Clay Pigeon Trap

Arcto

Hello.

Few questions on clay traps. Do you need special permission to use them on land you already have permission to shoot on? Besides obviously letting the farmer know your going to be shooting clays do you need to apply for a permit or anything?

EDIT: Also would this be any good for a beginner? http://www.shoot.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_32&products_id=38&zenid=f449ea08c6973a814212703aba366d6b

ronn

No special permission required, just keep away from house and livestock, clean up as much as you can, try get fibre wad cartridges,

if its a clay shoot the nargc do insurance for e14 if your a member, so you can invite your mates who arent insured,:D

Arcto

Cheers, have to start looking into these more and find a nice balance between price and function.

yog1

Arcto wrote: »

Hello.



EDIT: Also would this be any good for a beginner? http://www.shoot.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_32&products_id=38&zenid=f449ea08c6973a814212703aba366d6b

when i first bought a shotgun i also bought a trap like that, waste of money, you need someone to go along with you to use the trap and that can be hard to find, also i found that with a bit of practice you can throw the clay by hand just as well, stay well clear of that trap in my opinion

DJandDeid

Got the same model for £25 on ebay. Throws ok but is a bit slow to load. You definitely need someone with you to load and spring the trap or you'll be there all day for just a few clays. Ok for occassional use but for real practice I would join a club and use the more robust jobs they would have.

Deerspotter

What is the safe distance from a house you should be, in order to shoot clays in the direction of the house?

Tackleberrywho

Deerspotter wrote: »

What is the safe distance from a house you should be, in order to shoot clays in the direction of the house?

Edit
Never fire in the Direction of a house. I should have been clearer on this earlier.

deeksofdoom

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

100yards pellets fall out of the sky like confetti

At 100 yards pellets sting like ****.

Tackleberrywho

deeksofdoom wrote: »

At 100 yards pellets sting like ****.

NEVER fire in the direction of people or property.
The wad is normally found around 40yards and effective range of 60yards of trap loads (7,7 & 1/2)


For breaking clays, anywhere near a house best practice is ALWAYS to fire away from house anyway.

I have a cheapo Hoppes Trap, Mate goty in states $28 and it is great craic in the field beside the house

deeksofdoom

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I never fired them at myself

after 100 yards the spread would be huge and velocity would be reducing rapidly due to low BC and lack of weight.
When we shoot birds in neighbours grain yard we can hear the pellets landing on the shed rooves moments after shooting into the air.

The wad is normally found around 40yards and effective range of 60yards of trap loads (7,7 & 1/2)


For breaking clays, anywhere near a house best practice is ALWAYS to fire away from house anyway.

I have a cheapo Hoppes Trap, Mate goty in states $28 and it is great craic in the field beside the house

Well I know for a fact from being in the beating line that if your hit by pellets out to 300yards and they hit skin, you'll know all about it.

Boiled-egg

That trap is a waste of money, had one and it lasted one outing.
I now have this one http://www.amazon.com/Do-All-Outdoors-Professional-Single-Cock/dp/B000FDVMS6
Purchased in duffys and I cant fault it.

Arcto

That's good to know, glad I didn't just dive in and purchase that one!

I would join a gun club but it costs too much for the frequency that I will be using it, I also have a shooting buddy and 9/10 we go out together, so taking turns to load and fire the trap will be fine.

That one on amazon is a bit too far up the scale. I was hoping to pick up a second hand one for around €100-€120.....guess I'll have to keep looking!

yog1

http://www.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/othersports/1804450

DJandDeid

Arcto wrote: »

That's good to know, glad I didn't just dive in and purchase that one!

I would join a gun club but it costs too much for the frequency that I will be using it, I also have a shooting buddy and 9/10 we go out together, so taking turns to load and fire the trap will be fine.

That one on amazon is a bit too far up the scale. I was hoping to pick up a second hand one for around €100-€120.....guess I'll have to keep looking!

Check out the club option, you might be surprised. My local club costs less than €100 a year and that includes insurance for hunting/shooting and use of the club's shooting grounds. Plenty of advice and coaching available too from experienced shooters.

Chopperdog 2

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

100yards pellets fall out of the sky like confetti

Confetti my ****

This is why internet forums are so dangerous. Anyone can post an opinion and a newcomer could accept this as verbatim.

Tackleberry, the recommended minimum safety fallout range for trap (Clay) loads (7 1/2 or 8) is 270 metres.
This is a minimum recommendation.
I would not like to have my house or body anywhere near where you shoot if you think that 100 yards is a safe backdrop for shotgun shooting.

I appreciate that you are trying to help but please try to be more realistic than speculative when a newcomer asks for a specific answer in future.

G.R.
Registered C.P.S.A. Shooting Instructor & Safety Officer.

Tackleberrywho

Chopperdog 2 wrote: »

Confetti my ****

This is why internet forums are so dangerous. Anyone can post an opinion and a newcomer could accept this as verbatim.

Tackleberry, the recommended minimum safety fallout range for trap (Clay) loads (7 1/2 or 8) is 270 metres.
This is a minimum recommendation.
I would not like to have my house or body anywhere near where you shoot if you think that 100 yards is a safe backdrop for shotgun shooting.

I appreciate that you are trying to help but please try to be more realistic than speculative when a newcomer asks for a specific answer in future.

G.R.
Registered C.P.S.A. Shooting Instructor & Safety Officer.

If you noticed my FOLLOW UP post
I said NEVER fire in the Direction of a house.

Tackleberrywho

HOW FAR WILL A SHOTGUN SHOOT?

By Dick Baldwin

(This article is reprinted with permission from the Gun Club Advisor, Spring, 1994)

Gun club operators have long been asked the age old question, "How far will my shotgun shoot?"

The size of the shot used has much to do with the range of the load. It can be assumed that the same weight of different sizes of shot, propelled by the same amount of powder, will develop identical muzzle velocities. However, small shot lose their effectiveness before their pattern density is lost, while the larger sizes of shot lose their pattern density before their energy and stopping power is lost. No. 6 shot seems to be the intermediate in that it loses its pattern density and penetration effectiveness at about the same point on its trajectory. Another important factor is the angle of elevation when firing. When No. 6 shot is fired from a gun held slightly above the horizontal, the pellet drop will cover an area of approximately 400 feet in length. The nearest shot will fall about 300 feet from the gun's muzzle. While the furthest will land some 700 feet away. When the gun is elevated at an angle of approximately 40 degrees the drop area of the shot is greater, from 400 to 900 feet.

A load of No. 4 shot will carry somewhat further. The nearest pellets striking the ground some 600 feet away. These distances vary from shot to shot as weather conditions, particularly the wind, have an effect on a shotgun's range.

It is the generally accepted opinion that the No. 7 1/2 shot, used in trap loads, have an extreme maximum range of about 300 yards. Trapshooting ranges should provide this distance for their approximate danger zone.

A French ballistics expert, General Journee, years ago worked out a formula to the effect that the maximum range in yards equals 2200 times the shot diameter in inches. When the gun is held at a horizontal position or only slightly elevated, this formula gives the maximum range of shot sizes as shown below.

No. 2 - 330 yards

No. 4 - 286 yards

No. 6 - 242 yards

No. 7 1/2- 209 yards

No. 8 - 198 yards

Altitude also has an effect on how far shot will carry. Data published by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, for example, indicates the maximum range for No. 7 1/2 shot is 780 feet at sea level but increases to 1,080 feet at high altitude (12,000 ft.).

However, Never shoot uless you are sure of your backstop.
Wearing Hearing protection.
And are using properly functioning firearms and ammunition.

Arcto

Wow, that's nuts. I had no idea a shotgun could go that far.

Noob question: I shoot 32grm 6's mainly and had no idea it would go 242 yards...however what grm shells does that formula apply too?

Tackleberrywho

Arcto wrote: »

Wow, that's nuts. I had no idea a shotgun could go that far.

Noob question: I shoot 32grm 6's mainly and had no idea it would go 242 yards...however what grm shells does that formula apply too?

It "appears" to be a rule of tumb used, the difference in extra grams or less should not be very significant in standard shells, unless Magnums; which are travelling faster and hence take longer to slow down.

EXTREME range.
i.e .22lr HV ammo 1.5 Miles Extreme range.
Effective range on a Bunny around 120 yards

For the Purposes of Standard shells a 300 yard mark can be used to cover most forms of bird shot.

It's a similar reason that Civie Rifle ranges have to have such Huge Backstops to comply with EXTREME errors, or factor of Safety.

I don't fire my rifles in the direction of any property or people either ..........

Arcto

That's interesting to know. Thanks!

Question again: When shooting at birds I find anything over 30-40 meters doesn't go down with a 32 and about 50ish with a 42 magnum lite.

Is that normal?

I presume at 300 yards the spread on a 32 6 would be HUGE.

Tackleberrywho

Arcto wrote: »

That's interesting to know. Thanks!

Question again: When shooting at birds I find anything over 30-40 meters doesn't go down with a 32 and about 50ish with a 42 magnum lite.

Is that normal?

I presume at 300 yards the spread on a 32 6 would be HUGE.

Depends, on how accurate you are, How good the shells are (some shells pattern is awful) and teh grain size, small grains take more to drop a bird.
Bigger grains less will drop a bird.

I shot a duck once.
Only grain I found was in it's head. (alphamax 4)
The Eye was gone on one side and it dropped to the ground (I finished him off with a swift chicken choke )

If you BREAK CLAYS
If you are Dusting the clays you are hitting the clay with a lot of lead.
If you are just breaking them in half only a small bit of lead is hitting them.

The best practice is clays as you hone your skills fo rthe field.

A box of Clays is cheap (under 20) and a cheap trap or even thrower will do

Spend a couple of hours a week bursting clays and you will find you will be dusting more Birdín's

Tackleberrywho

Sites for Clay Pigeon Shooting

The minimum area required for a clay pigeon site is about 15 hectares (approx. 34/40 acres) to include a minimum safety zone of 275 metres (300 yds) in front of the shooting stands in the general direction in which shooting takes place. Within that safety zone there must not be any places to which the public has access such as public highways, footpaths and bridleways, etc. Also shooting in the vicinity of overhead electrical and telecommunication cables should be avoided.

Generally speaking, shooting should be wherever possible towards the North to avoid interference from the sun and North East has proved to be the best possible orientation.

Trap and Skeet require level ground with clear and unobtrusive backgrounds of uniform nature.

If you were to go to the letter of the CPSA brief you could not shoot on farmland under 40 acres......

Arcto

Tackle you've been an enormous help. I wont question why you've been on allnight :P (im at work)

I was trying to shoot birds with 32grm 6 and 4's but recently changed too 42 mag lite size 2. Hell of a bang off of em and you can defo see the increased reach (fired a few at the odd rabbit )