2010 - New Zealand Clay Target Association

While gun fitting for game and
sporter guns is better understood
in the united Kingdom than
anywhere else, so far as trap guns
are concerned, expertise is rather
more thinly spread. the reason for
this is, no doubt, the relatively low
numbers of trap shooters, at least
in the more demanding forms of
the game.
There are a number of popular
misconceptions about trap shooting and
trap guns. One of these is that gun fitting
for a trap gun is not as important, because
it is mounted in the shoulder before the
target is called and so the shooter has
time to adjust himself to any kind of misfit.
The truth is good gun fit for trap shooting
is as least as important as for other forms
of shooting, because the gun is in the
shoulder throughout the entire process of
taking the shot. A trap stock’s dimensions
must accommodate both the more
deliberate method of pre-mounting the
gun in the shoulder, aligning the barrels
with the trap and a fast swing through
projectories, in the case of Olympic trap,
up to 45 degrees. Throughout this process
the shooter’s face must remain firmly in
contact with the stock and at the same
time the dimensions must be such as to
26 gunshot
allow him to move freely and comfortably.
Any kind of head movement due to strain
or restriction of the rotation of the body
will result in a miss. So then if accurate gun
fit is essential to trap shooters, what are the
factors that must be taken into account to
achieve it
stANCe AND POstuRe
No two people in any sport adopt
exactly the same posture in the various
physical movements they are required to
make. Trap shooting is no different and
I would suggest these differences are
determined by both individual physical
characteristics and the shooters mental
approach. Nevertheless everyone is faced
with the same task and so there are also
similarities. Many shooters adopt a halffacing
stance to the trap which if we say
represents 12 o’clock the leading foot
points to one o’clock, and the other foot
three o’clock. The alternative is a squarer
stance with the leading foot pointing just
past 12 o’clock and the other foot at about
two o’clock. If you look at a line of trap
shooters most people’s feet will be placed
somewhere within these parameters.
leNGtH OF stOCK
The matter of stance is an important
factor in the length of trap stock required.
A more sideways stance will require a
slightly longer stock and a shorter one for
the squarer stance. What is most definitely
not required for trap shooting is too long
a stock which from a gun up position will
both cramp your swing and bring your
head off the stock on right hand targets if
you are right handed and vice versa if you
are a southpaw.
PItCH DOWN
Pitch down is the angle of the butt in
relation to the rib. This is decided by the
difference between measurements taken
from the trigger to the heel and toe of
the stock. The difference between the two
determines the amount of pitch down.
Some believe less pitch down, which is
created by increasing the measurement
to the toe over the heel, will make the gun
shoot higher, sometimes desirable in a
trap gun. If this is so it is by far the most
uncomfortable and undesirable way of
achieving it. As with all gun stocks an even
pressure on the shoulder from the whole of
the butt area is best, both for stability and
comfort. The amount of pitch down should
always be determined by the depth of the
shooter’s chest, ladies for obvious reasons
benefit from more pitch down.
DROP At COMB
The most important single measurement
and the most hotly debated. It determines
the elevation of the aiming eye above
the rib and the percentage of the shot
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