be quiet when they are shooting.
This is a great topic and thanks for the question.

 

[12 Gauge]

Wow. This was very informative. I have been wanting to start skeet/trap shooting in my area and this has really helped me. Although all I have to shoot is a Mossberg 500 12ga. with 18 1/2" barrel and a H&R Pardner 12ga. Both pumps. If I try to join local clubs, will they let me use pumps? I`m recently retired and cant afford those expensive shotguns.

 

[LoFlyer]

12 gauge, many clubs will rent you a gun, and I think that would be the way to go for you. Call up the club and see what they have to offer. Some people don't "get into" skeet/trap for various reasons and buying a new expensive S/G before you know whether you want to pursue the sport could be an expensive mistake. If you do like it, one option would be to buy a new, longer barrel for the Mossberg. Its cheaper than a new gun, and the Mossberg 500 will suffice for training/practice.
Good luck! I hope you give it a try.
Lo

 

[bobski]

secret to skeet and trap is not the gun you choose, but the choke.
you can shoot skeet with 18" bbls with cyl choke all day. your arm may be sore at the end, but it can be done.
trap? you need a full choke. its just plain simple math. shot wont go 40yds out a cyl choke with any consistancy.
this is why if you show up with a riot gun at a trap club, men will look at you funny for two reasons. one, they know you have a cyl choke and youre about to waste money and two, odds are you dont know the ettiquette. if its a relaxed club, guys will help out. if its a bunch of serious competition veterans, odds are theyll step out and let you flounder until youre done.
at my place, i dont care what kind of gun you shoot at skeet or trap. i just make suggestions to what choke you ought to be using and offer the right tools for the job no charge.
everyone on sgf is always welcome to come visit me in mo. i have 2 cyber meets a year and i invite raw new shooters to see how 7 different games are played for free. all you pay for are targets.
i had some guys from chicago come and indiana. so 12ga...you aint too far! come on by!

 

[oneounceload]

I had my terminology mixed up, I guess. Hulls, casings, shells -- thankfully you knew what I was talking about.
I've also looked into shell/casing catchers -- looks like a $20 solution to the problem, but you have to glue something to your gun

I think the local club has voice activated throwers for trap, so I'm pretty sure you can't do much talking without making one fly, anyway -- but, it's good advice. Thanks.

Anyone else want to chime in on what not to do? I would appreciate it!

No you do not need to glue anything to your gun - look for a T&S shell catcher - snaps on and off in the ejection port

 

[Prairie Travler]

I'm new to the shotgun sports and trap is the first one I want to try. I want to make sure I'm not "that guy" that does that one thing that annoys everyone else. So, tell me about the unwritten rules of the sport.

For instance, the only shotgun that I own is an auto-loader. The husks don't fly real far, but they might go far enough to hit the guy next to me. Is this rude or just expected? Should I pick them up before changing stations or just kick them out of the way?

Anyway, any tips you have are appreciated. Thanks!

I shot my first "registered" trap meet, with my old Winchester M97. it was fun catching the expressions of the guys shooting 101s, Perazzi's {misspell} and high $ Remingtons...Pay attention, watch the shooter on your left, aim just above the trap house, and HAVE FUN! ps most of your fellow shooters will welcome you, and be there to answer all the questions you have

 

[jwsmith1959]

Zombie thread...but with a Pump in Trap, you can eject the hull right into your hand.

Good luck and all the best.

 

[Triggw]

...
For instance, the only shotgun that I own is an auto-loader. The husks don't fly real far, but they might go far enough to hit the guy next to me. Is this rude or just expected? ...

I'm pretty new too, but I also started with an autoloader. You definitely need a shell catcher. The T&S catchers that clip in seem to be specific to certain guns. If there's one that fits yours, try that. I have the "Save-It" that "glues on" to the receiver. It's actually applied with an adhesive strip. I decided to take mine off after a couple or months to better position it, and--following the removal instructions--it didn't leave any marks on the receiver. YMMV, and I don't know what it does after a being on a longer time.

I've never tried the rubber band thing, but it seems it would just trap the shell inside the receiver where you would then have to pry it out. The shell catcher catches them nicely where they're easy to remove.