Quit Calling it Practice Trap

It's a stupid term that needs to die.

99.999999% of people who shoot a bucket of balls at a driving range will never compete in a Golf tournament, but they're out there on Golf courses and driving ranges, supporting the sport, participating in the sport, having a great time.

Some golfers only shoot at driving ranges.

Calling it "Practice Trap" is an insulting term that suggests that the real shooting occurs elsewhere, in other circumstances. This demeaning cast drives people away from coming out to the range and having a great time shooting a few rounds.

Trap needs to be satisfied when any shooter steps up to any trapline. Trap should be ecstatic when that shooter comes out again. Quit trying to force people into Trap events. Let a few rounds at the range be plenty good enough participation to be a trapshooter.

 

I call my shooting now: "Shooting for Fun"

 

What is it, going out to shoot a few rounds, if it's not practice, for hunting, tournaments, or just general improvement of one's shooting? More nitpicking from apparently a confirmed nitpicker or fisherman. As in fishing for a response.

 

Bama, I don't really want your response or perspective. I just want your acquiescence.

 

Trapshooting.

Shooting a few rounds of Trap.

 

It's going to be a l o n g winter.

 

Acquiescense
Ac-qui-es-cense----- reluctant acceptance of something without protest

Good word.
Don't think it applies to this site though!
LOL!

 

If I'm having trouble on a particular station and I go to CC, find them open as advertised and shoot 200 targets from stations 4 and 5, and am doing it to correct errors in technique so my scores will be better at the next organized tournament, what would you call that if not "practice". My granddaughter plays varsity tennis - they "practice" every day. My son played travel ice hockey - they practiced, .... practice is what you do to get ready for game day.

 

Don't practice until you get it right,
Practice until you don't get it wrong!

 

Sometimes I'll stand 4 to 5' to the far side of post 1 & 5 to get harder angles. Helps my swing and follow thru. Plus it shows that i don't have to panic and make a stab at the target...just be smoooth.

 

We call it Trap Practice at my club, not a big deal what it's called as long as people are shooting and enjoying themselves...Bill

 

If someone never shoots ANY "events" but they go once or twice a week to their local club to shoot Trap targets what would that be called?
Maybe "practice" to get better at it?

 

What's an "event," and why would anyone ever shoot one? So the only trapshooting that can be done for its own sake is an "event"?

That doesn't make a damn bit of sense, and it's detrimental to having Trap grow as a recreational shooting activity.

Stop by your local indoor pistol shooting range and see all the folks having a good time enjoying the moment for its own sake and not practicing for any "event."

 

Went right over you didn't it?

Reread this and maybe you can figure out why I posted what I did.

"If I'm having trouble on a particular station and I go to CC, find them open as advertised and shoot 200 targets from stations 4 and 5, and am doing it to correct errors in technique so my scores will be better at the next organized tournament, what would you call that if not "practice". My granddaughter plays varsity tennis - they "practice" every day. My son played travel ice hockey - they practiced, .... practice is what you do to get ready for game day."

 

You still can't figure it out. You keep proceeding from your perspective, instead of binning that bad perspective and taking a larger view and a fresh look. 99.999999% of shooters never shoot in any sort of "event."

In 99.999999999% of shooting, there is no "game day."

For 99.999999% of shooters, the trip to the gun range is the entire shooting experience.

 

You can call it whatever you want. Or Not. But to us real trapshooters it is just that. A practice trap. Always has been and always will be.

 

Sometimes people on here bore me to death with their "Questions"

Just a bunch of Horse S*** lately on here.

Let's talk TRAP, reloads, plain and simple stuff.

Maybe it's me getting old and cranky.

Time for me to take a break from this site I guess.

 

7-1/2's or 8's?

 

Is that on a Practice Trap?

 

Yes.
Anytime I shoot trap it is practice.
Even if I am shooting an "event".
I am always trying to do better than last time i shot trap.
Shoot better than my last score, score higher than my squadmates (if any)
Score higher than my class (event) or score higher than all other shooters at an "event."

Every time I call " pull" I'm practicing to get better.

 

Yep, that sums it up.
Like to add one other thing...To take your money. The comradery thing ends, once I lay down the bucks

 

He's baaaaaak-custom Mossberg 500 with rail and extended magazine. He must have gotten a few extra $$$$ from momma for Christmas and can't wait to beat up on all those K-80's. Best to ignore!

 

357, Fishing for a response on irrelevant issues, are you? I think you're just a Troll."

 

I thought this forum had complained about every possible aspect of trapshooting. Looks like im wrong again......

 

I think you're a stultified waste of protoplasm. I'm smarter than you. I therefore win the comparative analysis game.

 

Wow!
Two $2 words, stultified and protoplasm, in a $.50 sentence.
I like it.

 

This thread is a whole lot of fun. Getting an education on top of fun.

 

Gotcha, since it was around 50 degrees last night here in SW pa. I decided to go to the club and shoot some Annie's with the guys. Only had 16 shooters due to the rain forecast. In the summer we usually have 25-30 on the line. Start around 9:00 and have to stop at 11:00. I used to be pretty good at it but with both shoulders hurting I can't hang when it gets down to 3 of us. One series lasted so long I went thru a box of my reloads before I couldn't even hold the gun up. I thanked them when they finally put me out in my misery.
Frankenstein reload was great as usual when I was able to put it on the bird. Even made a couple of 3rd shots on a wobble machine cranked all the way up.
Top gun case( they don't stick in my OLD MX8)
Win. primer( the Feds are a little too hot)
Right around 19.8 of 700X
AA windjammer wad
1oz. 6's
Very light recoil and they do get there quickly.
Do not try this at home, works for me but not recommended for anyone else.

 

When shooting 'Registered Targets' and miss one---Then it becomes a "PRACTICE TRAP" !!!!!!

 

Ain't that the truth. We used to say, miss one you might as well go sit in the truck and save the rest of the shells.

 

Brads friend, Nice cast, you lip hooked a lot of them. Roger C.

 

Which means most of us should stay home?

 

No don't just stay home !! Your wife will Harass you for not "PRACTICING MORE"
Go hit them all !!! ( That way you can "Get out more often )

 

The only thing missing in this thread........THE GRAPH MAKER

 

Ha! I was waiting for the " how do you know those reloads of yours are quick?

 

I think Rookieshooter was referring to Neil and his graphs. Something like, percentage of shooters who use practice traps and those who dont. Graphs on averages on practice traps and comparing those to competition averages.Also a graph on those who use a practice trap and percentage of winning in competition to those who do not. Could even go to number using 8s and those using 7.5 on practice traps.
The possibilities are virtually endless. Neil feel free to chime in on this.

 

Roger just think of all the donuts we could buy if we could buy ole 3 5 7 ( I believe the 4 and 6 cog are missing) for what he knows and sell him for what he thinks he knows.LOL If you go to a gun club and shoot a round of practice it is an event.

Dave Berlet

 

Your smarter than me... Well tell us your incredible history, as I haven't met to many people smarter than me. My God we have us a real Einstein here guys....Old 357 is a real smart fella. For a TROLL that is.

 

If you don't shoot ATA, you are doing nothing but practicing....for what I don't know, but an EVENT is a structured, controlled, and competitive shoot. Not just shooting a few rounds with your buds.

 

I think he's a bit off on his percentages too.

 

One of the biggest lies in ATA trap.

 

Unless you can supply a greater object or end for your purported "practice," it's not; the round is the end, in itself.

Your argument is that any shooting that isn't "structured, controlled, and competitive" is "practice?" For what? Your argument doesn't make sense. Almost all shooting in this country is recreational shooting, for no greater end than its own enjoyment.

This attitude of "if you're not going to shoot in a Trap event, you shouldn't be shooting Trap" has and will drive away shooters.

Stop by your nearest gun range; see all those rounds going downrange, and ask what shooting competition they're practicing for. They'll look at you like you're nuts.

 

What is "trap" shooting? I have a friend who's asked me to go to the range with him to shoot trap a number of times. His version is a foot operated "trap" that throws a straight away target about 30 yds. Stomp the pedal and shoot the target -great fun. He rarely misses. But I've taken him to a "real" trap range exactly once. 5 man squads, 5 targets from 5 different positions - I believe he shot a 12, maybe 16. He won't even discuss going again, but still refers to his little set up as trap. He won't shoot a regulated round of trap because he hasn't developed this skills necessary to shoot as well as others and is unwilling to put in the practice time necessary to do so.

"Stop by your nearest gun range; see all those rounds going downrange, and ask what shooting competition they're practicing for. They'll look at you like you're nuts."

Tell you what, call it what you want. Any time you put two more shooters on a real trap field, they're competing. And if you're just out there to yuk it up with your friends, shoot from the hip, load 3 or 4 rounds at a time in your autoloader then have fun, keep it downrange and excuse me if I move on to another trap so I can get some "real" practice in because that's what it takes. If you're not trying to break every single target thrown, you're not shooting trap; you might as well just throw some cans and some milk jugs out there and blast away.

 

I would shoot at those milk jugs and cans if there was enough money on the line. Since I haven't seen a machine that would throw either of those two targets consistently I would assume they would have to be thrown by hand.

Now since a human would be doing the throwing and they would probably throw each target differently and the flight path would be erratic to say the least, how would I "practice" for that event?

 

To complete to the stupidity of this thread, we need that Arthur guy chiming in on using ''the much superior release trigger'' as pertaining to practice shooting.

 

Practice is not a derogatory/demeaning term, OP. Have you tested the water, face to face, where you shoot? If not; you should try this test. When you hear someone use the term; you should respond in the following manner: “Please do not use the word practice in my presence! I find the term offensive!”

I recommend you say please. However, if it will make you feel better; use the command form as you did in the title of this thread.

Then report back here. Tell us what kind of responses you received! I can think of some possibilities. However, I do not wish to rob you of the first hand experience. It would be like telling you the story of a book you have purchased and are about to read.

If you are serious; you have a great deal of work ahead of you. The gun clubs listed on the ATA website would be a good place to start. The mailing addresses are shown for your convenience. Those listings offer details about their clubs. One might say, for example, they offer eight program traps and two practice traps. Some go on to say things like practice is offered Wednesday through Sunday all year and registered shoots the first Sunday of the month: April through September. So get out the pen and paper! Head to the Post Office! Buy stamps: lots of stamps!

Once you get through the ATA affiliated clubs; you can move on to the PITA. Then there will be the US Olympic Committee, the ISSF, SCTP and AIM. I do not think I can be much help in regards to Australia, New Zealand and Europe in terms of where to find contact information.

Good luck with your campaign. I think you will need lots of luck. A little more tact probably would not hurt.

You may need some money as well. I do not think Lynn Gibson is going to divert the girls in the ATA office from their other duties to edit out the words practice and practice traps from the website for the listings of all the clubs. He will most likely need to hire additional staff at your expense.

Go forth and conquer! Slay that dragon!

 

I'm a simple guy. I prefer just calling myself a casual trap shooter.

 

I like the idea of eliminating the "term" ..... "Practice Trap" in Trapshooting .....

It should be replaced with participation .....

On a local level, game shooters do not "practice" before game shoot participation, and League shooters just show up and participate ..... On the more organized level, an attendance pin and a possible participation ribbon doesn't seem worth the current cost of "practice" .....

And now, when a Club opens for a "practice only day", it only attracts those who want to participate in a round of Trap, with no intentions of preparing/improving themselves for some type of a "win" in the future .....

So, the 2019 modernization of Trapshooting nomenclature should be the elimination of the "term", "Practice Trap" ..... The use of this archaic "term" could mislead people into thinking there is currently some type of competition involved in Trapshooting, that may require "practice" to improve someone's ability to "win" something .....

FWIW ..... The great chart/graph maker has told everyone for years, that "real shooting" is a bench-rested shotgun and a piece of paper ..... something that NEVER REQUIRED "practice" .....

 

Ring, Ring

“Acme Trap Club”

Caller: “Hello, I would like to know if you open for practice today?”

Club: “No, we no longer offer practice.”

Caller: “You are......., still a trap club?”

Club: “Yes, we are.”

Caller: “What kind of trap shooting do you offer?”

Club: “We have various kinds. We have registered competition. We have non-registered competition. We shoot games. We also shoot PC term trap.”

Caller: “What is PC term trap?”

Club: “It is not an organized trap event. There is nothing to win or lose on the line.”

Caller: “That sounds like practice.”

Club: “I know it sounds that way; but the club board of directors voted.”

 

Ring, Ring

“Acme Trap Club”

Caller: “Hello, I would like to know if you still shoot a large jackpot calcutta?”

Club: “No, we no longer offer any money shoots.”

Caller: “You are......., still a trap club?”

Club: “Yes, we are.”

Caller: “What kind of trap shooting do you offer?”

Club: “We sell you a token that gets you 28 targets, no keeping score, no winners or losers, just participate for fun.”

Caller: “What is the cost?”

Club: “It is 10 bucks for targets and 10 bucks for shells if you need them”

Caller: “That sounds like a lot for no hope of any return.”

Club: “I know it sounds that way; but the club board of directors voted.”

 

Interesting. I shoot trap. It's non-ATA sanctioned, but it's still trap. Call it practice trap, call it casual trap, call it an-afternoon-with-the-boys-trap, or call it trapshooting. If I shoot on a trap line, five targets at each of five stations on a legal trap field, at targets thrown from a legal trap house/machine, then I'm shooting trap. As compared to skeet, or 5-stand , or sporting, or even hand-thrown clays behind the barn. It is trap shooting and you can call it whatever you'd like, it's okay with me.
Just as a runner running the 100-yard dash ten times the day before the state meet. He's still running the 100-yard dash.