To find out about the shooting disciplines that Boise Gun Club participates in click the links below.
| Trapshooting | Skeet Shooting | Sporting Clays | Five Stand |
Trapshooting
Illustration provided by Clay Shooting Magazine
www.clay-shooting.com
Trapshooting was developed in England late in the 18th century. The first targets were live pigeons, which were released from cages
known as traps. The sport was first practiced in the United States early in the 19th century and was popular by midcentury in a number
of areas, notably Cincinnati, Ohio, and the New York City area. In subsequent decades the scarcity of live pigeons prompted trapshooting
enthusiasts in the United States to create ingenious artificial targets. The substitute targets first tried included glass balls filled
with feathers and solid iron pigeons mounted on long metal rods. Platter-shaped clay pigeons were developed about 1870. The subsequent
introduction of standard-ized traps facilitated nationwide competition. The first U.S. national championship match took place in New
Orleans, Louisiana, in 1885.
The Amateur Trapshooting Association, with headquarters in Vandalia, Ohio, is the governing body of U.S. and Canadian trapshooting. Under
its auspices numerous trapshooting competitions, notably the Grand American Handicap, take place each year. Trapshooting competition takes
three forms: singles, handicap, and double-target shooting. In all three the targets are hurled from one trap, and 12-gauge shotguns are
used. In singles shooting, contestants fire from a series of five stations located 16 yd (14.63 m) behind the trap. At a signal from the
contestant, the clay target is hurled forward into the air, away from the firing line. In order to simulate the unpredictable flight patterns
of birds taking wing, the targets are sprung out of the trap at various angles and in various directions. The clay pigeons rise to a minimum
height of about 10 ft (about 3 m) and, unless hit, fall to the ground about 150 ft (about 45 m) from the trap. Champions often hit 100 out of
100 targets.
In handicap trapshooting, contestants possessing superior records must shoot from stations located 17 to 27 yd (15.54 to 24.68 m) behind the
trap. The added distance, or handicap, enables trapshooters of only average ability to compete on equal terms with experts. In double-target
shooting, the trap springs two clay pigeons into the air simultaneously in different directions.
Content provided by http://www.claytargetsonline.com
Skeet Shooting
Illustration provided by Clay Shooting Magazine
www.clay-shooting.com
In 1920 in the town of Andover, Massachusetts, a small group of upland game hunters took to shooting clay targets as a means of practicing
their wing shooting. As friendly rivalries started to develop amongst the group, a uniform series of shots were developed to keep the
competition fair and even for all. It was from this crude beginning that the modern day version of skeet shooting developed into what is
now an international sport practiced by hunters and non-hunters alike.
Charles E. Davies, an Andover, Massachusetts businessman and avid grouse hunter, is recognized as the inventor of the skeet game as we know it.
The word "skeet" is derived from the Scandanavian word for "shoot."Credit for naming the game goes to Gertrude Hurlbutt, a Dayton,
Montana housewife, who in 1926 won a contest for naming the new game. Among the thousands of entries in the contest were "Bang" and
"Bye Bye Blackbird."
Skeet Shooting today involves 10's of 1000's of people across North America and the world. There is American Skeet, International Skeet and English Skeet. Each form of Skeet Shooting varies slightly from the other.
The National Skeet Shooting Association is the governing body for American Skeet. More than 20,000 skeet shooters shoot "registered targets" that are sanctioned by The National Skeet Shooting Association each year.
If you want to shoot better in the field, enjoy a day at the gun club, or compete with the top skeet shooters in the world for honor and glory (notice that I left out money), then skeet shooting is a great sport.
The basic difference between skeet shooting and trapshooting is that in skeet, most of the targets are crossing targets and in trapshooting, most of the targets are outgoing targets.
Content provided by http://www.claytargetsonline.com
Sporting Clays
Illustrations provided by Clay Shooting Magazine
www.clay-shooting.com
Sporting Clays is a challenging clay target game designed to simulate field shooting. On a Sporting Clays
course, shooters are presented with a wide variety of targets that duplicate the flight path of gamebirds,
such as flushing, crossing, incoming and other angling shots.
Courses are laid out in natural surroundings and typically include five or 10 shooting "stations" with
shooters moving from one station to the next to complete the course. Each "station" presents shooters with
a different type of shot. At a "grouse station," for example, shooters might face flushing "birds" that zip
in and out of the trees. At a "decoying duck" station, incoming targets may float in toward the shooter.
Most courses make use of natural features such as woods and ponds to create a realistic setting for each
type of shot. At any "station," targets may be thrown as singles, simultaneous pairs, following pairs
(one target right after the other), or report pairs (the second target launched at the sound of the gun
being fired at the first).
To further challenge shooters, target size may vary from the standard trap/skeet clay bird to the smaller
"midi" and "mini" targets, or a flat disc shaped "battue" target. There are even special "rabbit" targets
that are thrown on end and skitter across the ground.
Content provided by http://www.claytargetsonline.com
Five Stand
Illustration provided by Clay Shooting Magazine
www.clay-shooting.com
Five Stand is very similar to Sporting Clays in that a wide variety of targets are thrown. No two
five-stands are exactly alike. There are five "stands" or stations to shoot from. There are usually
somewhere between 6 and 8 traps that throw targets. Participants shoot in turn at each of the 5 stands
and various combinations of targets are thrown from the traps. Usually there is a menu card that will
advise the shooter of the sequence of targets. Five Stand is a great way to get a Sporting Clays like
experience in a small amount of space, with very little walking.
Content provided by http://www.claytargetsonline.com
