Busting Clays

The standard clay target is the bird sporting shooters will face on most stations. It measures 4-1/4 inches (108-110mm) across and about 1 inch in height, up to nearly 1-1/8 inch from some makers. A standard can be broken with open chokes and small shot when up close, say within 30-35 yards, regardless of the angle of the bird presented to the shooter. Even when only its edge is visible, its rim and high shoulder provide a lot of surface area for pellets to impact. Standards that show much or all of their underside or top, such as birds thrown well above or below the shooter, present even more surface area to the gun and can be broken with open chokes and small shot up to 45 yards and even beyond. The time to tighten chokes and switch to larger shot, like No. 7-1/2s, is when ranges increase significantly, especially when only the target’s profile is visible.The rocket target, still measuring 4-1/4 inches in diameter, features a much flatter profile, only about 5/8 inch. They’re seldom thrown on many courses, but when they are, they can catch even a top gun off guard. With a profile almost half the height of a standard, the rocket’s squat dome is seldom visible to the shooter when thrown edge-on. Its thicker rim, lower profile, and often heavier weight let the rocket maintain its velocity off the trap arm better and longer into its flight, making many shooters miss behind–especially when mixed in a pair with a standard clay. When only its edge is visible, select 7-1/2, and even a choke tighter than improved cylinder when ranges exceed about 35 yards.

Sporting Clays is a clay pigeon shooting sport. Often described as golf with a shotgun, the sport differs from skeet and trap shooting in that it involves shooting clays at various locations which are launched at different velocities and angles. The original idea behind sporting clays was to create an experience that more closely reflects actual hunting conditions. Whereas top-tier skeet and trap professionals may have hit ratings nearing 100%, the best sporting clay shooters hit their targets only about 85% of the time.