Lake District Sports - Traps/Disciplines

Traps

These are purpose made, spring loaded, flywheel or rotational devices especially designed to launch the different types of targets in singles or pairs at distances of up to 100 metres.

These machines vary from the very simple, hand cocked, hand loaded and hand released types to the highly sophisticated, fully automatic variety which can hold up to 600 targets in their own magazine and are electrically or pneumatically operated. Target release is by remote control either by pressing a button or by an acoustic system activated by the shooter's voice.

Target speeds and trajectories can be easily modified and varied to suit the discipline or type of shooting required.

The Disciplines

Clay pigeon shooting has at least 20 different forms of regulated competition called disciplines. These can be roughly divided into three main groups:

Trap shooting

Targets are thrown either as singles or doubles from one or more traps situated some 15 m in front of the shooter and are generally going away from the firing point at varying speeds, angles and elevations. The most common disciplines in this group are:- Down-the-Line (DTL) Single Barrel, Double Rise, Automatic Ball Trap (ABT), Olympic Trap, Double Trap and Universal Trench.

Skeet shooting

Skeet is a word of Scandinavian origin, though the discipline originated in America. Targets are thrown in singles and doubles from 2 trap houses situated some 40 metres apart, at opposite ends of a semicircular arc on which there are seven shooting positions. The targets are thrown at set trajectories and speeds. The main disciplines in this group are English Skeet, Olympic Skeet and American (NSSA) Skeet.

Sporting Clays (shooting)

The English Sporting discipline has the sport's biggest following. While the other disciplines only use standard targets, in Sporting almost anything goes! Targets are thrown in a great variety of trajectories, angles, speeds, elevations and distances and the discipline was originally devised to simulate live quarry shooting, hence some of the names commonly used on Sporting stands: Springing Teal, Driven Pheasant, Bolting Rabbit, Crossing Pigeon, Dropping Duck, etc. Disciplines in this group include English Sporting, International (FITASC) Sporting, Super Sporting Sportrap and Compak Sporting.

Electrocibles or Helice shooting)

Originated in Belgium during 1960's, Helice shooting is similar to Trap Shooting, but the clays are equipped with an helice that will give the clay an erratic and unpredictable flight. The helice is composed of two winged plastic propellers with a white clay in the center.

Guns/Cartridges | Clay Pigeons/Targets