Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting (shotgun shooting at clay targets). The others are Skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap (which is also an Olympic event), Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada. American trap has two independent governing bodies: the Amateur Trapshooting Association, which sanctions shoots throughout the United States and Canada, and the Pacific International Trapshooting Association, which sanctions shoots on the West Coast.
The sport is in some ways a replacement for a game where the targets were live pigeons. Indeed, one of the names for the clay targets used in shooting games is clay pigeons. The layout of modern trap shooting is different from skeet shooting in that there is only one house that releases targets and the shooters only move through 5 different positions.
Trap shooting has been a sport since at least 1793 when it used real birds, usually the Passenger Pigeon, which was extremely abundant at the time. Fake birds were introduced around the time of the American Civil War as the Passenger Pigeon was nearing extinction and sufficient numbers were not reliably available.[dubious – discuss] Clay targets were introduced in the 1880s.[citation needed]
Trapshooting Overview
The type of trapshooting described here is known as American or Down-the-Line trap. It is the oldest and most basic, of all the Trap disciplines. American trap is shot over one trap machine which has a fixed elevation but constantly changing angles. The clay target is thrown away from the shooter and must travel between 50 and 55 yards. The height of the target is adjusted so that at a distance of 10 yards from the trap it’s height will be between 8 and 10 feet . The angles at which the target is thrown (to the left and right of the shooter), is constantly changing and should appear random and unpredictable. The maximum target angle is normally 22 degrees either side of center, but can be a maximum of 47 degrees.
A round of trap consists of 25 shots, with groups of five shots being taken from five shooting positions. There is a maximum of five people shooting per round which is called a squad. Each shooter on the squad shoots five shots from each of the five shooting positions. The shooters take turns shooting such that the first shooter will shoot one shot, then the second shooter takes their shot, etc. until all five shooters have shot 5 shots from a given shooting position. The shooters then rotate to the next shooting position and repeat the process.
In American trap there are three separate types of events that are shot, singles (a.k.a. 16-yard), handicap and doubles.
Singles
Singles are shot 16 yards behind the trap house, which why it is also known as the 16-yard event. Each shooter shoots five shots from each of the 5 shooting positions, with each shooter in order shooting at one target until all have shot five times, and then rotating in a clockwise manner to the next station.
Handicap
Handicap was designed so that shooters of different abilities could compete against each other fairly. In handicap the shooters stand farther away, between 17 and 27 yards, from the trap house. The greater a shooters ability the further back they stand. A shooter’s ability and hence the distance behind the traphouse from which they shoot (called their yardage), is determined by their average handicap score for the year and whether they have placed in the top 1-5 scores at any competition during the year. There are tree ways for a shooter to “earn” additional yardage, there by moving them back further from the traphouse. If a shooter wins a competition or places near the top, they can earn an additional half to 2.5 yards to their existing handicap yardage, if they shoot 96 or better out of a 100 targets, they can gain a half to 1.5 yards, or if their annual average is above 94, they can earn additional yardage.
Doubles
Doubles are shot from 16 yard line (16 yards from the trap house). In Doubles two targets are thrown at the same time (hence the name). These targets thrown at a fixed angle normally between +/- 30 to +/- 45 degrees from the centerline of the traphouse. One target is thrown to the left and one to the right of the centerline. The shooter takes shots, one at each target and is scored for the number hit. So for a single pair the score can be from 0 to 2. Normally a round consists of five pairs (10 targets) are shot at from each of the five shooting positions for a total of 50 targets per round. Occasionally a round will consist of 13 pair (26 targets) with three pair being shot at the first shooting position, two pair at the second shooting position, then 3 pair, 2 pair and 3 pair. In trap shooting competitions both 50 target and 100 target doubles events are common.
Competition
There are several types of trapshooting competitions in the United States, the majority are ATA registered events. In the western United States there is another organization called PITA which holds competitions.
For an ATA registered competition each entrant is assigned a classification level for Singles, and Doubles, and an assigned shooting yardage for Handicap. In most competitions an individual only competes against other within the same classification. This allows beginners to compete against other beginners instead of much better shooters. A competition will have from 3 to 5 classifications typically based upon the number of people in the competition (the more people the more classes). The classes are based upon the individuals average scores for the year. The highest classification (corresponding to the highest average) is AA, followed by A, B, C, and D.
A typical single day competition will consist of 100 Singles targets, 100 Handicap targets and 50 or 100 Doubles targets. This is only typical, some gun clubs might only have Handicap events in a given day, others might have a Double marathon where they will throw 500 targets in a day.
Olympic trap
Olympic trap is one of the ISSF shooting events, introduced to the Olympic program in 1900; the current version was introduced in 1950. In International competitions the course of fire is 125 shots for men and 75 shots for women. There is also a 25-shot final for the top six competitors. The ISSF website is www.issf-shooting.org for more information. B.J. McDaniels has written a series of three articles covering upgrading from American ATA/PITA trap shooting—described in the following section—to Olympic trap (on going from checkers to chess, if you will). They may be found in the shotgun coaches' corner of www.USAShooting.com. Several photos of a bunker facility are shown. Olympic trap is also referred to as International trap or Bunker trap.
Examination of those photos will reveal that the Olympic trench contains 15 fixed-angle machines as opposed to the single oscillating machine used in the American games. The additional machines resolve the fairness issue: as the single machine in the American game is constantly oscillating horizontally, every shooter will receive a different mix of target angle difficulty. For example, on any given station, a shooter can plausibly get all (easier) straight-away targets or all extreme angle (more difficult) targets, thus varying his level of difficulty (fairness) considerably in each round shot compared to what his competitor might receive. What target angle the shooter actually gets is a luck of the draw depending on where the constantly-moving machine was pointing at the time he called for his target. The 15 machine fixed-angle format eliminates this luck of the draw problem, ensuring that all shooters will receive exactly the same targets as all other shooters, hence providing the equal difficulty for all. A computer is used to ensure this occurs with programming to deliver 10 left, 10 right and 5 straight-away targets to each competitor in a randomized sequence. Finally, a microphone release system provides equality in target release times. An Olympic trap facility is designed to provide unequivocally equal opportunity for all.
The process of a round is as follows: There are six shooters, one to each station, with the sixth shooter initially starting at a holding station immediately behind shooter number one. At the beginning of first round of the day, test firing is allowed at the referee's permission. Upon receiving the start signal, the first shooter has 10 seconds to call for his target. After firing at his target, the first shooter waits for the second shooter to complete firing, then moves to station two, with the shooter on station six smoothly moving to station one. This procedure continues through the squad until the completion of the round.
Generally, the round is refereed by a person on the line, behind the shooters. He uses a bicycle-type horn or similar, to signal lost targets. He is assisted by one or two flankers to either side of the bunker who keep score. With modern technology, computer screens are now used both at the bunker and perhaps, in the club house showing the rounds' progress. In major matches, there will be a large, perhaps 1 x 2.5 m (4 x 8 feet) or so board to one side that shows the scoring status clearly to all with large tiles: white to show hits, red to show misses.
The guns may be loaded—but open-actioned—between stations 1 through 5. The gun must be unloaded and open in the walk from station five back to one. The unloading must be done BEFORE the shooter makes the turn to step off station five. This open action requirement alone tends to discourage the use of auto-loading shotguns as it is time consuming to unload if the second shell is not used. Additionally, there are issues of reliability and the loss of the advantage a more open choke of the over-under shotgun type can provide for the first shot.
Since the UIT, now ISSF, mandated the 24 gram (7/8 ounce) shot load effective back in 1991, chokes have tended to become tighter. Often you will see the use of 0.64-0.72 mm (0.025-0.030 inch) for the first barrel and 0.80-1.00 mm (0.032-0.040 inch) for the second. Guns are regulated to shoot dead on or, at most 5–8 cm (2-3 inches) high. Considerable effort is expended to ensure a perfect fit as the relatively high 100 km/h (62 mph) exit speed of the target allows no time for conscious compensation of a poor fit as it so often can occur in the slower 64 km/h (40 mph) exit speed target games of American trap and skeet.
[edit] Double trap
Double trap is a relatively new trap form, Olympic since 1996 (from 2008 it has Olympic status only for men), where two targets are thrown simultaneously but at slightly different angles from the station three bank of machines. The target speed is about 80 km/h (50 mph), very close to that of ATA doubles.
The only unique item in that the targets are released with a variable delay up to 1 second. This was instituted to minimize the practice of spot-shooting the first target.
Interestingly, the ISSF has continuously adjusted the difficulties of its disciplines trap, skeet and double trap, to minimize the number of perfect scores, unlike ATA/NSSA where perfect scores are the norm. Missing a single target in a large ATA or NSSA match means the competitor has a limited chance of winning, whereas missing a target in a bunker or International skeet still allows a competitor a good shot at victory.
Regionally and nationally recognized versions
American trap is popular throughout the United States and may well be the most popular form of clay target shooting in North America. Official events and rules are governed by the Amateur Trapshooting Association or ATA. The ATA is the primary governing body of American trapshooting and is one of the largest shooting sports organizations in the world. The Pacific International Trap Association (PITA) is an independent governing body, and is active in the western US and British Columbia. PITA rules are nearly identical to ATA rules.
The ATA hosts the Grand American World Trap Shooting Championships, which is held every August. After decades in Vandalia, Ohio, the "Grand" moved to the new World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. The Grand attracts as many as 6,000 shooters for the thirteen day event, which is billed as the world's largest shooting event.
The ATA sanctions registered trapshooting competitions at local clubs and facilities throughout North America, and it also coordinates Zone competitions leading up to the Grand American each summer along with "Satellite Grands" throughout the U.S. State organizations also hold state championship shoots each year, which are also coordinated with and sanctioned by the ATA.
American trap is broken down into three categories: singles, doubles, handicap. The targets are thrown by a machine located at approximately ground level and covered by a "trap house." For singles and doubles, there are five "stations," each 16 yards (15.6 m) behind the trap house. In singles, each competitor shoots at five targets from each station. The trap machine oscillates left to right within a 35 degree arc, and the competitor does not know where in that arc the target will emerge. In doubles, the machine does not oscillate, but throws two targets simultaneously. Each competitor shoots at ten targets from each station. In the handicap event, the machine operates the same as in singles, but the shooters stand further away from the trap house. Adult male shooters start from 20 yards (18.3 m) away; women and sub-juniors start at the 19-yard (17.3 m) line. Each time a competitor wins an event or shoots a score of 96 or higher, s/he earns yardage (also known as "getting a punch"), and must thereafter shoot from further away from the traphouse. The maximum distance at which the handicap event is shot is 27 yards (24.7 m). Safety regulations prohibit members of a handicap squad from shooting at distances more than three yards (2.7 m) apart. In all American trap events, each shooter is allowed only one shot per target.
When shooting American trap for practice or fun a squad of five will shoot 25 targets each for a total of 125. Registered ATA shoots require shooters to shoot 50, 100, or 200 targets per event (depending on the scheduled event). Most of these shoots are for personal average or handicap yardage.
A variant of standard trap is Wobble or Wobble trap. The main differences are a much more extreme target flight path than in standard trap shooting (the trap oscillates up and down as well as side to side), shooters are allowed two shots per pull, and shooters at stations 1 and 5 stand at the 18 yard (16.5 m) mark while positions 2-4 stand at the 17 yard (15.5 m) mark. Although this version of trap is not sanctioned by the ATA, many shooters consider it to be both more challenging and engaging as well as a more realistic preparation for bird hunting. More experienced shooters will often shoot from the Skeet positions to increase the difficulty.
Down-The-Line (DTL) is a form of trap popular in Great Britain, Australia, and South Africa. It is similar to American trap singles except that two shots are allowed, with three points awarded for a first-barrel hit and two for a second-barrel hit. The trap machine oscillates left to right within a 45 degree arc.
In the Nordic countries and Great Britain (which is part of the Nordic Shooting Region), a form of trap formerly known as Hunter's trap and now as Nordic trap is popular. It is easier than the Olympic version.
Arms and equipment
American trap is generally shot with a 12 gauge, single-barreled shotgun (such as the Browning BT-99, BT-99 Micro, Perazzi MX-series, Krieghoff K-80, [Kolar] T/A) or a double barreled shotgun such as the Beretta DT10, Browning XT Trap. Shooters will often buy a combo-set of a mono and over-under barrel gun for shooting singles and doubles respectively. Semi-autos are popular due to the low recoil and versatility because they can be used for singles, handicap, and doubles. Trap guns differ from field and skeet guns in several ways and normally shoot higher than their counterparts as the targets are almost always shot on the rise. The most obvious difference is in the stocks. They are normally Monte Carlo or have an adjustable comb, an adjustable butt plate, or both. Such guns also have long barrels (700–850 mm, 28-34 inches), often with porting, and anything from a modified to a full choke. The majority of trap shotguns built today feature interchangeable choke tubes, but older guns generally have fixed chokes. Some shooters have a complete set of choke tubes (modified, improved modified, improved cylinder, full). Trap guns are also built to withstand much more usage, upwards of 500 shots straight, when hunting guns aren't built to withstand such long consecutive runs of firing.
Most shooters wear a vest or pouch that will hold 25 cartridges.
Ammunition
American trap is shot with lead target ammo, with a shot size between 7 ½ and 9 (2.0-2.4 mm). Ammunition is allowed a maximum of 1-1/8 oz (32 g) of shot and maximum velocities vary with shot mass: 1290 ft/s (393 m/s) for 1-1/8 oz (32 g), 1325 ft/s (404 m/s) for 1 oz (28 g), and 1350 ft/s (414 m/s) for 7/8 oz (24 g). Maximum loads are generally only needed for long handicap or the second doubles shot. When required at certain trap clubs, steel shot can be used.
Although Winchester AA, Remington STS, and other higher end shot shells have been popular in the trapshooting world for quite some time, cheaper shells such as Federal Top Gun, Rio & Estate are becoming increasingly popular due to the increase in price of the higher end shells. Federal Top Gun, Rio & Estate still offer the decent firepower of Winchester AA shells, but lack a sturdy hull thus making them difficult to reload. Reloading is also becoming much more popular because it costs less than buying new boxes of shells and doesn't take quite as long to manufacture a box of shells as it used to - due to the invention of hydraulic reloading machines.
[edit] Trap etiquette
American trap shooting, more so than other shooting disciplines, including Olympic "international" trap, develops a certain rhythm to a squad timing between shots. The manners of any other squad member(s) can affect the performance of individuals within a squad. Shell catchers are a must for anyone using a semi-automatic - a shell hitting you in the head or arm can certainly disrupt your concentration. Most shooters also carry a few extra shells in case they drop one. It is better not to pick up any dropped shell, or other item, until after the 5th shooter has fired his 5th shot of the station and the squad is about to rotate to the next position. Idle chatting between shots, vulgar calls, and unnecessary movement can be generally disruptive. Things are considerably more relaxed during a practice squad, but one should use some discretion.
Commands from the scorer and other shooters are as important to squad timing as the behaviors of the shooters on the squad. To start a squad the shooter will ask if the squad and puller are ready (usually by calling "Squad ready?" then "Puller ready?"), followed by asking to see one free target, traditionally saying "Let's see one." The scorer will call missed targets with a command of: loss, lost, etc. When the first shooter has fired his final shot of the position the scorer will sometimes call “end” and will command “all change” after fifth shooter has fired his last shot. The shooter on position five then moves behind the rest of the shooters on his way to the first station and will signal when he is ready to the First shooter who is now on station two. The standard call for a target is “pull,” but many shooters like to use their own variations of "pull," or words that will help them concentrate on the target.
Trap shooting has been a sport since at least 1793 when it used real birds, usually the Passenger Pigeon, which was extremely abundant at the time. Fake birds were introduced around the time of the American Civil War as the Passenger Pigeon was nearing extinction and sufficient numbers were not reliably available.[dubious – discuss] Clay targets were introduced in the 1880s.[citation needed]
Trapshooting Overview
A round of trap consists of 25 shots, with groups of five shots being taken from five shooting positions. There is a maximum of five people shooting per round which is called a squad. Each shooter on the squad shoots five shots from each of the five shooting positions. The shooters take turns shooting such that the first shooter will shoot one shot, then the second shooter takes their shot, etc. until all five shooters have shot 5 shots from a given shooting position. The shooters then rotate to the next shooting position and repeat the process.
In American trap there are three separate types of events that are shot, singles (a.k.a. 16-yard), handicap and doubles.
Singles
Singles are shot 16 yards behind the trap house, which why it is also known as the 16-yard event. Each shooter shoots five shots from each of the 5 shooting positions, with each shooter in order shooting at one target until all have shot five times, and then rotating in a clockwise manner to the next station.
Handicap
Handicap was designed so that shooters of different abilities could compete against each other fairly. In handicap the shooters stand farther away, between 17 and 27 yards, from the trap house. The greater a shooters ability the further back they stand. A shooter’s ability and hence the distance behind the traphouse from which they shoot (called their yardage), is determined by their average handicap score for the year and whether they have placed in the top 1-5 scores at any competition during the year. There are tree ways for a shooter to “earn” additional yardage, there by moving them back further from the traphouse. If a shooter wins a competition or places near the top, they can earn an additional half to 2.5 yards to their existing handicap yardage, if they shoot 96 or better out of a 100 targets, they can gain a half to 1.5 yards, or if their annual average is above 94, they can earn additional yardage.
Doubles
Doubles are shot from 16 yard line (16 yards from the trap house). In Doubles two targets are thrown at the same time (hence the name). These targets thrown at a fixed angle normally between +/- 30 to +/- 45 degrees from the centerline of the traphouse. One target is thrown to the left and one to the right of the centerline. The shooter takes shots, one at each target and is scored for the number hit. So for a single pair the score can be from 0 to 2. Normally a round consists of five pairs (10 targets) are shot at from each of the five shooting positions for a total of 50 targets per round. Occasionally a round will consist of 13 pair (26 targets) with three pair being shot at the first shooting position, two pair at the second shooting position, then 3 pair, 2 pair and 3 pair. In trap shooting competitions both 50 target and 100 target doubles events are common.
Competition
There are several types of trapshooting competitions in the United States, the majority are ATA registered events. In the western United States there is another organization called PITA which holds competitions.
For an ATA registered competition each entrant is assigned a classification level for Singles, and Doubles, and an assigned shooting yardage for Handicap. In most competitions an individual only competes against other within the same classification. This allows beginners to compete against other beginners instead of much better shooters. A competition will have from 3 to 5 classifications typically based upon the number of people in the competition (the more people the more classes). The classes are based upon the individuals average scores for the year. The highest classification (corresponding to the highest average) is AA, followed by A, B, C, and D.
A typical single day competition will consist of 100 Singles targets, 100 Handicap targets and 50 or 100 Doubles targets. This is only typical, some gun clubs might only have Handicap events in a given day, others might have a Double marathon where they will throw 500 targets in a day.
Olympic trap
Olympic trap is one of the ISSF shooting events, introduced to the Olympic program in 1900; the current version was introduced in 1950. In International competitions the course of fire is 125 shots for men and 75 shots for women. There is also a 25-shot final for the top six competitors. The ISSF website is www.issf-shooting.org for more information. B.J. McDaniels has written a series of three articles covering upgrading from American ATA/PITA trap shooting—described in the following section—to Olympic trap (on going from checkers to chess, if you will). They may be found in the shotgun coaches' corner of www.USAShooting.com. Several photos of a bunker facility are shown. Olympic trap is also referred to as International trap or Bunker trap.
Examination of those photos will reveal that the Olympic trench contains 15 fixed-angle machines as opposed to the single oscillating machine used in the American games. The additional machines resolve the fairness issue: as the single machine in the American game is constantly oscillating horizontally, every shooter will receive a different mix of target angle difficulty. For example, on any given station, a shooter can plausibly get all (easier) straight-away targets or all extreme angle (more difficult) targets, thus varying his level of difficulty (fairness) considerably in each round shot compared to what his competitor might receive. What target angle the shooter actually gets is a luck of the draw depending on where the constantly-moving machine was pointing at the time he called for his target. The 15 machine fixed-angle format eliminates this luck of the draw problem, ensuring that all shooters will receive exactly the same targets as all other shooters, hence providing the equal difficulty for all. A computer is used to ensure this occurs with programming to deliver 10 left, 10 right and 5 straight-away targets to each competitor in a randomized sequence. Finally, a microphone release system provides equality in target release times. An Olympic trap facility is designed to provide unequivocally equal opportunity for all.
The process of a round is as follows: There are six shooters, one to each station, with the sixth shooter initially starting at a holding station immediately behind shooter number one. At the beginning of first round of the day, test firing is allowed at the referee's permission. Upon receiving the start signal, the first shooter has 10 seconds to call for his target. After firing at his target, the first shooter waits for the second shooter to complete firing, then moves to station two, with the shooter on station six smoothly moving to station one. This procedure continues through the squad until the completion of the round.
Generally, the round is refereed by a person on the line, behind the shooters. He uses a bicycle-type horn or similar, to signal lost targets. He is assisted by one or two flankers to either side of the bunker who keep score. With modern technology, computer screens are now used both at the bunker and perhaps, in the club house showing the rounds' progress. In major matches, there will be a large, perhaps 1 x 2.5 m (4 x 8 feet) or so board to one side that shows the scoring status clearly to all with large tiles: white to show hits, red to show misses.
The guns may be loaded—but open-actioned—between stations 1 through 5. The gun must be unloaded and open in the walk from station five back to one. The unloading must be done BEFORE the shooter makes the turn to step off station five. This open action requirement alone tends to discourage the use of auto-loading shotguns as it is time consuming to unload if the second shell is not used. Additionally, there are issues of reliability and the loss of the advantage a more open choke of the over-under shotgun type can provide for the first shot.
Since the UIT, now ISSF, mandated the 24 gram (7/8 ounce) shot load effective back in 1991, chokes have tended to become tighter. Often you will see the use of 0.64-0.72 mm (0.025-0.030 inch) for the first barrel and 0.80-1.00 mm (0.032-0.040 inch) for the second. Guns are regulated to shoot dead on or, at most 5–8 cm (2-3 inches) high. Considerable effort is expended to ensure a perfect fit as the relatively high 100 km/h (62 mph) exit speed of the target allows no time for conscious compensation of a poor fit as it so often can occur in the slower 64 km/h (40 mph) exit speed target games of American trap and skeet.
[edit] Double trap
Double trap is a relatively new trap form, Olympic since 1996 (from 2008 it has Olympic status only for men), where two targets are thrown simultaneously but at slightly different angles from the station three bank of machines. The target speed is about 80 km/h (50 mph), very close to that of ATA doubles.
The only unique item in that the targets are released with a variable delay up to 1 second. This was instituted to minimize the practice of spot-shooting the first target.
Interestingly, the ISSF has continuously adjusted the difficulties of its disciplines trap, skeet and double trap, to minimize the number of perfect scores, unlike ATA/NSSA where perfect scores are the norm. Missing a single target in a large ATA or NSSA match means the competitor has a limited chance of winning, whereas missing a target in a bunker or International skeet still allows a competitor a good shot at victory.
Regionally and nationally recognized versions
American trap is popular throughout the United States and may well be the most popular form of clay target shooting in North America. Official events and rules are governed by the Amateur Trapshooting Association or ATA. The ATA is the primary governing body of American trapshooting and is one of the largest shooting sports organizations in the world. The Pacific International Trap Association (PITA) is an independent governing body, and is active in the western US and British Columbia. PITA rules are nearly identical to ATA rules.
The ATA hosts the Grand American World Trap Shooting Championships, which is held every August. After decades in Vandalia, Ohio, the "Grand" moved to the new World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. The Grand attracts as many as 6,000 shooters for the thirteen day event, which is billed as the world's largest shooting event.
The ATA sanctions registered trapshooting competitions at local clubs and facilities throughout North America, and it also coordinates Zone competitions leading up to the Grand American each summer along with "Satellite Grands" throughout the U.S. State organizations also hold state championship shoots each year, which are also coordinated with and sanctioned by the ATA.
American trap is broken down into three categories: singles, doubles, handicap. The targets are thrown by a machine located at approximately ground level and covered by a "trap house." For singles and doubles, there are five "stations," each 16 yards (15.6 m) behind the trap house. In singles, each competitor shoots at five targets from each station. The trap machine oscillates left to right within a 35 degree arc, and the competitor does not know where in that arc the target will emerge. In doubles, the machine does not oscillate, but throws two targets simultaneously. Each competitor shoots at ten targets from each station. In the handicap event, the machine operates the same as in singles, but the shooters stand further away from the trap house. Adult male shooters start from 20 yards (18.3 m) away; women and sub-juniors start at the 19-yard (17.3 m) line. Each time a competitor wins an event or shoots a score of 96 or higher, s/he earns yardage (also known as "getting a punch"), and must thereafter shoot from further away from the traphouse. The maximum distance at which the handicap event is shot is 27 yards (24.7 m). Safety regulations prohibit members of a handicap squad from shooting at distances more than three yards (2.7 m) apart. In all American trap events, each shooter is allowed only one shot per target.
When shooting American trap for practice or fun a squad of five will shoot 25 targets each for a total of 125. Registered ATA shoots require shooters to shoot 50, 100, or 200 targets per event (depending on the scheduled event). Most of these shoots are for personal average or handicap yardage.
A variant of standard trap is Wobble or Wobble trap. The main differences are a much more extreme target flight path than in standard trap shooting (the trap oscillates up and down as well as side to side), shooters are allowed two shots per pull, and shooters at stations 1 and 5 stand at the 18 yard (16.5 m) mark while positions 2-4 stand at the 17 yard (15.5 m) mark. Although this version of trap is not sanctioned by the ATA, many shooters consider it to be both more challenging and engaging as well as a more realistic preparation for bird hunting. More experienced shooters will often shoot from the Skeet positions to increase the difficulty.
Down-The-Line (DTL) is a form of trap popular in Great Britain, Australia, and South Africa. It is similar to American trap singles except that two shots are allowed, with three points awarded for a first-barrel hit and two for a second-barrel hit. The trap machine oscillates left to right within a 45 degree arc.
In the Nordic countries and Great Britain (which is part of the Nordic Shooting Region), a form of trap formerly known as Hunter's trap and now as Nordic trap is popular. It is easier than the Olympic version.
Arms and equipment
American trap is generally shot with a 12 gauge, single-barreled shotgun (such as the Browning BT-99, BT-99 Micro, Perazzi MX-series, Krieghoff K-80, [Kolar] T/A) or a double barreled shotgun such as the Beretta DT10, Browning XT Trap. Shooters will often buy a combo-set of a mono and over-under barrel gun for shooting singles and doubles respectively. Semi-autos are popular due to the low recoil and versatility because they can be used for singles, handicap, and doubles. Trap guns differ from field and skeet guns in several ways and normally shoot higher than their counterparts as the targets are almost always shot on the rise. The most obvious difference is in the stocks. They are normally Monte Carlo or have an adjustable comb, an adjustable butt plate, or both. Such guns also have long barrels (700–850 mm, 28-34 inches), often with porting, and anything from a modified to a full choke. The majority of trap shotguns built today feature interchangeable choke tubes, but older guns generally have fixed chokes. Some shooters have a complete set of choke tubes (modified, improved modified, improved cylinder, full). Trap guns are also built to withstand much more usage, upwards of 500 shots straight, when hunting guns aren't built to withstand such long consecutive runs of firing.
Most shooters wear a vest or pouch that will hold 25 cartridges.
Ammunition
American trap is shot with lead target ammo, with a shot size between 7 ½ and 9 (2.0-2.4 mm). Ammunition is allowed a maximum of 1-1/8 oz (32 g) of shot and maximum velocities vary with shot mass: 1290 ft/s (393 m/s) for 1-1/8 oz (32 g), 1325 ft/s (404 m/s) for 1 oz (28 g), and 1350 ft/s (414 m/s) for 7/8 oz (24 g). Maximum loads are generally only needed for long handicap or the second doubles shot. When required at certain trap clubs, steel shot can be used.
Although Winchester AA, Remington STS, and other higher end shot shells have been popular in the trapshooting world for quite some time, cheaper shells such as Federal Top Gun, Rio & Estate are becoming increasingly popular due to the increase in price of the higher end shells. Federal Top Gun, Rio & Estate still offer the decent firepower of Winchester AA shells, but lack a sturdy hull thus making them difficult to reload. Reloading is also becoming much more popular because it costs less than buying new boxes of shells and doesn't take quite as long to manufacture a box of shells as it used to - due to the invention of hydraulic reloading machines.
[edit] Trap etiquette
American trap shooting, more so than other shooting disciplines, including Olympic "international" trap, develops a certain rhythm to a squad timing between shots. The manners of any other squad member(s) can affect the performance of individuals within a squad. Shell catchers are a must for anyone using a semi-automatic - a shell hitting you in the head or arm can certainly disrupt your concentration. Most shooters also carry a few extra shells in case they drop one. It is better not to pick up any dropped shell, or other item, until after the 5th shooter has fired his 5th shot of the station and the squad is about to rotate to the next position. Idle chatting between shots, vulgar calls, and unnecessary movement can be generally disruptive. Things are considerably more relaxed during a practice squad, but one should use some discretion.
Commands from the scorer and other shooters are as important to squad timing as the behaviors of the shooters on the squad. To start a squad the shooter will ask if the squad and puller are ready (usually by calling "Squad ready?" then "Puller ready?"), followed by asking to see one free target, traditionally saying "Let's see one." The scorer will call missed targets with a command of: loss, lost, etc. When the first shooter has fired his final shot of the position the scorer will sometimes call “end” and will command “all change” after fifth shooter has fired his last shot. The shooter on position five then moves behind the rest of the shooters on his way to the first station and will signal when he is ready to the First shooter who is now on station two. The standard call for a target is “pull,” but many shooters like to use their own variations of "pull," or words that will help them concentrate on the target.
Ruger AR 556
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