A practice or competition event will consist of shooting two 25 target rounds for a total of 50 targets from the 16-yard station. Up to five athletes (squad) will occupy the stations on a trap field. Station one is assigned the “squad leader”.

Trap Field

The trap field is the area of a shooting range where trap shooting occurs. Each field contains shooting stations (typically concrete walkways with yardage markers) and a trap house.

The trap house is the structure in front of the stations from which the clay targets are launched. Only facility personnel shall enter and maintain the trap house. A cone or flag will be displayed when the trap house requires maintenance and shooters are required to exit their shooting station and make firearms safe until the trap house maintenance is completed and the cone or flag is removed.

Trap Shooting Basics:

Five shots are taken at each of the five stations. After the first five shots are completed by the entire squad, each shooter will move to a new station by:

• Verifying the gun is unloaded.

• With the chamber open and the shotgun pointed in a safe direction, rotate in a clockwise manner to the next station.

• Station one will move to station two, two to three, three to four, four to five, and five to one.

• Station five will rotate to their right moving away from the station four shooter who is moving to station five and continue to walk behind the other shooters to station one.

• Await the “START” command from the scorekeeper.

• The squad leader is the first to shoot in each round.

• Repeat process until all shooters have each shot 25 targets.

• No shooter will move to the next station until the last target in a round is completed.

Trap target flight:

A target should be set so that when thrown from the straightaway position it reaches a height of between 9 to 10 feet when measured at a distance of 30 feet from the center point of the trap house. The target should then fly and then land at a distance between 49 yards to 50 yards – but no further than 51 yards. Distance measurements should be on level ground during still air.

If using a radar speed gun to set targets, a speed of 42mph at a target height of 9 feet to 10 feet (measured 30 feet out from the trap house center) should reach the desired distance.

Target throwing angles shall be adjusted that within the normal distribution of angles as throne by the trap machine, the right angle shall not be less than 17 degrees measured to the right of center, and not less than 17 degrees measured to the left of center, with a total angle between outside target limits on not less than 34 degrees.