Posted: 4/18/2026 3:11:38 PM EDT
| Never had a purpose built shotgun for trap. Looking at the CZ All American, SKB Century 3, and the Browning BT99 adjustable all in 34". I really don't have a problem with Turkish made, but. I'm in the $2k price range, is there anything else I should be looking at? |
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Originally Posted By Bladeswitcher: Trap is for grouchy old men and young kids in 4-H. Get yourself a proper gun with two barrels and shoot sporting clays, five stand or skeet. I disagree. As someone who has been shooting trap for a short time. I have come across a wide spectrum of people. As in any sport or hobby, yes there are grouchy old men as you stated. but in my experience, that's not the norm. Trap is expensive and you will find people with disposable income and usually those young kids are being paid for by parents, grandparents or through fundraising. to the OP. get a gun that fits. dont let price be the only guideline. its a important one but not the only one. Fit is more important. an ill-fitting gun will frustrate you. If you are only going to shoot a round or 2 a week, the ones you stated would be fine for a bit. But a 2K budget is enough to get a very nice gun. Don't discount used. There are plenty of used Browning CX/CXT/BT99 or a used Beretta 682, on GB. Get a 30/32" barrel. There is nothing wrong with 28" but when it comes time to sell and upgrade, you will take a hit. I started shooting trap with a 11-87, cause that's what I had, it was a field gun. But also, have shot and owned a BT99, Cx, 682, 687, and ultimately ended with a Beretta 692 Xtrap. Trap was the gateway to clay shooting for me. SC/SK/5stand are all done several times a month, but I still shoot trap about 3 or 4 times a week. |
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Originally Posted By Bladeswitcher: Trap is for grouchy old men and young kids in 4-H. Get yourself a proper gun with two barrels and shoot sporting clays, five stand or skeet. You had me until you said skeet. Trap is ok, both skeet and trap are quite boring but some people don’t have access to anything else. Trap and skeet are the gateway drug to more challenging and fun games like Sporting, FITASC and 5-Stand but my suggestion to the OP is don’t just lock yourself into a dedicated trap gun. Plenty of trap matches are won with low-rib O/U guns. It’s the Indian not the arrow plus you have more versatility. My default recommendation to people is Browning or Beretta as a starting point. You have to spend a lot more money to get better. |
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Originally Posted By celticfozzie: I disagree. As someone who has been shooting trap for a short time. I have come across a wide spectrum of people. As in any sport or hobby, yes there are grouchy old men as you stated. but in my experience, that's not the norm. Trap is expensive and you will find people with disposable income and usually those young kids are being paid for by parents, grandparents or through fundraising. to the OP. get a gun that fits. dont let price be the only guideline. its a important one but not the only one. Fit is more important. an ill-fitting gun will frustrate you. If you are only going to shoot a round or 2 a week, the ones you stated would be fine for a bit. But a 2K budget is enough to get a very nice gun. Don't discount used. There are plenty of used Browning CX/CXT/BT99 or a used Beretta 682, on GB. Get a 30/32" barrel. There is nothing wrong with 28" but when it comes time to sell and upgrade, you will take a hit. I started shooting trap with a 11-87, cause that's what I had, it was a field gun. But also, have shot and owned a BT99, Cx, 682, 687, and ultimately ended with a Beretta 692 Xtrap. Trap was the gateway to clay shooting for me. SC/SK/5stand are all done several times a month, but I still shoot trap about 3 or 4 times a week. Trap targets are great to practice for sporting shooters, especially FITASC. There is a “trap trick” that’s like a superpower for sporting shooters but it’s hard to explain. Think of looking below the virtual barrel of the gun at the focus point where the bird transitions from a blue of moment to focus. That’s your hold point, a short quick move and break the shot. |
| Ended up buying a 34" Browning BT99 w/adjusts cheek pad and butt pad. Salesman and I got it dialed in to fit proper. Hopefully make it out next week to start getting it dialed in. I'm assuming this is a new line for Browning using the base model. As far as trap goes, for me, it's a time to get out and catch up with friends and BS.i just want to be able to shoot more consistently in the high teens/low twenties instead of my normal 14 average. |
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Originally Posted By ulost: Duly noted. However, at 40, I'm not so sure I can change from my right eye anymore Eye dominance is more complicated that just cross eye. There’s actually 4 possibilities with cross distance, close to the nose all the way to rge other end of the eye. There’s a test you can do to determine, depending on how severe your cross dominance is the solution could be a simple patch on the center part of your dominant eye to needed to switch shoulders. For me I’m left eye, right handed with my focal point off the left of my nose. I hold my shotgun in low gun and use an inclusion patch on the centerline of my left eye. Good luck. |
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Originally Posted By ATLDiver: Eye dominance is more complicated that just cross eye. There’s actually 4 possibilities with cross distance, close to the nose all the way to rge other end of the eye. There’s a test you can do to determine, depending on how severe your cross dominance is the solution could be a simple patch on the center part of your dominant eye to needed to switch shoulders. For me I’m left eye, right handed with my focal point off the left of my nose. I hold my shotgun in low gun and use an Good luck. Originally Posted By ATLDiver: Originally Posted By ulost: Duly noted. However, at 40, I'm not so sure I can change from my right eye anymore Eye dominance is more complicated that just cross eye. There’s actually 4 possibilities with cross distance, close to the nose all the way to rge other end of the eye. There’s a test you can do to determine, depending on how severe your cross dominance is the solution could be a simple patch on the center part of your dominant eye to needed to switch shoulders. For me I’m left eye, right handed with my focal point off the left of my nose. I hold my shotgun in low gun and use an Good luck. I made in edit that might make more sense to some readers. If I am reading you right you’re using something to occlude your dominant eye, like a piece of scotch tape, to force your other eye, the one in line with the barrel(s) into the brain’s computations. Forgive the butting in. Not wanting to be the Grammar Police but I figured that someone would be trying to figure out what kind of patch that is. I have switched eye dominance/tracking with fatigue. Suddenly going from an ok round to missing by a country mile. The first time it happened I was in disbelief. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Originally Posted By ATLDiver: Eye dominance is more complicated that just cross eye. There’s actually 4 possibilities with cross distance, close to the nose all the way to rge other end of the eye. There’s a test you can do to determine, depending on how severe your cross dominance is the solution could be a simple patch on the center part of your dominant eye to needed to switch shoulders. For me I’m left eye, right handed with my focal point off the left of my nose. I hold my shotgun in low gun and use an inclusion patch on the centerline of my left eye. Good luck. Waiting for schedules and weather to cooperate. The coach for all the local trap teams is going to help me get the gun fitted and also check eye dominance. I really appreciate all of the replies. Thank you! |
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Originally Posted By SteelonSteel: I made in edit that might make more sense to some readers. If I am reading you right you’re using something to occlude your dominant eye, like a piece of scotch tape, to force your other eye, the one in line with the barrel(s) into the brain’s computations. Forgive the butting in. Not wanting to be the Grammar Police but I figured that someone would be trying to figure out what kind of patch that is. I have switched eye dominance/tracking with fatigue. Suddenly going from an ok round to missing by a country mile. The first time it happened I was in disbelief. Yes, dots that are specifically made for this. They come in different opaqueness but I absolutely have to shoot low gun/soft mount. Trap isn’t a problem left to right birds are. One other thing, Pilla has a specific frame for this. It mutes color out of the dominant eye still allowing you to see, they claim this forces the non-dominant eye to take over. I say claim as I personally have never tried these and know of only one shooter that has without success. If you’re looking to get a set of glasses, you might want to try that but I’d try before I buy. Again, trap shouldn’t be too hard to adapt. Read up on the ‘trap trick’ I mentioned above. The brain tells the hands where to be. |