Trapshooting Overview 

Trapshooting is a specific form of clay target shooting. Trapshooting is a game  of movement, action and split-second timing. It requires the accuracy and skill  to repeatedly aim, fire and break the 4 1/4 inch disc which are hurled through the  air at a speed of 42mph, simulating the flight path of a bird fleeing a hunter. 

Trapshooting's continual growth and expanding popularity is due to the fact that  people of all ages, incomes and abilities can compete. Nine year olds shoot  alongside 90 year olds. Many 70-year olds have been in the sport 55 years and  some began just two years ago.  

The shooter is required to shoot at a target after he calls "pull." It does not  matter in scoring if the shooter hits only a small piece of the target or whether he  shatters the target. The target is considered a "dead" or "lost" bird. If the target  is hit it is "dead." 

Registered trapshooting is competition that is regulated by the Amateur  Trapshooting Association. Gun clubs hold shoots in accordance with ATA rules.  Danvers Fish and Game Club Inc. is a registered club and there for follows  ATA rules.  

Click Here To Download The Intro To Trapshooting Brochure

Click Here to Download a great resource from Remington, The Fundamentals of Trapshooting Handbook!

Trapshooting Disciplines 

Singles 

Singles is considered to be the easiest of the three disciplines. In singles, the  shooter stands 16 yards away from the center of the "trap house" and shoots at  random targets that fly at various angles in front of him/ her. Shooters are  grouped into squads, usually made up of up to five people. There are five  positions that each shooter shoots from, five shots per position, totaling to  twenty five shots or one round. This gives participants a different view of the  target flying through the air. Each position is a constant 16 yards from the trap  house, each one is spaced three feet apart forming a small arc. Squads rotate  between four trap fields called a "bank." When the shooter is finished shooting  at targets from those four trap houses, they have completed a round of 100 

targets, 25 at each bank. The premier shooting event in singles is the ATA Clay  target Championship. 

Doubles 

Doubles was added to tournament play in 1911. It is a modified version of  Singles, but it is more difficult because shooters must break two targets fired at  the trap house simultaneously. One clay pigeon flies to the left while the other  flies to the right. The target path remains constant, but the challenge is if the  shooter can hit both targets before they hit the ground. Each target is scored  individually, not as a pair. There are no partners in doubles. Some shooters tend  to use a shotgun with two barrels for doubles and one with one barrel for singles  and handicap.
 

Handicap 

Handicap is considered the most prestigious event in trapshooting. As in other  sports, handicapping strives to make the competition equal. The is  accomplished by having the more skilled competitors stand further away from  the trap house. Based on a shooter's past performances, a shooter is assigned  a handicap distance which he/she must shoot. A competitor with a high  handicap will shoot no closer than the 18 yard line, while the most skilled  shooter is placed at the 27 yard line where it is extremely difficult to win an  event.