Etiquette at the range

Hi all,
Like I said in a previous thread I’m pretty new at trap and still trying to learn the etiquette
1) Ejecting shells. Do I let them fly behind me since I have auto ejectors and then collect them after the full round? Or do I pick them up when switching posts? Or do I try and catch the hot rounds in my hand as they are being ejected?

2) If you dont have a full squad of 5 is there a generally accepted starting setup I should be aware of. Such as if 2 people they start at posts 2 and 4. 3 people start at 1, 3 and 5. Or does it not matter?

Thanks for answering some basic newbie questions and if anyone has any tips for a new guy entering the sport it would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the sport and ATS. In regards to the shells/hulls, it would benefit you to practice and learn to catch them as you break open the gun. You should be able to pick up the timing in a very short period of time. Then gently toss them in the bin. In regards to lesser number squads going out, pick the sstarting position you like best and go for it. No particular order needed. Good shooting, Rey

 

Welcome, I hope you enjoy shooting trap.

Let the shells fly. If shooting an autoloader a shell catcher is a good thing so you dont hit the guy to your right. If shooting a smaller club, pick em up after the 25, or however many you are shooting. Bigger clubs, I let the kids get em. You will see a lot of guys catch the shells, bag em, then toss em too. If you get concerned you can disable your ejector springs, then pick the spent hulls out by hand.

There are rules for short squads in shoot offs, thats it. My son and I shoot post 4 and 5. There are many times were the only two out there ands it no problem.

Other tips:

There is a lot of free advice at the clubs, and 99% of it is worth what you paid for it.
Relax and worry about your targets, dont get worked up over others
If you can shoot with the same people all the time, its much easier/fun
Dont play any options until you understand them and your scores justify the expense
Personally, I dont see much reason to shoot caps/doubles when your starting. Get that singles average to 90%, then expand your games.

 

Lots of good advice above. I would say avoid position 1 until you get the hang of how the squad works and you feel comfortable. As a right hand shooter, I have my left hand over the breech as soon as I open the gun and take the shells out and put them in my pouch for reloading later. At larger shoots usually there is a sign if the shells hit the ground, they are club property. Good luck and have fun!

 

On a side note, if you plan on reloading your shells, you're probably best to catch them and put them in your pouch/side pocket/etc. At registered shoots there isn't always time to pick them up and some clubs may not let you - in order to keep the shoot moving along. Even if you're not reloading I feel it is best to catch them and toss them in the bins as stated above. Just an old habit of picking up after myself and it give me something do to between shots so my mind doesn't start wandering. When my mind wanders it is generally followed with the word "LOSS".

It looks like grizquad beat me to the post about some clubs not allowing you to pick up your shells. He posted as I was typing...

 

Consider finding a DVD from Leo Harrison and watching it a few times. In person classes from either Harlan Campbell or Nora Ross would be good early in your trapshooting adventures.

 

Thanks everyone

 

I tried to catch the shells, mid air, in a smooth fluid motion like the really cool shooters do, but ended up bouncing empties off my noggin, and decided that extracting them was better. Since I collect & reload my shells it was easy to disable the ejectors. In some guns (Kolar) it's easier to do than others. I use a mesh bag with a zipper bottom that has a hook to hang on my belt, on the same side and behind the shell holder. I'm right handed so it's on the left, away from the gun. If you're on a quickly moving squad in doubles it takes some quick moving to do all that but it works for me.