Standard Trap shooting - Singles and Handicap. MCFG offeres two trap houses for multiple groups at once. Moving forward, we are saving money towards an automated doubles thrower (PAT trap) so that we can shoot doubles!
Cost:
Non-Members: Pay an additional $2 Non-Member Fee for the evening
Trap Practice: $4.50 per round
Kids under 18: $2.00 per round
What to bring:
Shotgun and Ammo
Typical round count:
25 shots per round
Start Time:
6pm to 10pm, Setup starts @ 5pm
Rules:
Safety First: General gun safety is to be observed at all times.
No more than one shell in the gun at a time.
Never walk with a round in your gun.
Always have action open on gun unless it is your turn to shoot.
Sign up for no more than two rounds at a time.
Once done shooting a game, ask the desk person to sign you up again. Please don't expect them to read your mind.
You can shoot more then 5 on a squad only if everyone on the squad agrees.
No additional people on the trap field unless a shooter asks for assistance or there is a safety issue.
You may shoot another person's target only with the consent (beforehand) of everyone on the squad.
Do not shoot from one trap house to another.
If you have a problem or a question, please see the Range Officer of the evening.
The weight of the shot pellets is given in ounces. The most common weight for trap is 1-1/8 ounce but 1 ounce of shot is sometimes used from the 16 yard line. The more weight, the more pellets are in the load, for the same size of pellet. 1 ounce loads will usually kick less than 1-1/8 ounce loads if the dram equivalent is the same.
The dram-equivalent is a standard way of expressing the "power rating" of the shell. Modern smokeless powder is now used, but the dram-equivalent rating is the number of drams of blackpowder that the load is equivalent to. For a given weight of shot, a higher dram equivalent means a higher velocity, and more kick. 2-3/4 dram is ideal for the 16 yard line, and most shooters use 3 dram from the 25 yard line. Trap rules specify a maximum of 3 dram.
The sizes of shot that are commonly used for trap are #6, #7, #7-1/2, #8, and #9. #7-1/2 is the most common. The larger the shot number, the smaller the pellets. #9 pellets are smaller than #6. Smaller pellets means there are more pellets per ounce of shot.
Although the prices are tempting, most of those shells are designed for hunting, not trap. You have to choose carefully. Some are only #6 shot, which is not ideal for trapshooting. Some are only 1 ounce instead of 1-1/8 ounce. And they are usually 3 dram or 3-1/4 dram. 3-1/4 dram is too much power for trap shooting and will kick much harder than what is needed. Even 3 dram is overkill for shooting from the 16 yard line. Shooting these low-price "promotional" shells usually means a sore and bruised shoulder for the beginning trap-shooter. And more importantly, they make it harder for the beginner to get over flinching in response to the heavier recoil.
However, if you can find ones that are "3 dram, 1-1/8 ounce, #7-1/2 shot" or "3 dram, 1 ounce, #8 shot", those will suffice.
Most shooters carry an empties bag on their belt. You can buy a belt, with a dual compartment pouch to carry both live shells and spent shells at most sporting goods departments or stores. (We also have several at the front desk that can be borrowed.)
If you think you'll do a lot of shooting, you will probably want to start reloading your own shells. If so, save up your empties for when you start reloading. If you do not want to keep your empties, please toss them into the boxes located at each of the shooting stations, or dump them into the boxes in the clubhouse near the front desk.
Promotional shells such as Federals with the paper basewad, or Remington Field/Game shells are generally not considered reloadable.
