Jason,Congradulations, and good luck at your first registered shoot!My best advise to you...don't change anything at the last minute just because you might see someone doing something different. Keep to the routine you have developed thus far and learn from your mistakes (believe me, you will make some).Also, don't beat yourself up if your scores are not up to par. A strange club, the pressure of competition, etc usually leads to lower scores. This will improve. In my case I went from breaking 23 or 24 in practice to an 88/100 in my first registered competition. I let it bother me so much that it was nearly 20 years before I tried it again!

 

What he said! Stick with what you've been doing. One thing to be aware of with yourself and your squad will be gun safety....open and out and keep control of that muzzle when off the line. Many times in the excitement of a shoot someone can make a dangerous mistake.Seems like a recall that their is a rule about shell discharge distance and direction and it is in place to limit the distraction to the other shooters.No big Whoo hooos and high fives on the line....even if you do shoot a 25/25 them trap dudes is a tad stuffy about them things.Just try to have fun, dont worry too much about scores.

 

Just out of curiousity, how picky are they about these "shell ejection distance" rules? Would one get "in trouble" if one showed up with an auto-loader that actually (gasp) ejected shells a few feet, instead of a nice expensive double gun that requires you to manually remove the shells from the breach?(Sorry, I don't mean that to come across as snide, but being in the market for a semi-auto I don't want to be buying something that I won't be able to use, should I ever go to a "sanctioned" event... My dream gun du jour is the Rem 1100 Classic Trap.)-- Sam

 

How picky? Well, no one wants shells from the shooter to your left to be bouncing off you or your gun ... especially when it is just as you are ready to call for your target. There are all kinds of shell catchers and deflectors to prevent this from happening, and after all, it is just courteous to think of how your actions might impact the other guy. No need to think anything about what kind of gun someone else uses or how much it might cost. That has nothing to do with how well it-or you- can break targets. On the other hand, it is presumptious for anyone to think that just because someone has spent (invested) a considerable sum of money on a nice gun that he or she is automatically snobbish. I drooled over Brownings when I was shooting Remingtons then over Ljutics and Berettas. I'm still the same considerate, laid back guy that I was 25 years ago, so owning something "better" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

15. All guns used by contestants must be so equipped and so used as not to eject empty shells in a manner to substantially disturb or interfere with other contestants.Some guns, especially with heavy loads can toss an empty a good ways...if the gun does this, as stated there are devices that either deflect the empty or catch it so as to keep it from hitting the ground. There are some clubs that have a rule that if the hull hits the ground it belongs to the club, you can not retrieve them.

 

I was shooting a practice round last night before leagues at our club (Also Sac Trap, Jason.). There was a guy on my left, an experienced shooter who has been around plenty long enough to know better, who bounced at least two cases off my back with his 1100, not to mention several near misses. Now, being an old codger, I don't let things like that disturb my routine, i.e., I don't throw myself to the ground while screaming "Incoming!!" or bend down, pick up the case and heave it back at his head. Those things would not be considered good form, especially at your first registered shoot. :rollin But seriously, concentrate on your routine and ignore your score (and anything else), at least until after the shoot. It's very easy to psych yourself out. Just take 'em one target at a time and above all, have fun. I stopped shooting years back because it got too serious and I wasn't having any fun, just stressing out. Now I'm back and I'm having fun! I'm also shooting better.-ChuckHuglu: Because the best is, well...expensive!