Some of the guys at the resort in Florida go shoot sporting clays. I think I’d like to go even though I haven’t done it in 40 years and haven’t fired a shotgun in probably 8 years.
I don’t know anything about the kind of clay game they have.
I have a browning citori I inherited, haven’t fired it yet. It has 26 inch barrels with modified choke on the bottom and full choke on the top.
Then I have a browning A5.
Plan on taking both.
Is the citori barrel length and chokes ok for clays?
Sure, if you’re shooting Trap. You’ll want to lighten up on the chokes if you’re shooting Skeet, 5-Stand, or maybe even Wobble, depending on your talent.
When you say lighten up I assume that means more open?
Yeah. You’ve got to be quite good to bust Skeet with a full choke. When I shoot that game with a double, I usually use cylinder and improved cylinder. With a single barrel, I just use C or IC. Because I suck.
With Trap, its a little easier, and they’re a little further away, so a tighter choke is fine. Dunno if I’f ever go Full with a 12, though. Mod is enough.
Thanks. I need to research these games.
The saying is that Skeet is hard to learn, and easy to master. Trap is easy to learn and hard to master.
With Skeet, the clays cross you laterally, but in a consistent pattern. With Trap, they go almost straight away from you, but vary a bit in flight path. Wobble Trap just kinda elaborates on that, and is a pretty normal way to casually shoot Trap, especially if the shooter isn’t moving between pulls. Sporting Clays and 5-Stand are a little more complex, and you should have a grasp on Skeet and Trap first.
My experience has been; if you’re a good handgun/rifle shooter, becoming a salty wing shot is counter intuitive.
The entire “front sight, front sight” thing works against you in Clays/upland shooting as you HAVE to focus on the Target.
I spent a couple years working on Sporting Clays and gained some proficiency, but it didn’t come easy.
Yeah, its a different kind of game. I’d recommend practicing presentations and swings dry at home, and when you do it enough, it starts becoming intuitive. Stock geometry is important in shotgunning; fortunately my body type works well with most factory guns.
Yep. Stock fit is important; your Eye is the “rear sight”.
I shot a fair amount in Sporting Clays before covid, and used a Modified choke just fine. My friend who got me into it said if I can shoot Sporting Clays decently, skeet and trap will come easier.