doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Shot skeet for the first time yesterday

It's never been all that appealing to me because of some "perceived" flaws (like I knew anything?) and I'm embarrassed to say that I'd never actually done it before. Went to a range yesterday with a past president of the Colorado Skeet Association and had myself a fairly thorough lesson and...I came away with a new appreciation of the game. I'm still a bigger fan of sporting clays (because of all the great exercise and gunning practice that gives for actual hunting), but for crossing shots and the quick response on doubles...I can see where it should be a useful and helpful exercise.

The standard criticism of the sport I'd always heard from mostly ne'er-do-wells (such as myself in my rugged youth) was that it was a "grooved game" shot by soft old men that didn't translate-well to actual hunting conditions. This of-course from people who didn't have two nickels to rub together, who shot seriously junky guns, and who hunted more out of sheer-desperation than for any actual form of sport. Ignorance is a funny thing, and on many fronts I've clearly suffered long from it's tendrils (the gift of growing up in crap-poor Appalachia). FWIW....actual skeet ranges were few and far-between in the land of my youth (because so-few could actually afford to participate) so it was pretty easy to miss-out on it there. Also, to be fair, skeet is hardly thriving out here either. The denizens of the range we went to yesterday were some seriously crusty old fellows. If I had to guess, I'd say that they were mostly there to hang out and socialize (& to escape their spouses wrath) more than they were there to shoot. I know I'm clearly not seeing it in it's prime (which was what...back in the 50s?) so I'd hate to speculate further. But....I'll shoot it again, no question.

Oh, and also....a Model 12 Winchester 20-gauge would be perfect for this game. Found myself wishing I'd had one handy. My 10lb clays gun worked fine but...I'd bet a lighter gun (with really light loads) would be ideal, and...I bet it would be darn fun.

Every shot I take in the field, can be practiced on a skeet field. The only exception is a shot replicating a Chukar flushing downhill. I’ve never in my life shot a “springing teal”, a chandelle, or a 60 yard crosser or a 60 yard dropping target or a rabbit that hops 3 feet in the air in an actual field situation. Can’t argue that they are pretty fun to shoot though, they just don’t replicate any hunting shots I’ve ever taken.

I shoot skeet lowgun, always. I don’t shoot skeet competitively. Strictly as a way to keep my shooting skills somewhat sharp in preparation for hunting. I use the same guns for skeet that I do in the field. Yep, that means guns from 1880’s to modern auto loaders. They all get time on the skeet range.

Now for Trap. I don’t shoot trap, it just bores me to death. I don’t usually like the guys much who spend all their time on the trap line either, too essentric, too serious and all their pieces of flair irritate me :-)

I'd be in favor of returning the game to its roots with the dropped gun. A decade of shooting a nine and a half pound tubed Remington Model 3200 finally drove me from the NSSA registered skeet game. I can't say I ever shot a better score with the 3200 tube set than I had with my Model 12/42s, but I was much more consistent.

I think it would be a better game with the low gun and weight restrictions for each gauge, such as 7 pounds for a 20-gauge, 6 1/2 for a 28-gauge and 6 1/4 for a .410-bore. I like the call delay of International Skeet, but the speed of those birds is beyond anything in nature.

I feel my old SxSs are a bit more perfect than a Model 12, even my 870, but that's JMHO. A 10 # gun would be a bit heavy for skeet. All eight of my Remington doubles are 7 to 8# guns and work quite nicely. I think you'll fine even a lighter clays gun would work a bit better. A couple of us shoot with the gun under the shoulder when calling for the bird. When hunting I don't walk around with the gun up and mounted, so why shoot the clay games that way ? I've shot a number of 25s at skeet that way. Not a lot, but at 75 years young I ain't gonna win no major shoots. Just do it for fun.

As we get older, we get stiffer.
More difficult to twist.
Skeet helps the gun to continue to rotate. It keeps the waist/hips turnable.

Low gun keeps the eye hand movement /mount coordination/ footwork, sharp.

And lastly, it perpetuates sight pictures quite similar to flying game.


In a concise package.

It really is a brilliant training game for a wing shot.

When I am grooving low6, I am ready for season.

It looks like Carole Lombard had exceptionally good stance for shooting a shotgun.

I'm with you on that one! Trap is like watching paint dry. Too many gadgets like blinders, Frankenstein stocks, foot high ribs, etc. I have also heard all the trap excuses...Late pull, bad trigger, bad shell, angle of the sun, a butterfly distracted me, somebody whispered or talked during my shot, are those regulation targets or what?, etc, etc, etc..............forever!

Skeet shooting at Golden Valley Gun Club in Pacoima, CA
"The Clampetts Shoot Skeet"