Keep your head down always
Being All Ears is no Bueno...
They make ammo that is guaranteed to hit the target, but I hear it’s not cheap.
Are you right handed or left? RH shooters usually find the left side statins are easier to swing to/through- lefties the opposite.
Do you shoot a dedicated trap gun or a field gin? Fitted or stock? All of these factors will impact you ability to break clays at each station and yard line. OH, keep you head down too!
Do you have a coach or just shooting on your own? Get a coach if you want to make it work well, don’t if you want to shoot for fun. Often, you can buddy up with a top shooter and learn immense amounts of good or bad poop. Gotta figure out where you want to go.
Enjoy, but remember, it is a game that requires almost perfection to do well.
I gave up American trap after shooting international/hunter doubles in West Germany in the mid 80s. It was so much more enjoyable and rewarding...
Try a laser simulator where you are always in the same position but the computer changes the view to make the stations. May tell you what is up. May be a vision thing.
http://www.claycoachonline.biz/1_products_services/4_trap/trap_page1.htm
If you’re shooting well on all stations but one the problem isn’t your gun. It’s in your head. I myself generally shoot well on stations one through four but do poorly on five. Also remember that there is no bird that goes directly away from you. They all move slightly to the left or right even if they look like they are going straight away.
2. Call for the bird.
3. As soon as the bird is sighted, swing the barrel towards it.
4. The instant that the front bead catches up to the trigger, jerk it. Yes, jerk, don't squeeze. Shoot quick, don't allow the bird to get out beyond the effect range of your pellet pattern.
5. Do not stop swinging the barrel until it is long past the busted bird. This technique automatically imparts the correct lead.
6. A modified chock is far more forgiving than a full choke.
7. Use No. 8 or 9 size shoot. They create a far denser shot pattern than larger shot. At the close range you will be hitting the bird, the smaller shot will break them just fine.
It’s in your head. Stand on that station and practice it. Might adjust your stance slightly left if you’re missing the hard left targets.
Keep shooting, you’ll figger it out...
Try sporting clays sometime. Way more fun than trap, IMHO.
Double check your natural point of aim, it should be right at the center of the hous, so your stance will be a bit different at each station. After that, it’s all your mechanics and muscle memory.
practice...
Radar guidance coupled with proximity fused explosive slugs might help.
Other than that treat it like a good time with your friends and your score won't matter quite so much.
Have a cold beer when you're done if you're so inclined, and clean your shotgun(s) when you get home.
I know what the problem is, you are no good.
Hey, just keep shooting. Experience and time on trigger is all you need.
I did some trap shooting with a scoped 22. Someone had set leg traps illegally around our property. I shot them to set them off, then my father welded them open. We then put them back. Fun, that trap shooting.
are you a lefty?